The MasterChef Australia 2019 contestant from Warners Bay will be preparing a three-course, plant-based modern Indian feast on Friday, September 27, served at a long table under the stars. The feast kicks off Lake Macquarie City Council's annual Living Smart Festival at Speers Point Park which, for the first time, is being held over three days.

So, what's the difference between plant-based and vegetarian? According to De Sousa, plant-based is "more subtle - a move away from meat, rather than excluding it altogether". The school of thought is that a plant-based diet, compared to a diet rich in animal products, uses fewer natural resources and is less taxing on the environment. Many say there are health benefits, too.

"I believe adding more plant-based foods into your diet can benefit your health, save you money and time and help reduce your impact on the environment," De Sousa told Food & Wine.

"Having said that, I don't think you have to eat an exclusively plant-based diet to make a difference in all these areas. My opinion is based on my own personal experience. I'm a mum with four children. We have used food as medicine along with traditional medicine. We have been broke and time poor. And we know the impact we are having on the environment."

She said she never realised how much of what she cooked was plant-based until competing on MasterChef.

"It's not planned; it's because it's just yummy food and it works really well with curries and spices. At home I've just been introducing more and more vegetables into our diet to the point now where we are having a plant-based meal three or four times a week."

De Sousa's Feast For The Senses menu is as follows: Entree: onion bhajis and cauliflower wings (crunchy spiced, fried onions in a chickpea batter with a mint yoghurt sauce; spice roasted cauliflower smothered in a fermented chilli butter sauce); Main: butter chickpea and spinach curry, saffron rice, chapatis, eggplant pickle, lemon pickle, carrot raita; Dessert: chocolate chai tiramisu.

"I'll also be making some chutneys and sauces in addition to the condiments," she said.

"We had the butter and chickpea spinach for dinner the other night and my son Noah reckoned it was even better than the butter chicken I make, and that's one of his favourites. I've decided to do a carrot raita rather than the traditional cucumber raita in an effort to get more fibrous veges onto the menu. It's equally as delicious."

She hopes the shared first course will encourage people to interact as they eat.

"I went to Feast For The Senses last year and one of the things I liked about it was that they had some shared dishes on the table and it really encouraged conversation - we met some lovely people," De Sousa said.

The 10th annual Living Smart Festival's aim is to share core messages of environmental education and sustainability with an even broader audience. There will be workshops, cooking demonstrations and eco-living displays and, for the first time, the festival will be spread across three days (September 27 to 29).

The Feast for the Senses showcases delicious, seasonal ingredients that are sustainably farmed and locally sourced. There will also be live entertainment including Indian music and dancing, fire-twirling and roaming performers.

Lake Macquarie mayor Kay Fraser said last year's inaugural Feast For The Senses was a sold-out success, and this year's instalment was on track to be even better.

"The atmosphere last year was superb," Cr Fraser said.

"Watching the sun set over the lake, enjoying an evening of fantastic food and entertainment - this kind of event demonstrates how we can bring our city to life at night."

Hunter Resource Recovery is Living Smart Festival's major event partner. The festival is sponsored by Stockland, Greater Bank, Good Guys and Lake Macquarie City Farmers Market.