Dining out with Dietary requirements #3

Little Bird Cafe, Ponsonby.

  

Incredible choice of vegan and raw food, I could basically have anything savoury on the menu, and will most certainly be back for some un-cheesecake! Really exciting to see the range of nut cheese and yoghurt and has inspired me to have a go at making some!

I believe they are using agave which is still 90% fructose, but not bad for a special treat! Not the best for the carnivorous man in your life, unless you can get him to try a weekly veggie day (so we also went up to get him chicken from the new and beautiful Boy and Bird)

Also, so popular you can rarely get a table, which is fine if you want a takeaway, but the decor is so awesome you really want to stay! 8.5/10

LittleBirdOrganics

Sugar Profile [1] Chelsea Sugar

 

Did you know? Most of Chelsea sugar is from Queensland Australia! Therefore, the Fairtrade standard does not apply for this part of the sourcing chain. The processing of Chelsea sugar is also carried out at the plant on the North Shore of Auckland as it all arrives in raw form.

But how can we discern what part of their sugar is from other sources? It is still up to us as consumers to question the integrity of brands we purchase, rather than choosing the cheapest or most familiar option. A blanket greenwashing statement “we believe in doing the right thing” does not mean they ARE doing the right thing! and the link to the Fairtrade website is not directly affiliated with Chelsea.

It is near impossible to search for “fairtrade” on their website, and while we can hope they meet ISOs for farming in Australia, there is no way of knowing (as with NZ) whether overseas labourers work on the farms and if they are actually treated fairly.

Also! While researching sugar and veganism for September, I learned that some sugar is processed using bone char and is therefore not vegan and maybe not even vegetarian!! Although most NZ producers use coal not bone, so check their websites if you are unsure!

REVIVE!

Buckwheat Pancakes- with nut cream

 

Vegan Cheesecake- nutty base, cashew cream filling and arrowroot jelly-tastic top!

I LOVE the REVIVE CAFE cookery books (and actual cafe!) and have been trying out a few of their lush recipes! These are both from book 1 and theres heaps of sweet and savoury ideas in all 3 books- every recipe I’ve made of theirs comes out super-freaking-delicious!

Totally one of the best cookery book purchases- would definitely recommend checking them out!

Plant Dairy Experiments *3

BRAZILS!!! Boost your selenium with this jolly delicious milk alternative!

*1c Brazils, *2-4 c milk depending if you want it creamier

Apple Brazil cream

*1c Brazils, *1 grated apple, up to 1c water

soak and blend the brazils first with 1/2c water, then bust in the apple and add more water if required, until you get the creamy consistency you require- perf on pancakes!!

Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much

“Never doubt that a small group of committed citizens can change the world, in fact, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Margret Mead (1901-1978)

Tonight LOUDER NZ kicked off their Social Justice Arts Week with an awesome night of fashion, Artistic expression and opening up conversations about slavery and trafficking.

Check out their page on facebook and events this week including exhibition and poetry from the epic South Auckland Poets Collective.

“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much”

Helen Keller

Breaking the Fast

So its the end of the vegan, sugarless month, and I enjoyed the best cup of tea I’ve had for 30 days! PLUS the most delicious organic sugar soy NiceCream! Thanks Tommy & James!

So I kind of lost sight of the sugar issue, while focusing so much on the vegan, but going forward I am going to do my best to avoid sugar and chocolate which is not certified organic or Fairtrade.

With today being WORLD VEGETARIAN DAY, kicking of Vegetarian month, I am going to re-introduce dairy, eggs and honey (hooray!) but stick with the vegetarian diet and keep exploring sugar!

I encourage you you join in with veggie month or a day a week!

Slavery Degrades Everyone

[“As an abstract question, freedom must be held preferable to slavery, but] I very much doubt whether, if the Negroes in the West Indies were to have their freedom granted them, they would be nearly as happy as they are now?”

James Tobin, Plantation owner and sugar trader, addressing a parliamentary committee, Feb 1790

A sentiment still apathetically echoed now, in response to the 21st century factory workers and bonded labour force.

Fair Friday

When you go to purchase something with an “ethical label” check two things:

Who is the certifying body, and to what standard is the certification?

Certifications and standards are in place for independent accountability, transparency and legality. Without them, we rely on marketing and greenwashing.

I choose to vote with my wallet and pay a bit more for this standard and support the communities connected to the supply chain. There are also many co-operatives working directly with groups of suppliers who may not be able to afford the certification, or who are working towards it (organic farming takes 3-5 years to eliminate the pesticides from the soil)

Fairtrade Standards for sugar growers ensure that:

• Producers are organized in cooperatives (or associations) which they govern democratically.
• Environmental standards restrict the use of agrochemicals and encourage sustainability.
• Pre-harvest lines of credit are given to the cooperatives if requested, of up to 60% of the purchase price.
• A Fairtrade Premium is paid directly to the cooperative or association and is used for social and economic investments such as education, health services, processing equipment, and loans to members.

Find out more about the certification on the FAIRTRADE website

Plant Dairy Experiments *2

 

Turns out you can make “milk” or “cream” from basically any grain/ nut/ seed! – here’s this week’s experiments:

Sunflower seed cream 

1c soaked sunflower seeds + 1c water

BOOM!

Rice “yoghurt”

1c cooked rice (I do the 1:2 simmer cooking method) + 1c water for blending + 1 probiotic capsule sprinkled to each serving to give you the culture- this isn’t going to feed and grow, I literally just stirred it in before eating. The texture is very gelatinous and thick so makes a distant cousin to yoghurt, not the close sibling achieved from coconut cream.

I was initially intending for these to be milk, but used less water in order to get the creamy consistency. So you would basically just add more water if you want milk! These were purely happy accidents!- The cream is GREAT stirred into curry, and the rice yogloop is lush with berries or cinnamon. – Be mindful that you only keep it for a few days as I imagine bacteria loves it just like cooked rice.

Happy Blending!

Be Just and Fear Not

“Be just and fear not” was the motto of the early suffragist movement. This week was Suffrage week, with Suffrage day on 19th Sept. On this day in 1893 Governor Lord Glasgow signed a new Electoral Act into law, making New Zealand the first self-governing country in the world to grant all women the right to vote in parliamentary elections.

{Suffragists were less radical than the Suffragettes, and preferred non-violent action in support of their cause}