Friday, 26 December 2014

Raw Cafes in Australia

With thanks to Scott Mattias who runs wonderful Raw Food classes up on the Sunshine Coast QLD; I thought you might find this listing helpful, particularly if you are visiting any of these areas over the Holiday period, or coming to Australia & wish to check out some great food outlets. I have taken this directly from Scott's newsletter, thanks Scott; no doubt there are many more Raw Food Cafes a year later, but at least some you may wish to look up.

RAW CAFES IN AUSTRALIA & NZ

I am often asked do I know where are raw cafe or restaurant is in towns or cities across Australia. So with the help of all my awesome Raw Food Mum facebook fans we have complied this list!
If you know of a raw cafe/resteraunt in your area and it is not listed, please email me sarah@therawfoodmum.com – ilke wise if you find a cafe listed here does not provide raw food please email me too. and I can amend list!
I hope this is a great resource for those traveling around Australia and New Zealand looking for some yummy wholesome raw food!  <3 Sarah x

VICTORIA

NEW SOUTH WALES

ACT

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

NORTHERN TERRITORY

QUEENSLAND

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

TASMANIA

NEW ZEALAND

Sunday, 21 December 2014

Anyone for a helping of Christmas Turkey?


Christmas turkey with trimmings

Photo from Thinkstock...thank you


I was listening to a Radio program recently & the compere read out the most amazing little story about "Turkey for Dinner".........I wish I could remember even 1/2 of how cleverly the story was told but it went something like this.

"I met with my Turkey friend a week or so ago & shared with him my plans for Christmas. I explained to him that his future was in my sights & that I wouldn't be feeding him any more as I had plans to place him on my table as a great celebration for Christmas; Turkey listened very carefully trying to gage what this would really mean for him & if it would affect his life. Possibly the celebration seemed a great idea but attending without his clothing of feathers did bring a feeling of anxiety!
Turkey suggested that he & I go for a walk along the beach as he thought he needed to know more about this proposed celebration, & he also wanted to share with me his own ideas of how he viewed his future. We both walked arm in arm down along the beach allowing the waves to gently tickle our toes, we took in the beautiful fresh sea air & watched the sun slowly go down in the West. Life was good, nature so perfect & the bond between friends grew even deeper with every step....we listened to one another & could relate in a way that had never been considered, after all my previous thoughts had been that a turkey wouldn't really think or even feel anything about anything ! I was blown away as Turkey talked from the heart about how he saw his life & what he would like to change, the plans he envisioned for himself & what he was passionate about......certainly turkey dinner wasn't mentioned! He seemed so grateful to be able to share these thoughts & dreams with me & that I was willing to listen.
The sun had set by this time & I was feeling extremely uncomfortable about my own plans of eating him for Christmas Dinner.....in fact, could I now go through with these plans knowing him better than I had considered possible, even after a short stroll along the beach!

What do you think was the outcome of this story & is Turkey now happily grazing the fields & watching over the farm with his plans unfolding as he envisioned?"
I  love this story as it tells me so much about life & my relationships with everyone & everything, & how I view these relationships & interact with them......Food for Thought!

(with apologies to the unknown author who told this story far more eloquently!)

Sunday, 7 December 2014

Egg Substitutes




I believe many thoughts are circulating on the use of eggs in our diet, & it is always easy to find support for whatever viewpoint we seek to justify to ourselves. Cage Free, organic, free range are all labels we are familiar with, those soothing 'feel good" words supporting our purchases. But do we ask the hard question.....what happens to low or poor producing hens, how long do free range hens actually stay in this environment, what is their used by date before the next port of call becomes their destiny...chicken sausages or whatever........looking towards a vegan diet brings up these issues & for myself it has been one of my stumbling blocks, as egg replacement powder just doesn't do it for me!
Here are a few tips I have been working on & may be helpful if you are researching this subject.
Depending on its role, you can use appropriate substitutes for eggs without compromising (to a large extent) on the taste. To my knowledge, the various roles of an egg (and the appropriate substitutions) are:
  1. To act as a binder (Coagulate)
  2. The egg proteins act as a binder by holding the ingredients together (or as they say “coagulating”) while cooking or baking. When they are beaten/ heated, they change the liquid mixture to a solid state. They help in preventing crumbling and provide structure for foods.
    Examples:
    Nutloaves casseroles, burgers, breads etc
    Substitutes:
    -In such cases, to substitute eggs you would need an ingredient that plays the same role. Like mashed potatoes, cooked rice, bread crumbs, cooked pasta, oatmeal, flax or chia
    seeds, commercial egg replacement products, Tahini, nut butters, silken tofu, tomato paste, arrowroot powder etc. -In cases of Sweet based goodies (like biscuits or pancakes), you can use fruits like Banana, applesauce, Xanthan Gum, agar agar (a non vegetarian equivalent like Gelatin),  cornstarch to perform the binding function. Keep in mind that using fruits can alter both the density and taste of the finished product. I have even seen mashed pumpkin used with great success.
    -In case of Baked Goods, you can use flax or chia seed (1 tbsp ground flax or chia seed with 3 tbsp hot water, whisked and set aside until thick and sticky). But if it’s also acting as a leavening agent along with binding then add in additional ¼ tsp baking powder.
  3. To act as a leavening agent
  4. Beaten eggs are a leavening agent as they incorporate air into the batter, which will expand in the oven and cause the cake to rise. Some cakes use beaten eggs as their only source of leavening.
    Examples:
    cakes, cupcakes, soufflés etc
    Substitutes:
    Baking powder (plus extra oil), Vinegar, Baking soda (plus lemon juice/orange juice),  all play an equivalent role as leavening
  5. To provide moisture and texture (Emulsify).
  6. Eggs have emulsification properties, which in plain English would mean something that binds things together which naturally won’t come together or mix. Like say- Oil and Vinegar. Egg yolks allow fats to stay dispersed in water and water to stay dispersed in fats which in turn promote thickening and product stability. So this property gives the baked goodies that smooth and creamy texture along with providing it moisture.
    Examples:
    Mayonnaise (emulsifier) and, biscuits, muffins & breads(to provide moisture)
    Substitutes:
    Turns out that there is lecithin in Tofu as well which acts as an emulsifier when the oil is added slowly, which is perhaps why you will see that Tofu is sometimes used to make Vegan Mayonnaise.
    For additional moisture, try using fruit or fruit puree like banana, applesauce, pumpkin puree, apple butter etc
  7. To provide color
  8. The cartenoids present in the eggs are responsible for the color it provides to foods. This is found in Egg yolks (the yellow part), that give crusts that beautiful golden brown color.
    Examples:
    Scrambled Eggs, egg wash, coating for frying etc.
    Substitutes:
    As for cases like scrambled egg, they can be replaced with Tofu with a pinch of Turmeric. The softness of tofu mimics the creaminess of eggs and the turmeric gives it that beautiful golden color to ape the yellow of eggs. Tofu, as we all know, is a protein powerhouse too.
    When it comes to using egg coatings for frying, use a mix of all purpose flour + water to form a paste and then apply that as a coating instead of beaten eggs. Instead of all purpose flour, you can also use Chickpea Flour (Besan) to do the same.
    For Glazing on pies, breads etc, try using some melted vegan spread with perhaps some almond milk to glace, it works fairly well.
  9. For extra Volume and Lightness
  10. Egg Whites when beaten provide extra volume and air thereby giving lightness to the finished product.
    Examples:
    Omelets, cakes etc
    Substitutes:
    One way to do this, that works is creaming the vegan spread and sugar in the beginning of the cake making process for a long time, until it becomes very light and fluffy. Also, by simply folding the ingredients instead of beating, helps to provide lightness to the baked goods. This is because, both the creaming and folding process helps to incorporate more air into the batter. Of course this is not applicable in the case of  Sponge cakes where eggs form the basis of such cakes & where a satisfactory substitute is unrealistic!
    All said and done, keep in mind that if a recipe for baked goods calls for three or more eggs per batch (with a typical “batch” consisting of 36 cookies, one pan of brownies, one loaf of bread, or in one cake), then, more often than not, egg substitutes do not work. Baked Goods and other popular desserts with relatively high egg content do not turn out well in egg-free cooking. In these situations, it is usually best to make something else !