I Heart Food
I am vegan and gluten-free and I really heart food. It is probably an obsession, but that is far from being a bad thing! The aim of this website is to show photographs of and talk about some of the food I have made or eaten. I also post some of my favourite recipes and review some of the cafes and restaurants I eat at and new food I discover, as well as random photos of my cats. I may get slightly obsessive over certain things, but food is good!
- Last build:
- Language:
- en
- Feed URL:
- http://www.iheartfood.net/rss.xml
RSS FEED IDEMS: I Heart Food
- A couple of vegan related links
Here are two articles I've come across lately that have been interesting, let me know if you come across anything else you think I'd be interested in.
Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler via the New York Times:
Mark Bittman discusses how a cow's stomach was meant to digest grass not grains as well as the destruction of land to make room for cattle.Carnivore sex off the menu via stuff.co.nz:
Forget homo-, bi- or even metro-: the latest prefix in sexuality is vegan-, as in “vegansexual.” 157 vegans and vegetarians were polled on attitudes about eating meat
to keeping pets to wearing possum fur to, yes, “cruelty-free sex” — that is, “rejecting meat eaters as intimate partners.”
Wed, 30 Jan 2008 21:40:48 -0600 - Triniti of Silver in Mt Albert
This morning I had a meeting over breakfast at Triniti Of Silver in Mt Albert Auckland. They have a great variety of vegetarian food, a lot of which is vegan or can be made vegan. They're really accomodating if you explain that you are vegan or gluten-free, and the owners are the kind of people who are just so genuinely nice. I used to go there quite a bit, but haven't had the chance to much lately, so have been looking forward to my weekly Thursday morning breakfast meetings there!Today I had the Vegetarian Trio -- it is usually made up of hash browns with herb oil, mushrooms, eggs and sundried tomato toast; I asked for no egg and gluten-free bread instead of the sundried tomato bread. They gave me avocado in place of the egg which was really nice! It was really delicious, and I am still full now even though it's past lunch time! I also had a soy flat white, which is always good.
If you haven't been to Triniti Of Silver, I recommend dropping by for brunch one day -- they do lunch as well as breakfast, but no matter what time of the day I go there I always have breakfast food -- I always go for the cooked breakfast whenever I go to cafes! At Triniti Of Silver I used to get the gluten-free toast with hummus (that they make on site), tomato and red capsicum pesto, but my favourite is now the Vegetarian Trio. They're pretty busy on the weekends, but they have multiple areas -- a outdoor smoking area out the front, a covered outdoor non-smoking area at the side and about three inside areas -- some of which are child friendly and some child free -- basically, no matter how busy it is, you should be able to find a suitable spot and enjoy a nice brunch and coffee served by really friendly and nice staff.
While I was there, I was thinking about how there isn't any fancier types of gluten-free bread, at least not that I'm aware of. While I love my Venerdi Country Style Six Grain, I wish that there was somewhere that made say gluten-free vegan sundried tomato bread and sold it to cafes to use or even through the supermarkets. Maybe this is a big ask! Does anyone out there know of anything available? I think I will experiment and make my own fancy cafe style breads using my breadmaker -- I'll let you know how it goes!
Triniti Of Silver
911 New North Road
Mt Albert
Auckland
Phone 09 815 8591
Wed, 30 Jan 2008 18:25:00 -0600 - Lunch Today
Today is one of those working from home days, which I love! So I was lucky enough to be able to eat my lunch in the sunshine in my backyard with my beautiful cats for company. Lunch was a bean salad, made for me by my amazing girlfriend! It was made from black eyed beans, tomatoes, and cherry tomatoes and coriander, both of which we grew in our vegie garden (which is my current obsession). It was left over from dinner last night which was the bean salad and corn fritters. I really am spoiled! I even managed to take some photos today:
These are two of my many cats, Poti and Lea, napping in the shade. How cute.
Mon, 28 Jan 2008 19:05:26 -0600 - Adventures in Juice Making!
I decided to dust off my juicer and start making juice again and am really glad I did! For breakfast this morning I had apple, carrot and ginger juice, yesterday morning I had my absolute favourite which is apple, kiwifruit, lime, ginger and banana! I wish I could make juice for breakfast every morning but it's a bit of a hassle since it takes quite some time to cut up the fruit, juice it and then clean the juicer. Maybe if I had a fancier juicer it would be a lot easier? I might make smoothies for breakfast on the days I have work since that seems like it would take less time.Apple, carrot and ginger juice
Cut up two apples, four medium to large sized carrots and a chunk of ginger -- use as much or as little ginger as you like, but I like the taste and use quite a bit. Then run it all through the juicer!Apple, kiwifruit, lime, ginger and banana juice
Cut up two apples, three or four kiwifruit, peel and cut half to one lime, a chunk of ginger (again, up to you how much you use) and run it through the juicer. Then transfer the juice to a blender and blend with the banana. This juice is so tasty and refreshing! I'd have this every day if I could!When making juice there aren't any rules, just use what you feel like! I do find that I usually start with a base of a couple of apples as they provide quite a bit of juice, whether I'm making a fruit juice or a vegie juice. I also like adding lime or ginger or both to most juices I make, it just adds a little bit of zing to the juice, but that may just be my personal taste!
When I was buying the fruit and vegies for juicing, I also discovered Taro chips! They were so good! They also make banana chips which I'm not really a fan of, and kumera chips which I will definitely get next time! Track them down if you're in New Zealand -- they are made by Pika's Own:
PO Box 43051, Mangere, Auckland
11 Quennell Ave, Mangere, Auckland
021 186 6895
epskelton@xtra.co.nz
Mon, 28 Jan 2008 15:58:24 -0600 - Episode 3 of the Meat Free Media podcast "The V Word" is out now
Episode 3 of the Meat Free Media podcast, "The V Word" is out now. The podcast comes out once a month and discusses animal rights and vegan related issues in New Zealand.
The podcast is available on Meat Free Media's website or if you've already subscribed via iTunes.
This month on The V Word, their topic of the month is battery farming and the increase in attention it's received in the media lately.
They also cover news to do with the current Japanese whale hunt, the proposed code of conduct regarding Kangaroos in Australia, look at vegan treats from Baker's Delight, and take look back over 20 years to SAFE's first office.
They also cover (among other things):
- The Japanese Whale Hunt
- Vegan treats available at Baker's Delight
- The Australian proposed Code of Conduct regarding Kangaroos
- Heroes and Zeroes - Who stands out as a bastion of vegan goodness, and who just doesn't cut the mustard.
Sun, 27 Jan 2008 17:36:33 -0600 - Burger Fuel update
I just found out that Burger Fuel are now saying that their gluten-free buns contain egg-white. So please let other vegans know about this, and let's hope that they change their recipe so that they are vegan! As far as I'm aware the regular buns are still vegan, so those of us who aren't gluten-free can still have a burger and a soy shake!
Sun, 27 Jan 2008 17:28:53 -0600 - Adventures In Bread Making!
I was lucky enough to get a Breville bread maker for Christmas! I couldn't bring it back with me on the plane since it was quite big and I already had a lot of luggage, so my mum posted it up to me a week ago. Well, I finally used it, and I love it! We bought the Healtheries Simple gluten-free bread mix from the supermarket (New World in College Hill if you're in Auckland). They also had the Orgran bread mix, but it was more expensive so we chose the cheaper option for our first trial. I'd like to try it next, especially since looking on their website I see they have a gluten-free "grain" mix, but they just had the plain mix when I was at the supermarket.It was so so nice waking up to the smell of freshly baked bread! It hadn't risen properly and it turns out that this is because we followed the instructions on the bread mix packet, and didn't notice that you add things in a slightly different order if you are using the timer function on the bread maker. For breakfast yesterday we had the bread warm from the being baked, and this morning we had it toasted! It was so good both times, and I think it was just really exciting having homemade bread -- although I am aware that I didn't really do much in order to make it! Apparently it doesn't last too long because there are none of the preservatives that can be found in commercially baked bread, but I've heard that you can freeze it without any problems.
Because we were setting the bread maker at night on the timer to be ready for the morning, we couldn't add any seeds to the mix since you need to add them at a specific time, but we're definitely going to experiment with making different types of bread! It also works out a lot cheaper (about half the price) than buying vegan gluten free bread from the supermarket. We also want to experiment with making our own bread mix, perhaps with a mix of buckwheat flour and rice flour, since the bread mix is mainly rice flour and I find it to be a bit too chewy and well gluten-free tasting (I'm sure you know what I mean?!) and I'm especially keen on making loaves with seeds etc in them. You can also use the bread maker to mix ingrediants so you can then make things like rolls or burger buns. I'm so excited about what we're going to be making! Do you have any favourite bread recipes that are vegan or gluten-free?
Mon, 21 Jan 2008 18:21:22 -0600 - Activist appears in court for 'stealing' battery hens
Rescued chicken. Photo: Mark Hawthorne, www.openrescue.orgFriday 18 January 2008
Activist appears in court for 'stealing' battery hens
Media Release: Open Rescue CollectiveOpen Rescue Collective activist Mark Eden is appearing in the Levin
District Court at 10am today over burglary charges relating to the
rescue of 20 battery hens from Turk's Poultry, an intensive egg farm in
Foxton owned by Ron Turk.Mr. Eden is pleading not guilty to
the theft of the hens from the intensive egg farm. The hens were
rescued from horrendous conditions on Turk's farm in November last year
and placed in loving homes for rehabilitation.Open Rescue activists rescue animals from factory farms and document the conditions
which they find. They openly identify themselves and are willing to
take full responsibility for their actions.'Every time we visit factory farms we find evidence of illegal animal cruelty. If the
government was serious about animal welfare they would be inspecting
farms and enforcing the laws themselves, instead of leaving it to
volunteer groups like us‘ says Mr. Eden.Another Open Rescue activist, Deirdre Sims, agrees, 'It is appalling
that Mark Eden has been charged with burglary for rescuing animals in
need. Animals are seen as property in the eyes of the law, so they are
used and abused as property - they have no legal rights. I applaud the
initiative of Mr. Eden for going to the rescue of those hens'.Mr. Eden says, 'I don't believe I should be in court for rescuing
animals in need, but I'm looking forward to asking Ron Turk why he
thinks himself and other factory farmers should be exempt from the
Animal Welfare Act'.Contact Mark Eden on 021 026 49406 or Deirdre Sims on 021 265 9703
Footage of the Foxton hen rescue is available on mini DV and high resolution digital photographs are available on CD.
Thu, 17 Jan 2008 15:58:51 -0600 - Lunch Today
Was a seaweed and tofu salad, with a sesame dressing. It also had
regular lettuce and cherry tomatoes. So good! I went to a different
sushi place today, which was hard for me, because Bian (where I usually
go) makes the best sushi ever, I swear. But Bian was really busy, so I
tried the place a few doors down from it and found this! Their sushi
looked really good too, but I haven't tried any of it yet although I
have heard that it's really nice.
Sorry for the bad photo, I only had my cellphone on me! Banzai Sushi
213 Symonds Street (corner of Symonds Street and Newton Road), Auckland
Phone 09 377 4014
Wed, 16 Jan 2008 18:36:40 -0600 - Sangria & Vegan Wine
I have been slack. I blame it on being on holiday and it being summer time! I have eaten so much good vegan and gluten-free food I don't know where to start, so instead I'm writing about alcohol. For New Years Eve, we had a few people over for drinks at Fiona's. Fiona made delicious hummus and guacamole, and to drink, sangria! I'd never had it before and was a bit concerned because I am sick of red wine due to the copious amounts I drank when I discovered that there are vegan red wines and that wine is one of the few alcoholic drinks that are gluten-free!
But the sangria was really good! This is how to make it, from Wikipedia:
Sangría is a wine punch typically from Spain and Portugal. The word sangría comes from the Spanish sangre meaning blood. It typically consists of:
* red wine,
* chopped or sliced fruit,
* a sweetener such as honey or orange juice,
* a small amount of added brandy, triple sec, or other spirits.
* gaseosa, which is soda.
Because of the variation in recipes, sangría's alcoholic content can vary greatly. The ingredients in sangría vary, particularly in the type of fruit used, the kind of spirits added (if any), and the presence or lack of carbonation. White wine can be used instead of red, in which case the result is called sangría blanca. In some parts of southern Spain, sangría is called zurra and is made with peaches or nectarines. In most recipes, wine is the dominant ingredient and acts as a base.
Preparation consists of cutting the fruit in thin slices or small cubes, then mixing in advance all ingredients except for ice and carbonated sodas. After several hours in a refrigerator to allow time for the fruit flavors to blend with the rest of the ingredients, the ice and any last-minute ingredients are added and the drinks are poured. In Spain, sangría is served throughout the country during summer, and around the year in the southern and eastern parts of the country.
Fiona used a couple of bottles of Yellowtail red wine, sliced oranges and lemons, vodka, triple sec, lemonade and ice. It was so good, and quite lethal!Here's a list of vegan wines that are available in New Zealand and probably Australia and possibly the rest of the world. The easiest vegan red wine to find is 'Yellowtail' (from $10-15 a bottle), who do I believe three red wines -- my favourite is the Pinot Noir -- a still white wine and a bubbly white wine. The easiest vegan white wines to find in NZ are 'Kim Crawford' wines - only the white wines are vegan though.
New Zealand Made:
Wright wines - All wines vegan
Stonyridge - All wines vegan
Church Road Winery - 2003 Cuve Series Malbec is vegan
Kim Crawford wines - All white wines vegan
Stony Batter Estate - Road Works 2004 Sauvignon Blanc is vegan.
In previous years many Coopers Creek and CJ Pask red wines have been vegan - but have not checked 2006 or 2007.Australian:
Temple Bruer - All wines from 2001 onwards Vegan (use clay)
Yellowtail wines - All reds vegan
Peter Lehman - all reds vegan, all whites vegetarian
Penfolds - Vegan: 2002: Bin28, Bin128, Bin138, Bin389, Bin407 / 2001: Bin389, Bin707, RWT, Yattarna / 1999 Grange
Leo Buring - Vegan: 2003 Clare Valley Riesling, 2003 Eden Valley Riesling, 2003 Leonay Eden Valley Riesling
Seppelt - Vegan: 2003 Vic Marsanne Roussanne, 2003 Drumborg Riesling, 2002 Jaluka ChardonnayUnited Kingdom:
Mateus - All wines vegan e.g. Mateus RoseFrench:
Louis Jadot -Beaujolais Villages is vegan
Dubonnet - All red wines vegan
Bollinger - Champagne is vegan
Piper Heidseck - NY Champagne is veganEnjoy!
Wed, 09 Jan 2008 21:20:25 -0600
