shak-shuka

Indian Cauliflower Power

During my university years, I had the fortune of being able to live and study in India. It was an amazing time where I think I learned as much about myself (and own limitations!) as I did with my studies, and part of my cross-cultural studies was learning about local cuisines. It was such a pleasure being a vegetarian in India, as I was well catered for everywhere I went. By far one of my favorite dishes was Aloo Gobi, a mixture of potatoes and cauliflower which really "sticks to your ribs" and was a welcome respite from super-spicy foods as somehow it managed to seem more mellow than other dishes. Since my days in India I have experimented with various interpretations of Aloo Gobi, but this by far my favorite try. I've made a lot of it lately as it's obviously cauliflower season here in Holland!!!

Aloo Gobi (Cauliflower with Potatoes)

3 large potatoes, boiled in their skins until tender then leave to cool

1 cauliflower, cut into small flowerets and soaked in water for 15-20 minutes

1/4c coconut oil

2tsp ground cumin

1tsp ground coriander

1/4tsp turmeric

a pinch of chili or cayenne pepper

1 fresh hot chili, chopped (optional if you don't like spicy)

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a pan over a medium flame and when hot, add the 1/2 of the cumin, until toasted (about 2 minutes). Now put in the drained cauliflower florets, turn flame on low and stir often (it should get some brown bits on it, but not burn!). Leave to cook for about 15 minutes. Once the cauliflower is nice and spotted with brown, add the potatoes, spices, salt and pepper. Stir gently to mix. Leave to cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often, adding splashes of water if the mixture seems too dry. The way I test for doneness is by trying a piece of cauliflower - it should be tender, but not limp.

Serve over basmati rice, with chapati bread, or you can easily substitute with pita bread. Enjoy your Indian feast!

Rainforest Friendly Soaps

One of my major weaknesses when I used to visit London regularly, was to stop off at Lush cosmetics. My best friends who would accompany me (you know who you are) would cringe, as they knew they would be able to smell the store 2km away, because the products they carry are so fragrant, you can find the store with your eyes closed. Years have passed, my trusted products list is forever growing, but the span of Lush has grown and now I can find it online in the Netherlands!

I have long been aware to avoid soaps using sodium tallow, which is the ingredients used to make soaps which comes from the rendered fat of animals (which I'm not a fan of being veg). But there has been a lot of controversy over the destruction of rainforests in search of fulfilling the demand of the cosmetic industry for more palm oil (which means fewer rainforests). Leave it to eco-warrrior Lush, who really raised the bar on living green when they heard the warning of Greenpeace that orangutans and other animals were disappearing as fast as the rainforests they called home. In order to find a suitable veg-friendly soap "fat", most companies turned to coconut and palm oil as it's relatively cheap and rivals the soapy qualities of sodium tallow. Now realizing that nothing is as good as it seems (cheap not always meaning good), Lush is one of the first soap cosmetics company to create a palm oil free soap base to keep all the primates happy!!! We really applaud Lush's commitment to the environment (fewer rainforests destroyed to grow new palm plantations) and still maintaining their fabulous eco-edge in the growing "natural" cosmetics industry. I think that this dedication and shift in company thinking is so refreshing, I could even convince my friends who once snuffed at the sight (and smell) of Lush to give them another try. Just maybe ordering online!!!

Poking Around with Acupuncture

When I was pregnant with my daughter, we found out at about 35 weeks that she was in a breech position and my heart sunk. I was so determined to have a natural, at-home birth, that I broke down in front of the midwife. This news meant that I was going to have to give birth in a hospital, and the midwife saw that I was so upset that she gave me the business card of an acupuncturist who performs moxa (called "mugwort" in English) therapy that is said to help "turn" breech babies into their correct head down position.

Being the determined type, I ran home to the computer and typed in "moxa" and my city to see what came up. Low and behold I found an acupuncturist that not only performs moxa therapy but also speaks perfect English! Ronald Aartsen of Ba Zhang Centrum was, and is, my acupuncturist and first line of defense when something is ailing me. My daughter has even been going to him since she was about 9 months old! For babies there are no needles involved, but instead lots of shiny tools that keep your child amused while performing miraculous techniques that I can attest help with sleeping! (if only I could visit him everyday...) Our acupuncturist Aartsen practices Toyohari, which is a gentle form of Japanese acupuncture. My family has all seen Aartsen, and have seen positive results for ailments like menstrual problems, skin issues, sleeping problems, and of course the added benefit is that every time I leave the center I feel more relaxed which is a good thing but dangerous when you're riding a bike with a baby! 

I share this information with you because I have had so much success with Toyohari acupuncture, that even if you can't visit the Ba Zhang Centrum here in Holland, I encourage you to find one for you and your family. Even if you are afraid of needles, I recommend Japanese acupuncture as you don't even feel the needles at all. I sometimes tease our acupuncturist Aartsen by calling Toyohari "Kung Fu" acupuncture as the needles are so quickly removed and therefore painless. Whatever you call it, we are converts and it's wonderful to find alternative practitioners who are supportive and that help keep you and your family in tip-top shape. I encourage you to find those that work for you!

Toyohari World Organization: www.toyohari.org

Ronald Aartsen (who speaks English better than I do!): www.japansacupunctuur.com

Four-Legged Freebie Friday!

My mother has these two adorable, but energetic (read between the lines: ZANY! lovable but loopy!) Golden Retrievers. They have so much energy I am convinced they are the spitting image of Tigger from the Winnie the Pooh series. Needless to say, you can imagine that any toy that we give them, they are eager to rip to shreds while you have your stopwatch in hand counting down the seconds before it disappears....yes, I said seconds. Well, these dogs met their match when I brought them a toy from West Paw Design that I discovered at an eco store in NYC. West Paw Design makes a slew of pet toys, with many of them made from recycled cotton fillings, recycled fabric exteriors, organics, and all are non-toxic and many are indestructable! AMAZING! I wouldn't have believed it unless I hadn't seen it for myself! No shreds of plastic, missing eyes of toys - instead, an intact toy that left the two of my mother's dogs chasing after each other to try and get the toy from one another. After a long battle between the two dogs I realized the only problem with the toy was that I only bought ONE of them and not two. 

So why do I mention this on Freebie Friday? Because you can be the lucky winner of West Paw Design fabulous eco-friendly toy for your doggy of choice (unless you have two or more, then you really should buy more as they will duke it out for it!). Up for grabs is a ZogoFlex Tux: a pliable, bouncable, bouyant, recyclable, non-toxic with a handy cavity hole which can be stuffed with your favorite canine treat! The ZogoFlex Tux is one of West Paw Design's most popular toys, as they say, "your dog can have their cake and eat it too"! Empty or full of treats, this indestructable eco doggie goodie will keep your 4-legged friend jumping for more!

To win this toy, simply leave the name of your dog(s) in our comments section below, and we'll pick a winner at random Friday, October 2nd. Woof woof! Good luck!

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Last week's winner of the Plantable Stationery Set Giveaway: POPS from LA, California! Congratulations! You were chosen as the lucky winner (we had our daugther pick from pieces of paper with all the flowers names on it, and she chose you!) and we will contact you to send out your giveaway item!

The NEW Diaper Hybrid

Before my daughter was born, I was adamant about finding a diaper that was as eco-friendly as possible. Living in a small apartment (with a huge dog) I knew that we weren't going to be able to do the full-on cloth diaper, but I wanted to see if there was another option out there. After reading an article in a magazine about "eco backlash" (how companies are green but not promoting themselves as such because people are tired of being hit over the head with the green mallet), there was mention of a US diaper company that did just that. G Diapers were created as an answer to the "cloth vs disposable" diaper conundrum, as they call themselves a diaper hybrid: part disposable (flushable liner) and part cloth (waterproof diaper outer cover) all in one. We tried them out in our house back when my daughter was born, and I loved them, but it was hard to get my husband to convert. There isn't that much work involved, but you do have to remove the biodegradable liner and flush it down the toilet which he wasn't too fond of. There were minor drawbacks that in retrospect I wonder if any diaper could've contained what my daughter was sending out in her early infant days!!! Once she outgrew the G Diapers we switched to Naturcare Diapers, which are mostly biodegradable, and to rave reviews in the house (and tushy). G Diapers now has these super-cute styles (like the ruffled one above) that make me want to re-invest in another set of G Diapers, but my daughter is just about to go into the potty-training stage....bum(mer)!

(Vegan) Salad Named Caesar

Every time I pick up silken tofu in the supermarket, there is always one dish that comes to mind: (vegan) Caesar Salad. It may sound strange, but for those of us who don't eat dairy, it's a real treat to have something taste so spot-on to the original - or at least in my family's opinion! This dressing is so easy to make, I always make sure I have enough to use for impromptu dipping with fresh cut up veggies like carrots, or more likely, potato chips! Naughty mixed with a little nice....enjoy!

Caesar Salad (vegan)

one package silken tofu (do NOT try and use regular firm tofu)
about 10-12 green olives, plus a bit of their juice/brine
a handful of toasted nori (or rip 1/2 a sheet of nori with your hands)
2Tbsp dulse flakes
1Tbsp fresh ground black pepper
a pinch of sea salt
1/4c extra virgin olive oil
1/2 a lemon, juiced
1 small clove of garlic
1Tbsp Dijon mustard
3Tbsp nutritional yeast
a few sprinkles of water to make a smooth consistency

Place all the ingredients in a blender, and blend until it reaches a very smooth dressing-like consistency. When the dressing is ready, add it to some freshly washed romaine lettuce, but only add a very small amount, as a little goes a long way. Taste for seasonings, and adjust, and don't forget if you want to get authentic, throw on some croutons!

Buttery Soft Viscose Tees

It makes sense that I have an online boutique, as I am a self-confessed online shop-a-holic. I love the convenience of having things delivered, I love being able to shop at 1am in my pyjamas, and I love getting post that I actually want to receive. One of the biggest pitfalls that online sales have is that you miss the element of touch - although I'm sure someday they'll figure out a way to integrate that into our computer screens, for now you have to make purchases based on guess-timation and pure hope. 

When I'm looking over the next seasons lookbooks, even I get mislead about items that I'm purchasing for our online boutique. For instance, when ordering for our Autumn/Winter collection, I completely passed over these t-shirts for kids and women. I thought: "oh, they're nice colors, but they're just plain tees that have a nice shape". Then, I touched them. Oh, did I fall in love at first touch! They are made from viscose (which is made from wood pulp!), and it's so buttery soft, I want to roll myself in it or make it into a second skin. Dare I say that this t-shirt is delicious? Consider me one happy camper, as now you know what I'll be wearing under all of those heavy winter sweaters this season: lots and lots of Shampoodle viscose tees!!!!

Available at: www.shak-shuka.com

CO2-Free Tea Time

About a decade ago when I visited my dear friend in London, I was amazed at how many types of tea both she and her flatmates had on offer. Growing up I never drank tea, and if it was ever offered to me, it was that black/brown lifeless tea that seemed like it had been "steeping" forever. My friend in London had me in awe not only at the amount of teas that she had, but also how many times a day she drank it! Holy cow! It seemed as though every occasion was another reason to have another "cuppa" - coming home, leaving, a visitor, the postman, waking up, going to sleep - you name it. Tea, tea, tea. Since my days visiting and living in London, two things have changed: I love Marmite and now I love tea. Lots and lots of both!

Since I am a habitual tea drinker nowadays, I have become aware of how much wasted energy my poor little kettle (and fire below) have to exert to just heat up one cup of tea for me. I know that I never measure exactly 1 cup of tea water in the kettle, and by the time the water is boiled I pinch myself to remind myself next time I should measure out the tea water. Then I remembered a solution: the Eco Kettle! This ingenious kettle looks just like any other plug-in hot water kettle, but this one is surprisingly green: the kettle measures as you fill it up how much water you will actually need for "x" amount of cups of tea. Brilliant! The Eco Kettle even boasts that with their success in sales over the past 2 years, they have helped reduce CO2 emissions in the UK by a staggering 500 tons! That's no small feat, and with it being such an easy daily change, I think we could all make the effort. Now if only I could get my friend to cut back a bit on her tea consumption, and I buy her an Eco Kettle, maybe we can save the planet together.....or at least sit down for a cup of tea. 

www.ecokettle.com

Botanical Paperworks Giveaway!

Remember a few weeks ago we wrote a post about the plantable baby announcements from Botanical Paperworks? Well, the response was so great, that we even got a message from the company themselves! They were happy to hear that not only we at Shak-Shuka, but also our readers loved their products, so they generously offered a set of their plantable "Thank You" cards, and a plantable Eco Desk Calendar to start our weekly "Freebie Friday" giveaway! We've wanted to start a giveaway tradition but hadn't had time to really set it up (it involves a lot of work to get good stuff!) but we are proud to start it off with such a great giveaway!

So what do you have to do to win this great set? Just leave us a message here about your favorite flower - the name (Latin or in your native language) the fragrance, the memory - whatever blooms to mind! A winner will be chosen (at random) on Thursday the 24th and will be announced on the following week's giveaway post. 

Organic Mini-Me Wear

Very rarely do I get so excited that I am virtually jumping up and down at the arrival of a new product to Shak-Shuka. But we have been waiting since we opened for the kids clothing from Popupshop, and we could not be happier to FINALLY have our grubby little paws on them. Popupshop is an organic clothing maker that creates kids clothing in adult colors, and in styles that will make you want to put yourself in the dryer and shrink yourself so that you can fit into them. 

When a friend of mine saw the collection, she said "it's for hip little New York urbanites". So true. Lap-neck sweatshirts, baggy leggings, knee-length t-shirt dresses that coordinate perfectly with the leopard print or black and white tights.....ok, I'm gushing here. To see for yourself, check out the 2-6 year old "wear" section (we think it's for the more "mature" audience of Shak-Shuka, not for the 3 month olds!) and let us know what you think! I think you'll be pleasantly surprised to see a collection of non-pinky-blue-logo-bonanza-ness. In the world of children's clothing, and organic clothing especially, Popupshop is in a league all their own. 

Available at: www.shak-shuka.com