This is a time to reflect and allow light to extend into all aspects of your life.
Turmeric for Inflammation
The best spice for inflammation is turmeric. It helps ease digestive disturbances and is used fairly often in Indian cooking. Not only does it have anti inflammatory properties but it is used extensively in beauty products. Incorporating small doses into food and drink can really help the gut heal. I've seen this first hand . Especially with those suffering from digestive issues like IBS, gastritis, heartburn and pain.
So the next time reach for your turmeric.
Feeding Hong Kong - rooftop garden
It was a great and successful event at the rooftop garden. Three students from HKU Space participated in this then. It was one of those events that was conducted on a very hot day, yet we all managed to pull off the feeding of 60 people
According to Gabriele, this event was to raise awareness on the need to have more rooftop gardens for Hong Kong to become a more sustainable and environmental place.
These gardens can provide food where there is a need. It also educates children and adults alike on the benefits of planting rooftop gardens in urban areas. This can be used as a carbon offsets tool.
If you would like to volunteer for the next event, please contact me at LTF@lovetruefood.com
Indian Fever Prep
We are prepping for the love true food special 'Indian fever' private dining. It is going to be an excellent experience for the participants as we have been cooking up a storm all day.
We will start off with an amuse bouche, minced keema with guacamole and toasted sunflower seeds followed by a beautiful dhal soup and Kati kebabs.
This is the set up of the kitchen.
We are even serving special beer purchased by LTF. The beer brewery is called Moonszen by Laszlo and Michelle. Only hk$60/bottle.
Here are some of the "party in the mouth" canapés... We will top them with organic toasted sunflower seeds...
And keema... Yum
Stay tuned for more amazing menus...
Lots of love and great food experiences ...
chef Lakshmi
My Thai-riffic cooking experience →
When we arrived at Love True Food’s home kitchen studio, we were greeted by the fragrant smell of basil, lime and galangal. We eagerly sat down around the island that surrounded the open kitchen with our tongues wagging and our stomachs grumbling.
A home-style private dining experience
One of the things I miss most about living in the US is having the space to entertain. My friends would come over, open a bottle of wine and sit around the kitchen table while I cooked. We could be ourselves and didn’t have to worry about reservations, crowded tables or bad service. Now every time a special occasion occurs or I want to plan an intimate gathering, I have to rack my brain to think about where to book. I’ve tried multiple private kitchens in Hong Kong, but some of them have an insane waiting list or aren't very flexible with special food requirements. At the end of the day, planning these get-togethers turns out to be more work than I bargained for.
Luckily, one of my friends introduced me to Love True Food’s private dining. It’s unlike any other private kitchen I’ve been to because the home kitchen studio consists of an island where 12 people can sit around the kitchen. So, not only do you get a delicious meal, but you get to be part of the cooking experience. During our four-course dinner, we got to watch Chef Lakshmi Harilela create a flavourful South Indian lentil stew and succulent cumin rubbed lamb chops. The fragrant aroma of the spices left us all salivating, and we couldn’t wait to dig in. I felt so at home because all the food was served in the middle of the table, so it was just like family-style dining. We were also able to bring our own wine at no extra cost and play our own music
One of the things I liked most was how easy it was to plan the dinner. Love True Food offers a variety of menus featuring different cuisines from Tex-Mex to Moroccan. There are also menus for vegetarians, vegans and people who follow the macrobiotic diet. Since Lakshmi Harilela trained at New York’s Natural Gourmet Institute and is a certified Ayurvedic Nutritional Therapist, she’s equipped to deal with all types of dietary requirements. Another aspect that differentiates Love True food is that they only serve high quality ingredients, including grass-fed organic lamb and sustainable seafood.
So, if you’re looking for a place to celebrate a special occasion or just want to enjoy a home-cooked meal with your nearest and dearest, my stomach and I would highly recommend visiting lovetruefood.com to learn more about their private dining experience.
Is the juicing craze worth all the hype?
The juicing craze has hit Hong Kong with organic restaurants and juicing detox programmes sprouting up everywhere. So does this mean we should abandon our lattes and mochaccinos in favour for what many call a liquid salad? When I first heard about juicing, I was skeptical. I laughed it off because I thought I ate enough vegetables with my daily salad. The turning point for me was when my dad asked me a simple question, do you eat the amount of fruits and vegetables I just had in my juice? He was right. We can get more nutrients, minerals and enzymes in our body if it is converted into a liquid form. Moreover, by juicing, the nutrients are delivered directly to our cells, giving our digestive system a much-needed break. Because our digestive systems are not working in overdrive to break down juices, it frees up the body’s energy to do other important tasks. So, juicing not only rejuvenates our cells by helping our body absorb key nutrients, but it also gives us more energy.
So, did I turn you into a juicing convert yet? If I did, you can learn some practical tips about how to incorporate juicing into your daily life at Love True Food’s upcoming ‘Juice Me Up’ workshop on March 29th with Sandra Carvajal, a holistic health coach. During the workshop, Sandra will teach you the right way to juice for your body type and give you some juicing recipes to help you detox for spring.
According to Sandra, having a healthy lifestyle is all about balance: ‘I have never been a healthy food junkie, I have learned that the most important thing in life is balance; balance in what I eat, in the physical activities I do, in the way I deal with my emotions and in the way I manage my relationship with the entire world. I am a firm believer that keeping this balance is what helps me prevent illness, and Juicing is a big part of it. I’ve been juicing for a long time, and I recognize the preventive and healing power of juicing for a healthy lifestyle.’
To learn more about the ‘Juice Me Up’ workshop, please visit our Facebook page or contact Lakshmi at 9504 0288.
All about Kiwi's (the fruit) and Chilis
Kiwis are a great source of vitamin C and E. They aid in proper elimination of food items and have a great effect on the overall digestion. It is no doubt that these fruits are super foods. Kiwis help with skin conditions such a acne (the cystic kind) because they help cleanse toxins from deep within the gut and system. In addition, the have potassium, folate, polyphenols (phenolic acid), and fiber. In particular they break down hard to digest proteins from the system... as they contain actinidin (an enzyme that breaks down proteins into amino acids).
So the next time you feel constipated... reach for a kiwi and in time you'll be sailing smoothly again.
Chilis on the other hand are also an excellent source of vitamin C. They are great relievers of intestinal parasites. And did you know that in remote villages in India, they eat raw green chills to help ward of flus and colds, especially during the Monsoon season.
Here at Love true Food we have began to test the market for our chill and coriander chutneys, excellent accompanies to breads and rice dishes. As the chills help to break down the carbohydrates...
Find us at the Green Queen Event on the 15th March, 2014 at the Space...
CASHEW CHEESE RECIPE
REMEMBER THOSE DAYS OF DAIRY WHEN CHEESE MEANT THE WORLD!!!Well the dairy industry is corrupt and thus most milk products are tainted with hormones and the kind of stuff that wrecks havoc on your body. I'm not saying all dairy, but the majority of it is tainted. In Ayurvedic medicine, dairy is considered sattvic, meaning that it is a great food item for stilling the mind, and adheres to the principles of Sattva (purity).
In Ayurvedic medicine however, the milk is't tainted with growth hormones, and so its use is actually healing to the body and mind. Although some types of milk are still conducive to healing and health, at the LTF home kitchen studio, we've managed to find alternatives for the dairy and cheese cravings. One thing that we've found works great is cashew cheese. It's rich creamy texture gives way to amazing satiation on the taste buds.
Here is a great recipe for the cheese itself.
Vegan Cashew Cheese
Makes 4 cups
1 1/4 cups raw cashews 1/2 cup nutritional yeast (depending on the saltiness, use more or less according to taste) 2 teaspoons sea salt 2 teaspoons garlic powder 1/8 teaspoon chilli powder 1/8 teaspoon white pepper 3 1/2 cups plain unsweetened almond milk 1 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) agar agar flakes 1/2 cup canola oil 1/4 cup yellow miso 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
How to do it:
1) In a Blendtec, ground the cashews (do not allow the cashews to turn into a paste). Next, add the nutritional yeast, garlic powder, salt, chill powder, and white pepper. Pulse 3 more times to blend in the spices.
2) In a saucepan, place the almond milk, agar, and oil and simmer over high heat. Decrease the heat to medium and continue to simmer for 10 minutes, until all the agar is combined with the milk.
3) Keeping the Blentec running, gradually add the almond milk mixture through the feed tube and into the cashew mixture. Blend for 2 minutes, the mixture will be a creamy smooth consistency, once this is achieved, add the miso and lemon juice. Readjust the seasoning if needed.
You can use the cheese as is, or place in the fridge until a harder cheese is formed.
The cheese lasts for 4 days, in the fridge