Tag: food

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A New Collaboration! – Real Good Food Condiments

We are happy to announce a new collaboration! This time we join forces with Real Good Food, a local producer of different kind of condiments. From this month on you will find three different varieties that you can use to enhance the flavour of your favourite meals! Do you want to know what is it about? Let Nicole, creator and founder of the brand, tell us about her project.

"I have travelled the world for 20 years, living across five continents and learning new flavours along the way. Living in Schiedam I missed some of the punchier flavours from her time in Asia and Africa and memories of my childhood in Australia. Flavour bomb condiments were the answer to creating family meals everyone could enjoy; for a Dutch husband that craves boerenkool or a broodje kaas and a two year old that is still exploring new flavours". Nicole had a simple answer with condiments created from her food memories with local ingredients to adjust meals to each taste.

At Little Plant Pantry you can find three different condiments, each one of them created to be used in various types of food:

  • Curry Bomb: spiced oil with crispy curry leaves. Liven up a stamp pot, scatter over a traybake, or mix through a mayonnaise, the possibilities are endless. Perfect for a simple soup, like lentil or pumpkin cream. Then add a spoon of curry bomb at the table. Mind blowing!
  • Funky Vegan Sambal: Malaysian style sambal perfect for Nasi Lemak, funky fermented shrimp flavour but totally vegan.
  • Yum Phrik: Thai-inspired chili oil, with an aromatic blend of thai chili, makrut lime leaves, roasted rice, ginger and lemongrass. Inspired by the flavours of laab, yum phrik makes the perfect sauce for a salad, rice bowl, or mixed through rice or noodles. Try mixing a spoon through vegan yoghurt for a simple flavour packed dip.

Not sure which one to choose? Then come by this Saturday 15th of April to our shop. We will have a tasting with Nicole and her delicious condiments. You will be able to taste and share your impression, know more about the story of Real Good Food and discover a bomb of flavours! From 13:00 to 15:00 at Little Plant Pantry.

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Crispy Chili Oil – La Lia

Did you know that aside from the regular oils we have in our shop you can find this authentic and handmade asian crispy chili oil? Eva Lia, a Dutch-Singaporean culinary creative and founder of La Lia Crispy Chili Oil tells us about her beginnings in this adventure. "Crispy Chilli Oil has always been my absolute favourite Asian condiment. It just lifts up any dish! But when I found out that my beloved store-bought chilli oil was full of chemical preservatives and unnatural ingredients, I knew I had a mission."

What she did? She asked her parents for her Grandma's recipe and spent uncountable hours in the kitchen to recreate it. Not an easy task considering that in her family the concept of a recipe is quite different from what we know as such."There is no communication in exact spoon measurements or let alone a recipe with the exact amount of ml. is given" she says. "We talk in ingredients, and communicate in 'a little bit of this and a little more of that" kinda recipes. Lucky enough with my determination and the help of my parents we have my grandma's recipe on paper!"

 

 

Still having a lot of respect for the family recipe, Eva wanted to give it a personal touch, adding more texture to the already praised original recipe. She tells us the secret: "Creating a scrumptious good crunch by adding the perfect amount of toasted buckwheat kernels [gives] that satisfying crunchy texture. I also made sure to toast the chilli flakes as an extra step which gives that extra layer of nutty aroma and taste."

The result? An extra crunchy chili oil full of flavour that transports us to the Asian continent at the first taste. However, it is a fairly versatile product that can be used in your daily meals or favourite snacks. Available online and at our shop.

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Vegan Food in the Heart of Amsterdam

Vegan, Tofu, Tempeh, Seitan, Protein

Vegan - 5 letters that can change the world. What does it mean to be vegan? How does it impact the environment and how can you start following a plant-based diet? Where to buy vegan food in Amsterdam? And what would actually happen if everyone went vegan?

According to an Oxford study, "a global switch to diets that rely less on meat and more on fruit and vegetables could save up to 8 million lives by 2050, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by two thirds, and lead to healthcare-related savings and avoid climate damages of $1.5 trillion (US)."

At Little Plant Pantry, we try our best to make it easier for you to adapt to a vegan diet. We offer all kinds of delicious products, from flours, grains, herbs & spices, ferments, plant-based cheeses to handcrafted pasta and vegan desserts.

Visit our shop located in the heart of Amsterdam or shop your favourite vegan products online and get them delivered right to your doorstep:

What does vegan mean?

So what does vegan actually mean to us? It is quite simple: plant-based products. In other words, food not made from animals or animal by-products.

What can you eat or drink as a vegan ?

If you decide to follow a vegan or plant-based diet you may want to include the following products into your regular meals:

vegan food Amsterdam

Where to find this delicious vegan food in Amsterdam? You can find fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables at local markets. For the rest, we've got you covered! Combining various ingredients together will allow you to produce your own vegan food, such as spice mixes, granola, soups and stews or even vegan cheese.

What to avoid when you follow a vegan diet

A vegan diet does not include animal products or by-products. When it comes to food and drinks, avoid consuming

  • Meat (including pork, beef, goat, deer, etc.)
  • Poultry (including chicken, turkey, quail, etc.)
  • Fish (including freshwater and saltwater fish & seafood)
  • Diary products (including milk, yogurt, curd, cheese, etc.)
  • Honey
  • Eggs

What is the difference between being vegan and vegetarian ?

So how is vegan different from vegetarian? A vegetarian would eat everything a vegan diet has to offer plus dairy products, eggs and honey. In other words, a veggie-lover that sometimes enjoys yogurt, curd and omelette :). A person that eats products from animals that moo, bleat or hum, but not their meat.

There is no magic to being a vegan. In fact, you've been eating vegan products your whole life! Think bread and vegetable broth.

If you browse our product library, you will recognize most of the products as typical pantry staples. Becoming a vegan does not mean revolutionizing your diet. Quiet often, it is a return to the basics 🙂

Why is vegan food good for the environment?

When you go vegan it is not only beneficial for your body but also for our planet. So why is being vegan actually good for our natural surroundings? Being vegan reduces carbon emissions in big amounts. No forests need to be cut down for planting crops that feed animal stock, less water is used and farmland is more sufficiently used. Studies have shown that being vegan can cut an individual's carbon footprint by more than two thirds.

Curious to know more? Read on to learn how to transition to a vegan diet.

How to start a plant-based diet?

What is the easiest way to start following a vegan diet? We have a few tips here that will make it easier for you to transition to a plant-based diet:

  • Get yourself inspired and research vegan recipes online.
  • Explore local markets and include more fruit and vegetables to your diet.
  • Try to rethink your eating habits.
  • Explore alternatives like vegan camembert, yogurt or grated cheese.
  • Replace protein sources like chicken or meat with vegan proteins such as tempeh.
  • Ask friends who already are vegan how to start a plant-based diet. Sometimes it is easier to change your eating habits if you have supportive friends!

In conclusion, everyone has to find her or his own way of moving towards a vegan lifestyle. We at Little Plant Pantry can help making it a little easier.

How to live vegan in Amsterdam besides consuming plant-based food

Being vegan also means trying to reduce the consumption of other non-food products that are derived from animals. We found some shops in Amsterdam that offer vegan clothes and cosmetics to point you in the right direction when you're doing your research. For fruit and vegetables, we recommend visiting Noorder Market and Haarlemmerplein Market. If you're looking to buy new natural cosmetics, try visiting DIY Soap. As far as clothing goes, many brands now offer vegan clothes (try checking Geitenwollenwinkel and Noumenon). And don't forget to frequent second-hand shops!

Did you know? We also produce our own natural soap and shampoo bars and other natural cosmetics in our store. We are happy to explain more about our products when you visit our shop.

Our favourite vegan recipes

We love to inspire you with some delicious vegan recipes. These are some of our favourite ones:

Vegan cottage pie

Creamy vegan Korma

Vegan snicker bar

lisa_goes_vegan

Meet our vegan suppliers

We work with local suppliers that deliver vegan food to our shop in Amsterdam. To let you know more about where your food is coming from, we started a health food webinar series. Our aim is to ask our suppliers to share their knowledge and shed light on different areas within the field of sustainability.

If you want learn more, check out our recorded webinars below:

In conclusion, we can say that following a vegan diet is better for people and the planet. A win-win for everyone. Give it a try! We can't wait to meet you in our vegan food shop in Amsterdam 🙂

Article written by Stefanie Behrendt, founder of wegozero.