Sustainable Easter Eggs

Firstly, happy Easter to those of you celebrating! 

I was skimming the online news this afternoon and came across an interesting article in the Guardian titled "Easter eggs rated by palm oil use". Although it's too late for this year's Easter shopping, I will definitely be consulting these new rankings of chocolate brands based on their use of unsustainable palm oil next Easter. The results are from a survey created by Ethical Consumer magazine and the Rainforest Foundation UK (RF UK), one of a series aiming to raise awareness on the unsustainable use of palm oil in many supermarket products. Current EU regulations do not oblige companies to label products containing palm oil, however labelling laws are to change in December 2014.

Source: The Guardian (2014)

The best companies to buy chocolate from? Devine and Booja-Booja, followed by Traidcraft, Co-Operative Food, and Sainsburys. The bottom three were Lindt, Thorntons and Guylian (Cadbury also ranked very low). 

For more information on palm oil in food, personal care and cleaning products, check out the RF's Appetite for Destruction? The Product Guide for Palm Oil Content. They feature information on chocolate, bread, biscuits, skincare, hair products, make up, party food, and cleaning products.

Until next time!

In need of bean-spiration?

I have a confession to make: I've been in a bit of a cooking rut as of late. As a masters student with quite the busy schedule, meal planning is essential for me to maintain healthy eating habits. Normally, I plan a week's worth of meals and then cook big batches on the weekend. This way, I don't need to worry about preparing meals during the week so that I can focus on other things. I have some recipes that I come back to week after week, month after month. Although I do love my lentil soups and Moroccan-inspired stews, I've started to get bored and uninspired with the usual protagonists. 

Enter this beautiful 15-bean mix. Nothing like this kaleidoscope of colours to rekindle inspiration, eh?

My favourite thing to do with this mix is to cook up a big batch of soup (recipe below). Soups are a great way to use up old vegetables (reducing our food waste impact!), can be prepared in big batches and freeze very well for those busy months. Besides pretty colours to inspire me, I have a lineup of trusted blogs I like to visit when I need to spice things up in the kitchen. Here are some of my favourites:

-Oh She Glows (try this burrito recipe - you won't regret it!)
-101 Cookbooks (this carrot salad was simple and delicious)
-Green Kitchen Stories (these protein bars are great for busy mornings)
-Sprouted Kitchen (I'll be trying these sweet potatoes next)
-Scandi Home (we often make this split pea soup)

There are so many great websites for healthy cooking and eating out there, so if you ever find yourself in a cooking rut, I strongly recommend the above blogs. One thing that I particularly love about these sites is the bounty of gorgeous food photos each blogger features - if these don't inspire you to cook, then I don't know what will! Besides the internet, I also have a small collection of cookbooks that I use almost every week, but I'll save those for another post.

What are your favourite ways to use dried beans? Do you get bored with the usual dishes you prepare on a weekly basis? Where do you turn to for a good dose of culinary information?

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the recipe!

15-bean soup

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

-1tbsp olive oil

-1 large onion, diced

-1 head of celery, diced

-1.5 cups 15 bean mix, soaked in plenty of fresh water for 12 hours

-1 400g can diced tomatoes

-1 cube of vegetable stock

-8 cups water, or as much as needed

Procedure:

1. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot. Add onion and celery, and cook until tender (about 5 minutes).

2. Add soaked beans, diced tomatoes, as much water as desired water, and vegetable stock cube, and bring to the boil.

3. Reduce heat, and simmer for 1.5 hours, or until beans are thoroughly cooked.

4. Enjoy!