Tag Archives: Natalie Cunningham

The International Chickpea: A Loveable, Versatile Legume

January 14, 2013 | No comments

Chickpeas come dried, requiring soaking and a lengthy cooking process (I normally use my slow cooker for minimal fuss) or canned – ready to use in a heat and eat kind of manner

As a vegan mother, one of my best friends in the whole world is the humble chickpea. These cute little legumes offer so much from both a nutritional as well as a versatility perspective. While it is true that pretty much all legumes hold impressive nutritional profiles, chickpeas, above all...

Surviving the Chanukah-Christmas Holidays as a Vegan

December 8, 2012 | Comments are closed

Traditional ways of celebrating Christmas and Chanukah aren’t exactly vegan friendly. The extensive use of animals for food, clothing, and gifts can make the holiday season seem daunting for inexperienced vegans. Moving into my twelfth year of veganism, I have some tricks up my sleeve for not only surviving the...

Kur Delights: Guilt-Free Snacking Without Compromising on Flavour

November 10, 2012 | No comments

Once upon a time I had a toddler, Leilani, who would literally eat anything: all types of fruit, vegetables (raw or cooked), salads with exotic dressings, avocado sandwiches, blueberry smoothies, all main dishes from curries to pasta or soup … and her eyes lit up when presented with hummus, pita,...

Happy Rosh Hashana: Celebrating the Jewish New Year the Vegan Way

September 15, 2012 | Comments are closed

With Rosh Hashanah (otherwise known as Jewish New Year) approaching it is time for us Jewish vegans to think of innovative new traditions in the spirit of the customary food. Honey is the main focus of this holiday as it is sweet and represents the beginning of a “sweet new...

Who Declared You The Vegan Police? Judgement among the Vegan Community

September 8, 2012 | Comments are closed

As vegans we all agree that the meat, egg and dairy industries are cruel beyond words. We all agree that the environmental impact of animal agriculture is horrific. We all agree that a balanced vegan diet is healthy and adequate, and we all agree that the definition of Veganism is...

Rethinking Fashion: What’s Hot and What’s Not in the Ethical World

August 25, 2012 | Comments are closed

For vegans, it’s not just when shopping for food that we need to do a little label reading. We also want to make sure that our clothes, shoes, and handbags, among other things, are free from animal products. This is not as difficult as it sounds. Although there is an...

My Vegan Family’s Pantry

August 6, 2012 | Comments are closed

I try really really hard to plan my family’s meals a week in advance so I can shop accordingly and only buy what I need to eliminate wastage and be more organised, but for some reason it never works! Things always change, we get caught up with spontaneous activities leaving...

No Pigs Were Harmed in the Making of This Luau

July 24, 2012 | Comments are closed

No matter which way you look at it, a Hawaiian luau (pronounced ‘lou-oww’) is not even remotely vegan. Basically, it’s a feast centered around a whole pig in a BBQ pit. What could possibly be vegan about that? Ugh – no thanks! It is pretty impossible to create an exact...

From Chickpea to Falafel: How to Make Fresh Falafel from Scratch

June 30, 2012 | Comments are closed

One of the best things I ever learned how to do in the kitchen was make Falafel from scratch. From chickpea to Falafel, it is simpler than most people expect, and who can blame them with the array of Falafel packet mixes about that gives the impression that fresh Falafel...

Dealing with Cravings (Vegan and Not-So-Vegan Ones) During Pregnancy

June 26, 2012 | Comments are closed

Cravings during pregnancy are one of those things that cannot be explained. It is perceived in the media as almost being like a psychotic episode where a heavily pregnant woman holds her partner at gunpoint if he/she returns home without pickle-flavoured ice cream. In my experience, as well as the...

Homemade Healthy Vegan Pizza

June 16, 2012 | Comments are closed

Making pizza is easier than you think! We love pizzas and find that it’s also a favourite with the kids. So why not stuff your pizza with goodness and make it as nutritional as possible? Here’s my secret recipe! wholegrain pizza dough (makes 1 large pizza): - 2 cups of stone-ground...

Explaining Veganism to Children

May 23, 2012 | Comments are closed

Explaining veganism to children is a sensitive yet important task. Our Vegan Family columnist, Natalie, shares her experiences and tips below....

How to Throw an Awesome Fairy Party for a Vegan Child

May 20, 2012 | Comments are closed

Throwing a birthday party for a child can be an overly daunting experience… The preparations, the cooking, the decorating, the cleaning, the mess, the millions of little munchkins running around in a pool of chaos… But when you see them laughing with chocolate smeared across their faces and cake crumbs...

My Vegan Story

April 19, 2012 | Comments are closed

I often feel like veganism for me is partially innate and partially a legacy of my mother. As a child, I didn’t take a dummy, but I had a security toy – a stuffed white harp seal that I named Sealy. My other favourite toy was “Ducky”, a stuffed duck...

The Vegan Easter - Passover Mix

April 4, 2012 | Comments are closed

My husband Rob and I are like polar opposites when it comes to our backgrounds. I am Jewish and I have a mostly Polish/Eastern European background. Rob is Catholic and he is half Burmese and half Scottish. Our daughters, Leilani, 3 and Malia, 9 months are a cultural smoothie and...

Preparing for (Another) Vegan Pregnancy

March 11, 2012 | Comments are closed

So this is the situation: Baby Malia is almost 9 months old, being super cute, crawling around and on the cusp of walking, blabbering away, downing loads of food and cutting down on breastmilk. Loving her cute gummy smile! And after 6 months of literally not sleeping at all, lucky...

On the Importance of Connecting with Other Vegan Parents

March 3, 2012 | No comments

When I was pregnant with Leilani, I only knew one other vegan and she was definitely not about to start breeding little vegan buddies for my kids to play with. Although a lot of my friends were pregnant at the same time, I felt somewhat alone with the intention to...

Vegan Lunch Box: No Need to Hide Healthy Foods – Just Get an Awesome Container for Them!

February 22, 2012 | Comments are closed

It’s true what they say about presentation: the yummiest most healthy dish can put you off if it’s served in an unaesthetic way, while the not-so-glorious food can look extremly appealing in the right presentation. As part of my efforts to provide a healthy lunch box that would be as healthy...

Cooking a Romantic Vegan Dinner at Home that Will Make Your Partner Melt

February 10, 2012 | Comments are closed

Being a mother of two who studies, with a husband who works 12 hour days, results in most days being a race against the clock! So much to do, so little time shoves couple time and romance very low on the priority list…in fact it is probably last! So it...

The Illustrious Vegan Ice Cream Potluck: The Perfect Vegan Summer Get Together

February 1, 2012 | 1 comment

Combining your love of ice cream and a vegan potluck can be a real treat! Here is some inspiration for your next fun-filled vegan ice cream potluck....

What Do Vegans Eat? A Day in The Life of My Vegan Family

February 1, 2012 | Comments are closed

From breakfast to dinner time - if you ever wondered what do vegans eat, here is a glimpse into a day in the life of a vegan family....

Boycotting Artificial Food Colouring: How to Pretty-Up Your Culinary Creations Naturally!

January 18, 2012 | Comments are closed

Why use artificial food colouring, or "natural" non-vegan ones, when basic, healthy, and vegan staples can offer you so many options?...

Vegan Family BBQ: How to Veganise the Aussie Staple Summer Meal

January 11, 2012 | Comments are closed

Vegan sausages sizzling next to onions, side dishes, burgers, and of course veggie skewers: here is how you can assemble a delicious vegan family BBQ meal....

Go Wonder Pets! Finally, a Children’s TV Series We Can Deal with as Vegans…

January 11, 2012 | Comments are closed

Celery, saving animals, and lots of plant based foods - our columnists finds some comfort in Nickelodeon's TV show, The Wonder Pets....

A Christmas to Remember: Creating Vegan Traditions in the Holiday Spirit

December 19, 2011 | Comments are closed

Christmas can be as traditional as ever, and cruelty-free. Find out out this family has created vegan traditions in the holiday spirit in their Australian home....

Omega 3 for Vegan Children

December 17, 2011 | Comments are closed

Is there a Vegan Alternative to omega 3 for vegan children?! Fishing Out Vegan DHA for Growing Brains. When I was trying to conceive my second child, I payed a visit to a very closed minded naturopath for dietary advice to help me become more fertile....

Chocolate Mousse for Nutrition? How to Effectively Hide Fruits and Veg into Your Children’s Food

December 9, 2011 | 2 comments

Wondering how to effectively hide fruits and veg into your children's food? Here are 5 foods that kids love and that you can pack-up with nutrients. Starting with chocolate mousse....