GAIA- A Local Good Food Market

I am desperately working my creative brain and hands to produce a  portfolio for my international agents, Advocate Art and eating masses of cocao mousse and green smoothies to get a creative kick as I stare blankly at other people's lovely illi's and go a bit porridge brain...

But this is about a treat I had last weekend: THE GAIA FOOD MARKET

I recently went to visit my sister Dawn's stand, Nice & Smoothie, at The Gaia Food market in Constantia, Cape Town. ( South Africa.)

It is easy to find, just off the road past The Old Constantia Village on the Alphen grounds.

Plenty of parking and car guards abound. The market is indoors and outdoors, with tables and chairs under trees for lounging about at, eating your delectable culinary discoveries.

It's all about The FOOD: As it says on their website: 

Speciality food market dedicated to fresh plant-based cuisine

I decided I would walk around carefully investigating everything before I chose something to eat...but - I COULDN'T! My mouth started watering at the very first stand of raw pizza!

With a fast filling tummy, I eventually decided to take a little something away from every stand that called to my palate : )

I bought delicious veg sushi (take-away) from Oways. They have a restaurant in Claremont - vegetarian and vegan with a leaning towards Ayurvedic ideals (no onion or garlic) Oways is a delightfully friendly team of Asian, white and black foodies. Beautiful people with a fresh, professional attitude. They were also steaming veg filled dumplings in a bamboo steamer... Droooliscious!

Info: Marion Kumpf
+27 21 671 2850
info@oways.co.za

Shop 2, Heritage House, 20 Dreyer Street, Claremont, CT

Had a very tasty slice of raw pizza from the Earthshine folk.
Natalie and Noel.
Pizza takeaway, catering & events, products, shop, classes, consultations.
Find them on FB (that's FaceBum..oops I mean Facebook) 
0741679792

Dawn (my sister) runs the Nice & Smoothie stand - and was making some very interesting combinations of rich and nutritious smoothies, with the most popular being the Green Smoothie, of course! : )

Her French friend, Chantal Menneghin, was using an Oscar juicer and making beet, apple, carrot, wheat grass juices, that I could have stood there drinking and chatting about all day!

I loved walking around eating and tasting. I know it's very new, so I forgave them for this, but I just felt two or three stands required a bit more of a professional styling; labeling, display counter appetizer ideas, storage solutions etc.
Dawn had bowls of edibles; coconut, fruit, nuts (her smoothie ingredients) which people kept helping themselves to - which she said she didn't mind. So hers was attractive to the palate in that sense.

I tasted some very yummy dried fruits from a beautifully laid out stand with very freindly service. I tried the pineapple, apple and cinnamon and coconut, strawberries and pomegranate pips. All totally delish and organic. Will post thier details when I find them. 
Then there was Biddy's Burgers - I didn't taste there, but I buy their burgers from Wellness Warehouse for the boys. They are always very well made, there is a wide variety of combinations using pulses and herb flavourings. Not raw.

There was a Thai food stand that I didn't stop at, although their rice wraps with steamed vegetables looked picture perfect and very delectible. (I had just bought the takeaway sushi)

I bought delicious NUT cheese from Say Cheese, cannot find the details I kept from the nut cheese I bought. I first tasted a wasabi cheese which was UTTERLY divine! However, I wanted one that kids would also like, so she suggested the cranberry cheese. She said it would last about a week refrigerated...hee hee...it lasted 3 days before it was ALL GONE. I could definitely give up my occasional goats cheese habit for this instead. Made with macadamia, probiotic, nutritional yeast, lemon - so tasty!

Definitely going to try to make my own again. I did try once before on the farm, but using cashews - not so lekka.
For some reason, neither Jude or I like raw cashews or wheat grass anymore. Gone off that in a big way. Body just doesn't 'resonate' with the flavour anymore. Think I have detoxed enough already...

Earthshine also had raw chocolates - which I didn't get to- surprisingly enough! I was stuffed :/

I am making new crackers later today, inspired by one of the stands, who's spread I kept revisiting to take tasters from. Sadly, I can't remember her company name either! She had sweetpotato and flax crackers and onion and flax crackers with a creamy macadamia, garlic buttery spread. ooh la! la!

Cracker= dehydrated bready type things that retain their ingredients' nutritional goodness, as they are not cooked.

I made a sweetpotato batch the day I returned from the market and they were superb! 

Well, I'm back to lovin' my dehydrator since the Gaia Good food market!

Forthcoming dates for Market:

Sunday 6 November (9am-2pm)

Sunday 20 November (9am-2pm)

Make a lunch excursion there in November...just don't eat a thing before you go!