Ahlan wa sahlan, a warm welcome to the first stop on our world tour of plant-based cuisine for 2025 - Lebanon!

Our newest Meat Free Mondays team member Rita Kiryakos was born in Lebanon, and spent part of her childhood there. She's very excited to share some of her favourite plant-based Lebanese dishes with us, and it shows in the incredible menu she has planned!

You'll get to sample Eggplant Fatteh, a feast of a dish common throughout the Levant, with each country having its own version. Ours will include hummus, tahini and pieces of fried Lebanese bread. There'll also be Pilaf rice; Tabbouleh; and Batata Harra, spicy potatoes, along with other treats - a real banquet! The dessert will be a Knafeh, a delectable spun pastry dessert with a creamy filling, soaked in sweet syrup called Attar.

PLUS

DJ Rana Hamida will be coming from Auckland to perform especially for us!!!!

A multidimensional artist and devoted advocate for human rights and liberation from the systematic oppression of the human race, Rana mixes frequencies of different waves and stories to make new ones. Her creations bridge worlds for union, love, compassion, understanding - a just and peacefully flowing reality.

She is also the lead singer of the improvisational band 'Yet Undefined' and an Arabic classical orchestral band which focuses on empowerment, story telling and liberation, 'Rana and the Habibi Orchestra'.

Before dinner (around 6pm) Rana will sing covers by the great Lebanese singer Fairouz, the Palestinian singer Lena Chamamyan and more. Then afterwards she'll follow with her ethnic folk electronic music for us to have a dance on.

https://www.facebook.com/musicalPrana

In acknowledgement of the the humanitarian crisis in our host country and surrounds, this is a special fundraising edition of Meat Free Mondays. $10 from each adult ticket sold will be donated towards MAP's Palestine and Lebanon Emergency Fund. You can learn more about MAP here, and if you'd like to donate more you can do so either via the special button at checkout or at map.org.uk. We'll also have a donation box at the door on the night.

Please get in touch with us if you'd like to help us cook on the day. It's great fun and you'll get a taste what it's like to cook in a Lebanese family kitchen, hearing lots of Rita's stories and anecdotes while learning how to make some of the dishes. :)

As always, we'd appreciate it if you could bring your own plates and cutlery as the Sustainability Centre don't have quite enough, and it also reduces the pile of dishes our volunteers have to do at the end of the night! This is a nonprofit event so if you could do us this little favour we'll be very grateful.

See you in Lebanon!

Rita, Amanda and Fiona - The Meat Free Mondays Waiheke team