Tweet if you love TVA! Come follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/torontoveg We’re on Facebook Join the Toronto Vegetarian Association Facebook Group to receive invitations to events and more!

With two of our largest events behind us, TVA is focused on planning new projects and getting the word out about the importance of a healthy, vegetarian diet through community outreach.

We hope you'll join us at our Annual General Meeting in mid November to learn about our 2010 Compassion Initiatives. But there's more than just business to take care of right now, and we hope you'll get involved! 

This month we're here to tell you about upcoming social events, our Annual Holiday Open House and Book Sale, a cooking series, and outreaching in the community. 

After all that activity, take some time to simmer down and enjoy a warm autumn meal of ginger roasted vegetables, that will help you stay healthy as we move into the cold winter months. We're transitioning the nutrient of the month column to the nutritious profile of the month, where we'll let you know about a food item that's particularly nourishing. 

Don't Miss These Upcoming Events!

TVA's Annual Holiday Sale and Open House will happen on Saturday, December 12th from 12 to 5 pm.

Nimisha Raja of Evolving Appetites is hosting a cooking series focused on healthy eating for preventing cancer. There are three classes left so be sure to find out more in the TVA in Action section.

November 1st marked World Vegan Day, and the timing couldn't have been more fitting. The Worldwatch Institute, an independent research organization that provides accessible, fact-based analysis of critical global issues in the areas of Climate & Energy, Food & Agriculture, and the Green Economy, recently released a report detailing the grusome effects of animal agriculture on the environment.

Titled Livestock and Climate Change: What if the key actors in climate change are...cows, pigs, and chickens?, the report argues that the environmental impact of the lifecycle and supply chain of animals raised for food has been vastly underestimated, and that the raising and slaughter of animals for food in fact accounts for at least half of all human-caused greenhouse gases (GHGs). Click here for a link to the full report.

Looking for a way to continue celebrating World Vegan Day this week? Check out veg.ca/events for a listing of upcoming events in the community. World Vegan Day hosted by Urban Edge Yoga is one event taking place on November 5th.  

On this dark Halloween night many kids and adults connect with what scares them. But have you ever noticed how few people dress up as slaughterhouse workers or factory farm operators?

I suspect that meat eaters don't want to think about it, and society has hidden the animals and killing floors from view.

While we spend one night fantasizing about horror, most farm animals live it everyday.

Please remember the unseen multitudes that get reared in hellish factory farms awaiting slaughter. Each year, over 650 million animals are slaughtered in Canada and a staggering 9.4 billion are butchered in the U.S.

[Image above: Modern Man Followed by the Ghosts of His Meat. ©1990 Sue Coe.]

While I didn't see any kids dressed as slaughterhouse operators last Halloween, I did come across a gruesome display of human body parts packaged in cellophane. Fortunately they were fake, unlike the real animal body parts for sale in supermarkets.

Continue reading to see a larger size of this image and more information about the number of animals killed for food each year.

Today John is joined by Colleen who has lots to catch up on with podcast listeners.  She talks about her recent trip to her doctor and her opinions on the vaccinations that were discussed. Colleen is definitely not sold on getting injected.

On a more positive note Colleen did have a great trip to Kingston, ON recently.  She learned how to make pierogies from scratch; prior to this she thought pierogies were a pre-packaged item bought in stores that you kept in your freezer in case of emergencies.

John and Colleen were pleased to help a couple of high school students who came into the office today who were working on a project about vegetarianism.  The students walked away with lots of information.

This week's podcast is a vegan-kimchi 28 minutes.

Listen Now!

Happy Halloween! We have gathered some healthy treat suggestions, tips for parents and links to several delicious recipes.

Most Halloween candies are over-packaged, chemical laden, and high in refined sweeteners. Some even contain hidden animal products (read the labels).

Avoid the junk by trying alternatives such as seaweed strips (many kids love these once they try them), peanuts in the shell, fruit cups, mini boxes of raisins, fruit leather sticks, dark chocolate, pretzels, holiday-themed stickers, temporary tattoos or noisemakers.

We offer a collection of Halloween recipe links including:  Bloodshot Eyeballs made from carved radishes, Perfect Toasted Pumpkin Seeds, Pizza Mummies, Friendly Zombie Cupcakes, and Pumpkin Whoopie Pies.

Continue reading for full details, recipe links and more tips. 

Liam starts this week's podcast by singing the praises of the Ethiopian restaurant Nazareth where he had a great experience this week.  Liam enjoyed it because Nazareth serves great food which is filling and it doesn't hurt the pocketbook. 

John joins the fray by talking about a couple of messages TVA received this week.  There is going to be a new restaurant opening in the Yonge/Eglinton area called Kale (website) and the sign outside says that it will serve "veggie, macrobiotic and organic food".  There will be more news about this restaurant when they open.  There was also a request for some vegetarian related help from St. John's, Newfoundland.  John and Liam take a stab at helping out a new vegetarian in a place where vegetarianism isn't so common place. 

The two co-hosts also discuss:
- issues around Halloween
- squash soup
- egg replacers

This week's podcast is a SOUPercharged 33 minutes.

Listen Now!

On October 3rd, a group of dedicated TVA volunteers hosted the 2nd Annual Totally Fabulous Vegan Bake-Off.

By 4 o’clock a hungry mass had arrived at the Harbourfront Community Centre, ready to sample the fantastic vegan treats and deliver their judgment on the best-in-show. It seems that offering an array of fabulous homemade vegan treats is vastly appealing. We were pleasantly surprised to welcome over 300 tasters.

Everyone voraciously consumed the amazing treats and enthusiastically shared their feedback. After just a couple of hours, well over 2000 samples had disappeared and the celebrated titles were ready to be awarded.

The fabulous contestants did an amazing job of shattering the stereotypes commonly associated with vegan desserts. They each put countless hours of effort into carefully crafting their submissions, and each plate was painstakingly presented. Many entries employed props (we particularly loved the little stuffed squirrel) to add a creative flair and set their entry apart from the 39 others.

John and Liam are back after what feels like a very long hiatus.  The two discuss their respective Thanksgivings.  Liam had a more traditional Thanksgiving meal which included a vegan pumpkin "cheese" cake pie, whereas John had a much less typical dinner (take out pizza). 

John recently ate at One Love.  He was impressed with the food and he reports that fried plantains are one of his favourite foods.  Liam also discusses his recent restaurant experience at Z-teca; while he suggests that the burrito he had was OK he expresses his frustration with paying for extra vegetables when he saves the company money by requesting they not put cheese or sour cream on his meal.

Liam also talks about how the Baltimore school system is banning meat from it's cafeterias every Monday. 

Lastly, John mentions his recent cooking episode with the assistance of the Artful Vegan cookbook.

This week's show is a burrito-busting 32 minutes.

Listen Now!

	Tweet if you love TVA! Come follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/torontoveg We’re on Facebook Join the Toronto Vegetarian Association Facebook Group to receive invitations to events and more!

Summer is well behind us and the winter season is creeping in, but we've got some news and recipes to keep you warm in the upcoming weeks of Autumn. There's plenty of warming news to announce, including the launch of a TVA YouTube channel, a new series of healthy eating cooking classes, and the roaring success of the 2nd Annual Totally Fabulous Vegan Bake-Off.

If you're eager to get your learning cap on, there's plenty of opportunity this season with new programs launched by both PCRM and the T. Colin Campbell Foundation.

But if it's sitting by the fire with a warm bowl of soup that you so desire as temperatures drop, look no further than our recipe of the month, an apple, squash and sweet potato soup that will fill you up with vitamin A. And of course a little bit of spice can always do the trick, to be found at our Discount Profile of the month's Moe's Southwest Grill. 

Don't Miss These Upcoming Events!

Nimisha Raja of Evolving Appetites is hosting a set of four cooking classes focused on healthy eating for preventing cancer. Classes start Monday, October 26th, so be sure to find out more in the TVA in Action section.

This Canadian Thanksgiving enjoy a vegetarian feast. We have links to the best recipes, tips on what to serve, and how to avoid stress when vegetarians and meat eaters will be at the same meal.

Where to eat

Moe's Southwest Grill (35 Eglinton Ave East, e. of Yonge, www.moes.com, 416-489-6637) has just joined our discount program! Moe's Southwest Grill has won the Most Vegetarian-Friendly Mexican Food Chain category in PETA's sixth annual Proggy Awards(2009).

"With an ambiance that says "hip" and a menu that's teeming with fresh burritos, tacos, and fajitas, we have risen to the top of informal Tex-Mex eating. The perfectly spiced beans (black or pinto) and rice (Spanish or brown) are vegan (they don't contain any meat or animal byproducts), as are the guacamole, nachos, tortillas, and taco shells. Additionally, we will substitute grilled tofu for meat in any of our dishes. There are always three kinds of grilled vegetables on hand. As always you get free chips and salsa with any meal purchase."

Camros Organic Eatery (25 Hayden St, www.camroseatery.com, 416-960-0723) is launching a brand new organic juicebar on Monday October 5 2009! They serve vegetarian dishes and salads with aromatic Persian influence. Eat-in or take-out.

Glo Bakery (www.globakery.com, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ) has opened in Milton. They are a all vegan bakery that creates organic granola bars. Glo Bakery, located in Milton, Ontario,

Pizza Village Cake & Pastry (107 Kennedy Rd. S., n. of Steeles, Brampton, 905-487-2626) 100% all vegetarian eatery has been discovered in Brampton. If you've tried their pizza, cake or pastrys let us know, because it sounds like an intriguing combination.

The Cupcake Tree (www.thecupcaketree.ca, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , ) was at the Annual Food Fair. If you fell in love with their lucious vegan cupicakes, you can place an order on their website.  Most flavours  of cupcakes are available in vegan and sugar free.

White Lotus – Vietnamese Vegetarian Cuisine (303 Lansdowne Ave, n. of Dundas W, 416-539-8488) is new to TVA's discount program. They will give 10% off to Vegetarian Discount Card holders. They serve all vegetarian Vietnamese restaurant . Shawn writes "Their lemon grass-chicken is very tasty (a little spice and lots of lemon) it came with rice with sauce, some pickled vegetables on the side and a little onion/coriander soup on the side. It's comes the closest in taste to one of the best Vietnamese veggie places "Lotus Garden" that was on Dundas but long gone. Most dishes are around 7.99 and appetizer in the 3-5 range." 

Say No to the Soy Milk Surcharge!

BlogTO  has put together a great article and googlemap with 50 places that don't charge extra from soymilk! Take a peek here : http://tinyurl.com/nosoycharge. Earlier this year Toronto vegetarian Sarah Veale made a post she called the Soy Latte Project to catalogue cafes that don't charge for soy or lactose-free milk.

Nineteen runners will be running for the Toronto Vegetarian Team at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon this weekend. Watch the video below to find out why we're running for the Toronto Vegetarian Association.

Post-run update: And we've done it! Thanks to those who ran and to all those who made a donation in support of the Toronto Vegetarian Team