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Happy holidays from the Toronto Vegetarian Association!

Winter is upon us, but that's no reason to fret. 

Instead, celebrate the season at our Holiday Book Sale and Bake Sale at the Resource Centre, or have a festive meal at Vegetarian Haven. Need some compassionate food and gift ideas? Be sure to check out our special plant-based holiday survival guide.

If you need a cake for your own holiday party, consider ordering a delicious treat from one of the Totally Fabulous Vegan Bake-Off's professional winners, LPK's Culinary Groove.

And speaking of the bake-off, calling all bakers! The Canada AM Cookie Challenge is happening NOW. Learn how you can enter and show off the fabulous world of vegan baking!

Read on to find out more details about the above, and to get your hands on a refreshing recipe for carrot and daikon salad. 

Don't Miss These Upcoming Events!

Our Annual Holiday Open House and Book Sale is happening December 18th. Find out more in the TVA in Action section or on Facebook.

This Month...

TVA in Action -  Holiday Book Sale and Bake Sale, Holiday Group Meetings

In the News - Canada AM Cookie Challenge Now Accepting Entries, Women on Vegan Diets Have More Long-Chain Omegas

Animal Profile of the Month - Caring about Calves

Nutritious Food of the Month - Daikon-licious!

Recipe - Japanese Carrot and Daikon Salad

Discount Profile - LPK's Culinary Groove: 10% off

Veg Holiday Survival Guide - Ideas for Plant-Based Holiday Treats and Gifts

Contact Us

TVA In Action

Upcoming Events

• 50% off sale on older books such as: The Idiot's Guide to Vegan Living, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian Cooking, 125 Best Vegan Recipes
• Gifts of Compassion to Educate Friends and Family: Farm Sanctuary, Eating Animals, Dog by the Cradle, the Serpent Beneath and Diet for a Hot Planet, any two books for $50
• Books to Impress Your Guests at Holiday Meals: Get $10 off The Conscious Cook when you buy any two of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar or Ani's Raw Food Desserts
• Get a FREE copy of Lickin' the Beaters or the Vegan Monologues with a purchase of $60 or more

Baby cows can do the most extraordinary things. Take Durham, a hungry yet underweight calf living on a farm in England. He was given second helpings every day to help him put on more weight. Durham learned to recognize the different people on the farm; so that when he wanted a third helping, he never asked the person who had fed him, but someone else instead, putting on an extravagant show to pretend he hadn't been fed yet that day.   

Calves are cute, mischievous, and they love their moms. They like to play with the other calves and in these respects they are very much like human children.  

Unfortunately, on dairy farms the bonds between calves and their mothers are broken far too early. Male calves are the unwanted by-products of the dairy industry. Most male dairy calves are either slaughtered as soon as they are born or simply heaped in a pile and discarded as trash.

Some farmers sell their unwanted male calves to be raised for beef or veal. Beef calves undergo a multitude of invasive and often very painful procedures, in most cases without an anesthetic, to keep costs down. Veal calves are denied dietary iron and become anemic. They are solitary confined to wooden crates and may not be able turn around or adopt a normal sleeping position. 

But there is good news! Awareness is growing about the fate of baby cows tossed aside on dairy farms, and people who wish to turn away from dairy have a multitude of nondairy cheese, milk, yogurt and ice cream products on the market. The list grows daily as new products are added to meet the growing demand for compassionate food choices. Check out veg.ca/recipes for alternatives. Food tastes better when you know that no babies were harmed in the making of it.

Nutritious Food of the Month

Daikon-licious!

Care of Amy Symington 

Often referred to as a Japanese radish, daikon, although widely renowned for its role in Japanese cuisine, is far from restricted to the far East.  

 

“Radish,” however, is properly used in describing this pungent root vegetable. It has a mild, yet sharp and slightly spicy flavour. Its long, leafy green tops are followed by a shiny yellowish-white flesh. Its shape is that of a large, plump carrot.

 

Eaten cooked, raw or pickled to perfection, good quality daikon should have a firm and smooth skin. Although most commonly known as a traditional Japanese ingredient, daikon is becoming more and more main stream. It frequents the Asian fusion scene as well as making repeated appearances on the plate of health conscious noshers. Used in sushi, soups, stews, spring rolls, slaws and salads – say that 10 times fast – daikon is very low in caloric value yet high in nutritional value, which means bulking up on vitamins and minerals without growing a daikonic belly. It’s low in saturated fat and cholesterol and is a good source of Vitamin B6, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium and Phosphorus. It's also a very good source of dietary fibre and Vitamin C as well as Folate, Potassium and Copper...oh my!

 

Culinary wise, there is an array of varying ways to fancify this wholesome veggie. It mingles well in anything from a soba noodle soup to a spicy tofu dish to going completely solo as a decadent battered side. Also keep in mind the nutrient dense sprouts of the daikon are no stranger to the garnish world and are fit atop any salad or stir-fry. Daikon-licious! 

Click here to join TVA and receive the print Lifelines, which offers more nutritional info, recipes and cookbook reviews. Find more nutritional information at veg.ca/nutrition.

Recipe

Japanese Carrot and Daikon Salad care of Jennifer McCann's Vegan Lunch Box Around the World

Here's a very simple and quick way to bring daikon into your diet! 

Photo care of foodmayhem.com

Ingredients

• 2 medium carrots
• 1 medium daikon
• salt to taste
• 2 tbsp brown rice vinegar
• 3/4 tsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp soy sauce

Cut the carrot and daikon into matchsticks. Spread them out together in a thin layer on a large platter and sprinkle them lightly with salt.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes, then pat them dry with a kitchen towel and place in a medium bowl. Mix together with the vinegar, sugar and soy sauce and voila!

Find links to more recipes at veg.ca/recipes.

Discount Profile

LPK's Culinary Groove: 10% off with TVA Discount Card

	LPK's Fantastic Entries to the Vegan Bake-Off

Did you attend the 3rd Annual Totally Fabulous Vegan Bake-Off? If you did, you're probably no stranger to LPK's Culinary Groove, who walked away with the 1st place prize in the professionally crafted category with their peanut butter nanaimo bars. Not long after they received the runner up prize for best dessert shop in Toronto in NOW Magazine!

 

LPK's Culinary Groove is a delectable bakery and caterer in Leslieville, serving up incredibly delicious vegan cakes, pastries and chocolates. They can also do specialties like gluten-free and custom orders for weddings and other special occasions.

 

We all know how draining special events can be on your wallet, but luckily LPK offers a 10% discount to Vegetarian Discount Card holders! So, next time you're planning a celebration, be sure to check out LPK's Culinary Groove for something luscious and cruelty-free.

 

Veg Status? Vegan

Savings with TVA Discount Card: 10% off

Location: 718 Queen Street East (near Broadview). Website.

The TVA Discount Card is available to members of the Toronto Vegetarian Association. Find a full listing of participating locations here. To join TVA and/or purchase a discount card, make a tax-deductible, online donation or phone the TVA office at 416-544-9800.

Holiday Celebration Survival Guide

Wondering what to bring to your family holiday gathering to show off the wonders of plant-based cooking? Check out our holiday survival guide, where you'll find not only holiday recipes, but also shopping ideas, compassionate gift suggestions and a list of places in the GTA serving up special meals in the month of December. 

Click here to read our holiday survival guide.