May & June Rejuvenation Retreats!

Photo from Grail Springs Spa

Canada's Vegan Iron Chef Doug McNish has joined the Grail Springs Team! Head up to Grail Springs Health Spa & Wellness Retreat for some amazing raw food at their lakeside santuary in Bancroft (1 hour from Toronto.) Enjoy 30% off all their packages in celebration of their 10th year Annivesary.  

At Shanti Retreat this May 13-15th for a weekend of yoga as well as the teachings of the renowned Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program. Later this month, join them for "Bhakti, Chant and Yoga"  May 20-22nd/23rd Wendy and Darin write that they are looking forward to welcoming you to Shanti and introducing you to one of Ontario's secret gems, Wolfe Island.

A Retreat with Purpose: Presented by Cruda Cafe who writes that the program features "yoga in the morning and afternoon, meditation, nature walks, uncooking classes. Available: Reiki treatments, Abhayanga massage, and one on one personalized juice fasting. Let Claudia Gaviria, owner of Cruda Café take you on a journey of peace, contentment and rejuvenation at a deeper level. This optimal process is the fruit of over 8 years expertise in Living foods, yoga, meditation, Ayurveda and Reiki."  Retreat & Program: $395 + HST. Coach bus service availble. June 17th -19th 2011. For additional information and resverations please contact  Veronica Fine - PR and Raw Chef at aveganaffair@gmail.com

New Products!

Di Martino Vegan Protein Product

Di Martino Imports just unveiled at the Green Living Show "a new complete Vegan protein from Italy. Made with only 100% Organic and NON GMO ingredients. Comes in a wide variety of cuts, from sandwich slices to roasts etc."  Watch their  website for a list of our retailers; it's currently available at Nature's Emporium in Newmarket, Fiesta Farms on Christie, Panacea and they will be at TVA's Compassion Marketplace on June 11, 2011 giving out samples.

Panacea Vegan Shop writes "Whip it! Whip it soy good!..... after a 3 year absence from the Canadian market, we now have Soyatoo brand whipping cream in a can, in both soy and rice versions. Talk about good timing - vegan whipping cream and  the return of Glyde vegan condoms just in time for the weekend!"  Also, as we mentioned in our Easter update, Panacea has launched a new vegan bar product line from Sjaak's called Eli's Earth Bars, and 2 new varieties from Go Max Go that are modelled after Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Nestle's Crunch bar!

Photo from Cholan

New Vegetarian Restaurant!

Cholan Vegetarian Cuisine (808 Britannia Road West, MIssissauga, 905-812-2700) write to tell us they "have a wide variety of items in our menu from South Indian, North Indian and Oriental cuisine."  

New Finds:

Moreen and Fraser let us know that  Delight Organic Fair Trade Chocolate has  incredibly smooth and creamy vegan chocolate ice cream, as well as a few vegan truffle options.Visit them in the Junction at 3040 Dundas Street West and on Queen West at 805 Queen Street West. 

Photo by Amandaraeca

Amanda tweeted: "Vegan french toast & veg-bacon at  Cardinal Rule Restaurant in Roncesvalles. They also have a couple other vegan options, more veg options and they  had a daily special (phish & chips.) Also, their non-dairy milk is rice milk. The site has the full menus which show what is veggie, vegan and gluten free."

Lindsay writes: "My friends all wanted to meet at the Real Sports Bar before the Raptor's game the other night and I wasn't quite sure what to eat (I'm vegan).  I checked their menu before hand, and it said they had a veggie burger (that you could get on a bun, or wrapped in lettuce).

"I wasn't sure if it was vegan or not though, so I emailed them and the head chef wrote: 'The vegetable burger has the cheddar only on top and can be removed. We do put a slight amount of egg white in the mix to keep it together, but as I send this email, we are making a special batch for you with the egg white removed and it will be ready for you this evening. Only other part of note, is our bun has an egg wash on top. We can offer the burger on our foccacia or obtain an Egg free bun for you if you wish.' Upon arrival, our server, and the kitchen were aware that there were a few vegans there, and they accomodated us 100%! The service was INCREDIBLE. The server and chef also told us that whenever we want to come, just drop them an email or call them with our reservation number, and they'll be sure to make sure whatever we order is vegan. The food was DELICIOUS and I would definitely eat there again."

Vegan? Getting Married? Here's help!

Rose Pedals Vegan Weddings "features real stories from vegan couples who are engaged or recently married and is designed to share vegan and vegan-friendly resources for a healthy, environmentally-friendly, and cruelty-free weddings.  We're actively seeking vendors to list as well as vegan couples that would like to share their veg proposal and wedding stories."

ME WANT PIE NOW!

Photo from APieCalypse Now!

APieCalypse Now! is an all vegan bakery with its roots in Leslieville. Starting May 15 you can pick up apple pies, butter tarts and squares at the Distillery District Sunday markets (10-4pm). You can also pick up your treats at U of T farmer's market on Thursdays starting June 2nd.

Banking + sweets = LPK!

LPK's Culinary Groove tweets:  "Just got back from another morning delivery to the brand spankin' new and gorgeous ING Direct Cafe at 221 Yonge Street (at Shuter.) Who knew banking could be this delicious. ING is incredibly community oriented, and is actually giving all cafe related sales to charity, including The Stop at Wychwood Barns. We're really excited to be a part of it all."

Back again!

Pulp Kitchen is "starting a modest renewal in Riverdale with the original Marie Crawford (again!)...Go to 718 Queen Street East (LPK's Culinary Groove) to find new juice concoctions and be sure to "Like" Pulp Kitchen Fresh Juice on FB and spread the word!"