eLifelines December 2009 - Celebrate with Sales and Recipes

Thursday, 03 December 2009

Photo care of Viva, a vegetarian organization in the UK

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Holiday season is almost upon us - and there's lots of ways to celebrate and save!

Make your first stop for holiday shopping our annual sale and open house on December 12th. Then, head to Magic Oven or Le Commensal to take advantage of some great holiday specials they're offering.

Then it will be time to ring in the new year with a bang - and we'll be doing just that by starting the third year of our strategic plan with our Compassion for Animals focus by launching Meat Free Mondays.

While you wait for these exciting events, stay warm and healthy with Glorious Roasted Garlic Soup.

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. And Doug McNish will host another Holiday Cooking Demo on Sunday, December 13th. Find out more in the TVA in Action section.

This Month...

TVA in Action - Look no further for ways to save this December, as there's a number of great holiday opportunities to announce. TVA will host our annual Holiday Sale and Open House at the Resource Centre on December 12th. And, if you check out the Directory Updates, you'll find some appetizing offers from Magic Oven and Le Commensal.

The holidays won't last forever though, and before you know it it'll be the new year. Our New Year's Resolution? Get even more people to transition to a vegetarian diet, and we'll be doing it through our Meat Free Mondays campaign, set to launch in January.

In the News - We're not the only ones celebrating compassionately - even Martha Stewart took part in a vegetarian Thanksgiving this year and focused an entire episode to creating a meatless holiday meal.

Nutritious Profile of the Month - Glamorous Garlic

Recipes - Glorious Roasted Garlic Soup. Plus a holiday gift from TVA: Bonus recipe - Vegan Fried Eggs

Discount Profile - Pulp Kitchen offers 10% off with the TVA Discount Card.

Reader's Classifieds - Vegan Singles Group and new recipe blog

Contact Us

TVA In Action

NOTE: Recipes from cooking demonstrations at the Food Fair have now been posted! Click here to download your free recipe booklet now!

Upcoming Events

TVA's Annual Holiday Sale and Open House

Ready to start your holiday shopping? Come down to the Resource Centre to find some great specials and package deals on vegetarian cookbooks, such as Vegan Brunch, the Vegan Table, and Eating Animals. This will also be your chance to meet our new Board of Directors, and have some tasty treats.

When? Saturday, December 12th from 12 to 5 pm

Where? The TVA Resource Centre (17 Baldwin Street, Second Floor above Vegetarian Haven)

More Info? Stay up to date by visiting the RC Blog and listening to the Toronto Vegetarian Podcast regularily.

Compassionate Celebrations Cooking Demo

Doug McNish will present recipes to impress everyone with delicious and satisfying vegan food. For those looking for new recipes to up their A game, Doug will take your food preparation skills to the next level. Recipes will include raw desserts, impressive entrees and appetizers for family gatherings and potluck parties. Participants will receive a meal's worth of samples, the full menu of amazing recipes, as well as tips and techniques for creating an animal-free holiday feast that will impress.

Space is limited and tickets must be purchased in advance, so please contact the Toronto Vegetarian Association at 416-544-9800 to reserve your spot.

When? Sunday, December 13th from 5 to 8 pm

Where? Pulp Kitchen (1129 Queen Street East)

How Much? $15

NOTE: This event is open to TVA members only. Tickets MUST be purchased in advance. To purchase your tickets, please phone the TVA office at 416-544-9800. Space is limited.

Click here to learn about becoming a member of the Toronto Vegetarian Association, so that you can attend events like these and others!

Find other veg-related event listings at veg.ca/events.

TVA Group Events

The Dinner Social Group will hold their next meeting at Vegetarian Haven (17 Baldwin Street, just west of McCaul, north of Dundas Street) on Thursday, December 17th at 7 pm. Please RSVP to tvadinner@veg.ca.

The York Region/North York Vegetarian Group will hold their next meeting at Indian Kitchen for brunch (7330 Yonge Street, at Clark Avenue) on Sunday, January 17th at 12:30 pm. Please RSVP to yorkregion@veg.ca.

The Raw Food Meetup Group will hold a potluck on Saturday, December 12th. Full details are posted on their meetup page.

The Durham Lakeside Vegetarian Group will host a lecture from Jeff Novick, a dieitician from the McDougall Program in California. Called "Lighten Up Your New Year", the free lecture will take place at the Whitby Public Library on January 6th at 6:30 pm. Visit veg.ca/durham for more details.

The Vegetarian Family Group is looking for new members! This group seeks to support vegetarian and vegan families of all types and ethnicities. They gather once a month for potlucks, picnics, and playdates, to support each other as parents and vegetarians and to share recipies and ideas. Children also meet other veg children and see that there are others just like them! Please contact Claire for more information.

Join one of TVA’s social groups.

TVA Donations at Work

Care of Fraser Gibson, President

In our continuing efforts to inspire people to choose a healthier, greener, more peaceful lifestyle we are reaching out to those needing help with the first basic steps toward a plant-based diet. We are establishing a program to identify a day of the week as a vegetarian day.

Meat Free Mondays has been selected as an initiative to pursue in 2010. There are similar programs being managed by groups based elsewhere so we hope some common themes will help strengthen each of our individual programs.

The idea is to inspire individuals, groups, institutions, restaurants and other businesses to go meat free on Monday. An e-mail list will provide people with support & help track effectiveness.

We will build a promotional/marketing campaign to:
-    recruit and register participants
-    offer help, provide tools
-    communicate results

We will aim for a broad cross-section of the population but some initial targets are:
-    University students/youth
-    Environmentalists & environmentally concerned people
-    Health conscious people

You can support this by:
-    Offering up ideas for reaching target groups
-    Assisting as we assemble the tools that will be shared
-    Providing support to participants
-    Spreading the word about the program in your own circle (friends, business, groups, restaurants, etc.)
-    Helping seek partners and supporters

We believe that this initiative will be a great companion to our Veggie Challenge program. It will also provide a great opportunity to use the ‘Animals-Saved’ counter that we are planning to put in place in 2010 and show the power of people’s action.

For further information on how you might help please contact David Alexander.

Directory Updates


Photo care of BlogTO

There's a new vegetarian eatery in midtown. Kale will be opening soon at Yonge and Eglinton, offering sandwiches and burgers, and vegan and gluten-free desserts. Stay tuned for more details when they open in January!

In the mean time, Magic Oven (Queen East and Parliament location only) has launched an "all-you-can-eat" pizza and salad night every Wednesday from 5 to 9 p.m. for $12.95. The buffet has both vegetarian and vegan options available, and Angela reports that the service is exceptional, with servers constantly walking around with trays of different pizza and salads.

Another great deal this holiday season is your chance to host a holiday party at Le Commensal. If you organize a holiday party with a minimum of 8 people, all your guests will receive a 10% discount and YOU as the host, get to eat free! Click here for more details.

Stay in-the-know as more updates are announced on our directory updates page.

In the Media

The Toronto Vegetarian Association was mentioned in the Toronto Star's article about a new book focusing on food in T.O. The Edible City is a collection of essays about all aspects of food in the city, and even includes an article by TVA's Executive Director, David Alexander. Read the full Toronto Star article here.

In the News

Consumption of Fish Oil Linked to Type-2 Diabetes

Many vegetarians have suffered through lectures about the "importance" of getting fish oil as a source of Omega fatty acids. Well here's a good rebuttal for you! A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, that followed over 195,000 people for 14 to 18 years, found that the consumption of fish and fish oil led to higher risk of type-2 diabetes. The study conducted at Harvard found an increased risk of 22% for women who ate five or more servings of fish per week.

Congratulations to the Toronto Veg Community!

Both Sadie's Diner and Karine's All Day Breakfast made it on to Blog TO's Top 12 All Day Breakfasts in Toronto! Sadie's was praised for it's generous coffee portions and greasy fillings, while Karine's was admired for it's cute decor and great prices.

Martha Stewart Celebrates Vegetarian Thanksgiving

On November 19th, Martha Stewart took a bold step by devoting her entire show to hosting a vegetarian Thanksgiving.The episode, which included author of Eating Animals, Jonathan Safran Foer, can be watched online here. Martha's own daughter is vegetarian, and she noted that she would be joining her at her home for a vegetarian Thanksgiving of their own. Could Martha herself be close to crossing over into a life of compassion?

Want more news updates? Sign up for TVA VegE-News here.

Nutritious Profile of the Month

Care of Karen Soper and Lisa Pitman

Glamorous Garlic

The Stinking Rose, a famous restaurant on Columbus Avenue in San Fransisco, California is filled with dishes all made with garlic. In fact - they claim to “season their garlic with food”! If you have ever been there you’ll know how compelling the dishes are and how the culinary enjoyment of a restaurant filled with garlic dishes is truly a novel experience.

However famous San Fransisco’s Stinking Rose restaurant, the use of garlic is not so new to the world. Garlic has been used for thousands of years for both its medicinal and culinary properties, and in almost 2010 it is still touted as a powerful home remedy for colds and a must-have for quick pasta entrees. It is a bulbous plant of the family genus allium, in which there are approximately 500 members, including other well known plants like leeks, shallots and onions. Allium sativum basically means "cultivated garlic".

Garlic can be used in many ways - raw or cooked; whole, crushed or sliced. Raw garlic is stronger than cooked, and minced garlic stronger than sliced. Roasted whole garlic has a totally different taste to crushed raw garlic. The “active” component of garlic, that pungent smell and taste is called allicin. This is generated only when the clove is broken. When it is raw and crushed, or very finely chopped the medicinal properties and benefits of garlic are strongest.

Garlic grows under the ground in large, slightly off-white bulbs (or "heads") which are covered by a papery skin. Inside each bulb is anything from ten to twenty individual cloves which themselves have a pinkish skin. It's important to know the difference between bulbs and cloves when cooking!

Health Benefits - Today garlic is heavily researched and found to act as a diuretic, a stimulant and a sweat promoter. It stimulates the metabolism, stabilizes blood sugar levels and eliminates toxins from the body. Raw, crushed garlic has anti-fungal and antibiotic properties. It also contains a wide range of trace minerals like copper, iron, zinc, magnesium and selenium. Garlic has also been linked to beneficial activities for the cardiovascular system, and cholesterol management.

As we know, antioxidants can help to protect the body against damaging "free radicals", and science has shown that garlic (especially aged garlic) can have powerful antioxidant effects too. There can be draw backs to eating raw garlic though. It is very strong, so eating too much could cause irritation of or even damage to the digestive tract. Some people are actually allergic to garlic. If you were allergic to garlic you would notice symptoms like possible skin rashes, high temperature and headaches. It's wise to avoid garlic before surgery because there is a potential that a lot of garlic could potentially disrupt anti-coagulants in your body.

Get Some Garlic - Garlic really is a supermarket gift that should be seen as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle, however not an alternative to one - just a spicy addition!

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

Recipe

Glorious Roasted Garlic Soup Care of Sarah Kramer and Tanya Barnard's Garden of Vegan

This would be a lovely warming soup to help fortify you against the cold and flu season. The protection may be from the garlic or maybe because the smell of garlic is keeping intimate encounters at bay.

1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup shallots, chopped
1 large potato, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cups vegetable stock
1 tbsp fresh thyme
3 heads roasted garlic (see below)
1 cup soy milk
2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced

In a large soup pot on medium heat, saute the onions, shallots, and potatoes in oil until the onions are translucent. Add the stock, thyme, and roasted garlic. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. In a blender or food processor, blend 1/2 or all of the soup until smooth (be careful when blending hot liquids); return to pot and reheat. Add the soy milk and parsley. Stir and serve.

Roasted Garlic

3 heads of garlic
3 tsp olive oil
2 pinches of salt

Preheat oven to 400 F. Peel off the loose layers of skin and slice the top of the garlic heads. Place in a small baking pan, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt. Cover with a lid or aluminum foil and roast until the garlic is soft, about 25 minutes. Set aside to cool. Squeeze the garlic cloves out from the bulb to add to your soup pot.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Holiday Gift from TVA: Bonus Recipe!

Vegan Fried Egg Care of Rocky Shepheard

Ingredients

one block of firm tofu
margerine or Earth Balance for frying
1/4 tbsp vegan mayonaise
1 tbsp water
1/4 tbsp carrot juice
1 tbsp vegetable broth
1/2 tbsp canola oil or melted Earth Balance/margerine
1/2 to 1 tbsp arrowroot
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut a block of firm tofu into the shape of a fried egg. Thin it at the periphery and keep it thick in the middle.

Insert a broad bladed knife horizontally through the tofu near the bottom. Where the yolk should be, use a cookie cutter or other small, round device to cut out a yolk hole down to the blade. Remove the blade.

Fry the tofu in margerine or Earth Balance until both sides are golden brown. Set aside while you make the yolk.

In a microwaveable glass custard dish, place 1/4 tablespoon of vegan mayonaise. Add one tablespoon of water or enough to make the veganaise liquidy. Add the carrot juice, vegetable broth, canola oil and arrowroot.

Heat in the microwave for 20 seconds. The idea is for the end product to be a tad runny, but not too globby. If it's too globby, either heat less or add less arrowroot. It should have a very nice yellow-orange yolk color.

Add the yolk into the browned yolk hole and refry the top for 10-20 seconds. Salt and pepper as you like.

Voila, a beautiful vegan fried egg that looks and tastes like one.

Rocky Shepheard
rocky@shepheardillustration.com

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

Discount Profile

Pulp Kitchen: 10% off with TVA Discount Card

If you're a fan of Pulp Kitchen and you've been fretting about their latest closure, you can breath easy, as they've reopened in a new location!

In addition to their popular weekend brunch, vegan all day breakfast and fresh juices, they'll soon be announcing some new menu items as they get settled into their new place.

And with their re-opening, they haven't forgotten about that lovely 10% discount offered to TVA Discount Card holders.

Where? 1129 Queen St E (east of Pape)

Veg Status? Vegan

Savings with TVA Discount Card: 10%

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.

Reader's Classifieds

Toronto Vegan Singles Group

Looking for some more companionship? A TVA volunteer has started a Toronto Vegan Singles Group on Facebook. It is for vegetarians and vegans looking for a date, as well as roomates.

New Vegan Recipe Blog

Vegan Soiree is a new blog designed to inspire teens, 20 and 30-somethings to switch to a plant-based diet. The blog features easy to make recipes, and party ideas.

Join the Toronto Vegetarian Association today!

Founded in 1945, the Toronto Vegetarian Association is a volunteer-driven charitable organization devoted to providing information and support to people who are interested in making healthier, greener, more peaceful food choices.

By becoming a member of TVA, you'll support vital programs such as the largest annual vegetarian food fair in North America, the vegetarian directory, a volunteer-run vegetarian resource centre and the Veggie Challenge. You'll also receive our quarterly print newsletter Lifelines, and be entitled to a free, customized subscription to VegE-News. Plus, you'll have the option to purchase our Discount Card, offering savings at over 80 veg-friendly businesses in the GTA. All donations of $20 or more are tax-deductible.

Join the Toronto Vegetarian Association today, and help us inspire people to choose a healthier, greener, more peaceful lifestyle.

June 2-9, 2012

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