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Discount Profile: Live Organic Food Bar

From an anonymous office worker Imagine my delight when I found out that Order It, the food delivery service my office uses, was starting to deliver from Live Organic Food Bar, an all-vegan restaurant. I now have the pleasure of getting lunch from them almost weekly. My favourite two things to order from Live are the Seoul Bowl and the Big Bowl. The Seoul Bowl has a range of delicious flavors with a citrus dressing, kimchi, pickles and marinated portabello mushroom caps. It also comes with a hefty amount of pulled burdock, quinoa and a piece of lightly seared tofu that make the dish quite hearty and filling. It will keep you satiated until dinner time that’s for sure! The Big Bowl is more of a salad and comes with a healthy amount of kale and greens. However, along with it you get a scoop of sunflower hummus that I enjoy to mix in with my fork of greens, and this makes it a satisfying and filling lunch on its own. You get to choose your dressing (I like to go with their ceasar which isn’t exactly the same as a traditional ceasar but… Read More

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Discount Profile: Loving Hut

Care of Sonal Batavia Sandwiched between urban veg foodie favourites Fresh and Freshii — on the corner of Spadina and Richmond, The Loving Hut had come into my peripherals many times in the past few years, but admittedly I had written it off for years on account of an uninviting appearance (I’m a marketer, what can I say). As per my premonition, the interior left much to be desired, the menu was confused about its ethnicity — stir fries, tacos, curries, noodles, soups, sandwiches, burgers — and generally the place prompted memories of the veg places I used to frequent during my university days in Waterloo; cheap, fast, and healthy-ish. On the flip side, I was surprised to find that it was all organic and not expensive. After a quick look at the options I opted in for the tofu club sandwich ($11.25). Mainly because being able to actually order a club sandwich was a dreamy prospect, the visual aids were quite convincing, and if it was a complete disaster there was a side fries to save the day. Ten minutes later it arrived…. and it was the real deal. Golden toasted triangle slices… Read More

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Discount Profile: Truly India

Care of Susan Nobleman Photo care of Trip Advisor If you enjoy authentic Indian cuisine – head over to Truly India restaurant in the east end of the GTA. One is greeted warmly with the questions “Is this your first time here? / Are you vegan or vegetarian?”  The majority of the delicious offerings are vegan, with dishes that are vegetarian clearly indicated. Only fresh ingredients are used in the dishes. Next, one is treated to a multi-item tasting consisting of a couple of tablespoons of rice, topped with samples of the many and varied dishes available. I tasted (among several) a chana masala, a baingan bartha (eggplant), mixed lentils and vegetable kofta, each served with a fresh dollop of rice to allow a unique taste of each.  The selections are divided between ‘dry’ and ‘wet’ curries – the latter having delicious sauces. There was not one dish I didn’t like and so I decided to order one ‘wet’ and one ‘dry’ for takeout. Oh, the challenge of choosing! Solved, graciously, by having my ‘dry’ selection a half order of 2 different dishes, one of which was the methi aloo (potato and fenugreek) and the other… Read More

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Discount Profile: Vegan Vanity Style Studio

Care of Courtney Burgin Do you ever wish there was a hair salon that used products that do not contain animal ingredients and are not tested on animals? After many years in the industry, Tanya Castelli decided that she wanted her work to be more in line with her compassion for animals, which led to her opening Vegan Vanity Style Studio. Getting your hair done by Tanya is always a fun experience. She’s not about rushing to get you in and out; she’s about taking the time to do it right. Whether you’re getting your hair coloured, getting highlights or just a haircut, Tanya’s experience, creativity and imagination means you always leave looking your best. What I love about getting my hair done at Vegan Vanity is that I can go there and say, “do whatever you think will look good” and I can completely trust her to make me look amazing! Tanya truly has a gift when it comes to hair. I’ve had people ask me months after getting highlights or a colour, “did you just get your hair done?”. The products and the techniques she uses ensure that your new style is long lasting. Read More

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Discount Profile: Just Falafel

Care of Lisa Blonder-Ohlenkamp This newcomer on the Toronto vegetarian scene is a welcome alternative to the many non-veg falafel joints around the city. Head to Just Falafel at 831 Bay Street (just north of College) for a wide variety of meat-free choices. The space is clean and contemporary, and is welcoming despite its modest size. The name, Just Falafel, is actually misleading, as the menu features such items as quinoa salad, sweet potato fries, burgers, lentil soup, chick’n burgers, mezze, and potato and falafel bites with breakfast dip. In addition to a traditional falafel wrap, you can order wraps inspired by Mediterranean, Italian, Indian (I tried this one and really enjoyed it!), Mexican, or Canadian cuisines, or build your own wrap. Not in the mood for anything deep fried? You can order baked falafels instead. Not in the mood for a falafel at all but still want a wrap? Order one with vegan Chick’n Tenders. Vegan items are clearly marked with a (v), but many non-vegan items can be modified by leaving out cheese or certain sauces, so just ask when you’re ordering. Portions are generous, and most entree sized items are between $6… Read More

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Discount Profile: Yam Chops

Care of Sonal Batavia and Izzy Ahrbeck A little Yam Chop came knocking on our door last week. That is, TVA board member Michael Abramson (recently turned local celebrity as Toronto’s very first vegetarian butcher) generously offered to send us lunch from his newly opened restaurant, YamChops. The news alone elicited a few shrieks…maybe even a jump (if you’ve ever visited our office, you can imagine the havoc that ensued). 12 pm on the dot during our weekly staff meeting, a little “Yam Chop” came knocking on our door, with three large paper bags, stamped with the words “Bite off more than you can chew”. And boy were we ready to bite in. (The ‘YamChop’ was actually a lovely woman in a black branded apron, who even agreed to pose for a little photo sesh!). Some of the delights we got to enjoy included: ‘Tuna’ & crackers: I can’t say I’ve ever had tuna-less tuna so when I read the label on the container I was rather intrigued. It’s been a long time since I enjoyed this classic childhood favourite, and I was not disappointed. Who knew smashed chickpeas and spices could be such a great tuna substitute?… Read More

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Discount Profile: Grasshopper Restaurant

Care of Christina Vani I first heard of Grasshopper when I saw various postings on social media that a “brand new vegan restaurant” was hiring servers. A loved one was looking for work in this area and subsequently applied, so my first impression of the place was through his eyes: the restaurant was cozy, bright, and positively bustling with people during the weekday lunch hour—and the restaurant had only just opened its doors. This definitely bodes well. For a U of T student, I am painfully ignorant of the wallet-friendly but high-quality establishments that surround campus, since I typically eat at home before heading to the university. Grasshopper’s relatively recent opening has changed that, though. Just minutes from campus, on College between Bathurst and Spadina, Grasshopper, which qualifies itself as a “vegetarian restaurant with a focus on taste,” offers a delicious vegetarian spin on Vietnamese banh-mi (“chick-un” as well as pulled-pork) in addition to decadent vegan comfort foods that have begun cropping up on restaurant menus, vegan and non-vegan alike, across Toronto. These include chick-un nuggets (served with creamy barbecue or peanut sauces) as an appetizer, chili, quinoa mac ’n’ cheese, and a burger platter. Finally,… Read More

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Discount Profile: Greens Vegetarian Restaurant

  Care of Karin Thomas Got a craving for Chinese? Don’t walk, RUN straight to Greens Vegetarian Restaurant at 638 Dundas St W to get your fill of unbelievably delicious Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai food. The menu at Greens is extensive, with over 100 items to choose from. Spring Rolls and Mango Salad, Wonton Soup and Deep Fried Mock Chicken in Lemon Sauce, Pad Thai and Singapore Style Fried Rice… they’ve got it covered. Make sure you wear your stretchy pants though because these portions are HUGE! One bowl of Vermicelli Hot and Sour Soup (for under $5) will feed four people! Did I mention that the prices are phenomenal? You can easily feed a very hungry party of four for under $50, including leftovers to go. My famished group managed to work our way through the above mentioned soup, TWO Spring Rolls Platters, Sweet and Sour Mock Chicken (yes, it’s just like the famous dish you remember), Fried Rice Noodles with Garden Mushrooms and Vegetables, Mock Chicken Fried Rice with Cashew Nuts, PLUS an order of the Assorted Gluten of Bean Curd to go. This was really enough food for at least six. We were… Read More

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Discount Profile: Vegan Danish Bakery

Care of Barbi Lazarus I can’t believe it has taken me this long to make a stop at the Vegan Danish Bakery, just around the corner from my childhood home. This place may be small, but it will blow you away with it’s larger than life professional cakes and pastries. When I walked in, my jaw dropped. I should have known from their presentation plates at the Vegan Bake-Off that these people know how to decorate, but the beauty and variety of their cakes still blew me away. There were whole big cakes of various kinds, as well as both mini and regular cupcakes dressed to the nines. There were super gooey cinnamon sticky rolls and there were biscotti topped with colourful candies and chocolates. Of course there were their namesake: giant danishes in cherry, blueberry or lemon. Chocolate peanut butter cake, cookies ‘n cream cake, a chocolate cupcake and of course, a vegan cherry danish! For myself and my partner, I picked up a cherry danish which was incredibly soft and fresh and didn’t skimp on the cherry filling. We also shared two slices of cake: cookies ‘n cream and chocolate peanut… Read More

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Discount Profile: The Beet

BBQ Tofu Wrap with Side Salad Care of Barbi Lazarus When the Vegetarians of High Park recently visited the Beet for dinner, it was a great opportunity to see (and salivate over) almost all of their amazing vegetarian and vegan options. I decided for once I would try something other than my usual favourite, the vegan mac and cheese. The Beet’s dairy-free version of this classic dish is so creamy and topped with not only breadcrumbs but hemp hearts too, that it’s usually hard for me to resist ordering it. But this time, I opted for the kale ceasar salad and a side of vegan poutine. The kale ceasar was incredible and tasted just like how I remember the much more cruel version that usually includes lots of heavy cream and anchovies. It was topped with plenty of seeds and mixed with crunchy croutons. The poutine was made from a vegetarian gravy and dairy-free cheese on top of big, thick, fluffy potatoe wedges, a mix of both white and sweet potatoes. While I thoroughly enjoyed my meal, it was hard not to want a taste of what I watched my friends eat. The BBQ tempeh… Read More

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