Toronto Veg Blog

Discount Profile: Valiant’s Modern Plant-Based Eatery

If you are ever in the Barrie area, or even relatively close by, a great place to stop by for a wonderful meal and some special treats is Valiant’s Modern Plant-Based Eatery. My partner and I were on our way back to Toronto from Muskoka one afternoon and had been looking forward to this stopover for quite some time. Valiant’s certainly did not disappoint! Being in the downtown area, near the waterfront and Heritage Park, makes it the perfect location for an after-meal stroll. The interior space is relaxing, casual, and inviting. They had some great music playing in the background which really created a genuine ambience of friendliness and community. The menu itself was very large and in fact a bit overwhelming! Of course, this is a good thing, since there are so many awesome options to choose from. It all sounded and looked so good, gluten-free and non-gluten free alike! Although the pizza was tempting, we decided to go for the burgers including the bacun cheeze burger…. doubled! This, as it sounds, included 2 patties, 2 bacun strips and 2 cheeze slices. As you can imagine it was extremely filling and tasted… Read More

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Plant Seeds and So Shall We Grow

As we extend into week six of this period of physical distancing, here is an update on how the Toronto Vegetarian Association is dealing with the COVID-19 crisis and information about the new online programming we are offering to the veg community. First of all, everyone at the TVA is doing well. We hope that you and your family members are also doing well and practicing safe distancing. This pandemic was caused by a coronavirus of animal origin, which shifted to a human host and has spread rapidly, as there is no natural human immunity. In this context, we know that the TVA’s work has never been so important. We have been thrilled to meet many members of the community during our weekly virtual lunch club and the Instant Pot cooking demo that was held on Facebook Live. Our virtual TVA Facebook cookbook club has over 50 members who are eagerly sharing recipes and photos of the amazing dishes they have prepared. Our Instagram stories showcase food stories and news about open restaurants. At the beginning of April, we moved the Veg Spring Market online, showcasing online offerings from 13 veg businesses and non-profits, and broadcasting five free online workshops including… Read More

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Discount Profile: Sweets from the Earth

Sweets from the Earth is one of the longest standing vegan bakeries in the GTA and is famous for its delicious, well, sweets of course! Since social distancing became the norm in the GTA, they’ve added some savoury and bread items to their online store, and I couldn’t wait to take advantage of the opportunity to try them out! If the incredibly delicious quality of their caramel pecan bars or apple pie squares, that I’ve become accustomed to, was a sign of what to expect from their breads, I knew I was in for a treat. I ordered a sandwich loaf, dinner rolls, hamburger buns, and mini bagels, all of them in whole wheat. The sandwich loaf was surprisingly large, more slices than a typical loaf you’d buy in the grocery store. It had a nice slightly crunchy crust, but the bread itself was very light, soft, and fluffy. The mini bagels were nice and dense and chewy, just like you want a bagel to be. Next time I might give the apple cinnamon version a try! The hamburger buns were also very fresh and soft. In addition to using them as a hamburger bun, I absolutely loved simply toasting… Read More

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Vegan Meal Ideas for People Who Can’t (or just don’t want to) Cook

A lot of people have been talking about how the extra time at home in social isolation due to the Coronavirus has given them an opportunity to cook and bake. There has been no shortage of exchanges of recipes or online cooking classes going on. But what if you truly don’t know how to cook, or you just plain hate it, and suddenly you are cut off from the world of vegan restaurants and coffee shops you usually frequent? We’re here to help with some ideas for meals you can throw together right now without having to learn any new skills. Breakfast cereal with soy, almond, or oat milk toast with peanut butter (or your favourite other nut or seed butter), topped with some sliced bananas and hemp seeds for extra nutrition giant fruit salad: slice up oranges and apples and sprinkle with some nuts and/or seeds, and cinnamon already flavoured instant oats can be bought so that all you need to do is add boiling water or, if you don’t even know how to use your kettle, there are usually instructions for microwaving too! Thaw some frozen berries and mix those in for added nutrition, and/or add in some peanut or… Read More

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A Healthy Twist on Traditional Pasta

Care of Ayah Victoria McKhail, a TVA member who recently attended a vegan pasta-making class in Toronto! Cucinato, the Italian Culinary Studio, where Old World charm meets modernity, isconstantly abuzz with activity. Nestled in the heart of Corso Italia, it offers a range of cooking classes and specialty events. Its warm ambiance is open and inviting; everything from the red and white checkered tablecloths to the lettering on the front window are tinged with nostalgia and are reminiscent of an era where preparing and sharing meals were commonplace. It’s here where culinary professionals take the best from traditional techniques and combine them with their signature panache. That’s exactly what Giulio Muratori, the face behind Giulio’s Artisanal Pasta was doing on a chilly winter night. Specializing in the ancient grains of Einkorn, Emmer, Khorasan (Kamut) and Spelt, his sold out and interactive class provided students with an opportunity to experiment with two types of pastas: Spelt for Fettucine and Khorasan (Kamut) for Cavatelli. With students encircling him at a table, Muratori began with a demonstration, adding water to a bowl of Spelt. Rolling it into a ball and then letting it sit, he mentioned how his late mother would knead… Read More

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The Veg Holiday Market is coming November 24th!

As the days get shorter and colder, we’re all in need of a little pick-me-up. We have a remedy for that!   For the 3rd year, the Toronto Vegetarian Association is excited to host the Veg Holiday Market – a fully vegan market with gifts that give back! This year’s event features some great new features in addition to our usual offering of over fifty vendors and hours of programming in the Stop classroom:   • We are happy to welcome you for an extended day this year! Browse the marketplace from 11 am till’ 8 pm. There’s time for supper, shopping, programming, and everything you’d like to do. • Want an alcoholic bevy while you shop? You’re in luck! This year for the first time we’re having a licensed event! Sip on a local beer, wine or cider with your food. Have a seat in the heated courtyard and chat with your friends. • Vegan Marshmallows? Check! Fire? Check! Roasting marshmallows over the fire? Check! Come to the vegan marshmallow roast in the courtyard once the sun has set. It’s free with admission, and the marshmallows are donated by Dandies, proudly available at Organic Garage. • Want to make… Read More

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Raio: A Life Lived in the Moment

“Raio was graceful, full of peace and love right to the end. As she lay dying, I wept, and she comforted and consoled me, assuring me that it was alright. Then she was gone.” Many people will recognize Raio and her sister Maia as longtime mascots of Veg Food Fest and ambassadors for compassion and veganism. This is her story. Article care of Kenneth Butland It’s a sunny summer day in Nova Scotia, and Emre Uzun is enjoying a drive in the countryside with his new best friend, a one-year-old Golden Retriever named Raio. The year is 2005, and his heavy fog of depression—after many years of struggle and with Raio’s help—has finally lifted. A song by Nellie McKay comes on the radio: Yeah, it’s just me and my dog Catchin some sun We can’t go wrong “Raio looked out the window, soaking it all in, totally in the moment,” Emre recalls. His eyes well up as he recounts what happened next: “As the song played, I was filled with a profound sense of peace. I felt so alive and connected. It’s difficult to explain.” Emre also credits Raio with inspiring his decision to go vegan and become an animal… Read More

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They can run, but they can't hide from veganism

Care of Barbi Lazarus, Donor and Volunteer Coordinator If your New Year’s resolution is to encourage more people to go vegan, it seems you’re not alone. Saturday, January the 5th, the first weekend of 2019, witnessed a thrilling exhibition of vegan-related stories from mainstream media outlets. It seems everyone and anyone can’t stop talking about the fact that veganism is here to stay and is going to be a dominant force in society and economics in 2019 and beyond. CBC dedicated 10 minutes to the plant-based revolution. As ‘meat-eater’ Elmer Kim states: “I’ve got to tell you… This is absolutely going to revolutionize the food industry. The beef industry, if they don’t get this right, they’re going to be like the taxi industry. They’re going to look like Blockbuster because this is coming down like a tidal wave.” Click here to watch this clip which is sure to excite you about the progress we are making! This was accompanied by both an online article and a clip on CBC Radio promoting Veganuary, that included comments from me about the 7-Day Veggie Challenge and how it can support people doing… Read More

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Tips For Getting Your Kids to Eat More Vegetables

Care of Emily Wood, RD Emily Wood is a plant based Registered Dietitian, wife and mom of 2 young, energetic boys that are thriving on a plant based diet. She operates her own coaching business, where she helps people transition to the plant based lifestyle to revitalize their energy and vitality, so they can reach the level of ultimate health and happiness in their lives. She holds a Plant Based Certificate from the T Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies. Join her Plant Based Lifestyle for Busy Moms Facebook Group to connect with other inspiring, health-bound moms. Let’s face it, most kids don’t LOVE their veggies. When my kids first started eating solid food, I always offered a wide variety of vegetables, which they usually gobbled up! But as they grew and started developing a taste for other things, it got more challenging. The good news with kids is that they need a lot of calories to meet the demand of their rapidly growing bodies. But with that said, you still don’t want to be feeding them fat, sugar, and refined foods all day. I have found a few ways that have really helped me to… Read More

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The Tipping Point is Here

Care of Barbi Lazarus, Donor and Volunteer Resources Coordinator I’m starting to feel like a broken record, but I just can’t stop sharing my excitement about all the signs that we’ve reached a tipping point with the popularity and awareness of vegan food in Toronto. Earlier this year, popular local Italian chain Il Fornello launched their huge, plant-based menu complete with arancini balls and agnolotti in “butter” sauce, and not long ago we learned that famous local chef David Lee decided to close his popular omnivorous restaurant Nota Bene to replace it with a second location of the vegan restaurant Planta. But make sure you are sitting down because you won’t believe the news I’m about to share with you. You may have already heard from us that the Toronto Vegetarian Association won Best Food Activist Group in this year’s Now Readers’ Choice Awards. We are so humbled, grateful, and excited about this incredible achievement! (Thanks so much if you voted for us!). But we weren’t the only vegan establishment that went home with an award this year. Check out this list of plant-based businesses that won in a dozen categories! And again, we’re not just talking about winning in a vegan category. These businesses won best… Read More

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