This week Emily and Lisa get straight to the point: Vegan Pie in the Sky rules, and McDonald's drools. Or something like that. Truth be told, McDonald's is doing something positive - the company has reportedly stated it will stop purchasing eggs from a supplier whose crueltry was captured in a Mercy for Animals undercover video. Emily and Lisa think this is a good step - they just wish McDonald's would make a few more.

Subway has a vegan sandwich available now, to mixed reviews. Actually, just one review. And it wasn't mixed, it was bad. But judge for yourselves!  If you've tried the sandwich, send the TVA an email with your feedback. Inquiring minds want to know.  Paris Hilton also made the veg radar this week, when she tried to do a good thing by feeding a dog a filet mignon, and then tweeting about respect and love for all animals. A very positive sentiment, but perhaps one requiring of some additional considerations. 

If you want to make pie (pie doesn't need a good segue), and who doesn't, check out Vegan Pie in the Sky. You could bake a pie and then bring it to the TVA's Annual General Meeting (AGM) taking place Sunday November 20, from 3:30 to 6:30, at the Miles Nadal JCC at the corner of Bloor and Spadina. Other upcoming events include the Whole Life Expo (November 25-27) and the Raw Vegan Festival (December 3-4). The TVA is also having a Holiday Sale Saturday November 10th from 1-4pm at the Resource Centre.

Today's podcast was a concise, efficient, and streamlined 13 minutes.

Listen Now!

Annual General Meeting

The Toronto Vegetarian Association's 2011 Annual General Meeting will occur on Sunday, November 20 at the Miles Nadal JCC at 750 Spadina Avenue, room 300. The meeting will take place from 3:30 to 6:30 pm.

This meeting is your chance to get an update on our 2011-2013 Strategic Plan, and elect our 2011-2012 board of directors.

This year there are 8 candidates for the 7 open positions on our board of directors.

The Toronto Vegetarian Association Annual General Meeting is a private function open to TVA members only. Non-members who wish to attend will be required to join as members of the TVA.

Today Liam and John discuss a recent nutritional analysis of Fresh’s Buddha Bowl that appeared in the Toronto Star.  There was some debate amongst the podcast co-hosts about “how bad” is the Buddha Bowl.  On the one hand, it’s about half of one’s daily recommended caloric and sodium intake.  On the other hand, it’s pretty darn healthy for a meal that you would get at a restaurant and it should be pretty filling considering it’s 1.7 lbs of food. 

There are lots of vegetarian and vegan food alternatives in Toronto and Shawn wrote to inform the podcast crew of The Rusholme Park Supper Club’s vegan dinner on Friday, November 18^th.  The dinner will consist of sweet roasted beets, herbed tofu "feta", green bean salad, wild mushroom stroganoff, wide noodles and caramelized cabbage with caraway and coconut butter, and almond frangipane squares with red wine and pear sorbet.

There were more good food recommendations when Liam pronounced his love of pesto on today’s podcast.  The two co-hosts discuss which recipes are their favourites.  After the podcast ended Liam learned that he will be having pesto sauce for dinner this evening and he is presently in an even better mood.

There are lots of cool things going on in Toronto…check out the volunteer opportunities and events to see for yourself.

This week’s show is 41 minutes of basil stuck in between your teeth.

Listen Now!

 Today Lisa and Liam kick off the show by getting the date horribly wrong before correcting both today’s - Saturday November 5 - and the Annual General Meeting’s - Sunday November 20 (not November 21 as published in Lifelines). This year’s AGM is from 3:30 – 6:00 at the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre located at 750 Spadina Ave (at Bloor).

Lisa recovers nicely with some sterling segues, taking the hosts from Cruda Café (where Liam had an excellent enchilada), to the Toronto Marlies’ vegan athlete, Mike Zigomanis, to a discussion of vegan restaurants in suburbs of Toronto and in foreign countries (a vegan Danish bakery in India?), to a touching story about a pair of Great Dane buddies who need to find a home. They also discussed a success story from the BeVeg.ca subway ad campaign, and discussed the recent Toronto shark fin ban (Liam brought up the complaint that's been filed against the city, which Lisa wasn't aware of).

They interviewed Tikka Smiley, who will be featured on this week's episode of Recipe to Riches on the Food Network. Let's all cheer her on! You can watch it on Wednesday, November 9th at 9pm.

Today's podcast is 23... wait, 32... no, it's 33 minutes long.

Listen Now!

Vegan Beauty!

Tranzitions Salon (A121-3351 Markham Rd. 416-613-2967) writes “we use all natural, certified organic colours, products, relaxers, treatments, and we also Sell Natural Certified Organic Hair Products. Also 100% VEGAN!"  The grand-opening of the salon was on September 1st, 2011. It’s  run by Jerry & Lina who have been in the hair industry for about 10 years. 100% vegan, Heath Canada Approved, certified organic and Canadian products they are glad to represent!

Lianne wrote to us about her salon, Celestial Beauty in Village Square, 418 Pearl St. #52, Burlington,  905-319-2822. “I have been in business for 10 years offering manicures, pedicures, waxing and makeup application. I also carry vegan & vegetarian bath & body products, vegan makeup brushes, cosmetics, soy candles, gift baskets etc. I am hoping to be 100% vegan by 2012. Many of the retail products are made in Canada.  I am also walking distance to Kindfood (vegan cafe & bakery)”

New Brunch!

The Hogtown Vegan is now open at 11:30am on Saturdays and Sundays for Brunch which will be served until 4pm. The menu boasts; Western Sandwiches, Maple Sausage Waffles, and The Full Monty (see full menu here). They also have a liquor licence, so you can enjoy wine and beer with breakfast too! You can pick up the famous Hot Beans donuts there, as Hot Beans is no longer selling them and is instead offering “healthier, homemade baked goods with gluten-free options.”

Vegan meat balls?!


Donuts, cupcakes, poutine.. now meatballs! You really can get anything veganized in Toronto!  Barbi writes: “I read about this place in the Metro yesterday called Hey Meatball (719 College Street, Toronto, ON M6G3C1, 416-546-1483) in Little Italy. It mentioned they have vegetarian meatballs and their Facebook page says vegan and vegetarian options.” Update! A reader wrote "A friend of mine went to Hey Meatball recently and was told that none of their sauces are vegan."

Vegan Options at chain restaurants!

• Spotted "V" for Vegan logo on the suitable soups at Soup it Up!
• Subway has a "Totally Vegged" patty; the poster says "It's vegan!"
  
  

In the News

Read all about Bunner’s Bakeshop in The Star’s small business feature article. Looks like a second location is in the works! yay!

Congrats to Bunner's, Kensington Natural Bakery, LPK's Culinary Groove, Urban Herbivore and Organic Oven for dominating BlogTO's Best Gluten-Free Bakery list with vegan goodness. 

Neighbourhood Spotlight: The Beach.

Sandy wrote in to recommend a few vegetarian friendly restaurants & stores in her neighbourhood.

• Delina's (1891 Queen St. East, 647-348-2009) "serves falafel sandwiches, and lots of healthy & delicious sides - tabouli, lima bean salad, etc. Great reviews and I always keep going back!!"

• Beaches Wholesome Food Store (2234 Queen St E, 416-690-9500) "have lots of vegetarian & vegan products, refrigerated & frozen items, vitamins, etc.. I shop there all the time!!"

Know of places we should mention in our updates and get into the Vegetarian Directory? Send a note to directory(at)veg.ca

Wear Your Tofurky T-Shirt Design Contest

Another fun contest from our friends at Tofurky! "We know you love to eat your Tofurky, but would you wear your Tofurky love on your sleeve? What would your Tofurky love look like? We’re calling on all artists, designers and Tofurky enthusiasts to submit your best Tofurky inspired design to our “Wear your Tofurky T-Shirt Design Contest.” If we choose your design to put on our merchandise, you’ll win a cool prize pack. Deadline for entry is midnight Dec. 31st 2011. Details here.

As winter approaches, mice and rats start looking for warm places for shelter. And what better spot than a nice warm home with lots of crumbs in the kitchen? Once they move in, they will generally increase their population to take advantage of the available food supply.
   If you are not into sharing your home with rodents, there are ways to encourage them to leave with a minimum amount of suffering for everyone.
   This article details a four step approach: 1) Stop feeding them, 2) Seal cracks and holes in the kitchen, 3) Make your home uninviting, and 4) Secure your outside walls. Also, several devices are available, some more inhumane than others.

Today Emily and John start off the show by talking about the latest animal welfare related news in Toronto.  The city has imposed a ban on shark fin and the Toronto Zoo will be moving their three elephants to a sanctuary in California.  Obviously, both podcast co-hosts see this as a victory for the movement.

In good eating news, the Urban Herbivore in the Toronto Eaton Centre gets two thumbs up from Toronto Life magazine.  What’s not to like about a place where you get to choose from five different gourmet vegan sandwiches?  Also, Emily has just purchased The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick Goudreau.  It offers tasty recipes, lovely photos, and the warm and wonderful words of CPG. Emily’s sister will give it to a friend as a birthday gift, so it should be a good choice.

John and Emily were excited to hear about the documentary Vegucated.  There are screenings coming up in DC, Minneapolis, Columbus, Philadelphia and Chicago.  This lead into a discussion about what to do in those social situations where your herbivorous diet may be questioned by the meat eaters who are surrounding you.  John is solving this issue by attending a family dinner tomorrow armed with a vegan icecream cake by Cakes By Jill .

Listen Now!

Happy Halloween! We have gathered some healthy treat suggestions, tips for parents and links to several delicious recipes.

Most Halloween candies are over-packaged, chemical laden, and high in refined sweeteners. Some even contain hidden animal products (read the labels).

Avoid the junk by trying alternatives such as seaweed strips, peanuts in the shell, fruit cups, mini boxes of raisins, fruit leather sticks, dark chocolate, pretzels, holiday-themed stickers, temporary tattoos or noisemakers.

Click "Read More" furthur down for full details, recipe links and more tips.

Hallowe'en Treats in Toronto – October 2011

– Sweets from the Earth Bakery says: "Halloween is coming soon. Get your treats from us. e are now going to offer chocolate chip Halloween Cookies this year!!! We are offering a 38g cookie with our “softer” recipe. You can purchase 50 Halloween cookies for $20 this year directly with us! Our cookies are healthy, nut free, egg free and dairy free so they will make a great treat for all the little ones who come to visit. Send your order to info@sweetsfromtheearth.com with your contact information."

–Boardwalk Chocolates says: "Halloween treats at Panacea include: Creepy Coffins (2 hand painted white chocolate eyeballs, pumpkin truffle, monster truffle, butterscotch fudge with bone, skull peanut butter caramel truffle) All hand crafted and limited edition. Plus Scary Boxes with a variety of hand painted goulish solid pieces, hand painted eyeballs in bags, hand painted cute pumpkin chocolate suckers and tombstones. Check out the Boardwalk Chocolates face book for pictures. There are still some chocolate leaf suckers with maple sugar left  - at the eye popping price of $2.25! Vegan Oraganic and Fair Trade!"

– No Trick Treats!   "NoTrickTreats shows children and parents houses, apartments and businesses that will be giving out Halloween treats that accommodate restricted diets - from vegan to nut-free and everything in between." Add your house to the map!! 

Continue reading for full details, recipe links and more tips. 

Today Lisa O. and John are overjoyed to have Colleen return to the podcast.

There is some talk about the recent efforts to ban the sale, possession, and consumption of shark fin in Toronto. Lisa went to the initial city council hearing and she reports that numerous people spoke in favour of the ban. To add your own voice to the argument, email Joanna Hui at jhui@toronto.ca for a list of councilors to email in order to write a letter. With enough support, it should pass and may even lead to a ban of foie gras, as John suggests.

A group of twenty-two runners and walkers took it to the streets of Toronto last Sunday in the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, raising over $9000 for TVA! Great job to all those who participated!

We received reports from a few listeners who have had success with raising vegetarian and vegan dogs. A couple of brands of food to check out are V-Dog and Ami. Natural Balance Vegetarian Formula might be easier to come by (but be aware that it contains animal-sourced D3).

In other news:
- Keep your eye out for the new BeVeg.ca/TVA posters on the TTC!
- Shape Magazine has nominated two vegan blogs for awards. Vote for the Diet, Dessert, and Dogs Blog by Ricki Heller (a local!) and Susan V.’s Fat Free Vegan Blog (voting closes on Friday the 28th).
- Canada no longer uses pigs in med-school trauma training. Hooray! If you’re vegan and want to knit or learn how to knit (or crochet), you’ve got it made.
- Join the Toronto Vegan Knitting Group, which will be getting together regularly to knit (among other things) sweaters for battery cage hens. If you’re not a knitter but you want to help the hens, you can make a fleece version as well (pattern at the same link). Lisa is making some for Cedar Row Farm Sanctuary, which was discussed on last week's podcast.
- A new supper club has vegan events. Check it out at The Depanneur.
- If you like reading and you’re interested in eating delicious vegan food and meeting like-minded people, join TVA Reads.

Today's podcast is an all-over-the-place 33 minutes. Listen Now!

Today on the podcast, Emily and Liam make keen observations about life and vegetarianism, interspersed with highly insightful comments like "ummm."  Emily shares some experiences from visiting Cedar Row Farm Sanctuary for their open house on the Thanksgiving weekend, and mentions a new book out by Rob Laidlaw , a speaker at the open house. Getting political, Liam highlights some ongoing antitrust issues in the dairy industry, in response to which several groups - including members of Compassion Over Killing - have filed a lawsuit in U.S. courts.

Gossip Corner this week covers Paul McCartney's recent marriage and vegan wedding cake (yay!), and the closure of Chrissie Hynde's restaurant VegiTerranean in Ohio (boo!). 

There are still plenty of places to eat in Toronto, and Liam lists a few menu items at Disgraceland (more like Elvis, less like Paul Simon) - sounds like some tasty meals are available there. If you've been missing eating at Subway because you aren't thrilled by the prospect of paying 5 bucks for lettuce on a bun, take action!  Check out this campaign to encourage Subway to add Tofurky slices to its menu. Look out, Veggie Delite.  

As usual, there are a number of volunteer opportunities and talks coming up - explore the website to find out more details.  That's it for now!  Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

This week's podcast is ummmmmmmmm 32 minutes?

Listen Now!

This Canadian Thanksgiving enjoy a vegetarian feast. We have links to the best recipes, tips on what to serve, and how to avoid stress when vegetarians and meat eaters will be at the same meal. Also a special edtion of the Vegetarian Directory focusing on Thankgiving specials in Toronto .