Today, (Pa)Trisha and Liam talk about the dogs in their lives and the places they would go if they wanted to add to their families. Though they haven't been to PAWS , they are on board with their no-kill policy and think it's great that they're working toward opening a premier animal sanctuary in Southern Ontario.

They also talk about Oprah's latest vegan foray. Author Kathy Freston inspired Oprah , and the majority of her staff, to try to go vegan for 7 days. They also discussed Matt and Natt's vegetarian workplace policies.

Liam is going to the Bahamas and is staying in Nassau. If you have any vegan food sugestions for him, please send an email to tvp@veg.ca. If he wasn't going to be there for Valentine's day, he would likely be going to L.A.B restaurant for their veg*n event as part of meatless mondays. There are only four seats left for the 9PM seating, so call 416.544.9800 and reserve before it's too late. If you want to surprise your loved one with some awesome vegan chocolate, take a trip out to Panacea (588 Bloor Street West) on Thursday Feb. 10 between 7-9 PM for their 3rd annual Chocolate Party!!!

This week's podcast is a live your best life 16 minutes.

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Today Lisa O. is joined by the first time by Patricia, a new Saturday crew volunteer. We learned a little bit about Patricia, who's currently living up by York University but will be moving downtown soon.

Today Lisa and Patricia have been combing the internet to find out whether some celebrities are still vegetarian. If you have the scoop, let us know! 

LAB's Valentine's Day prix fixe meal is coming up soon, and space is still available for the 9pm seating.

Also in the news, Hibiscus ranked #2 for Best Crepes in Toronto, according to BlogTO! And Taco Bell has found an unlikely ally in PETA after the public discovered that the fast food chain's "ground beef" is primarily non-meat. 

Veggielicious is coming up soon! If you want to get involved, email veggielicious@veg.ca.

Today's podcast is a gluten-free 15 minutes.

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Today Liam and John address a recent nutritional analysis of the Green Goddess Bowl from Fresh.  The results:  two thumbs up.  It is a pretty healthy meal as a dish with such a name should be.  The two debate how much sodium one should have in a given day; less than 2400 mg is the answer provided by their crack research team.

Liam reports that his previous love of Licks’ onion rings has been altered as the batter that they use to fry them is no longer vegan.   However, he has found a healthier alternative to these onion rings at Fresh where he can get his hankering satisfied with their B-B-Q burger. 

TVA is proud to announce that there is a Valentine’s Day poetry contest where one can win dinner for two to L.A.B. Restaurant.  For all you poets and wannabe poets out there please submit your poetry.

This week’s podcast contains less than 680 mg of sodium and is 25 minutes long.

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Today we have a special edition of the Vegetarian Podcast. Luke and Lisa O. interviewed Larra Skye, a local vegan musician, about her music, how she became vegetarian, and her adventures touring around the world and eating Mighty-O Donuts, as well as local favourites Graceful Vegetarian and Rancho Relaxo. Larra released her debut album The World Disappears in 2005 to great acclaim, and she became the top-selling independent jazz artist at HMV. She’s currently working on her second album and is raising funds by offering pre-orders on her website, www.larraskye.com.

Larra treated us to a live performance of the song "Pull Me In" (which will be on her new album). Find out more about Larra and find the listings for her upcoming shows by checking out her website: www.larraskye.com. You can also follow her on twitter and find her on Facebook .

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 Today John and Lisa O. catch up about all of the good things they ateover winter break. Lisa tried some new restaurants in the SanFrancisco Bay Area, including a vegan cinnamon bun bakery called Cinnaholic and a new vegan Filipino restaurant called No Worries.

John went to Rawlicious, Cafe 668, and scored a great 50% off deal atFresh on New Year's Eve. He also went to two wedding celebrations, one of which was vegan and one of which was definitely not. John's been getting some great use out of his Excalibur dehydrator, making sweet potato chips, kale chips, and smoked coconut. John and Lisa are curious about Greens Vegetarian Restaurant in Kensington.

If you're interested in outreach volunteer work, we have some new events coming up. Seedy Sunday will take place on February 13th, and the York University Health Fair is on March 2nd. Click on the eventnames to find out more about the outreach opportunities.

A series of Health Starts Here cooking classes begins on January 30th! Classes are just $30 each or $100 for all four. Find out more about the dates and subjects by clicking here.

Listener Shawn sent us an article about a study which found that eating a vegetarian diet lowers kidney disease patients' levels of potentially toxic phosphorus in the blood and urine.

Today's podcast is a snow-covered 29 minutes.

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John is flying solo today, but that’s not going to stop him from expressing his excitement over some recent events.  Last weekend John had the chance to do some fine dining in Northern California.  He reports that the hype around Millennium restaurant is entirely true.  Also, he had a great time eating (and being serenaded) at Gracias Madre.  When he wasn’t eating at these places he happily ate tortillas and avocados. 

John also has other reasons to be excited.  Next weekend he is going to be at an all vegan wedding; he may get drunk off of vegan cupcakes and lose all inhibitions and join in the karaoke festivities.  On top of this, John purchased a dehydrator; this means that his kitchen is going to turn into a kale chip assembly line. 

There were also a couple of emails this week that deserve attention.  Angela wants to let everyone know that Bunner’s, Toronto's first vegan and gluten-free retail bakery, has been launched.  This is special news for all those vegans with a sweet tooth. Lisa O. also has news (even though John forgot to mention it on the podcast): Live Food Bar will be closing on December 24th and reopening January the 2nd due to renovations; they are going to offer a welcome-back 15% discount to Vegetarian Discount Card holders during the month of January for Monday - Wednesday after 4 p.m.   

Next Saturday is the Resource Centre Holiday Sale.   This will be your last chance to visit the Resource Centre before the new year; Wednesday, January 5^th will be the next time the Resource Centre is open.

This week’s podcast is a creamy avocado 10 minutes. 

Today Liam and Lisa O. (with Angeline in the background) are tired from troubleshooting the new microphone and would just like to wish you happy holidays and let you know about the upcoming sale in the TVA Resource Centre on December 18th from 12-4pm. Save on books and enjoy some vegan baked goods as well! 

They also wanted to let you know that there will be a vegan bake sale tomorrow (December 5th) at Panacea from 1-6 pm, which will help fund local activist Bob Timmons' upcoming trip with Sea Shepherd.

Lisa has just learned that there are kelp noodles at Baldwin Naturals for anyone still looking, but that's it for today's updates. 

Happy holidays, everyone!

Today's podcast is a microphone-cooperating 3 minutes.

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Today Liam and John are half way through the episode when they are joined by Angela and Baby Dax.  This of course leads to a thorough examination of vegan donuts.  Angela placed an order with Artisan Doughnuts.  The three adults try the donuts – not surprisingly, they are very tasty. 

The donuts were not the only food on the menu for today.  Liam and John also were able to feast on some pizza, and Lisa O.’s date squares.  Lisa’s date squares are so tasty that Liam wants to hire Lisa O. as his personal chef.

Liam also has questions about red food colouring.  Maybe you’ve got the answers.  Liam has the answer to “where is a good place for vegans and omnivores to have brunch?”  He suggests Maggie’s is the spot. 

This episode is an outstanding award winning 28 minutes.

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Liam holding Dax, John holding donuts and Natalie and Barrett holding their TOFU award

Nominees and a few of the TOFU awards from TVA:

Today Lisa and John did not have to do any thinking about what to talk about because there was a lot of good information provided by the listeners.  Shawn wrote in to let the co-hosts know that Calico Cafe has closed.  He also gives E.L. Ruddy two thumbs up, strongly recommends Gracias Madre for John when he visits San Francisco, and gives his two cents about blood cholesterol.  Thanks for the great info, Shawn!

There was also plenty of response to last week's show as it relates to kelp noodles.  Cindy lets us know that you can buy kelp noodles at the Big Carrot or you can order them online at Upaya Naturals.  Chelsea Clark (one of the owners of Rawlicious) wrote in to tell us that they sell kelp noodles at their Junction and Yorkville location.  Their Yorkville location is rather new and Liam ate there recently and reports that the pumpkin pie and cashew/coconut double chocolate mint ice cream are good choices.

Angela writes that Pulp Kitchen has closed its doors, but on the plus side, Burrito Bike is starting up.   

Although not mentioned on the show Lisa wanted to shout out to Green Lavender for having free drop-in yoga classes this weekend and free vegan mini-cupcakes.

This week's show is a presidentially pardoned 26 minutes.

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Today Lisa O. and John start the show off by talking about kelp noodles.  Lisa is excited about the prospect of getting her hands on some after trying them while she was at Java Green in Washington, D.C.  Unfortunately, Lisa has not been able to find any places in Toronto to buy them and she would prefer to not buy them on-line. If you know where she can buy them locally please send us an email to tvp@veg.ca.  

John talks about his experience with Liam at Nazareth on Thursday evening.  His recommendation:  go there, but it’s best during non-peak hours. 

Lisa and John speak about how non-vegetarians can sometimes say well-meaning things about their diets and the impact it has on their lives, but it comes across the wrong way.  John gets upset when people talk to him about “how hard it must be to be vegan”.  Lisa gets annoyed when people suggest her husband went vegan “for love”.

John talks about his upcoming visit to Northern California.  He’s hoping to have take-out Millennium waiting for him at his hotel when he arrives, but if not he’ll likely have success at a close-by Loving Hut or Gracias Madre. 

There will be a meet 'n greet with the candidates for the TVA Board of Directors on Sunday, November the 14th from 1 to 3 p.m. at the TVA Resource Centre (17 Baldwin Street, second floor).

This week’s episode is an avocado-licious 32 minutes

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Today, Lisa O and Liam are excited to announce that vegan doughnuts are one step closer to Toronto!  St. Catharines is now home to Artisan Doughnuts, whose delectable products are liable to increase Liam's waistline. Lisa and Liam's waistlines were both slightly expanded today due to Diana's delicious chocolate-dipped macaroons and Barbi's excellent pumpkin oatmeal cookies (thanks!).

They discussed some new restaurant discoveries, including a new raw restaurant in Oakville called Nzyme, and another in downtown Toronto called E.L. Ruddy. (You can read more about other great new food by clicking here.) Lisa tried some good food on the road to the Rally to Restore Sanity in Washington DC, including a very vegan-friendly restaurant called Merge, in Buffalo. Liam has recently eaten some great food at One Love at Bathurst and Bloor, and Jean's Vegetarian on Danforth.

There are some exciting events coming up, including a book sale/meet-and-greet on November 14th with those running for the TVA board at the Annual General Meeting on November 21st (more information available on our site at this link).

A doctor has stirred up some controversy by issuing a paper regarding the amount of cholesterol contained in a single egg versus the amount in a KFC Double Down (it's higher in the egg!).

We need your help! In honor of our recent 200th podcast, Liam is working on compiling some clips from our past shows. Please email us at tvp@veg.ca with your suggestions about your favourite moments from past episodes!

Today's podcast is a sanity-restoring 34 minutes.

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Today John has the pleasure of speaking with Jill Toombs who is the owner of Cakes By Jill.  Jill makes some darn-tootin' tasty homemade, vegan, ice cream cakes.  Jill participated in the recent Totally Fabulous Vegan Bake Off and came away with a runner-up award in the "Pro" category.  John has had the pleasure of eating many of the different products and can vouch for how good they taste.

The co-hosts of the podcast are really proud of the fact that they are now up to 200 episodes.  They will put on a celebratory 200th episode in the not too distant future.  

Today's episode is a smoking-fast 15 minutes.

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There are some exciting new promotions, including a Sweets from the Earth Halloween cookie deal that allows people to order 100 individually wrapped chocolate chip cookies for just $18!  (See the “Hallowe'en Treats in Toronto – October 2010” section on veg.ca/toronto for more information, or place your order by October 22nd directly with info@sweetsfromtheearth.com)  Boardwalk chocolates also has some tasty seasonal treats available. You can register your house at notricktreats.com if you’ll be handing out vegan candy on Halloween, or you can check it out if you’ll be trick or treating with some tots.

Enter to win a Kindle and some great Gardein coupons here: http://www.gardein.com/contest.php

There are some tasty vegan gelato opportunities in the GTA, including:          
La Casa Del Gelato Divino in Oakville, Hotel Gelato near Bathurst and Eglington, and SoMA in the Distillery.

Check out the free Earthlings screening hosted by Georges Laraque on Wednesday on the UofT campus! More information on it can be found on the TVA Facebook page.  There will also be an environmental film festival called Planet in Focus. Find out more at www.planetinfocus.org.

If you’re interested in joining a vegetarian playgroup, please contact jennifer@smithwell.ca, who’s interested in organizing a group in the Pickering or Scarborough area.

This week, with the Saturday Resource Centre closed for the Totally Fabulous Vegan Bake-off, Toronto Vegetarian Association Executive Director David Alexander caught up with novelist and Eating Animals author Jonathan Safran Foer to discuss his impetus for writing a book about sons, grandmothers, how we raise animals for food, and why everyone should agree it must change.

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Today John and Lisa O. are joined by Lisa P. via telephone and the three discuss the upcoming Totally Fabulous Vegan Bake-off.  The event is a mere three weeks away; everyone seems to be counting down until Saturday, October the 2nd.  It promises to be a spectacular event with super-cheap, vegan desserts.  It doesn't get any better than that.  

October the 2nd is also World Farm Animals Day.  This is the kind of event where individuals can really make a difference by promoting the event in their area. If you plan to organize something, you can get free materials and list details of your event on Farm Animal Rights Movement's website.

John makes a major blunder in today's show by continuously referring to the Vancouver raw restaurant Gorilla Food as "Monkey Food."  Yes, John does recognize that there is a big difference between Gorillas and Monkeys (monkeys have tails, gorillas do not).  He believes he slipped up and got confused with Smart Monkey Foods.  Regardless, Gorilla Food is a fantastic place to eat even if you call it Ape Food.

This week's episode is a post-food fair tornado of doom 28 minutes.

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