Thanksgiving + sandwiches = a lot to be thankful for

Because it’s Thanksgiving for our neighbours south of the border, I thought today would be the perfect day to talk about the amazing holiday sandwich I had this weekend. While I really wanted to rave about it while still in the food-high it had me in, I’m all about perfect timing and so I saved it for today.

So, America, this one’s for you.

This weekend as I was lazily scrolling through Facebook I happened upon this status update:

After picking my jaw up off the floor, I dragged my hungover ass out the door and went and got it. I had to. When fate calls, you answer!

To make it even better, Veggielicious is currently going on so I got a free donut with the sandwich. Fate, guys. Fate.

Okay so it looks like a gross mess but trust me, it was heaven in a sandwich. Easily the best sandwich I have ever had. Easily.

It was like Thanksgiving presented on a delicious homemade bun; salty and sweet and savoury. It had me thankful for each bite. I wish this sandwich was a regular on the menu but it’s probably a good thing it’s not. I would get it way too often. But if it ever comes back, just go and get it. Trust me. Just go. Let me know and I’ll probably go with you.

TBC Vegan Baking Co. is one of my favourite vegan bakeries in the city. Located at Bloor St. W. and Lansdowne Ave. its a cute little shop that is fairly nondescript and easy to miss if you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for. I would describe its interior and exterior decor as extremely hipster; vintage mixed with mason jars mixed community event postings mixed with chalkboards. Throw in the tatt’d up employees behind the counter and constant stream of hipster customers and, well, you got yourself a vegan hipster heaven.

For such a little bakery it’s got an impressive array of menu items: sandwiches, soups, brownies, cinnamon rolls, breakfast tarts, pot pies, mac ‘n’ cheese, donuts, cookies… I feel like I could on forever! Its pizza rolls are honest-to-God to die for (the jalapeno one is my favourite) and that one time I got the rocky road cookie I swear I’d never had a cookie so good.

But the bakery prides itself on its donuts and, well… I don’t like them. I feel bad writing it because I truly love this little bakery and I’m bashing its pride and joy, but I just do not like those donuts. It tastes…greasy. Like I can taste the oil it was fried in. And that is not a flavour I like to have in my desserts.

I’ve given it a chance; plenty of chances, actually. I’ve had the lemon poppyseed, chocolate peanut butter, chocolate glazed, blueberry and espresso donuts (pictured with the sandwich). But to no avail. I just can’t get behind those donuts. Sorry, TBC.

But, overall, it’s a charming bakery worth checking out. It has so much to offer that I feel like it’s okay if you don’t like one thing because you’re bound to find something else you love (like that sandwich. I know, I know, I’m obsessed but it is really the best thing ever). And you’re supporting a local business! Come onnnn – if the treats won’t get you in the door, at least let the guilt.

Anyway, happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers and I hope your feast today is as wonderful and satisfying as the one I had this weekend 🙂

Cheers!

Sane people eat meat, apparently

So on the radio this morning I heard a brief report on a study that found vegetarians to be more prone to anxiety and depression than those who eat meat. And no, not because they’re so anxious and depressed that they don’t eat meat anymore but because their decision to become vegetarian was a actually a symptom of mental illness.

Yeah, let me say that again: the decision to become a vegetarian is a symptom of mental illness. According to this study.

See below:

Dr John Lang, who developed the wellness index for preventive healthcare company Alere, says the adoption of a vegetarian diet can sometimes follow the onset of mental disorders.”So the diet isn’t the cause but rather the symptom,” he said.”If you think of people that are committed to being a vegetarian it’s a fairly significant commitment and it picks up people at the fringe of the obsessive-compulsive spectrum.”

-” Vegetarians healthy but unhappy: study,” News.com.au., 25 November 2014, http://www.news.com.au/national/breaking-news/vegetarians-healthy-but-unhappy-study/story-e6frfku9-1227134712265

Uhhhh did the meat industry sponsor this study or something? I’m sorry but I call bullshit.

To be fair, I haven’t read the actual study, I’m just going off of what I heard on the radio and read in the article I linked to above. And, to be honest, I don’t intend to read the actual study because I really don’t feel a need to learn about how a lifestyle I’ve chosen to adopt is proof that I have a mental illness. No thanks.

If you’re interested, you can click to the article here.

Happy Tuesday!!

Grocery store Godsend

I have discovered Amy’s Kitchen products and I think it’s changed my life. Or, at the very least, my grocery list.

I was just perusing the organic/specialty food section at Loblaw’s one night when I discovered Amy’s soups sitting on the shelf. I was in a soup mood and, after checking the ingredient list to make sure it was vegan, grabbed a can of the split pea soup.

I was back two nights later buying another can, as well as a roasted vegetable pizza and bean and rice burritos. Amy’s kitchen is slowly replacing mine.

I was skeptical about the pizza because it seemed to heavily features onions (a vegetable I’ve never been a fan of) but I gave it a chance. It was surprisingly delicious. Not the usual subpar grocery store frozen pizza (and no, Delisso, your pizza has never tricked me into thinking it’s delivery)! I now keep a box in the freezer as an emergency meal substitute for those lazy/recipe disaster nights. Until now, running to Tim Horton’s for a bagel with peanut butter had been my back-up. Tim, meet Amy, your replacement. The bean and rice burritos have become my after-bar food (sorry, Poutini’s).

In short, I am in love with Amy’s Kitchen and wanted the world to know. I still enjoy cooking and getting delicious vegan take out, but it feels so nice to have found a back-up for those times cooking and going to a restaurant seem like way too much effort (read: every Sunday). I’ve seen the products in a variety of grocery stores and it’s not outrageously expensive, as most specialty food items tend to be. I highly recommend giving Amy’s Kitchen a taste test.

 

Warming up to winter

It’s snowing and today is the Santa Claus parade in Toronto, how perfect is that? Well, perfect for people who like those kind of things.

While I didn’t go to the parade, I did the next best thing and curled up by the window with a cup of my homemade hot chocolate and admired the snow in all the SnapChat pictures my friends sent me.

Haaa, just kidding. But seriously, people. Snowfall isn’t some kind of miracle. I don’t need 100 pictures of it to believe it’s happening.

To be honest, winter is my least favourite season. It’s cold, it’s wet, it requires a lot of preparation and is (in my opinion) the most expensive season. So when it starts snowing in mid-November, I find it difficult to get excited. All I start thinking of is the winter tires I’m going to have put on my car, the new coat I’ll have to buy and having to trudge through icy snow banks anytime I go outside. Thankfully hot chocolate exists, which makes everything a little better. Sipping a good cup of hot chocolate can make even the worst snowstorm seem kind of romantic.

I’m pretty picky about hot chocolate so awhile back I came up with my own recipe so I wouldn’t have to be continually disappointed by the store-bought mixes. I don’t like overly sweet things so I’m partial to dark chocolate vs regular chocolate. As well, I try to avoid white sugar so maple syrup is my go to sweetener. Andddd, obviously it wouldn’t be a true Erika-recipe if I didn’t find a way to include my Vitamix so you’ll notice one of the steps is to combine all the ingredients in a blender; I like how it adds a frothy texture to the drink and I don’t have to worry about any unmixed dark chocolate clumps floating around in the drink. But of course I’m sure mixing with a spoon will get the job done too.

It makes my taste buds happy and helps warm my cold heart in the winter. Which is kinda important when you live in Canada and winter is basically the national season.

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Erika’s dark hot chocolate

Makes 1 serving
Cook time: 5 mins

1 cup original unsweetened almond milk
1 tbsp dark chocolate powder
1 tbsp pure maple syrup

1. Warm almond milk on stove top or microwave, until it reaches desired temperature.
2. Add warmed milk, chocolate powder and maple syrup to blender.
3. Blend ingredients on low setting until thoroughly combined.
4. Serve in your favourite mug.

 

Dat chegan lyfe

Guys, I’ll be honest with you…I’m not 100% vegan. More like 95% vegan.

Yep, sometimes I willingly consume non-plant-based foods.

Usually the lapse happens when faced with desserts. Cookies. Cake. Pie. Brownies. Tarts. Chocolate.

I rationalize to myself that the dairy and/or egg in it is only a small fraction of the overall recipe so it isn’t really a slip-up. And if the recipe calls for more than just a fraction (i.e. ice cream, whipped cream, cheese cake, etc.), I don’t eat it.

I used to feel really bad about these little lapses. Like I was failing not only myself but all the animals in the world + the entire vegan community. Until I saw this post.

I follow a vegan-focused account (@Vegan) on Twitter and when I saw the tweet linking to a post called “Chegan” I knew I should read it.

And I’m so glad I did. It took away all that little guilt I’d feel whenever I bought a cookie from Tim Horton’s or accepted a cupcake a colleague brought in to work. The thing about going vegan isn’t that it’s a diet, but a lifestyle. So it has to work for you otherwise it isn’t going to work at all.

I don’t have an allergy to dairy, meat, eggs or seafood. It’s not going to kill me if I consume any of those things. So if I want to eat a piece of chocolate cake, I will. That kind of freedom keeps me going on this plant-based diet and if I had to be strict and read every label and reject foods because it had 5% animal byproduct in it, I would be miserable and probably very hungry. Sometimes I’m faced with the option to switch to vegetarian mode for a meal or starve. And, let’s be real, starvation is never something I willingly choose.

So there. My secret is out.

Maybe one day my diet will be 99% plant-based but, until then, I probably won’t be turning down any free cupcakes.

Favourite things: Oreos

Did you know Oreos are vegan?? A fact that is both delightful and disturbing.

Delightful because Oreos have always been one of my favourite cookies so it was nice to not feel guilty eating it (well, guilty in terms of cheating on my vegan life…)

Disturbing because if there is no dairy in these “chocolate” and “creamy centre” cookies, what exactly is in them? No… let’s not talk about that.

Here’s to Oreos and the delightfully animal-free ingredients that go into it. Let’s hope all the kale I eat is fighting off the chemical garbage that keeps these cookies part of my vegan lyfe.

Sunday morning waffles

Waffles on Sundays are pretty much mandatory, right? Especially if you’re like me and own a waffle maker, then it’s practically a sin if your breakfast/brunch is anything but.

So today I have a vegan waffle recipe for ya.

Something to note: I am extremely low on groceries so I made some creative adaptions to the original recipe. Everything turned out fantastic but if you’re not into them, I won’t be offended. As usual, I’ve linked to the original recipe so you can check it out.

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Banana peanut butter waffles

Adapted from never homemaker

Makes 4 waffles
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 10 mins

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose white flour
1 tbsp ground flax seed
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

1 large very ripe banana
1 tbsp maple syrup
3/4 cup water
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter

1. Plug in your waffle maker and lightly grease the panels
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients
3. In a separate bowl, mash the banana and then add the wet ingredients, mixing until well combined
4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix until well combined
5. When heated, add the batter to your waffle maker and let cook until your waffle maker indicates it’s finished
6. Serve with your favourite toppings and a hot cup of coffee/tea

Sometimes the best nights are the ones you have with yourself

Happy Friday!

I was all set to write another edition of “Vegan in a different city” featuring Ottawa‘s finest vegan take-out this weekend… but at the last minute my travel buddy cancelled on me and so this weekend I am still a vegan in Toronto.

No worries because it allowed me to come to the very deep conclusion that is the title of this post and cook up a little vegan magic.

Tonight I’m staying in all by my lonesome with a bottle of rosé, a homemade (vegan) calzone and the Raptors game. And it is a wonderful, wonderful thing. Honestly – those are probably my top 3 favourite things.

Anyway, if you want to add some vegan magic to your Friday night the (very simple) recipe for my vegan calzone is below. Buy yourself a bottle of your favourite wine, put on your favourite show/movie/sports event and join me in having one of the best Friday nights in awhile.

The only thing that could make it any better is a win by the Raptors. Fingers crossed.

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Vegan Magic Calzone

Serves 1 (or 2, if you’re not a pizza fiend like myself)
Prep time: 1 h 15 mins
Cook time: 30 mins

1/2 pizza dough (I used Longo’s brand)
1 cup Mom’s homemade tomato sauce (or your favourite tomato sauce)
1/2 cup Daiya mozzarella shredded cheese
1/4 cup black olives
1/4 cup sautéed mushrooms
1/4 cup sautéed sliced red pepper
1/4 cup thinly sliced zucchini rounds
1/4 cup steamed broccoli florets
2 tablespoons vegan butter, melted (I used Earth Balance)

1. Take pizza dough out of your refrigerator and let rise for approx. 1 hour prior to use
2. Preheat the over to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
3. After an hour, on a floured surface, stretch out dough to a circle about 8″ in diameter
4. Put vegetables and cheese in the centre of the circle, topping off with 1/4 of the tomato sauce (or more, if you like to keep things saucy)
5. Fold the dough in half and crimp the sides together, so it holds while baking
6. Bake on a lightly greased baking sheet in oven for 30 minutes. At the 15 minute mark, remove from oven and brush with melted butter (this will add a beautiful golden colour to your finished product) before putting back in for another 15
7. Serve with the leftover tomato sauce for dipping and bottle of wine for sipping.

Vegan in a different city: St. Catharine’s – U Need A Pita

This past weekend I visited a friend in St. Catharine’s to attend a Halloween party she was throwing. I drove up with one of my best friends and, on the way to her house, stopped in town to run a few errands and grab a bite to eat.

It was about 8PM and a Saturday night, so options were limited food-wise. We were parked in a plaza off Glendale Ave. that had a grocery store, bank, LCBO and Starbucks (all very important places in prep for a party) so I was essentially going to go to whatever restaurant was closest because it was cold and we were late.

U Need A Pita was the first place I saw. 

Pitas can be easily made vegan. I was in need of some form of food. It was close to the car. So yes, I did need a pita, thankyouverymuch. Also – my friend had raved about their poutines so I figured if the poutines were good, the rest of the food must be too.

We went in and I glanced up at the glowing menu above the counter hoping that there would at least be something for me to order without modifying it too much. I was in luck: called out on the burrito section of the menu was a vegan burrito. I didn’t even bother looking at the rest of the menu – my decision was made.

The place works much like Extreme Pita; they put the standard items on the grill (green peppers, mushrooms, onions + your protein of choice) and then you choose from an array of toppings to go into the waiting pita.

“Cheese?”
“No thanks.”
“Oh right! Sorry, vegan burrito. Okay… did you want our vegan cheese then?”

I’m sorry, did I hear that correctly? You have vegan cheese to go in these pitas? I was so thrown off there was about 10 seconds of awkward silence before I pulled it together and said, “Yes!” Then ran to the table my friend was sitting at to excitedly tell her what had just happened. To her credit, she put on a very convincing show of acting like she cared.

Other notable toppings:

• Guacamole at no extra charge
• Hummus
• 3 types of lettuce (not just your average shredded stuff)

When I got my burrito it was MASSIVE. Easily the largest burrito I have ever received, especially coming from a fast-food joint. And it was delicious. There was no protein added to the grill for the vegan option, just rice, but it didn’t matter because there were so many vegetables, sauces, vegan cheeses that anything else would’ve been too much.

As I was eating it, I noticed on the back of staff shirts was written,
“VEGAN? We’ve got ya covered.”

Yeah, not only do they offer vegan options but they proudly advertise it too. Thoroughly impressed, U Need A Pita. Thoroughly impressed.

I will admit, I did not go in there intending to write a blog post about it because I honestly didn’t think it would vegan-enough, so I didn’t take any pictures or pay much attention to the menu beyond what I ordered. But there is a whole section of the menu dedicated to its vegan offerings on the website so this place definitely is worth the blog post. Maybe even another visit next time I’m in Kitts (there are no Toronto or GTA locations so this will  be a special St. Catharine’s treat for me).

For non-vegan readers: the friend I was with ordered a poutine and agreed that it was definitely delicious and worth the rave review I’d heard. So there, something for everyone. Check it out!

Tips and tricks to surviving your own juicing adventure

Well, I did it. Last week I completed another round of Joe’s “5-day reboot”.

Now that I’ve done a couple rounds of it, I feel authorized enough to pass along a little advice on juicing:

• Buy all your ingredients for the full cleanse time at the beginning. If you’re cheap like me, the motivation to at least get your money’s worth by using it all will keep you pulling through your weaker moments when a bite of an apple looks 10,000x more appealing than drinking it in a juice.
• Clean your juicer immediately after using it. If you let that thing sit it becomes impossible to get all the vegetable/fruit bits out and, in general, an even larger pain in the butt than normal.
• Incorporate exercise into your regime. The first time I did the reboot I avoided exercise because I felt it would be burning all the calories I was drinking and make me miserable, weak, tired, etc. This time I did not stray from usual workout habits and I was much happier. It gets your mind off the cleanse and leaves with all these happy endorphins that you even start to feel excited about drinking that post-workout dinner juice because, look at you! Being so healthy! Eat Drink clean and train mean, amirite?! ….Ah, maybe it’s just me who gets excited like that. Moving on…
• When you start to feel the “I’m-starving-and-about-to-quit” level of hunger coming on, drink your next juice. Even if it’s earlier than you planned. Just do it – it will save you from quitting the cleanse and binge eating an entire pizza in hunger-rage.
• Try to enjoy it. Even if it sucks, try to think about it in a way that is positive. It will help ease the miserableness, trust me.

Good luck! For the record, the second time was more difficult than the first and I’m questioning if I will ever do it again… but maybe. We’ll see.

*Sorry for the silence – I was caught up in juice cleansing and living life that I neglected dat vegan lyfe. Will be back to regular posting from here on out!