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5 Favourite Vegan Restaurants in Toronto
Whether you live in Toronto (Hey, neighbour!) or are just visiting, it's always great to get restaurant recommendations from a friend rather than using ye olde google search and hoping for the best. Having lived in Toronto for my entire vegan life (except for 6 months on a cruise ship!) I've found a couple places that I love to take family and friends when they're in town or my fiancé on a date! Since I consider you a true friend, I thought I'd share my favourite places to get my nom on in the big Canadian city, free of charge! (Aren't I a gem?)
Whether you live in Toronto (Hey, neighbour!) or are just visiting, it's always great to get restaurant recommendations from a friend rather than using ye olde google search and hoping for the best. Having lived in Toronto for my entire vegan life (except for 6 months on a cruise ship!) I've found a couple places that I love to take family and friends when they're in town or my fiancé on a date! Since I consider you a true friend, I thought I'd share my favourite places to get my nom on in the big Canadian city, free of charge! (Aren't I a gem?)
5. Grasshopper, 310 College Street, $$
A tiny little casual dinning spot on college, Grasshopper is a nice place to grab lunch with a friend or a quick dinner! They have lots of yummy and innovative dishes to try, which means it always takes an hour for me to order. Sorry, Jason. I tried the Mushroom N' Rice Bowl recently and loved it! Be warned, they do have one or two items that are only vegetarian, but they are clearly marked on the menu. They also have a number of gluten and soy-free options, allowing everyone to enjoy their tasty creations!
4. Apiecalypse Now, 735 Bloor Street West, $$
Craving pizza? No problem! Drop into Apiecalypse now for some vegan comfort food including, you guessed it, donuts! (Ok, maybe you didn't guess it. But a one stop shop for vegan pizza AND donuts? Sign me up!) They currently don't offer gluten free crusts for their pizzas BUT they deliver to many parts of Toronto, so that makes up for it, yes? They're located right on Bloor for your convenience.
3. Live Organic Food Bar, 264 Dupont Street / 134 Atlantic Avenue, $$
Completely vegan, gluten free, organic, and sugar free, Live Organic Food Bar's menu is full of delicious plant-based goodness! They have two locations, in the Annex and in Liberty village. They offer quite a few raw dishes, so raw foodies out there you'll love Live! They also indicate which dishes are nut free, for those who avoid nuts in their diet. I used to eat here all of the time when I lived a 5 minute walk away from the Annex location and loved trying something new every single time! Definitely check them out if you're nearby.
2. Fresh, 326 Bloor Street West / 894 Queen Street West / 147 Spadina Avenue / 90 Eglinton Avenue East, $$
With 4 locations, Fresh is always a convenient option. I first began eating at Fresh as a vegetarian in 2012 and have frequented it ever since! They have a huge menu with lots of variety that pleases vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores alike. I love grabbing the green detox smoothie and the macro greens bowl for a quick healthy meal! While they aren't completely gluten free, they have quite a few gluten free options. (I was gluten free and vegan for about 6 months and found it very easy to eat at Fresh.) Also, their entire menu is vegan BUT they do offer some non-vegan add-ons such as cheese and honey.
Related Blog Post: 10 Yummy Vegan Cake Recipes To Try!
1. Urban Herbivore, 967 College Street / Kensington Market - 64 Oxford Street / Eaton Centre - 220 Yonge Street, $
Plant based whole foods are made delicious and affordable at Urban Herbivore! They are peanut free and have many gluten free options. They source their ingredients from local farmers and offer to-go packaging made with biodegradable materials. What I love most about them is the option to create your own custom bowl, but I can't forget to mention how DELICIOUS their sandwiches are! If you stop by their location in Kensington you will probably spot me fuelling up for a grocery shop and listening to the Rich Roll podcast :)
So there you have it, 5 of my favourite vegan restaurants in Toronto to check out whether you live here or are just on a visit! I have a very long list of restaurants, bakeries, and coffee shops to check out or revisit before I recommend them to you, so stay tuned for further updates on this list.
Until next time,
What's your favourite vegan restaurant in Toronto? Let me know in the comments below! Never been to Toronto? No problem! Where do you get your vegan restaurant fix in your hometown?
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Vegan Mousse Recipe
I'm not a big dessert person. Don't get me wrong, a well placed truffle is great. But I'm not going to be baking constantly or buying sweets every day. It's just not my thing! That being said, when a special date came up for me and my fiancé I decided I wanted to make him a sweet vegan treat as a surprise! I didn't want to spend a huge amount of time making it, but I wanted it to be delicious. I had been doing research for my 10 Yummy Vegan Cake Recipes post and was getting inspired. I tweaked a couple different recipes based on what I had available and my preferences, and what came out was SO GOOD. Ridiculously good. Not just the taste, but the textured was so divinely mousse-y. Lets just say, I was pretty happy. And since I know you're all waiting with baited breath, I'll tell you. Yes, my fiancé loved it. Jason requested that I make it "All the time!", if that's any indication!
I'm not a big dessert person. Don't get me wrong, a well placed truffle is great. But I'm not going to be baking constantly or buying sweets every day. It's just not my thing! That being said, when a special date came up for me and my fiancé I decided I wanted to make him a sweet vegan treat as a surprise! I didn't want to spend a huge amount of time making it, but I wanted it to be delicious. I had been doing research for my 10 Yummy Vegan Cake Recipes post and was getting inspired. I tweaked a couple different recipes based on what I had available and my preferences, and what came out was SO GOOD. Ridiculously good. Not just the taste, but the texture was so divinely mousse-y! Lets just say, I was pretty happy. And since I know you're all waiting with baited breath, I'll tell you. Yes, my fiancé loved it. Jason requested that I make it "all the time!", if that's any indication!
Doesn't it look pretty?
So, without any further ado, here's the recipe!
Vegan Mousse Recipe by Plant Based Bride
Serves two hungry vegans :)
Ingredients
3 bananas, fresh
half cup cocoa nibs
half cup pecans
half cup walnuts
half a teaspoon sugar (optional!)
a couple dashes of cinnamon, to taste
2 tbsp coconut oil
- Combine all ingredients in a high sped blender,
- Blend until smooth,
- Garnish with cocoa nibs and nuts,
- Devour!
Ta da! Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
Until next time,
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Should I post more recipes? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments or on my social media (@elizabethturn on instagram and twitter and Plant Based Bride on Facebook)!
10 Yummy Vegan Cake Recipes To Try!
What birthday is complete without cake? You are correct, no birthday is complete without cake. I'm not much of a baker, but on one day every year it seems utterly appropriate to try (and fail) to make a delicious birthday cake. Check out some awesome vegan cake recipes from around the web for your birthday baking pleasure!
What birthday is complete without cake? You are correct, no birthday is complete without cake. I'm not much of a baker, but on one day every year it seems utterly appropriate to try (and fail) to make a delicious birthday cake. Check out some awesome vegan cake recipes from around the web for your birthday baking pleasure!
1. Vegan Toasted Coconut Cake from Vegan Baking
Photo credit: Vegan Baking
Layers of toasted coconut and coconut cream? Sign me up!
2. Epic Vegan Chocolate Cake from Jamie Oliver
Photo credit: Jamie Oliver
Not only does this cake look incredibly decadent, but it's gluten free!
3. Vegan Healthy Walnut Pumpkin Cake from Oh She Glows
Photo credit: Oh She Glows
I love everything pumpkin. Add in walnuts? I'm in heaven.
4. Vegan Cocoa Apple Cake by Eggless Cooking
Photo credit: Eggless Cooking
Cocoa and apple in one cake? Yes please!
5. Vegan Pineapple Upside-Down Dump Cake by Jolinda Hackett
Photo credit: flickr via About.com
Super easy, super yummy. A win win in my books!
6. Vegan Amaretto Chocolate Cream Cake (Gluten Free) from One Green Planet
Photo credit: One Green Planet
I. Can't. Even. I'm drooling.
7. Vanilla Pound Cake from Vegan Richa
Who doesn't love a classic vanilla pound cake?
8. Vegan Rustic Chocolate Chip Banana Oat Cake with PB Banana Glaze from Oh She Glows
Photo credit: Oh She Glows
My fiancé's mouth dropped open when I read him the description of this cake. He would like to eat it everyday.
9. Vegan and Gluten-Free Carrot Cake from Vegan Richa
I'm a BIG fan of carrot cake. It's sweet but not too sweet, and so comforting!
10. Vegan Chocolate Chai Marbled Cake from One Green Planet
Photo credit: One Green Planet
Related Blog Post: Vegan Mousse Recipe
Is your mouth watering as much as mine is? Yum! Let me know in the comments which recipe you'd try first. I'm going for #6!
Until next time,
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Birthday Wishlist: Vegan Edition
In my family we have a tradition. Five times a year, a month or so before each of our birthdays and before christmas, an email will come in listing everything on our wishlist. We're a very practical family, and like to know exactly what the others need or want when those times of year come around. I can actually go back and see my birthday wishlist from 2002 if I go deep enough on my hard rive... All of this to say, I have a bit of experience making wish lists. Well, every kind of list, really. But that's a topic for another day.
In my family we have a tradition. Five times a year, a month or so before each of our birthdays and before christmas, an email will come in listing everything on our wishlist. We're a very practical family, and like to know exactly what the others need or want when those times of year come around. I can actually go back and see my birthday wishlist from 2002 if I dig deep enough on my hard drive... All of this to say, I have a bit of experience making wish lists. Well, every kind of list, really. But that's a topic for another day.
Now that I'm vegan, making a list is a bit more complicated. I can't just see something I like on instagram or pinterest and pop it on. I have to do research into the company and item to ensure no animal products were used and that the product wasn't tested on animals. It would be laborious, expect that I love shopping and don't mind the excuse to do more of it to find the PERFECT vegan items to lust after! The two big ones on my list this year were the Matt & Nat Parabole bag and Chubby wallet, which my parents graciously picked up for me (thank you, again!) and for which I wrote a whole dedicated post, here. But what else is on my list? Take a look! (This post contains some affiliate links.)
1 In the Oceanic of Time Dress 2 I Tank I Can Black Tank Top 3 Strike the Match White and Navy Stripe Two Piece 4 Beneath the Garden Arbor Grey Lace Maxi Dress 5 Aim'n Wave Logo Tights 6 All in Good Cheer Grey Tulle Skirt 7 Night Drive Blush Trench Coat 8 Scenic Drive Black Wrap Maxi Skirt 9 Share My Lair Ivory Crop Top 10 I'm Into You Black High-Low Wrap Dress 11 Photo Opportunist Black Bodycon Midi Dress 12 Meridian Arc Ivory and Blue Print Halter Maxi Dress 13 LULUS Exclusive Gracefully Yours Black Dress 14 Sun Sign Black Maxi Dress 15 Take a Ladylike-ing To Dress 16 Radiant Gradients Dress 17 Space is the Place Black Crop Top
1 Two-Piece Suits Me Natural Beige D'Orsay Flats 2 Ahimsa Dress Boot in Black 3 Romance Cosmetic "I Do" 4 Boyd Sunglasses 5 Up All Night Flats 6 Plant Based Memory Foam Mattress 7 City Classified Sadler Black Suede Pointed Flats 8 Melissa Petal Flats 9 Roller Coast to Coast Black Clutch 10 Ellison Sunglasses
Related Blog Post: Should You Get Rid Of All Your Leather Now That You're Vegan?
And there you have it! As a former shopaholic, this blogging-about-the-things-I-want-to-buy-but-not-buying-them thing is kind of fantastic... I hope you liked my list and maybe found a new item or two to add to yours (if you have, remember to use Ebates to get cash back on your online purchases. I've been using them for years and recommend the site 100%!)
Until next time...
Where do you like to shop for vegan goods? Let me know in the comments below!
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Go check out my post on my new Matt & Nat bag and wallet here, if you haven't already!
