February 17
Vegan-Friendly Carrot Cake CupcakesI missed making cupcakes that I used to pass out in droves. My old cupcake recipe used buttermilk so I do not make them anymore. Living in China without an oven at my place has made my heart grow fond of baking again. I started tested out a couple cupcake recipes since I got back and I found one that I like so far.
Some of the recipes were a little too dry probably because I left them in too long because I was watching a CSI marathon on Spike while I was baking. The recipe I liked the most was a Carrot Cake Cupcake recipe from the Tiny Vegan Kitchen. Vegan carrot cake always tastes great. The icing is yummy too but I can only take icing in small quantities, it gets too sweet for me. The recipe calls for crushed pineapples and grated carrots, it’s not wonder why it is so moist. It’s a really yummy recipe. You should give it a try.
In Japan, they were getting ready for Valentine’s Day. The Japanese tradition is to have the ladies give men chocolate or other goodies. Some buy brand-name chocolates and others make their own. There were a bunch of stores selling silicone molds for chocolates and cakes. I bought a whole bunch because they were so adorable. They also had pre-made mixes for things miniature cheesecakes, miniature chocolate cakes, biscuits, and sugar cookies. I wanted to buy them all.
June 16
Walking in Crocs
I gave up on the shoe hunt and just bought myself a couple pairs of Crocs, entirely vegan. Unfortunately, may not be as Earth-friendly as advertised. But what’s bought is bought.
Everyone at school wears them, so I’m just jumping on the band wagon 10 months late at the school and 4 years late in the world. I bought a full-back version of the Malindi and an Audrey. I don’t like the bow on the Audrey much but I was there and I was buying one anyways and they were going to be indoor shoes so it didn’t really matter that much. I like the Olivia but the huge faux-gem kind of irked me so I put it back on the shelf. I spent 428 CNY for both, which according to the website and today’s exchange rate and taking into account Ontario taxes, I’m paying the same price. They’re kind of comfy. I’m just not fond of the plastic-on-skin noises if I’m not wearing socks. Some of their styles are cute but others are really tacky. You win some, you lose some.
You gotta love sleepless blog posts.
June 3
Summerlicious 2009
This year, Summerlicious runs from July 3 to July 19. Reservations will be taken for Summerlicious starting June 18, 2009. I’m told the “good” restaurants fill up quickly. By your standards, I’m guessing those are the restaurants that offer steaks and seafood, so I’m pretty safe.
I always say I’m going to go to Summerlicious, but I never end up going. The restaurant listing still lists which restaurants have vegetarian courses. This year, they’ve even included which courses are vegetarian in the menu. It might have been my wave of emails to every vegetarian-friendly restaurant to ask what was in each dish that didn’t look like it had meat, egg or cheese in it.
Summerlicious 2009 Restaurant Listing
Who knows? Maybe I’ll go this year. Has anyone seen a vegan list somewhere online for Summerlicious?
August 1
Wǒ chī sù in Wuhan
The question of July: What are you going to eat in China? It’s a valid question. I don’t eat meats, fish, fowl, eggs, or dairy anymore. Seafood’s suppose to be big in Wuhan. But it doesn’t mean I’ll starve. It’s ordering the dishes I want when I’m at a restaurant that will make it difficult. Of course, I’m not the only one that has this “problem.” That means the leg work is already done for me. Vegetarian China has a short list of phrases that you can use to tell the waitress/waiter your diet. There’s a couple more at HappyCow.
Green Earth Vegetarian Cuisine
385 Broadview Avenue
Toronto, ON M4K 2M7
Canada
Tel: 416-778-9199
Open: Mon – Sat, 11am to 9pm; Sun, 2pm – 8pm
The wild weather in Toronto seems to have sobered up. The hot and humid weather is back and that means sweating it out in front of the outdoor grill. Barbecues are big with my family and friends and after turning vegan the barbecue scene seemed less interesting. Our outdoor cooking affairs are always meat-centered. I was always blasé about creating vegan barbecue options, but I think it’s about time to change that and do some research. The lists of products given in this post are for diets that do not include animal products and animal by-products. If you need wheat-free, gluten-free, soy-free or something more specific, this isn’t the list for you.
Go shopping. If you’re buying mock meats, read the label and find out what’s in it. A lot of vegetarian options have animal by-products in it. Read through the entire ingredients list.
- In veggie burgers you’ll commonly find dairy in the natural flavouring and egg albumen or egg whites as the binding agent.
Read cooking instructions. The cooking instructions aren’t the same for every veggie burger and every veggie dog out there. Read the instructions.
- Not all veggie dogs are made for grilling. Don’t be disappointed if your veggie dogs don’t turn out well because it wasn’t made for grilling. Read the label.
June 24
Re: Summerlicious 2008Time to start making the vegan list. I’ve contacted a number of restaurants that had what looked like veganvegan opt options. I’m still hearing back from all of them. To keep track of my progress, I like to make lists. After the first week of emails, it looks like the others that I’ve tried to contact about their menu aren’t going to respond.
- Arriba Restaurant, Renaissance Toronto Hotel Downtown1 Blue Jay Way, 416-341-5045
Special Reservations Through Correspondent
No vegan options on Summerlicious menu - Brassaii
461 King Street West, 416-598-4730
Lunch Starter: Salad, Special Request (SR): No cheese
Lunch Entrée: Vegetarian Sandwich, SR: No mayo
Dinner Entrée: Nightly Vegetarian Option, SR: See least note
Dessert: All include dairy, SR: Fresh fruit
Reserve seats two-days in advance and tell them on the phone that you’re vegan and the chef will cook accordingly that day. When you’re seated on the day-of, let your server know. - Noce
875 Queen Street West, 416-504-3463
No vegan options on Summerlicious menu
Outside of Summerlicious: “we can prepare any vegan dish you desire.” - Five Doors North
2088 Yonge Street, 416-480-6234
“There are a couple of Vegan options on the menu and we can also modify other to accommodate” I asked which dishes… - Café Moroc
49 Front Street East, 416-961-0601
Starter: Harira (tomato-based soup), Café Greens
Lunch Entrée: Grilled Vegetable Pita, SR: No cheese
Dinner Entrée: Keskesu Casablanca (Coucous with grilled vegetables) - Bistro 990
990 Bay Street, 416-921-9990
Starters: “most of our salads are vegan”, SR: Vegan soup or vegetarian spring rolls
Entrée: Fusilli with Fresh Tomato, Spinach, Mushroom, Roasted Garlic Broth
Dessert: No vegan options, SR: “The chef will provide you with a vegan dessert alternative.”
When making reservations, tell them of the special requests. - Jaaadu Restaurant
1415 Yonge Street, 416-944-8885
Dinner Starter: Curried Squash Soup
Dinner Entrée: Alu Gobi Masala
