Category Archive

I recently received my copy of Hannah Kaminsky’s first cookbook, My Sweet Vegan.

My goodness, this is one great book - I really can’t say enough good things about it. One thing I should admit to is the fact that I have an incredible weakness for books of all sorts, shapes and sizes. It’s somewhat of a sickness really. My latest obsession within the obsession is cookbooks, vegan cookbooks specifically. And I have acquired many of them - each having something awesome to offer in their own right.

That said, Hannah’s creation is the closest and most perfect representation of my culinary tastes that I have ever come across. My Sweet Vegan is truly a collection of unusual and amazing desserts. There’s a lot of chocolate. This is good. But there’s also pretty much each and every favourite thing I’ve ever eaten represented in perfect vegan form.

There’s Golden Glazed Donuts. I love donuts. There’s Graham Flour Fig Scones. I love figs. French Toast - breakfast is my favourite meal. There are 77 recipes in total - some of my favourites: Black Bottom Blondies, Whoopie Pies, Marshmallow Mud Cake, Mexican Chocolate Tart, Coconut Custard Pie, Orangettes (dark chocolate covered orange peel), and Root Beer Float Cupcakes - the latter being recently honoured as one of Vegan.com’s Top 10 Recipes, 2008.

My heart smiled with nostalgic glee when I came across Hannah’s inclusion of Pfefferneuse. I nearly wept with joy at spotting the Black & White cookies - those NY classics. Ah New York, how I miss you.

But the proof is in the pudding right? It’s one thing to look at pretty pictures - and they are pretty, snapped by Hannah herself - but it’s another to have a recipe that actually delivers the goods. Based on my first foray into Hannah’s baking world, I’m pretty confident you won’t be disappointed. You can imagine how difficult it was for me to choose which tasty morsel to try first. Ultimately, hubby had to choose for me and he put his vote in for Peanut Butter Bombs.

As I write this I’m enjoying several of them with a giant mug of coffee. A symphony of chocolate and peanut butter, these bombs do not disappoint. Hannah’s instructions are very straightforward and easy to understand, the book is beautifully laid out, and each recipe is accompanied by a fabulous photograph that shows you exactly what you are aiming for.

To quote hubby, ‘MMMMmmmmm.’

Be sure to check out Hannah’s blog, Bittersweet. Luckily for us, this vegan is as generous as she is talented and shares eloquently penned tips, recipes, and crafts on a regular basis.

Way back, all the way back to the beginning, there was a challenge. Guess what. I won (blush). My prized t-shirt arrived not too long ago. Thanks Jason - you are an inspiration.

Jason once described this shirt as his favourite veg garment during one of the always informative and witty TVPs (Toronto Vegetarian Podcast) and has now bestowed one upon me.

You can get your own here.

It reminds me of a funny and poignant blog post (at the fabulous veg blog Walking the Vegan Line) about a Texas bumper sticker - see the photo.

Recognition is sweet. Thanks again Jason.

We expose ourselves to so many chemical nasties on a daily basis, whether it be in the food we eat, the water we drink or the air we breathe. We have created a toxic environment for ourselves.

The very least we can do is not compound the problem by slathering more chemical goo onto our fragile bodies. I’ve been making a gradual toiletry switch as I go through my bathroom shelves - out with the harsh chemical old and in with the safer, natural, cruelty-free organic new.

In the spirit of sharing I wanted to tell you about one of my new favourite product lines, Nature’s Gate Organics.

Nature’s Gate uses all natural herbs and botanicals in the creation of their extensive line of pH-balanced products. The company is as dedicated to being environmentally friendly and cruelty-free as it is to bringing the public a selection of quality, pure, natural, organic products.

Their handsome bottles have taken up residence in many of my shelves, from shampoo to lotions, but my favourite thing of all has to be that indispensable item I use on a daily basis, deodorant. It contains certified organic botanicals and is free of the parabens, propylene glycol, and aluminum chlorohydrate that plague commercial deodorants and put our health needlessly at risk.

It is also produced without animal testing, with no animal byproducts, and is certified vegan. It comes in several pleasing scents - my favourite is the Chamomile & Lemon Verbena.

And it’s effective. I smell great.

So many of the food and beverage choices at our disposal today are quietly pervaded by animal products - and wine, beer and spirits are no different.

Apart from the obvious inclusion of cream or eggs in some libations, animal products primarily make their appearance in the filtering or fining (clarifying) stage of alcohol production - not dissimilar from some sugar refining. In fact, as with some sugar, bone char is often used to filter spirits. Other filtering agents used in the making of some wines and beer include isinglass (derived from fish), gelatin (animal bones), egg whites, and clay. Wine in some countries may still be fined (clarified) using blood which was once a commonplace practice, although this is now illegal in the U.S and France. Trace elements of these fining or filtering agents are left in the beverage. For most of those against the use of animal products the fact that they are being used at all is reason enough to want to avoid certain products.

What can you do if you want to avoid alcohol that has been filtered using animal bits?

The best thing to do is write a polite email or call the customer service department of the makers of the wine, beer, spirits, etc that you’re interested in and enquire.

My personal favourite is red wine - unfortunately for me I have a huge sensitivity to sulphites and tanins, a.k.a big headache makers. Hearing that it was made with less of these nasties, I started looking to organic wine. My first organic wine purchase consisted of three varieties from an Italian vineyard, the Botter Family. After approaching the vineyard with my questions they sent me confirmation that their organic line was in fact vegan. The three wines are each named after one of the Botter siblings - they are:

• Botter Alex Sangiovese - light ruby red colour; aromas and flavours of fresh red berry fruit, plum and herbs; dry, light to medium bodied with vibrant acidity and hints of spice.
• Botter Anna Pinot Grigio Chardonnay - pale straw colour; slightly floral nose with notes of citrus, melon and almond paste; dry, light to medium bodied, soft and flavourful.
• Botter Luca Nero D’Avola - light purple red colour; aromas and flavours of cherry and blackberry with hints of chocolate; dry, medium bodied, soft and fruit driven style.

The Alex Sangiovese is now discontinued near me unfortunately, but perhaps it’s still available elsewhere. I keep the white, Anna Pinot Grigio Chardonnay, on hand for guests and for cooking - but my absolute hands down favourite is the Luca Nero D’Avola, a rich dark red. All three sell for about $12, so jackpot.

They also come in aseptic tetrapaks so they’re very easily recyclable. What I really love about the tetrapaks is that, as you use up the wine, you can squeeze the extra air out before capping it which keeps the wine fresher longer - not that it’s going to last that long because it tastes so damn good.

There are some great online resources that will identify some vegan wine, beer and spirits for you - like Taste Better!’s Vegan Booze List.

Salute.

This afternoon I enjoyed a lovely snack of coffee and cake - and not just any cake. A gorgeous, chocolate, dairy-free, vegan slice of heaven.

During a recent jaunt to the city I made sure to visit Whole Foods Market, my personal mecca of vegan and vegetarian tasty treats. This time I remembered to pick up their vegan chocolate cake. It’s marketed as ‘Dairy Free Chocolate Cake’ yet the organic ingredient list is clearly devoid of eggs - in other words the scary V-word is nowhere to be found but vegan it is.

The cake is moist, rich and unabashedly decadent to be sure. It is adorned with a fabulously smooth and satisfying chocolate ganache. One day my own dairy-free ganache will be as good as this - mine has a habit of solidifying on me, whereas this ganache remains pleasantly moist.

Ah, chocolate - you have no equal. I will forever be your servant.

The rich chocolatey goodness of this fine cake got me thinking about vegan chocolate in general, particularly the fine, handmade variety. Around me it seems to be somewhat of a scarcity. I’m not referring to vegan chocolate in bar form, which is quite plentiful - I am no stranger to Green & Black’s Organic Maya Gold (such sweet heaven and fair trade). I’m thinking of artisan chocolates - those very fine, invariably expensive sweet delights referred to as chocolate truffles.

I’ve heard rumours here and there of fine vegan chocolate that can be had far, far away (Sjaak’s Organic Chocolates, for example), but alas - none in my immediate Torontonian vicinity. Vegan’s aren’t the only ones who might appreciate some fine chocolate - I have many a lactose intolerant friend who would embrace some fine dairy-free chocolate goodness.

I made a few enquiries and found that the following chocolate makers offer some dairy-free, vegan options - all of which are available in Canada:

Kerstin’s Chocolates - Dark chocolate is vegan.

Teuscher - Swiss chocolate legend - select dark chocolate is vegan.

Lagusta’s Luscious - Often raved about, these American chocolate artisans don’t ship outside of the US, but Canadian buyers can get them through The Vegan Store.

Dolphin Natural Chocolate - this Canadian chocolatier contributes a percentage of their profits to the Environmental defense Fund. Check out their Vegan Mix, a selection of chocolates including Mint Crisp, Organic Peanut Butter, Roasted Almond and Solid Dark.

There are a few more chocolate artists from whom I am waiting to hear back - will update when I do.

In the mean time, if anyone has a favourite vegan chocolatier, please share with this addict.

I picked up an organic Cornmeal Muffin mix at the market that just happens to be completely free of nuts, eggs, and dairy. It’s put together by Muffins Inc. The company also sell their muffins ready made and in other flavours like chocolate chip, carrot, and dutch cocoa.

One thing that I really enjoyed was the fact that when I emptied the bag of dry ingredients into the bowl they were separate from each other - not that they were bagged separately, but rather that it was obvious that the flour was placed in the bag first, then the cornmeal, etc. What I mean to say is that the ingredients weren’t all mixed together. That’s not a critical element of buying a mix but when I peered into my mixing bowl it looked as if I had poured the ingredients individually myself.

I don’t know why that pleased me so much but it was amusingly unexpected.

All I needed to add was cold water, oil, and vinegar - it didn’t specify what type but I used apple cider vinegar. It suggested sunflower oil but I didn’t have any so I used canola oil instead. Then I mixed at high speed for 5 minutes with the electric mixer and voilà - ready to go into the oven for 25-30 minutes. The easiest thing I’ve made in a long while.

I baked them for 28 minutes which perhaps wasn’t quite enough time - I thought they were a little pale but then thought maybe I’m used to corn muffins with more cornmeal in them. They tasted sweet but pleasant. Very simple to make for sure - not a bad thing to have in the cupboard if you need to make something fast.

They were lovely cut in half and toasted with a little earth balance spread melting in.

The sugar saga continues. See my original post regarding the use of bone char in the Canadian sugar industry for the backstory.

The Canadian Sugar Institute addressed my enquiry about their website content today.

This is what they wrote:

Thank you for contacting the Canadian Sugar Institute with your comments regarding an inaccurate statement on our website. While it is true that resins are now the most widely used filtering agent for sugar cane refining in Canada, you are correct that Rogers Sugar does in fact use bone char (an animal product) in its Vancouver refinery as part of the filtering process. Redpath Sugar and Lantic Sugar do not use bone char.

The accuracy of the information given to the public is taken very seriously at the Canadian Sugar Institute. Please be assured that this misinformation was an oversight on our part and that it was not our intent to mislead the public on this issue. We intend to clarify this issue by correcting the information on the website as quickly as possible.

It is important to note as well that while bone char can be used in the filtering process of sugar cane, sugar is a natural plant product and no residues from bone char will remain in the final purified sugar. There is no animal material present in the sugar that we consume.

Thank you again for your helpful comments.

I’m very pleased with their response - bravo to them for taking the steps to correct their mistake.

The information they provided in their response regarding Lantic’s non-bone char status conflicts with Lantic’s website (which indicates that they DO use bone char). This may be due to the fact that Rogers now owns Lantic and the Lantic site is merely a reflection of the Rogers site (Rogers USES bone char). On closer inspection of the Rogers and Lantic sites one can see that their FAQ sections are in fact identical (including question #5 which makes reference to the use of bone char).

I believe that The Canadian Sugar Institute is being truthful in their response to me despite what Lantic’s site is saying about itself. This would indicate that Lantic is bone char free along with Redpath.

So yay for Redpath and Lantic and boo on Rogers.

With awareness of global warming on the rise, an interesting bit of information is unfolding along with it - meat consumption, along with egg and dairy, is the primary cause.

Animal agriculture affects climate change and air pollution more than any other single source. In fact, according to the United Nation’s massive report, Livestock’s Long Shadow, eliminating animal products from our diet would have a bigger impact on global warming than taking every single plane, train and automobile off the road, hummers and all. In short, the best and most immediate way for us to reduce the emissions that cause global warming is for people to adopt a vegan diet.

With billions of farm animals raised on factory farms annually, and billions upon billions of pounds of feed being produced to feed them, the impact on the planet is severe. Animal agriculture plays a significant role in climate change and air pollution, water depletion and pollution, and has a significant impact on biodiversity.

According to the United Nation’s report, animal agriculture has the following impact on air pollution:

• the CO2 equivalent of the livestock industry’s current contribution to climate change is 18%
• currently accounts for 9% of Carbon Dioxide emissions, and climbing.
• currently accounts for 35-40% of Methane emissions
• currently accounts for 65% of Nitreous Oxide emissions
• currently accounts for 64% of Ammonia emissions

Animal agriculture, including the meat, egg, and dairy industries, also has a significant impact on water depletion and pollution. This sector currently exceeds 8% of total global water use. This is a significant figure, especially in light of the increasing scarcity of fresh water in many places in the world, California for example.

Additionally, animal agriculture significantly impacts biodiversity through its direct effect on greenhouse gas emissions, soil erosion, water pollution, deforestation, and overfishing. Consider that 26% of the terrestrial surface is used for grazing, up to 70% of which is already considered degraded, and 33% of arable land is used for feed-crop cultivation.

In the meantime the world is entering a food crisis. The cost of food for human consumption is on the rise because increasing demand for grains, corn needed for ethanol production for example, is exceeding supply. The human population is growing, along with its appetite for meat. There is simply not enough to go around. It is now costing farmers more to feed the farm animals than they are receiving for the meat in return. The livestock industry is not a sustainable one. If consumers don’t start to change their thinking and move away from heavy meat consumption, the Earth’s resources will simply be used up.

The status quo cannot be maintained, whether people like it or not.

People are becoming more aware every day of the power they have as individuals to make a difference. They recycle and compost, they choose to use reusable cloth bags over plastic, they conserve water and install energy-efficient light bulbs. More and more people are opting to use public transit or more fuel efficient cars. Many are choosing to buy local or organic produce and eschewing the use of pesticides and chemicals. As much as all of these things help, nothing has as big of a positive environmental impact as choosing to adopt a vegan (best) or vegetarian (better) diet.

You can start with small steps. Commit to just one vegan day a week or even just one meal to start with. If everyone committed to having just one vegan or vegetarian meal per week, that alone would have a huge impact. According to an estimation by Environemental Defense Fund, if every American ate one meat-free meal per week that would be the equivalent of taking 5 million cars of the road - and if that same group went meat-free for one week, that would be the same as eliminating 8 million cars.

It’s such an attainable solution to a very serious problem. In addition to the multitude of wonderful vegan cookbooks out there, their are countless free resources on the internet. Check out some of the spectacular vegan food blogs out there - there are many wonderful ones in the Blogroll on this site, and countless others. Have fun with it - see the diversity of food available to you. I never ate such a diverse and healthy diet as I did once I made the decision to go vegan.

We can make a difference.

Happy Earth Day!

I danced a little jig over the PeaceKeeper Eco-Sensual Balm I picked up on a recent happy trip to the new organic supermarket in town. While perusing their ample array of cosmetics I also scored a nice little item from the nail section made by a company that is new to me, No Miss Nail Polish.

No Miss nail polishes include quite an assortment of colours and finishes - so many lovely shiny things. The range of choice was reflected by the inordinate amount of time I spent standing in front of their display trying to choose one. I finally settled on Panama Petal, a perfect translucent pink for that barely there but well groomed look. It wears very well too - no chips almost one week later.

No Miss nail polishes do not contain harmful formaldehyde, toluene, or dibutyl-pthalate and contain UV filters to protect your nails from the damaging and drying effects of the sun.

Check out the availability of No Miss nail care products at your cosmetics-carrying local health food store or check them out online at Alternative Outfitters and The Vegan Store.

Cruelty-free. Colours to suit every mood and personality. A healthy approach to nail polish. Long-wearing. Reasonably priced. All things considered there’s no reason not to go cruelty-free with your nail polish.

UPDATE: In my previous post I reported on the use of bone char in the Canadian sugar industry. In that post I shared information regarding the big three sugar companies in Canada. At the time of that writing I had received confirmation that two of the three, Rogers Sugar and Lantic Sugar, currently use bone char in their refining process.

I’m very happy to report that Toronto based Redpath Sugar responded to my enquiry with excellent news - they do NOT use bone char in their refining process, opting instead to use more modern methods.

I’ll be buying Redpath.

Still no word from the Canadian Sugar Institute regarding the egregious error on their site.

I’m not usually the pugnacious sort, except in instances where I perceive an ethical wrong. I certainly felt a strong spur to dole out some objurgation this time round.

Not too long ago I wrote about my own personal discovery of the use of bone char in the sugar industry. After that enlightenment I switched to the Wholesome Sweeteners line of sugars which is certified vegan, organic and bone char free. That said, I was curious about the vegan status of sugar in Canada so I decided to do some research into the Canadian sugar industry and see what the deal was with the use of bone char here.

There are three main Canadian sugar companies: Rogers, Lantic (owned by Rogers), and Redpath.

I started with Rogers Sugar first. I also wrote to the Toronto Vegetarian Association, knowing them to be ever knowledgeable and helpful. In a simple internet search I came up with abundant information that indicated Rogers Sugar used bone char in its cane sugar refinery in Vancouver, British Columbia. Rogers also operates a beet sugar refinery in Taber, Alberta. It is my understanding that beet sugar does not require carbon filtration in its refining and thus bone char is not an issue with beet sugar. In my enquiry to Rogers I also enquired about the availability of the Taber beet sugar in the Toronto market.

I also came across a site that purports to be the authority on the sugar industry in Canada, The Canadian Sugar Institute. I visited their contact page and dropped them a line, asking if they could identify for me any Canadian sugar companies that did not use bone char.

Soon the responses to some of my enquiries started coming in.

First up, Rogers Sugar. The Rogers rep informed me that the Taber beet sugar was regretfully not available to the Toronto market and was sold only in Western Canada. He did happily tell me, however, that the Lantic cane sugar refinery in Montreal (owned by Rogers) did not employ the use of bone char and was available in Toronto. Happy Times, right? Not quite.

Next up, I received a series of communications from the Toronto Vegetarian Association. They had made enquiries on my behalf to each of the big three. Additionally, they provided me with information that confirmed not only that Rogers used bone char, but Lantic used it as well. Either the Rogers rep is misinformed or Lantic’s own website (where the information is clearly laid out in black and white) is inaccurate. The fun didn’t stop there.

I decided to take a closer look at the many-layered Canadian Sugar Institute site. Lo and behold, buried deep in a Q & A section I happened upon a startling bit of misinformation.

In the section titled Nutritional Information Service, subsection, From Field to Table, sub-subsection Sugar Production, there is a question and answer that appears as follows (emphasis mine):

Are animal products used in the sugar filtering process?
No. All sugar sold in Canada must be purified through a series of steps, including filtering, before it is packaged and distributed. Beet sugar is filtered through diatomaceous earth; whereas resins are used in cane sugar refining; both of which are not of animal origin.

Excuse me? did I just read an emphatic answer of no to the question of whether animal products are used in the sugar filtering process in Canada? Since when is bone char, made from the crushed bones of cows, not of animal origin? Knowing their statement to be an absolute falsehood I wrote to The Canadian Sugar Institute to let them know about their error. We’ve already found evidence indicating that two of the big three Canadian sugar companies use bone char - this is certain (as of this writing I cannot attest to the bone char status of the third company, Redpath, but will update when I confirm). Just sloppiness?

People look to entities such as The Canadian Sugar Institute as an authority on the subject and here they are presenting false information. Indeed, when I visited the Redpath sugar site, at the bottom of their Sugar FAQ section they encourage visitors seeking more information to visit The Canadian Sugar Institute site. Point made.

As of this writing I have received no response from the Canadian Sugar Institute and their site stands as it was.

April 21 - Update: I’m very happy to report that Toronto based Redpath Sugar responded to my enquiry with excellent news - they do NOT use bone char in their refining process, opting instead to use more modern methods.

April 24 - Update: The Canadian Sugar Institute addressed my enquiry about their website content today. This is what they wrote:

Thank you for contacting the Canadian Sugar Institute with your comments regarding an inaccurate statement on our website. While it is true that resins are now the most widely used filtering agent for sugar cane refining in Canada, you are correct that Rogers Sugar does in fact use bone char (an animal product) in its Vancouver refinery as part of the filtering process. Redpath Sugar and Lantic Sugar do not use bone char.

The accuracy of the information given to the public is taken very seriously at the Canadian Sugar Institute. Please be assured that this misinformation was an oversight on our part and that it was not our intent to mislead the public on this issue. We intend to clarify this issue by correcting the information on the website as quickly as possible.

It is important to note as well that while bone char can be used in the filtering process of sugar cane, sugar is a natural plant product and no residues from bone char will remain in the final purified sugar. There is no animal material present in the sugar that we consume.

Thank you again for your helpful comments.

I’m very pleased with their response - bravo to them for taking the steps to correct their mistake.

The information they provided in their response regarding Lantic’s non-bone char status conflicts with Lantic’s website (which indicates that they DO use bone char). This may be due to the fact that Rogers now owns Lantic and the Lantic site is merely a reflection of the Rogers site (Rogers USES bone char). On closer inspection of the Rogers and Lantic sites one can see that their FAQ sections are in fact identical (including question #5 which makes reference to the use of bone char).

I believe that The Canadian Sugar Institute is being truthful in their response to me despite what Lantic’s site is saying about itself. This would indicate that Lantic is bone char free along with Redpath.

So yay for Redpath and Lantic and boo on Rogers.

It makes my heart glad to see how much easier it has become to make cruelty-free choices, and makeup is no exception. Not too long ago I wrote about EcoTools, a cruelty-free line of makeup brushes (brushes used to be particularly difficult to find in a cruelty-free variety). Today I share my latest find from a recent trip to the new neighborhood organic superstore.

PeaceKeeper’s Eco-Sensual Balm, for lips.

PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics is, according to their bio, the first cosmetic line to give all of its after tax distributable profits to women’s health advocacy & human rights issues. They support animals, fair labour and all things natural, and eschew chemicals and slave labour.

PeaceKeeper makes a wide assortment of nail polish, lipstick, lip gloss and, of course, the lip balm. None of the products are tested on animals. Some of the makeup contains Carmine, so vegans beware - all vegan (Carmine-free) products are marked with a ‘V’ - as the lip balm is.

The natural mineral based nail polishes are particularly nice and, according to their site, rated one of the safest paint-based nail polishes around the world. They are also free of harmful chemical nasties such as formaldehyde, toluene, and acetone, and have no FD&C colors, parabens, or phthalates. The French Manicure Kit is particularly sweet and is entirely vegan. It includes: Nail Renewal Oil, Paint Me Eternal Top/Bottom Coat (clear), Paint Me Tranquil (soft, subtle translucent pink), and Paint Me Tender (the requisite opaque white), and French manicure tape for foolproof tip application. The oil and each of the polishes also come separately.

The Nail Renewal Oil is an absolute delight. Made with sweet almond oil, ginseng root extract, myrrha extract, and vitamin E, your cuticles and nails will reward you for using it by looking their smooth revitalized best, making it an absolute must have for my makeup shelf - and it smells awesome too. A little aromatherapy can’t hurt.

But I digress. Eco-Sensual Balm goes on clear and moisturizes your lips with all-natural, 100% vegan, 73% organic ingredients. I stress the goes on clear aspect for all the men who, like my husband, would sooner let their lips fry than apply a lip balm with even the most minuscule amount of colour. The lip balm contains the following ingredients: organic palm oil, organic virgin olive oil, candelilla wax, organic jojoba oil, organic coconut oil, essential oil of spearmint, tocopherol (vitamin E), grapeseed oil, rosemary extract, and vitamin C.

Your lips are left feeling soft, smooth and minty. I’m a firm believer that all lip balms should be minty - personally, I don’t think anything soothes as much as the cooling sensation of mint on the lips, particularly in summer.

It’s nice to see another new company making an effort to operate with ethics and in the spirit of philanthropy to bring us cruelty-free, organic, natural products, many of which are entirely vegan.

It does make my heart glad.

The side of my Eco-Sensual balm reads, ‘Deep healing for your lips and the world.’ Agreed.

Recently, my much anticipated shipment from SerendipiTea (a.k.a. the best tea ever) arrived. I unpacked my treasure with gleeful fond memories of Eve’s Temptation, that joyous elixir of old, and couldn’t wait to brew myself a cup. Ah, what sweet anticipation - the aroma was overwhelming as I opened the box. The scent! Such sweet pungency has never before visited my nose.

I ordered four different large packs of loose tea and one small tin. The large packs of loose tea come in paper bags which sit inside recycled cardboard boxes. The packaging is simple, recyclable, and elegant. Sustainable and environmentally friendly - as if I need more reasons to adore this tea.

If I thought the scent was pungent when the box was closed, I was completely blown away when I actually opened it. I was immediately met with an awesome display of colour and texture - truly as much a feast for the eyes as for the nose. Eve’s Temptation is composed of quite large pieces of apple and mango, and nothing else.

I also purchased a box of rather tall, unbleached tea filters which are designed to sit upright in the glass. Now for the revered tasting.

Verdict? Heaven in a glass. Sweet, smooth, and just as wonderful as I remembered.

After having my fill of the star of the day, Eve’s Temptation, I turned to the other intriguing teas in my order - and there were no disappointments there. Each tea is unique and wonderful in its own way:

• Eve’s Temptation: Apple, Mango - simply amazing, smooth and sweet
• Chaucer’s Cup: Apple, Mango, Cloves, Cardamom, Ginger, Fruit, Spices - sweet & spicy, tastes like Christmas - gives Eve’s Temptation a run for its money
  
• Monk’s Mead: Apple, Mango, Chamomile - soothing, calming, wonderfully enjoyable - fair trade
• Genesis: Apple, Mango, Green Tea - much stronger than others, green tea flavour features most prominently
  
• Gaucho: Cloves, Cardamom, Ginger, Yerba Mate - spicy and awakening, great in the morning, the first Yerba Mate blend I’ve actually really liked
  

The quality of SerendipiTea is tops. Their service is super friendly and efficient, and my order arrived very fast. I’ll surely be making regular orders to keep up with what will certainly become a habit. The circle is complete.

Looking for some yummy snacks of the raw, organic, and vegan variety? New and awesome online store One Lucky Duck is here to cater to your vegan sweet tooth, among other cool things, as well as promote a raw lifestyle.

The site offers clothing made from sustainable, environmentally friendly materials like organic cotton and hemp, eco-friendly household items like bamboo towels and animal friendly natural beauty products. I’d like to pick up the Blood of the Dragon Styling Gel for hubby, filled with natural botanicals and hand-picked herbs and packaged according to the moon cycles in the ancient farming tradition. Throw that in the bag along with my Goji Berries, Raw Cacao Nibs, and Chocolate Truffles, please and thank you. I also have my eye on the One Lucky Duck snack sampler.

The site also offers a selection of books about the raw way of life and culinary tools for the raw kitchen.

In the About section for One Lucky Duck, creator Sarma Melngalis explains how she came up with the name - in a nutshell, the more people who enjoy a raw vegetarian diet the more lucky ducks there are out there (and sheep and pigs and chickens and cows). Awesome.

Sarma is also a guest blogger at We Like it Raw and the copacetic proprietor of Pure Food and Wine, an award-winning raw food restaurant in New York where the fare on offer includes raw, organic, seasonal fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Here, all wheat, dairy, soy, meat and refined sugars are left out and ingredients are kept under 118 degrees in order to preserve the food’s natural enzymes. If you’re in the Apple, check it out - and get your snack on at One Lucky Duck.

Happy raw vegan snacking.

So the first of two birthday celebrations has come and gone. Poor hubby - he got the short end of the stick with this one. Let’s just say I came up a little short with all my lofty vegan dinner plans for his birthday. In the spirit of sharing, this is how the day went.

My original menu plan included Dreena Burton’s Olive Oregano Wine Baked Tofu and Fran Costigan’s Coconut Cloud Layer Cake with accompanying Island Coconut Cream Filling & Frosting, from More Great Good Dairy-free Desserts - none of which I have ever made before. Let the mishaps begin.

My first error was neglecting to pick up a bottle of white wine for Dreena’s dish. This is disappointing, especially since I’d already picked up the special olives and grapes for the occasion. No biggie. I decide to make Veganomicon’s Pineapple Cashew Quinoa Stir-fry instead. I now turn my attention to the coconut cake. For this recipe I had thought I was well armed with all of the many ingredients needed and I was, save for one: coconut extract. There was no getting around this one unless I wanted to switch cakes. I generally don’t think it’s a good idea to omit or substitute ingredients when making something for the first time so I had little choice other than to head out into the world to find some coconut extract. Store number one, strike. Store number two, strike. Store number three, strike. Ninety precious minutes later at store number four, jackpot. Coconut extract in hand, I race back home. It is now after 1pm. Guests are set to arrive for dinner at 5pm. The icing for the cake requires 6 hours of chilling time to set. This is not good.

Stubbornly, I continue with my plan to make the coconut cake. The recipe says that the tofu can be pureed in either a blender or a food processor. I hadn’t yet opened my new food processor because I was unsure as to whether I had chosen the right sized machine (I picked up the 7-cup Kitchenaid model) and so hadn’t committed 100% to keeping it. So I chose the blender. It didn’t take long to see that my blender is clearly inadequate for the purposes of pureeing tofu which just sat on top of the blade, refusing to drop down and blend. I then painstakingly scraped out all that carefully measured tofu and transferred it into the now unpacked new food processor (guess I’m keeping it now). Now we’re blending - great, processor work’s like a charm. After adding the 27 or so other ingredients we now have a new problem: we are filled to the top of our 7-cup capacity container. This is obviously at odds with the clearly marked capacity line which sits about halfway up said bowl. At this point I’m not feeling too confident that those last few pulses are really combining the delicate ingredients as they should be. I put the icing mixture in a bowl, cover it up and throw it into the fridge to chill. It is now 3:15pm. It is painfully clear that there will be no cake today.

It is 3:15pm and dinner has not been started. Mom, sister, and grandmother are set to arrive at 5pm. I contemplate my next move while licking the spoon from the coconut icing bowl - taste’s awesome, incidentally. In a panic I decide to pare dinner way down to basics. No time for new and unfamiliar dishes so the Pineapple Cashew Quinoa Stir-fry is out the window. I turn to what has already become an old standby, Veganomicon’s Chickpea Cutlets. At this point I am so tired and frustrated I am tempted to throw the cutlets onto some naked plates unaccompanied - but there are potatoes on hand so why not give Veganomicon’s Lemony Roasted Potatoes a whirl. They only require 35 minutes of baking time after all. Bonus.

The Chickpea Cutlets are whipped up with Hubby’s very necessary assistance (cooking his own birthday dinner, how sad) and the Lemony Roasted Potatoes are assembled and thrown into the oven. Guests are arrived and waiting. Cutlets are finally done. When it’s time to take the potatoes out I discover I’ve made a critical omission - I have neglected to cover them tightly with foil and they are nowhere near cooked. Hubby distracts the crowd with some bread and an olive tapenade while I cover the potatoes with foil and throw them back in the oven - what’s another twenty minutes when your already an hour and a half late with dinner. This gives my grandmother extra time to notice my plants need dusting.

At approximately 6:30pm dinner is served. The two savoury dishes are well received. My sister requests a repeat of the potatoes for her upcoming birthday. There is no dessert.

After a day of rest I intend to revisit the Coconut Cake - the icing is now well chilled.

Today we enjoyed leftovers of Chickpea Cutlets and Lemony Roasted Potatoes.

Some seven or so years ago, before the Indigo-Chapters merger, the Indigo bookstore had its own (non-Starbucks) cafe. It was at this cafe that I enjoyed the best tea I have ever had in my life - its name, Eve’s Temptation. It was served in a tall glass with an open tea filter suspended by a wooden skewer that spanned the top. You could see the fragrant blend of apple and mango inside. Smooth and sweet - I have never tasted its equal. Then came the merger and the Indigo cafe was no more. Starbucks now stood in its stead.

Gone was the tea menu that had brought me so much joy.

Every subsequent trip to the tea isle of many a store included a vain search for Eve’s Temptation. I picked up more than a few apple-mango flavoured teas along the way. Nothing ever came close to the nirvana in a glass that was Eve’s Temptation. The acquisition of a new box of tea sometimes spurred the occasional Internet search which would always yield nothing. Until yesterday. Yesterday the search hit the mark. I found the end of the rainbow.

Hallelujah, SerendipiTea.

Eve’s Temptation, you will be mine again. SerendipiTea sells loose tea and they have an incredible array of them. They sell organic and fair trade tea as well as tea paraphernalia. Above all, they sell tea that tastes awesome and Eve’s Temptation is among them. I already knew I was nuts for Eve’s Temptation, simply consisting of two ingredients, apple and mango - so I put my order in for that and a few others which incorporated those ingredients and added a few more:

• Eve’s Temptation: Apple, Mango
• Chaucer’s Cup: Apple, Mango, Cloves, Cardamom, Ginger, Fruit, Spices
• Monk’s Mead: Apple, Mango, Chamomile
• Gaucho: Cloves, Cardamom, Ginger, Yerba Mate

The teas have inspired names that will appeal as much to your creative intellect as the tea will to your palate. I also ordered some of those funky open tea filters so I can recreate that original perfect experience in its entirety. I have a whole lot of tea coming my way. Finally.

Thus endeth the seven year quest to find the best tea ever. Ah, serendipiTea.

In a bid to expand my arsenal of vegan friendly sweeteners I picked up some barley malt syrup for the first time yesterday. First impression - I love its thick, honey-like consistency and sweetness. The hint of malt makes me imagine just how great it must be in baked goods. I’m thinking something spicy. There is much potential there. I will experiment and report back.

Speaking of baking - in an effort to challenge myself I have officially signed up to be a Daring Baker. Gulp. Look out for future posts in this regard. My first challenge will be in May.

In my quest to separate my sister from artificial sweeteners I also picked up another new sweetener at the natural food shop - Organic Zero made by Wholesome Sweeteners. This product is made from organic sugar. Its single ingredient, organic Erythritol, is described as highly digestible and naturally occurring in fermented foods, fruits and vegetables. A little research reveals it to be in the family of sugar alcohols. I’ve read that some have significant digestive difficulties with Xylitol, another sugar alcohol. In the (albeit limited) reading I’ve done on the topic, studies seem to indicate that Erythritol is much more easily tolerated in this regard. It is represented as being 70% as sweet as sugar so in testing it I increased my usual scant teaspoon by about 50%.

Impressions - for something that has no calories and a glycemic index of zero I was pretty happy with how it tasted. It doesn’t have an aftertaste like Stevia and I found that it behaved in pretty much the same way as sugar. It dissolved quickly, added no colour to my tea and sweetened it more than adequately. It’s a little on the pricey side - I paid about $10 for a box of 35 packets at my local natural food store - but surely it’s a better choice than artificial sweetener.

Hopefully my sister will agree and leave go that pack of aspartame for good.

Today I tried making vegan crêpes for the first time. I was raised on traditional crêpes so I was reticent about how these might turn out sans milk and egg. Enter the talented Dreena Burton and her cheerful tome, Eat, Drink, & be Vegan and her recipe for Breakfast Crêpes, et voilà - fabulicious results. I like my crêpes paper thin so I was quite happy that the batter obliged me in this regard. It struck the perfect balance between neither falling apart nor becoming in any way rubbery. The flax meal gave the batter such a sweet scent that I had to taste it more than a few times while I was standing in front of the stove. The flax also added some unexpected crispiness and a subtle nutty flavour to the crêpes which was also quite nice. For those with wheat aversions this recipe uses spelt flour - an added bonus for those with food sensitivities. Dreena’s recipe calls for fresh fruit as a filling, which I’m sure would have been amazing had I had any fruit on hand. Instead I used two different fruit spreads, strawberry rhubarb and apricot, and it was still heavenly. I shall turn my attention to pancakes next.

Some more evidence that my cookbook obsession knows no bounds - three more are on their way:

• Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen by Donna Klein
• More Great Good Dairy-Free Desserts by Fran Costigan
• Vice Cream by Jeff Rogers

Hubby picked Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen from my wish list of ten or so badly wanted vegan tomes. His interests lie in the savoury department while I remain obsessed with making cake and ice cream. There is a very intriguing recipe for green tea ice cream in Veganomicon that I intend to pair with Dreena’s 5-Spice Almond Cookies in ED&BV. I am determined to make ice cream sandwiches for our upcoming birthday party. I picked up my Matcha green tea powder on a recent trip to the natural food store (expensive stuff!) so I’m ready to rock. I haven’t entirely committed to a birthday cake but it’s looking more and more like it might be coconut.

Behold, today’s brunch.

When I heard about Dirt Candles I had to share. Firstly, the name is awesome - come on, Dirt…love it! But the cool philosophy behind the name makes it all the better.

The makers of Dirt describe themselves as ‘Raw. Pure. Real.’ They believe in all things natural, cruelty-free, charitable, and biodegradeable. Their soot-less, vegan candles are made using local organically grown soybeans and essential oils and are quite elegantly packaged using recycled glass and paper. Plus, in the spirit of giving back, a portion of their profits goes towards a list of charities that includes Peta, The Humane Society, and The Nature’s Conservancy among others.

You can buy Dirt in a multitude of U.S. stores, including online at Wildlife Works (they ship to Canada) and Room 6 in Vancouver, British Columbia (also check out the Sigg reusuable water bottles).

Smell good and feel good too.

I was flipping through the pages of a fashion mag today when I happened upon a small blurb about celebrity vegan Alicia Silverstone and a comment she made about a new line of makeup brushes made by EcoTools. If you know anything about makeup brushes you know that most of them are made with animal hair. What caught my eye about this particular line of brushes was the phrase ‘cruelty-free’. This merited some investigation I thought. A small bit of surfing later and after having read up on this delightful new product I’ve decided I must have them.

Not only are EcoTools made with cruelty free hair (they are made of taklon, a synthetic material), but they are also made using natural and recycled materials. The handles are made from the notoriously sustainable bamboo and the the metal cuffs are made from recycled aluminum cans. Even the reusable pouch is biodegradeable. Plus, the brushes are soft, the importance of which cannot be understated, and they were designed by a makeup professional who knows how these things are supposed to work. We want our brushes to be as comfortable to use as they are effective. They’re also really attractive and chances are, if you’re applying makeup, looks probably matter to you.

As if they didn’t already sound amazing enough, EcoTools has also joined up with 1% For The Planet, an organization made up of businesses that contribute 1% of their sales to environmental groups around the globe. Cruelty-free? Check. Environmentally conscious? Check. Sustainable? Check. Recyclable? Check. Girly? Check. Sounds like a winner to me.

Joy of joys, Angel Food, the makers of the excitedly anticipated vegan marshmallow kit, have instituted PayPal and my kit is on its way from New Zealand! I’ll be sure to write a follow-up post attesting to their greatness. I can certainly attest to Angel Food’s swift and friendly customer service.

Forgive the spare posts of late - I am suffering from a pinched nerve in my neck which has basically immobilized me. I still can’t turn left. I’m moving around rather ineptly and somewhat like a stiff 50’s B-movie robot. It’s not pretty.

On a fabulous note I have found my digital camera which had recently gone AWOL - so I’ll be augmenting these posts which some nice eye candy in no time. I’ve also stocked my pantry fairly well and have started to delve into Veganomicon, and Eat, Drink, and be Vegan - now that the camera is back I can start documenting my vegan travels.

I recently got into a tempestuous argument over the useful shelf-life of garlic - a serious argument. I was asked to leave the kitchen.

My experience with garlic has always been that, sure, while it’s best used as soon as possible as most things are, it has some shelf-longevity in it. I know that if some green sprouts appear that those taste bitter. If it dries out and shrivels up, that’s not particularly appealing. But if it’s none of these things - if it’s been on the counter for a few weeks and remains nicely formed, firm and intact, why can’t I use it? Hubby would have me toss all that perfectly good garlic into the compost. He also thinks that if an apple has a spot on it it’s gone off - and he has to remove more than several of the outer layers of any leafy green. Neurotic - or sensible? Am I cavalier with the vegetables?

All this talk about vegetable safety got me thinking about organic versus non-organic produce. I’ve made a concerted effort to include more fresh produce in my diet of late. Where before it maybe wasn’t too difficult to buy mostly organic - today, with my fridge literally stuffed with produce, it’s becoming a bit more of an issue for my wallet. I picked up strawberries at the market the other day, the non-organic sort - freakishly large specimens. There were no organic strawberries to be found and a craving’s a craving. Hubby turned his nose up at them. More (chemicals) for me. Actually, it wasn’t too long ago that I was reading up on the worst offenders, pesticide-wise, and strawberries were on the bad list along with celery, apples and leafy greens, even potatoes. Bananas, which I almost always buy organic, are not on the bad list.

It makes perfect sense that the items possessing a thicker skin fare better in terms of pesticide exposure. Bananas. Plantains. Coconuts. So basically I only really have to worry about 99% of my produce. If money were no object I’d buy anything and everything organic. My recent excited anticipation over diving into my new cookbooks required a mad dash to the supermarkets and featured many an organic staple from arrowroot to xanthan gum. Where these pantry items should last me a while, fresh produce needs to be picked up at a much higher frequency - and the organic sort is somewhat of a budget killer for me. After my recent sugar enlightenment I started buying three varieties of organic sugar (regular, turbinado and powdered) from Wholesome Sweeteners who guarantee that there are no animal products present in them (the bone char was my issue with the sugar and not the desire to go organic with it). Ah, money (cue Apprentice money theme here).

With regard to the garlic issue - my lengthy investigative work has yielded the following information: garlic is best kept stored in a cool, dry place and will stay fresh for two or more weeks depending on ambient humidity and temperature. My kitchen counter is cool and dry. So ha.

I love homemade marshmallows and, before I went Veg, I enjoyed a considerable amount of them. For years I searched in vain for a vegan marshmallow recipe that actually works. I know that there are several companies that make vegan marshmallows that you can purchase, okay in a pinch, but you haven’t had a marshmallow until you’ve had them fresh and making them yourself is so much more fun. Plus there’s the added bonus of being able to cut them into giant pieces. And they look awesome piled up like giant fluffy building blocks on a nice plate. As I was saying, finding a vegan marshmallow recipe is no easy task. The ingredient causing all the grief is gelatin, or the lack thereof. What to replace it with?

There are several vegan gelatin replacement possibilities, each having different properties: pectin, agar flakes or powder, xanthan gum, carrageenan, locust bean gum. Finding the appropriate replacement or combination thereof is not so easy. The difficulty in making an acceptable vegan marshmallow likely lies in the science. The vegan gelatin substitutes I just listed are carbohydrates whereas gelatin is a protein. What to do when one wants big, soft, fluffy marshmallows. Well hallelujah, it looks like my marshmallow quest might be over. I recently happened upon the website of a New Zealand company called Angel Food. They make lovely indulgent fresh baked goods and confections and everything is gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free and vegan. They promise that no gluten or animal products are ever used in their kitchen, so no worries about cross-contamination. They also don’t use hydrogenated oils, artificial flavouring, or colouring - so cheers to our health.

Now, here comes the really exciting part. Not only do they sell packages of what look like quite delightful vegan marshmallows, but they also sell vegan marshmallow making kits. Genius. You get to add the sugar, water, syrup, vanilla essence and starch or coconut and they provide the properly balanced missing element. They even have a very informative marshmallow making video to guide you through the process once you’ve procured your kit. They also sell a range of delicious vegan and gluten-free treats like apple-walnut cake, ginger spice cupcakes, and rich coconut fudge - and they ship internationally. Joygasm. Normally I’d prefer writing this after actually having tried the product but my marshmallow enthusiasm got the better of me. I’ll write a follow up post after I’ve received my marshmallow making kit and dish. I have high hopes. Big fluffy marshmallows, here I come.

I’m always chuffed when I discover a great new product that is environmentally friendly, sustainable, and cruelty-free - so I was thrilled to discover Smudgepot. Smudgepot was started by Michelle Palmer, a Toronto-based esthetician and make-up artist. Michelle developed the line of skincare products with the desire to create something that was completely vegan-friendly and chemical free. The products, which address the needs of varying skin types, are made in small batches using fresh, quality ingredients, free from synthetic dyes and perfumes. The medley of essential oils make each product smell fantastic. With an eye towards the environment, Michelle has also made an effort to keep packaging to a minimum and encourages people to either recycle or reuse. I always appreciate the fine look of things and, since we’re on the topic, Smudgepot’s packaging is beautifully simple - a synthesis of aluminum and glass that looks fabulous on my shelf.

If you do Facebook, Michelle started a Smudgepot group page and fan page to promote the brand and get feedback. She welcomes questions and feedback and is as knowledgeable on the topic of skincare as she is generous with her time. She happily advised me in my quest to find something suitable for my problem skin (super oily, yet thirsty and ultra-sensitive). Oh, did I mention it’s Canadian made? Extra bonus.

You can find Smudgepot in Toronto at Heart on Your Sleeve and online at YourMomma.

I spent yesterday in the city with hubby. Well, we headed down together then he went to his meeting at the cool new studio and I went to the salon for some colour first aid. Afterwards, I had too much fun trolling through the isles of Whole Foods Market. Only I could get that excited browsing through a supermarket. They do have some very nice organic and healthy merchandise though. I’m still kicking myself for not bringing one of their vegan chocolate cakes home. Their bakery is to die for. Ah, I’ve only myself to blame. Stupid, stupid, stupid me.

I did pick up a beautiful bag that I’d been looking for. It’s a lovely spacious green organic cotton bag with orange Koi fish printed on the side - I’ve been coveting it since first laying eyes on it online at Heart on Your Sleeve. Very cool. I also picked up some EFA oil from Vega that I’d been meaning to pick up for some time. Gotta get those essential fatty acids in. Green & Black organic hot chocolate, organic almonds, organic figs. Organic seems to be the theme of the day. The almonds are magnificent - full, plump, sweet, just gorgeous. I didn’t do too bad. Met up with an old friend and had a good laugh over cappuccino, three actually, while we waited for hubby to join us after his meeting. Good times. By the time we arrived home I was exhausted and couldn’t wait to get off my feet.

I’ve been known to extol the virtues of what I like to call the Breakfast of Champions (quinoa & steel cut oat porridge with almond milk). Today I tried a variation - 3 to 1 oat to quinoa ratio (instead of half and half) and the full dose of cinnamon and raisins (I’d cut back on those the last time around). Didn’t turn out too differently. Hubby hated it but he ate it anyway at my urging. I’m committed to making more of an effort to prepare good food. On that note my new books arrived today, two of which are vegan cookbooks: Veganomicon and Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan. Dreena Burton, who wrote ED&BV, has kindly pointed me in the direction of her Flickr gallery to navigate the book and try to pick something wonderful to start with. So I’m looking forward to some serious good food. Another friend and fellow foody, Ryan, posted some absolutely awesome pics on FB of some dishes he had recently prepared and kindly shared the recipes with me. I also really want to try Clotilde’s recently posted Carottes et Betteraves Râpées (shredded carrot and beet salad). Coincidently, beets are also featured in one of Ryan’s recipes - also in a salad but this time cooked. Lots of inspiring things to choose from. Time to get cooking.

I have often expressed the desire to write more regularly and with more focus. Enter Jason Doucette and his Taste Better! newsletter with the challenge therein to start a veg-focused blog. Since this was one of the ideas I had already been considering I jumped at the idea. Activism, advocacy, animal rights, sustainability, the environment, food, and all things veg-friendly are important to me so I’m looking forward to rising to this challenge. Will consider over ginger tea.