Birthday celebration at Kindfood and Kelly’s Bake Shoppe

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

It’s been a busy May so far and a most delicious one too! My birthday, the anniversary of my blog, the Virtual Vegan Potluck and Mother’s Day all fell in the same week! All great excuses to indulge in some treats.My birthday wish was to have a meal at my all-time favourite restaurant, Kindfood. You might recall the review from my last visit here.

I’ll cut to the chase: Kindfood gets everything right. The nicest staff and owners. The greatest location, right by the lake so you can eat out on the patio overlooking the water, or take a short walk to the lakefront after your meal. (Too bad it’s an hour drive for us, but it’s worth it!) Kindfood has the best food. The food is everything you’d want: healthy ingredients that taste AMAZING and allergy-friendly to boot: gluten-free, peanut-free, refined sugar-free and vegan. What else could you ask for in a restaurant?

One minor drawback we’ve encountered with Kindfood in the past is that their café is so small that seating was quite cramped. They fixed that a few months ago when they renovated to make the dining area larger and we enjoyed this improvement. Kindfood has amassed quite a loyal following in the few years they’ve been open and the place is always packed whenever we’ve gone; the roomier redesign helps the place more comfortable. They also opened a sister café, Kelly’s Bake Shoppe so those who just want their famous cupcakes and other treats can head over there.

The entire time we ate there, there was a line of customers from the register to the front door, but don’t be discouraged if you see this when you go; the line moves fast and food comes quickly. (Don’t you hate visiting restaurants with so few staff on that service takes way too long?) Our food was served less than ten minutes after ordering which we found impressive. (When you eat out with kids, this is SO appreciated).

We ordered a mix of our favourites and some dishes we hadn’t ordered before. We can’t go without getting their Caesar salad, mac and cheese and Reuben (below), which we all loved this time, everything was top notch. The food is very kid-friendly too; both our children tried and loved everything we ordered.

We picked two new items to try: the BLAT (vegan bacon, lettuce, avocado and tomato) sandwich (above). It was very good, we liked the carrot shreds, and the vegan bacon bits were nice.

Hubby ordered the California burger (above) and was I ever glad I talked him into sharing half with me! I can’t recall a tastier sandwich, ever. Truly outstanding. Our very favourite item now and we can’t wait to go back and eat it again! The only drawbacks to the sandwiches are that they are small, due to the size of the bread, but I just don’t think you can find gluten-free bread that has the same rise and texture of wheat bread (correct me if I’m wrong). Kindfood uses Organic Works Quinoa Maple Bread. They used to use Quinoa Honey Bread but it wasn’t true to Kinfood’s vegan values, so Organic Works actually created their Quinoa Maple Bread at Kindfood’s request. I met Organic Works’ owner and creator Peter Cuddy a couple of months ago and he let me sample all his breads. The Quinoa Maple is the most delicious, and he confirmed the bread’s story of its creation. Now anyone can buy delicious vegan gluten-free bread.

After our lunch, we took the one minute stroll around the corner to their sister cafe, Kelly’s Bake Shoppe. The place is gorgeous: hard wood floors, crystal chandeliers, stone counters, crown molding; even the powder room was a thing of beauty.
Like Kindfood, Kelly’s Bake Shoppe goodies are free of dairy, eggs, gluten, refined sugar, peanuts and artificial colours.

The amazing flavours of cupcakes included: Vanilla Bean, Red Velvet, Chocolate Mint, Chocolate Raspberry Truffle, Black Magic, Dulce De Leche (Hubby’s favourite), Cookies’n Cream.

HOLY DELICIOUSNESS BATMAN, HOW DO YOU CHOOSE?!!!!

I chose the coffee flavoured cupcake which was topped with a miniature DONUT, how cute is that?! It was awesome.

We also bought chocolate covered donuts and cake balls. The cake balls were an afterthought, we didn’t think they would be as special as the cupcakes, but we were wrong, they were insanely delicious! Imagine a dense chocolate cupcake with chunks of coconut, encased in chocolate. Then take that deliciousness and times it by a hundred and that’s how good it was. So good we had to go back to the store for more!

Hubby also enjoyed a coconut milk latte. I’m not a coffee fan but I had a taste it was really good!

Since Kelly’s and Kindfood are just a hop, skip and a jump from Lake Ontario, we took the kids to the playground on the lakefront and had a great afternoon.
A big thank you to Kelly, Erin, Mike and the Kindfood team for another wonderful meal. If you are anywhere near Burlington, Ontario, I highly recommend paying a visit to these fabulous restaurants!

Kindfood is located at 399 John Street, Burlington, ON.

Kelly’s Bake Shoppe is located around the corner at 401 Brant Street, Burlington, ON.

What I Ate Wednesday #119

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

The other day I made reservations at a restaurant, and asked if they could accommodate vegans. The person on the phone said “Vegan, huh? That must be tough not eating any grains at all.” I replied “oh, I eat grains; I just don’t eat animal products.” “Well…. I’m sure the kitchen could give you some …ah…fruit?”

The interaction was a good reminder that many people don’t know what it means to be vegan or can’t imagine the diversity of delicious healthy foods there to choose from. This would be a good time for another What I Ate Wednesday: a tour of the foods I eat in a typical day, a blog game I haven’t played in a while that’s been going strong for 119 weeks now!

Pre-Breakfast: a cup of warm water and lemon juice, great for digestion, followed by a cup of chai green tea.

Breakfast: Strawberry-Almond Oatmeal. I took my Date and Walnut Oatmeal, subbed almonds for the walnuts, and topped with all-fruit (unsweetened) jam and granola. Yum!

Lunch: Hummus Tempeh Wrap: whole wheat pita, Red Pepper & Hemp Heart Hummus (recipe here), baby spinach, kale, tempeh, sun-dried tomatoes and Cashew Sour Cream (recipe from Meghan Telpner here).

Snacks: a banana, and later, a handful of almonds and a few pieces of Camino dark chocolate with coconut. Camino bars are little pieces of heaven.

Dinner: Buffalo cauliflower wings and deluxe veggie pizza. I’ve mentioned the buffalo cauliflower wings before, they are awesome! Check out Keepin’ It Kind for the recipe. It’s one of the few ways I can get my kids to eat cauliflower. Instead of topping our pizza with it, we used the cauliflower as a side dish and loaded a store-bought pizza with all the toppings we could: Daiya, mushrooms, broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, pineapple, Italian Seasoning, veggie peperoni, asparagus and red onion. Delicious! One of our favourite dinners we’ve had in a while.

I’m submitting this wonderful day of eating to What I Ate Wednesdays #119, with thanks to Peas and Crayons for hosting.

Vegan Easter

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Easter weekend, filled with peace, friends and family. This Easter we enjoyed all the fun and deliciousness of Easter family traditions I’ve enjoyed yearly since I was a child: an egg hunt, a savoury roast for dinner, and lots of chocolate, and it wasn’t too difficult to make it all vegan!

Here’s a rundown of the great food and fun our family enjoyed this weekend:

Brunch: Buckwheat Belgian waffles with Cinnamon Maple Cream Cheese Spread. The recipe for the delicious topping is from Keepin’ it Kind and found here.

Lunch: I recently discovered Magnolia Café in downtown Guelph, which is all-vegetarian and mostly vegan and gluten-free. From their website: “At Magnolia, our love for food and passion for community means that we are committed to mindful and sustainable food practices and specialize in sourcing local, seasonal, fresh and organic produce in all our delicious and healthy offerings.”

One of the many things I enjoyed about Magnolia is that the kitchen is open concept (in fact, you have to walk right through it if you visit the rest rooms), so you can watch your food being prepared and see the high quality ingredients being used. Here’s what we ordered:

Green Goddess Rice Bowl
From their menu: “Brown rice bowl topped with broccoli, kale, snap peas, bok choy, marinated tofu and garnished with shredded carrots, mung bean sprouts and sunflower seeds. Choice of homemade lemon tahini or Thai peanut sauce.”

Magnolia Red Dragon Rice Bowl
From their menu: “Brown rice bowl topped with roasted red peppers, beets, carrots red onions, marinated tofu and garnished with fresh tomatoes, mung bean sprouts and sunflower seeds. Choice of homemade lemon tahini or Thai peanut sauce.”

South Indian Coconut, Vegetables and Chickpea Curry Bowl
From their menu: “Curried Vegetables and Chickpeas with Coconut Milk served on brown rice garnished with toasted coconut, mung bean sprouts and fresh cilantro.”

For dessert, we couldn’t resist these adorable chocolate lavender Easter ducky cupcakes!

We also tried their chocolate raspberry banana muffins and their raw “sun balls” (sunflower seeds, peanut butter, coconut, maple syrup and currants). Out of their desserts, I like the sun balls best.

The food was all quite tasty and very healthy tasting (not loaded with oil and salt like many restaurants), with all of us agreeing that the Red Dragon Rice Bowl and the sun balls were the most delicious items we tried.

Magnolia café is located at 88 Yarmouth Street, Guelph, Ontario.

Saturday’s family dinner: We tried the Gardein holiday roast for the first time, wanting to change it up from the usual Tofurky roasts we usually make for holidays. The consensus was….. Gardein was good but not nearly as delicious as Tofurky brand. For taste and texture, Tofurky wins hands down!
Sunday’s family dinner: We had one of the most delicious meals ever for Easter dinner thanks to my mother’s Somi — a Middle Eastern dish — which are Swiss chard rolls filled with rice, chickpeas, tomatoes, herbs and spices and cooked until it has a buttery texture. It’s quite time-consuming to make so it’s reserved for special occasions. I have never seen Somi in a cookbook or on a restaurant menu, I’ve never even tried to make it myself, I’ve only ever enjoyed them when homemade by my mother or grandmother; consequently, Somi feels like our very own family secret. It might look like a humble dish, but I have no words for how delicious it is. We paired it with a kale and almond salad with lemon and oil dressing. Spectacular!

Dessert: We kept it simple and enjoyed fresh berries and mango.

Then…….the egg hunt! There are many reasons to avoid buying the traditional chocolate bunnies and eggs. Not only have cows suffered for the milk, but most chocolate is produced by child slavery.
If you’re going to go with chocolate, pretty pretty please make it vegan and fair trade! A bonus if you find them organic too! Which brands can you trust? Not the big guys like Nestle and Cadbury, sadly. See the list of fair trade chocolate makers here on Food is Power and check which brands do dairy-free. Some good ones are Chocosol, Camino, Edensoy, Nature’s Path, and Sweet & Sara.

When our oldest was a preschooler, we bought plastic eggs that can be filled with whatever treats you like, and we’ve used these every year since. After the fun of the egg hunt is the thrill of opening them to see what goodies are inside, and every egg can be a little bit different. You can fill them with fun treats like stickers, Panda licorice, teeny toys, costume jewellery, raisins, nuts, coins and chocolate chips (we like Camino vegan chips which are also fair trade certified).
It was such a delicious weekend, I am submitting this post to What I Ate Wednesdays, with thanks to Peas and Crayons for hosting!

My favourite chocolate chip cookie with a surprising healthy ingredient

Posted on February 8, 2013 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

These are one of my most favourite recipes, and certainly my favourite cookie. Better than a basic chocolate chip cookie, these have the lovely texture of flaked coconut and something that tastes almost like a soft macadamia nut. It’s not a nut at all, it’s super-healthy chickpeas, low if fat and packed with protein, fiber, zinc and folate. Baked into a chocolate chip cookie, the chickpea flavour is undetectable. I love that I can put these into my kid’s school lunch as a nut-free treat.

I can’t take credit for the idea of adding chickpeas to cookies, that came from the Deceptively Delicious cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld (Jerry Seinfeld’s wife). Her book isn’t vegetarian but it does have some great idea for hiding healthy ingredients into treat foods. Beyond veganizing Mrs. Seinfeld’s recipe, I’ve decreased the sugar and added whole grain flours, flax, molasses, cinnamon and coconut. You can’t get healthier cookies that taste this decadent!

Coconut & Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 cup sugar (I use turbinado)
3/4 cup Earth Balance Organic Coconut Flavoured Spread or other vegan margarine
2 tbsp molasses
1 tbsp flax in 3 tbsp water, mixed and set aside
2 tsp alcohol-free vanilla extract
2 cup flour (I used half whole wheat or whole spelt and half all-purpose flour)
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup mini vegan chocolate chips (I use Camino Semi-Sweet chips which are also organic and fair trade)

Start by pinching the skins off the chickpeas. It doesn’t take that long (I enlist my oldest child for this task) and you’ll get a much nicer texture if you remove and discard the skins. Cream the sugar and margarine, then add the molasses, flax mixture and vanilla. In a bowl, combine the flours, oats, coconut, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add to the wet mixture and combine. Add in the chickpeas and chocolate chips and stir gently.

Form into cookies about 2 tbsp each (I use a 2″ spring-loaded ice cream scoop) and drop onto cookie sheet topped with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes. Yield = about 18 cookies. I am submitting this recipe to Healthy Vegan Fridays.

5 recipes I’m loving lately

Posted on January 27, 2013 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

Hi friends,

As much as I love developing recipes, I’ve been short on time these days, and haven’t been branching out beyond my repertoire of tried, tested and true recipes. In addition to full-time work, I started grad school this month! I am equally excited and freaking out. A master’s degree has been on my to-do list for a while, and this year felt like the right time to dive in. The extra activity on my plate is why you haven’t heard much from me these past few weeks, and while I may be posting less often than previously. (Though, I can be a terrible procrastinator when I’m under deadline, so perhaps when the school work gets intense, I’ll be blogging plentifully. During my last round of school I took up hand-stitching baby quilts and my house was always very clean).

I can’t take credit for any of the following wonderful recipes, but I’ve linked to the original blog post or book’s website. Here’s what I’ve been whipping up lately…..

Apple Pie Oatmeal from Oh She Glows. Recipe here. When I give my kids this oatmeal for breakfast, they think they are getting a treat. It tastes like the sweet cinnamon filling of apple pie, but with plenty of protein thanks to the oats and nuts. Filling and delicious! If you want to change it up, Angela has plenty more oatmeal recipes to choose from on her blog, like the Sweet Potato Oatmeal Breakfast Casserole.

Pasta with Easy Breezy Cheesy Sauce from Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, and posted here on her blog The Post Punk Kitchen. I reduce the amount of water to make it thicker and creamier. For the fastest mac ‘n cheese ever, I keep a container of the dry mix in the pantry, then mix with hot water and a smidge of mustard, blend, and add to cooked pasta and veggies. To keep it really simple, I reserve the pasta cooking water for the sauce. Use it any place you’d use a creamy cheese sauce: over steamed broccoli, poured on baked potatoes or nachos (thanks, Mary, for that idea!). In the photo above I’ve used the cheesy sauce over perogies with fresh herbs and coconut bacon.
Cinnamon Bun Granola from Tiny Treats by Lisa Pitman and Nicole Axworthy. This granola is so good we have it for breakfast, for snacks and as an ice cream topping for dessert! I never would have thought to add buckwheat to my granola, but what a great texture it adds! You can buy the e-cookbook through the authors’ blogs A Dash of Compassion or Vegan Culinary Crusade. A lovely bonus is a third of the proceeds are donated to the Elephant Nature Park, a sanctuary in Northern Thailand, if you need one more reason to support this awesome project!

Jambalaya from Peas and Thank You by Sarah Matheny. A hearty and filling meal that’s fast and easy, if rice is already cooked. In the photo above, I’ve used a mix of brown rice and millet instead of just rice, to change it up. I use Field Roast Apple Sage sausages which add just a bit of sweetness to the Jambalaya. If you can handle spicy foods, try the Field Roast Mexican Chipotle sausages — they would compliment the jambalaya perfectly but are too spicy for me!

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Almond Cookies, another winner from Nicole of A Dash of Compassion. Recipe here. Just eight ingredients mean you can whip these babies up in five minutes. These not-so-sweet cookies are flour-less, high in protein, and their texture is like a melt-in-your-mouth shortbread! Try adding the ingredients into the pot of melted coconut oil and the heat will melt the chips into a chocolate swirl.
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In other news, I’ve organized a vegan potluck in Waterloo next Saturday, February 2nd at noon. I love potlucks and hope it will be a nice opportunity for vegans and vegan-friendly people in the Waterloo area to connect. All are welcome: vegans, non-vegans, adults, kids. If you’re able to join us, please see the event page on facebook here. Join us if you can!
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October’s Vegan Food Swap

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

There is something so exciting about getting a package in the mail, especially when you know it contains delicious treats! It makes me feel like a kid again. October was the fifth month I’ve participated in Vegan Food Swap, a foodie pen pal program. This month, I was partnered with Carrie from Carrie 30×30 and Kim from Canadian Vegan Girl.

Here is what Kim gifted me with this month!….

Organic Quinoa: A great healthy pantry staple! I’ll be using this soon.

Oskri Coconut Dark Chocolate bar: I loved the taste! It tasted so much like a Bounty candy bar that I used to eat as a kid, but this time without the sugar, milk and preservatives.

Level Ground Tropical Fruit: mango, pineapple and bananas dried without sulfites, preservative or sugar, just pure fruit. Lovely! I love using my dehydrator to dry fruit but hadn’t tried coconut or mangoes yet, I’ll have to try that myself. Level Ground also produces coffee and uses fair trade practices.

Fruit Source Plus bar: dried fruit and veggies bar. I love these for my purse or my kid’s lunch box.

Camino peanut butter bar: I love Camino chocolate bars so much I sent one to my swap partner this month too! This one tastes a lot like Reese peanut butter cups, which is to say, DELICIOUS! I think my husband eats a Camino peanut butter bar once a week. One of the reasons we buy Camino brand chocolate (like cacao powder, chocolate chips, etc) is that they are certified fair trade in an industry where child labour practices are sadly rampant. Please buy fair trade chocolate! (Who can you trust? Here’s a list by Food Is Power.) A bonus is that Camino chocolate is organic and produced by Canadian company La Siembra.

Haldiram’s Moong Dal: My favourite treat from the swap box and one I’d never even heard of before. Moong Dal is salted fried mung beans. I would describe them as a cross between potato chips and rice krispies and completely addictive. I’ve never seen them in stores but I will hunt for them!

Thank you very much, Kim! I appreciate your thoughtfulness.

Meanwhile, my other partner Carrie received my swap package. Carrie is not a vegan but is trying a vegan month so I wanted to give her some basics to help her enjoy being vegan. Before I committed to veganism (which seemed terribly daunting to a cheese lover), I tried an all-vegan day, then an all-vegan week, then an all-vegan month. If you’re thinking about making the switch to veganism, I promise it’s not as arduous or complicated as you might think. Just give it a try.

Here’s what I sent to Carrie:

–Gingersnaps

–Green Vibrance superfood drink mix

–Homemade chocolate-pear granola

–Assorted teas

–Hemp hearts

–Camino Almond Butter chocolate bar

–Nutritional yeast

I hope she likes it all!

Want to sign up for Vegan Food Swap and get your own box of surprise treats delivered to your door? Contact the awesome Canadian hostess MeShell from In Your City and sign up for November!

This is post #19 for Vegan MoFo and #20 is being posted tomorrow at midnight for the Virtual Vegan Potluck link up party, which means…. I did it! 20 posts in one month, phew! You’ll excuse me if I post far less often in future, you’re probably tired of me anyway!

See you tomorrow for the online potluck and then….. have a wonderful November!

Update: Here is Carrie’s blog post on my goodie package to her: http://carrie30x30.blogspot.ca/2012/10/vegan-food-swap-haul.html.

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

Whether you’re Canadian or not, I hope you all had a wonderful weekend full of family, friends, good food, and more blessings than you can count! I am grateful that I did!
I had grand plans to make a seitan roast from scratch for Thanksgiving Sunday dinner, but in the end, convenience won, and I bought a Tofurky roast. For those who are unfamiliar with them, Tofurky roasts are a blend of tofu, wheat and spices complete with a centre of wild rice and breadcrumb stuffing. Completely vegan and absolutely delicious! I especially appreciate that the company Turtle Foods uses soy that is organic and non-GMO, and all their products are vegan and free of preservatives and artificial ingredients. In addition to their roasts, I love Tofurky’s deli slices, frozne pizza (with Daiya), Smoky Maple Bacon Marinated Tempeh and Kielbasa Sausages. Yum yum yum!

I surrounded the roast with parsnips and potatoes then drizzled all with a marinade of equal parts olive oil and soy sauce mixed with poultry seasoning, then sprinkled with sea salt, black pepper and fresh sprigs of rosemary and cooked it at 350 degrees for 90 minutes.
Rounding out Thanksgiving dinner: carrots, beans and quinoa tabouleh. For dessert, I made my stuffed dates, one of the tastiest desserts you can put together in five minutes. This weekend’s medjool dates were stuffed with hazelnut butter and chocolate chips.

Stuffed Dates

medjool dates
your favourite nut butter
chocolate chips, nuts or dried fruit

Slice each date lengthwise, just far enough to remove the pit. Fill with the nut butter and top with chocolate. For a completely raw option, use raw nut butters, raw nuts and dehydrator-dried fruit. Chill until you’re ready to serve.

What served as your main dish for Thanksgiving? I’m looking forward to perusing all the Vegan MoFo thanksgiving posts!

Fuel your body and mind at Thrive Juice Bar

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

I am often asked for recommendations for places to eat near my work in Waterloo, and I don’t have to think long before giving my answer: Thrive Juice Bar. The place used to be quiet, the best kept secret in town. A place to sip your Coconut Cashew Medjool Date smoothie in peace. But now the word is out and the place is almost always packed, a line occasionally snaking out the door. Beyond having the most delicious food in town, the staff are friendly and the decor is modern and gorgeous — overall a very enjoyable place to eat.
Thrive started as a vegetarian gourmet health food restaurant with vegan options with the motto “fuel your body, fuel your mind”; last year they announced they would be exclusively vegan, though their menu options so accessible and delicious (no “weird hippie food” or fake meat here) our omnivore friends are just as addicted as my husband and I. You’ll hardly believe that food this tasty is good for you. They say they are the “freshest, cleanest and greenest establishment in town” and I would have to agree!

Here are some of the food we’ve enjoyed there lately:
Black Bean Chipotle and Avocado burger. Thrive’s veggie burger has been evolving since they opened in 2010 and they have all been delicious. It’s latest incarnation is a bit spicy, so if you like your burgers with a bit of a kick, you’re in luck. Also, if you like your burgers so generously humongous they can hardly fit in your mouth, you are also in luck. Tip: you can ask for your burger on bread instead of the big buns. It’s served with chips, salsa and hot peppers on the side.
The Big Green Sandwich. Avocado, sprouts, cucumbers and more with a delicious garlic aioli sauce. My husband’s favourite item on the menu.
The Thai Wrap. Sesame tempeh, sprouts, greens and a sweet chili sauce that goes perfectly. I’ve ordered this one at least ten times, it’s one of my favourites.

Falafel Wrap. This item is newer so I’ve only had it once but it was hearty and tasty. The sauce is an edamame hummus with tahini garlic dressing that’s very nice.
The Little Big Kids Meal. A grilled cheese made with Daiya and served with tortilla chips, sprouts, pickles and a green juice. My kids love it all, including the green juice.
Chocolate cupcakes. These were absolutely wonderful. Sweet but not too sugary. We got this one for my hubby’s birthday. The dessert options change regularly, so you’ll have to go in and see what the chef has prepared fresh that day.
Juices and Smoothies! These smoothies will ruin you for all other smoothie bars. I’ve tried so many smoothies from fancy juice bars and none are as good as Thrive’s. The Coconut Medjool Date smoothie is absolutely addictive and tastes like dessert. If you only try one item on the menu, this should be it. Others we love are the Kale Mojito, Chocolate Avocado Ganache and the Big Red Smoothie and the Big Purple smoothie. Thrive are affiliated with Brendan Brazier (the vegan endurance athlete who wrote the Thrive book series) and the VEGA products so in addition to being able to enhance your drinks with assorted supplements, you can buy VEGA products there too. Assorted hot beverages are also served.

Other items on the menu we recommend: the pad thai noodle salad, the Mediterranean rice bowl, the caesar sprout salad and the A.L.T. (avocado, lettuce and tempeh).
A couple of notes if you are planning a visit: their menu online is not up to date, you’ll have to pop in to see the current offerings which change seasonally (so don’t get your hopes up for pizza). While there is an item for kids on the menu, we don’t find it the best place to bring young children as there are no highchairs and the chairs are high and tippy; I find it best to leave the kids at home and enjoy a nice lunch out with grownups or get a takeout meal. There are gluten-free and raw options. The soup of the day is always excellent. Check their hours before you go, they are not open for a late dinner. The prices may be higher than you’d expect for lunch but portions are generous and ingredients are often organic and locally-sourced, well worth it for a high quality meal.

Thanks to Thrive and especially passionate owner Jonnie Karan, for showing Waterloo that vegan can easily be the healthiest and the most delicious food you can find!

Thrive Juice Bar is located in the Bauer Lofts at 191 King Street, Waterloo, Ontario.

Peaches, tomatoes and my favourite sandwich

Posted on August 22, 2012 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

Is there anything better than a lazy summer Sunday afternoon to do nothing but hang with your favourite people and eat good food? I had one of those lovely days this weekend which makes it the perfect day for a “What I Ate Wednesdays” submission to Peas and Crayons, the weekly blog link-up.

Two weeks ago, a friend gave me an organic tree-ripened Ontario peach and I couldn’t believe the taste difference between it and grocery store peaches. Not only that, Ontario peaches are hard to find right now due to the insane spring weather we had –summer temperatures in March brought out fruit flowers, then an April frost damaged most of them, leaving no fruit to ripen. A heartbreak to the tune of $100 million for Ontario fruit farmers. My friend shared the source of her stash: The Petters, a family business that organizes and disperses orders of organic produce from Palatine, a farm in Niagara known for its commitment to ethical farming and amazing tree-ripened fruit. They reportedly were immensely lucky that their trees survived when neighbouring farms were ruined. I understand that they are not certified organic but don’t use traditional pesticides. We also ordered a basket of heirloom tomatoes and they are just as spectacularly fresh and delicious as the peaches.
Above: Zabu inspects our produce order

There are 8 locations in southern Ontario where you can pick up Palatine produce, thanks to the Petters. I’ve been eating fresh peaches and tomatoes daily and will be sorry when summer is over and these wonderful local gems are gone for another year.

Here’s what I ate Sunday:

Breafkast: Spinach-banana smoothie, a cup of chocolate hazelnut tea and a fresh peach

Snack: Mary’s organic crackers and Daiya wedges with garlic-stuffed olives.

I have been eagerly anticipating the launch of Daiya wedges for months. I finally found them a week ago and the verdict is: good but not quite the texture I was hoping for. The cheddar one tastes too artificial for my liking, bringing me memories of Cheez Whiz, something I haven’t eaten since I was about 10. The jack style one and havarti were tastier.

Lunch: Tomato and hummus sandwich with fresh greens, another peach and two chocolate banana cookies (currently my most popular recipe, click the link for the recipe).

I’m slightly obsessed with fresh tomato and hummus sandwiches these days. Definitely my favourite sandwich and a summer staple. I make my own hummus with a secret ingredient! I’ll reveal when I post the recipe soon. Also on the sandwich: baby spinach, onion, cucumber and black pepper. Delish!

Dinner: Delicious and a bit indulgent creamy avocado chickpea pasta (click the link for the recipe) and carrot sticks. We ate on the deck, enjoying the wonderful weather.

Dessert: Frozen chocolate banana bites (click the link for the recipe). Bananas dipped in chocolate, coconut and sprinkles and frozen until they taste like chunks of ice cream. Heavenly on a summer day!

Thanks to Jenn for hosting another What I Ate Wednesdays.

Frozen Chocolate Banana Bites

Posted on August 19, 2012 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

One of my favourite childhood summer memories was making (and eating) frozen chocolate bananas as a kid. We’d skewer bananas on popsicle sticks and dip into melted chocolate, then roll in chopped peanuts before freezing. I decided to veganize this treat, with assorted toppings. It was a fun activity for the kids who enjoyed every step! Frozen banana has a similar taste and texture to ice cream (you can make awesome soft-serve by blending nothing but a frozen banana in a food processor until it’s the consistency of ice cream).

Frozen Chocolate Banana Bites
bananas
dairy-free chocolate chips (about 1/4 cup per banana)
coconut oil (about 1 tbsp per 1/4 cup of chips)
your favourite toppings: sprinkles, chopped nuts, shredded coconut, etc

Choose bananas that have just ripened so they are not too soft. Peel bananas and slice into pieces a few centimeters thick. I sliced on an angle for wider pieces. Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler on the stove. Add the coconut oil and stir gently until mixed and chocolate is melted. Pour the toppings into different bowls. Line a pan with wax paper.
Pierce the banana slices with a toothpick, dip in the melted chocolate to coat as much of the banana as possible, then dip in the toppings. Carefully set on the pan. Repeat for the rest of the bananas. Freeze until firm.I haven’t used sprinkles in years (have you read the ingredients in grocery store brands?) but I found all-natural vegan “Sprinkelz” by Edward & Sons at Whole Foods and couldn’t resist. They worked perfectly and tasted just like regular candy sprinkles.