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.

Further adventures at The Naked Sprout

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

On Sunday night, I was perusing The Vegan Woman’s Vegan Food Blog Guide 2013 to see what amazing blogs are out there that I haven’t discovered yet, and just about fell over when I saw my own blog made the list!

I have to admit, my initial thought was dismay: there must be another blog called Earthgiven Kitchen (and much more popular than mine!). I couldn’t believe my baby blog, not even a year old, received mention as one of the top 40 blogs, earning The Vegan Woman’s Recommendation badge for 2013. What an honour to be in the same guide as some of my favourite blogs: This Rawsome Vegan Life, Oh She Glows, Vegan Culinary Crusade, An Unrefined Vegan, Keepin’ It Kind and more. Congratulations to all the honourees.

My heartfelt thanks to The Vegan Woman and those who nominated me, I am quite touched. Checkout the list of top 40 vegan blogs here. What a wonderful celebration of delicious, compassionate eating!

On to a restaurant review!…

I first visited The Naked Sprout, one of Burlington’s two vegan restaurants, last June and loved my visit so much, I knew I’d be going back again before long, despite being an hour away. To my surprise, after my blog review, the manager Jemma thoughtfully gifted me with a gift certificate to enjoy a meal there again, how kind! Thank you, Naked Sprout! I am terribly late in posting this second review, which was a fabulous birthday lunch celebrating my mother. Here is what we ordered:

D’Ambrosio Burger
Have you ever seen a prettier burger? This was a wonderful chickpea-based veggie burger, gorgeously presented with a side of hot potatoes and swirl of spicy sauce. I was quite impressed with this dish, especially the bun, which was the most delicious gluten-free bread I can recall eating. I ate every bite.

BBQ Pulled Tofu Sandwich
We had previously experienced the Pulled Un-Pork Sandwich at Hog Town Vegan, and adored it, so we were keen to try The Naked Sprout’s version of a vegan pulled pork sandwiches. We were not disappointed, it was every bit as good as the Hog Town version, both tangy and sweet and beyond delicious, though this one likely healthier! The jalapeno Havarti cheese was a nice touch. We will definitely order this again!

Coconut Poppers
We shared these breaded coconut strips as an appetizer. It was a unique treat; we’d never seen anything like it before so we enjoyed the novelty of the curry-flavoured crispy coconut strips with cashew ranch dressing. Pretty tasty, but not my favourite item there.

Raw Lemon Cheesecake
It’s hard to tell from the photos of a white cake on a white plate but the cheesecake had two lemony layers with different textures: one firm and tangy and the other softer like a traditional cheesecake. Together with the crunchy crust it was delicious! They don’t have this flavour every day; you’ll have to see what the daily dessert specials are when you go!

Our whole meal was delicious and we finished every bite. The staff were all friendly and professional and the place is so inviting, you’ll find yourself relaxing into the great vibe they have going on. They have plenty of seating and are welcoming of children. Make reservations, especially if you are intending their Sunday Brunch which I hear is amazing and quite popular. Vegan wine and beer are available. The restaurant is all vegan and gluten-free and the say they are over 90% organic….what a great business to support!

I’ll look forward to my next visit at The Naked Sprout!

The Naked Sprout is located at 4040 Palladium Way Unit 11, Burlington, ON.

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!

Vegan in paradise

Posted on January 6, 2013 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

As I shared in my last post, my family and I spent a wonderful week on the Mayan Riviera over Christmas. This post is all about the most important part: the FOOD!

One of the reasons for choosing the resort was the quality and diversity of the food choices. Having been there before as a vegan, I remembered the excellent meals. To me, I don’t feel like I’m on vacation if I’m not getting great food!

There are several restaurants at the resort but we enjoyed the two buffet restaurants best. It was pretty easy to find healthy, delicious vegan food at each meal, but if we didn’t find anything that suited our fancy, we could ask the chef to make us what we liked. Most appreciated!

Typical breakfast: whole wheat toast with peanut butter, cashew-raisin granola, fresh fruit and fresh juice.

The fresh juices were new this year and each morning there were nearly a dozen different juices to choose from.

Below, a mix of cactus and beet that was surprisingly delicious!

Typical lunch: spinach salad with pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds and cranberries drizzled with olive oil, sauteed veggies, chips, guacamole and salsa. Fresh fruit for dessert.

For snack: a virgin banana daiquiri on the beach!

Typical dinner: rice with red beans peas and corn, roast potatoes, garlicky sauteed veggies and fresh fruit.

For dinner, if we hadn’t found enough vegan legume dishes (their bean dishes on the buffet usually contained pork), the staff seemed quite pleased to make us whatever we wanted. One night it was spicy black beans with roast tomatoes and broccoli…

Another night our custom meal was an amazing white bean stew with carrots and spinach, so delectable that we ate it all before I thought to take a photo of it. On Christmas I was craving pizza so the chef made pizza dough from scratch and topped it with re-fried beans, broccoli and mushrooms — delicious!

There were always loads of desserts, but very few seemed to be vegan. One night I had a delicious tart that appeared to be vegan; another night they had baked apples and cinnamon. Pineapple and melons were my typical dessert.

Overall, I was very satisfied with the amount of healthy, delicious vegan food at the resort. The restaurants were heavy on the white stuff (white bread over whole wheat, white potatoes over sweet potatoes, white rice over brown rice), but I’m sure that’s what most people want when they are on vacation so they were appealing to the masses.

The first meal I made when I came home was everything I missed when I was away: brown rice, tofu and kale! A square of dark chocolate for dessert.

It was a wonderful vacation, but it’s always nice to come home again, even when it’s leaving the tropics to come home to this!….

I am submitting this great day of eating to What I Ate Wednesdays.

The best vegan comfort food

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

Last July, my husband and I got to try Hogtown Vegan, a Toronto diner serving nothing but vegan comfort food. You can read about our first experience here. The Unchicken and Waffles were calling to me, so I had to go back again! This time we brought our son, and he was in food heaven!

For those who don’t know, Toronto’s nickname is Hogtown and if rumour is true, it is due to Toronto’s famed pork packaging plants a century ago (sad face). I am very glad to see that Toronto now is very vegan friendly, with dozens of excellent veggie restaurants. I’ve only sampled a small handful so far but Hogtown Vegan might be the tastiest, and most memorable! (I couldn’t say the healthiest.)

Here is what we ordered:Pulled Unpork Sandwich with a generous serving of fries. It was piled on a bun with delectable coleslaw and loads of sweet barbecue sauce. It was so humongous that it was a challenge to take a bite, but it was ridiculously delicious. The fries were also delicious and reminded me of the ones at Swiss Chalet I used to regularly enjoy. I would order it again, but as a meal to share with another person. Or two or three.

Caesar Salad with “fakin’ bits”, almond Parmesan and three pieces of Unchicken. The best Caesar salad I’ve eaten, including what I can remember of traditional Caesar salads before I went vegan.

Mac n’ “Cheese”. Rich and creamy, baked with crispy bread crumbs and a bit of spice. It was fine but wasn’t my favourite dish there (I think it’s the spice in it I don’t love) but it’s my son’s favourite Hogtown dish and my hubby also gave it two thumbs up so it must be just me.

Unchicken and Waffles. Breaded, deep-fried soy chicken with the very best Belgian waffles, garlicky collard greens, maple syrup and mashed sweet potatoes. My very favourite dish there. I can’t say enough good things about it, it was all just PERFECT. Except for the calorie content. I don’t even want to know.

We also ordered Buffalo wings; my husband’s favourite. He ordered them last time and had to have them again. Alas, they are made with alcohol so I couldn’t indulge but they looked wonderful.

Key lime cheesecake. Last time, we were too stuffed to order dessert, this time we couldn’t resist. Absolutely heaven; just the right creaminess, sweetness and tang.

It was another outstanding feast — delicious and rich comfort food. I highly recommend Hogtown Vegan but I suppose it’s a good thing this place is more than an hour away to prevent me from eating there too often. When you only indulge in this kind of food very occasionally, it makes for a memorable treat and worth every calorie.

Have you eaten at Hogtown yet? What are you favourites there?

Hogtown Vegan is located at 834 Bloor St. West, Toronto, ON.

Vegetarian Haven

Posted on October 28, 2012 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

I was in downtown Toronto for work a few weeks ago (yep, I’m super late posting this), and I couldn’t resist the opportunity to get to Vegetarian Haven for dinner. My husband and I got to enjoy the all-vegan, Asian-inspired bistro for the first time a year ago and we were smitten with the delicious food and lovely vibe. This time I got to enjoy a dinner with my mother who lives close enough to have visited it several times since it opened 9 years ago and counts it among her most favourite restaurants.

A lovely quote from their website: “Vegetarianism is an acknowledgement of interconnection between beings. We yield to the fundamental truth that our actions invariably and significantly affect the lives of others. We then take responsibility for this power by tailoring our choices to support a wholesome result; wholesome, in that it is healthy, and “whole-some” in that it acknowledges the greater community. This is the vision of the Vegetarian City; not merely a group defined by dietary restrictions, but a paradigm for awareness, compassion, and respect. The Vegetarian city is an embodiment of harmony, from the community of the individual, to the community of the world itself.” Agreed!

Here is what we ordered:

Tofu Drumsticks

From the menu: “Sink your teeth into our famous crispy drumstick made of soya protein with a scrumptious sugar cane center.” These were delicious and a really fun treat. After eating the fried tofu, you get to suck the sugar out of the sugar cane. Yum!

Fresh Garden Rolls
From the menu: “A refreshing burst of cucumber, avocado, mango, carrot in every bite. Cilantro, a hint of mint & lime wrapped in rice paper. Served w/ a spicy dipping sauce.” I love all the flavours in these rolls, especially cilantro, so these were really great!

Spicy Coconut Curry ‘Seafood’ Bowl
From the menu: “A savoury mouth watering bowl of fresh rice noodles, ‘salmon, king prawn’, seaweed, mushrooms & vegetables in a spicy coconut curry broth.” My mother ordered this one, her favourite dish.

Take a look at the “fish”, it’s all entirely vegan. The faux king prawn had the rubbery texture of shrimp and thanks to the seaweed, the whole dish had a surpringly strong fishy taste. I never was a big fish eater pre-vegetarian days so the fishy taste was not my cup of tea, but if you like the taste of seafood, I bet you will love this dish. It’s a very generous portion too.

Spicy Bali Stir-fried Rice Noodles
From the menu: “Fresh flat rice noodles & tempeh, sautéed with sweet & spicy coconut, peanut sauce and vegetables.”

Singapore Seitan 13.49
From the menu: “Tender slices of succulent seitan cooked in a sweet & spicy pineapple peanut sauce, served with purple rice & vegetables”.

I took the Bali noodles and Singapore Seitan home to enjoy with my husband and kids and we all agreed that the noodles were quite flavourful (but very spicy!) and the seitan was okay but not our favourite.

The very best entrée was the special of the day: a Sweet Potato Carrot Potato Frittata on a bed of greens with a pineapple mint citrus sauce stir-fried house rice pasta mixed bean salad with ginger sesame dressing. The frittata was amazing! There were some spices in there that I couldn’t put my finger on but it made the dish beyond delicious. Too bad they don’t have it on the menu regularly, it was one of the best restaurant dishes I’ve had this year!

We treated ourselves to dessert: Blueberry Tart with crumble topping and chocolate almond bark ice cream. The tart was homemade and absolutely scrumptious! It was the dessert I enjoyed when I went a year ago and was looking forward to enjoying again. A dessert you fondly remember a year later is a really great dessert indeed!

I also enjoyed a Ginger Almond Steamer: hot almond milk with shaved fresh ginger. Wow! I’ve been recreating it at home and they are a super autumn treat!

Overall, an outstanding meal! Lovely staff, quick service, and a large menu full of delicious options. I got to meet the owner and she was so wam and gracious; someone I am happy to see succeed. I highly recommend trying Vegetarian Haven if you have the opportunity.

Vegetarian Haven is located at 17 Baldwin St, Toronto, ON.

This was such a great meal, I am submitting it to Peas and Crayons’ What I Ate Wednesdays blog hop.

Another dinner at Cafe Pyrus

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

One of our favourite restaurants is Cafe Pyrus, in downtown Kitchener. The menu is always evolving with creative fare, and nearly everything on the menu is vegan. We have eaten there several times and it’s always a positive experience.

Here are some pics of our latest visit:

Quinoa Salad with almonds, oranges, cranberries, pumpkin seeds over spinach. The quinoa was light and fluffy and the sweet dressing had us forgetting we were eating a super healthy dish.

The Angry Vegan: caramelized onion, Daiya, artichoke spread, spinach and tomato on a grilled panini. We ordered it with a side caesar with tempeh. A wonderful new menu item. The caramelized onion in the panini really made the sandwich!

Soup of the day: creamy broccoli. Yum!

Rosemary scone with melted Daiya. Why don’t I make more scones?! I will make more scones!

Trying the menu item so new it’s nameless and not on the menu board yet: bagel with veggie pâté and Daiya. We had no words for how good this was, and the photo does not do it justice but it tasted like Thanksgiving dinner on a bagel, with the herbs and spices (like savoury) of stuffing, minus the turkey of course.

The pâté is Fontaine Sante Végé-Pâté, which my local health food store ordered special for me the next week. I tried to recreate the sandwich but it wasn’t as great as Pyrus’, there must have been another ingredient I was missing…..

For dessert: Samoa cookie. Oats, pecans, coconut and chocolate chips, a fabulous combination.

Another great dinner! If you make the visit from out of town, check out the lovely Victoria Park, just a couple of blocks away.

Cafe Pyrus is located at 16 Charles Street West Kitchener, ON.

It was such a great meal that I am submitting it to Peas and Crayons’ What I Ate Wednesdays‘ blog hop.

Pizza, cupcakes and pie, oh my

Posted on October 3, 2012 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

I am so fortunate that my family is very supportive of my plant-based diet. Meals with my extended family are primarily vegan, even when I’m not the host. I never feel lonely as the lone vegan in the family when everyone is so accommodating. And really, what says I love you more than a non-vegan driving an hour and a half to buy vegan cupcakes for her sister?!
For my adorable nephew’s birthday celebration recently, my sister went above and beyond to make sure the meal would be enjoyable to all, including guests with allergies to gluten, egg and dairy. To keep things simple, pizza was ordered from Pizza Nova, including two cheese-less veggie pizzas. One had broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms. The other had olives, onions and green olives, to which we added Daiya at home and broiled for five minutes. Both were very good! Mmm, I love crispy Pizza Nova crust.

I brought my salsa for a snack; my mother provided her delicious hummus, chips and veggies. Click here for my salsa recipe.
The surprise dessert was decadent cupcakes from Kindfood/Kelly’s Bake Shoppe! My oh my, we were spoiled. Kindfood’s entire menu is vegan and gluten-free and they are one of the best restaurants I’ve ever eaten at; you can read my review here. If you are anywhere near Burlington, Ontario, I highly recommend paying them a visit.

For dinner, my mother made Mujadara (lentils and brown rice with seven spices), a family recipe. Topped with caramelized onions, they were absolutely wonderful. A mixed greens salad with almonds and my maple buckwheat bread with hummus rounded out the meal.
Dessert was strawberry rhubarb pie with coconut milk ice cream. It’s amazing that a cheap grocery store pie could be vegan and so delicious!
A giant thank you to my amazing, loving family.

Since this was such a superb day of eating, I am submitting it for What I Ate Wednesday, with thanks to Peas and Crayons for hosting this blog hop.

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.

Toronto Vegetarian Food Festival!

Posted on September 12, 2012 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

Merry Vegan Christmas! That’s what I said to my husband Saturday morning as drove into Toronto to enjoy as a family the biggest vegetarian festival in the world! Dozens of vendors, speakers and performers, all celebrating a cruelty-free and delicious lifestyle. I was in heaven.

My top priority was to see the food demonstration by the talented duo Lisa Pitman and Nicole Axworthy at noon. We were thoroughly impressed: the demo was just as entertaining as it was informative. The highlight of the day for me. I had just bought their ebook Tiny Treats and look forward to try their recipes. The biggest take away from the show was that I really needed to make my own nut butters, seed butter and nut milks all the time. What kind of DIY-er am I when I’m still buying peanut butter?! I’m happy to say I’ve been making hemp and almond milks every day since. Lisa is the biggest sweetheart you will ever meet. She and I were childhood friends who lost touch then reconnected almost 20 years later! It was great to see her and also to meet Nicole, another amazing chef and kindred spirit. Check out their blogs at Vegan Culinary Crusade and A Dash of Compassion.

In the photo of us you’ll see in the background another blogger, Jess from cupcakes and kale, whom I didn’t meet until after this picture was taken. Jess is such a dear! She was my partner for the August vegan food swap so my kids got to tell her they were enjoying the garlic roasted peanuts she sent me in the car on the way to the festival. I loved getting to make the connections!

Now on to the food! We came prepared: cooler with ice packs for take-home food, containers and reusable utensils so we didn’t have to keep using disposable cutlery.From Green Zebra Kitchen: Mac and Cheese with Roasted Yams and Cauliflower and pizza with cashew pesto and kale, on the tip from my friend Mary of This is Vegan. Excellent! We also got lavender chocolate chip cookies which were so good!

From Zen Garden: Peking “duck” and “chicken” drumstick (both made from seitan) and a potato curry puff. The fake meats were tasty but greasy and chewy and alarmingly authentic. Not our favourite though I must admit that even just a year ago I probably would have loved it. My taste for “fake meat” has definitely changed! But the curry puff was great.From Bunners: gluten-free cinnamon bun with icing and butter tart. Awesome! The cinnamon bun had a super texture, almost like cake, and not overly sweet. It was really well done.

From Apiecalypse now: Coconut tart and Marshmallow Smore Pie. The Smore pie was my kids’ favourite, that’s for sure. I thought they were delicious, though very rich and sugary. Definitely a place to go if you want an indulgence.Fieldroast sausages: I have been wanting to try Fieldroast products for over a year! Up until now they have only been sold in the States. We sampled the Italian, Apple Sage and Mexican Chipotle flavours, all excellent, not too greasy or salty, just right. I would have happily bought several but they weren’t for sale, samples only. Boo! Though the good news is that they have recently started being sold in the greater Toronto area so hopefully they will be sold all over Canada soon.

The only downside to the day was when my husband bought donuts after being assured by the vendor they were vegan. They had an odd taste I couldn’t put my finger on so I went to the food tent to see the ingredients and was dismayed to see it contained dairy milk and cottage cheese. Bummer! Just goes to show how easy it is to encounter animal products, even when you go out of your way so far as to attend a vegetarian food festival and buy food promised to be vegan. Oh well, that’s life.

Some of the terrific food I got to sample: Daiya grilled cheese, White Chocolate Wonderful by the Peanut Butter & Co, Coco Camino chocolate, New Moon cookies,
Teriyaki Gardein strips, Vega smoothies, Larabars, The Simply Bar, Banana bread from Kupcakes Bakeshop, dried white mulberries by Navitas, ShaSha gingerbread cookies, Prana nuts, Fruit&Fruit bars, Manitoba Hemp Seeds, Food for Life breads and a strawberry-pineapple smoothie from the Tropical Fruit Hut. Oh, yum!

A big thank you to the Toronto Vegetarian Association and the volunteers and speakers that made the event so wonderful.

Anyone else get to enjoy the Vegetarian Food Festival? What were your favourite finds? Here are my top 5 favourite food finds from the festival:

1. Apple Sage sausages by Fieldroast
2. Cinnamon Bun by Bunners
3. Mac and Cheese by Green Zebra Kitchen
4. Coco and Raisin bars by Fruit&Fruit (inspired me to make my own in my dehydrator!)
5. Kale pizza by Green Zebra Kitchen

I had such a fabulous day of eating that I am submitting this smorgasbord of phenomenal eats to the What I Ate Wednesdays blog hop, with my thanks to Peas and Crayons for hosting.