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.

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.

Anniversary celebration in Toronto Part Two: Snakes and Lattes and The Hogtown Vegan

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

My husband and I went to Toronto last week to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We had lunch at Prime and The Windsor Arms and ice cream at Hibiscus. Click here for the recap of Part One.

After Hibiscus, we meandered through Kensington Market and back to Bloor Street for a few hours, and came upon Snakes & Lattes, a board game cafe! Instead of offering WiFi like other cafes, Snakes & Lattes has 2,400 board games ($5 per adult, stay as long as you like and play as many games as you like) as well as a vegan-friendly menu. In addition to the Tofurky sandwich and smoothies, the cookies, muffins and donuts were all vegan. I was so excited to find vegan donuts that I almost forgot to check whether they were made with alcohol and I would not be able to partake. And they were! Stupid, stupid allergy. So no donut for me, but I did enjoy a chocolate chip pumpkin seed cookie and a strawberry mango smoothie. Delicious! But how do you choose what board game to play when you have over 2,000 to choose from? Luckily, the friendly staff at Snakes & Lattes were there to make suggestions and even teach us some new games. Hubby and I enjoyed an hour and a half of snacking and board games at Snakes & Lattes before heading to dinner at The Hogtown Vegan. Our friends Mary and Paul had eaten there a few months ago and raved about it, so we couldn’t wait to try the food for ourselves.

The problem was… it was 5 pm and I was nowhere near hungry. I filled up on ice cream, smoothie and cookie before the eating Olympics I had planned for the dinner-of-all-dinners at The Hogtown Vegan! It was a rookie move and I should have known better! Meanwhile, Hubby had cleverly paced himself all day and was ready to chow down on all the vegan comfort food he could. We compromised by taking another half hour walk through nearby Christie Pits park before heading into Hogtown.

I’ll cut to the chase and tell you that our meal was one of the best we’ve ever had. Here’s what we ordered: Chili “Cheese” Fries (French fries smothered in black beans, guacamole, sunflower sour cream and a cheesy sauce), Unchicken and Waffles (breaded and deep-fried soy chicken with the best waffles I’ve ever had, collard greens and mashed sweet potatoes), and Mac ‘n “Cheese” (baked with breadcrumbs). They were all beyond delicious. The Unchicken and Waffles was my personal favourite. Mind = Blown! I have missed fluffy Belgian waffles so much! Hubby also ordered the Hogtown wings in a buffalo sauce; I couldn’t partake because they were marinated in an alcohol-based sauce, but he said they were “fantastic; they nailed it”! Our server was friendly and attentive, the food came quickly despite plenty of other patrons there too, and the prices were very reasonable (note: it’s a cash-only establishment). Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable dinner.

As you can imagine from the photos above, our Hogtown delights were not exactly health food. If one wanted nutrient-dense, calorie-conscious food, one could eat instead at The Naked Sprout or Live Organic Food Bar for example; I’ve had delicious meals at both. But every once in a while, you just need something ridiculously indulgent. I don’t want to know how many calories I ate there, but I can’t wait to go back and do it again.

Snakes and Lattes is located at 600 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON.

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

Anniversary celebration in Toronto Part One: Prime and Hibiscus

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

I am a lucky lady. Last week, my hubby and I celebrated 13 years of marriage! The milestone was the perfect excuse to indulge at a few restaurants in Toronto we had been meaning to hit for months.

Toronto is a very walkable city and it was a perfect day to be outside, so once we disembarked from our train at Union Station, we decided to walk everywhere instead of using the transit system. We ended up walking 13.5 km that day! But we needed to, with all the calories we indulged in!

First up, the Windsor Arms Hotel’s Prime steakhouse for lunch. Yep, a steakhouse. Local famed vegan chef Doug McNish crafted the mouth-watering menu for the boutique hotel.

The Windsor Arms impresses from the beginning, what a gorgeous place. We were excited to eat vegan fine dining at a fancy-pants restaurant. Surprisingly, when we walked into Prime, the place was empty; we were the only patrons for lunch on a Tuesday.

We started with a side dish: sweet potato fries with mustard and chipotle aioli. Wow! Best fries I can remember eating. Perfectly crispy, piping hot and a generous portion, way more than my husband and I could eat. Next up: mushroom risotto. I love a great risotto and my expectations were pretty high by this point. Sorry to say, the risotto was a huge disappointment. It was so bland! Our server asked if we liked it and we replied no, but he offered nothing else. Our entrées came next. The quinoa stir-fry was excellent; everything was cooked to perfection, and the sauce was delicious. They got that one right and we ate every bite! The other entrée, the beautifully presented cornmeal-crusted tempeh, was another disappointment that left us puzzled. The tempeh was plated with a sweet relish, puréed sweet potatoes and plain, steamed broccoli. (Is there a side dish in the world more boring than plain, steamed broccoli?)

We left Prime feeling conflicted. Two of the dishes were excellent and two we didn’t care for at all. In all fairness, we had mentioned my allergy to alcohol, so it could be that the risotto and tempeh dishes are normally served with alcohol-based sauces that add more flavour, but if that was the case, why not substitute our dishes with olive oil or anything else to impart some taste at all? All that pomp and flash for a mediocre dining experience. We are glad we went, but don’t feel it would be worth returning to.

(Has anyone else been to Prime? How was your experience?)

Feeling less than satisfied with lunch was the perfect excuse to go out for ice cream for dessert! I had experienced the quaint Hibiscus vegetarian cafe on my last visit to Toronto and remembered their lovely home-made vegan ice cream. We set off from Yorkville to Kensington Market.

Unlike Prime, Hibiscus was packed with customers. We ordered two scoops of vegan ice cream to go: chocolate brownie and coconut mango. They were rich with an excellent flavour, which you don’t always get with vegan ice cream. Yum! We appreciated the quick service and reasonable prices. We would like to go back to try more of their vegan eats like salad bowls and buckwheat crepes.

Stay tuned for part two…. we saved the best for dinner!

Prime at The Windsor Arms is located at 18 Saint Thomas Street, Toronto, ON.

Hibiscus is located at 238 Augusta Avenue Toronto, ON.