Fine Vegan Dining in Toronto

We spent this past weekend in the Canadian metropolis....  Toronto.  And what do I love to do when I hit the city??  Eat of course!!  Fressen, owned by chef Stephen Gardner, was named one of North America's 14 hippest vegetarian eateries by VegNews magazine.  The decor is simple and elegant, the service was very friendly and fast, and the food was fantastic.  Gardner is also the mastermind behind the more casual vegan bistros, Urban Herbivore, which are popping up around the city.  Rumor has it there is one in the works for the Eaton Centre.

We arrived early since we had tickets for the theater at 8.  They open their doors at 5:30 and the place filled up quickly, so make a reservation! 

We started with a trio of tapas which included a beet and mandarin orange salad, an avocado and chick pea salad and an amazing 'bean smash' which was a warm white bean tapanade.  This was served with homemade bread fresh from the oven.  We followed the tapas with an appetizer; a mushroom, cashew cream and pesto stuffed phyllo pastry purse in a spinach puree.  It was edible art.  Just look at that!!

As an entree, I ordered the Corn Penne.  The creamy celery root sauce had a unique tangy salty taste. My date ordered the Moroccan stew which was served with black rice (the photos really don't do it justice).  Also delicious.

They also have an impressive selection of organic wines.My only regret was that we didn't have time or room for dessert.  Next time I guess.

Brunch is served on Saturday and Sunday mornings from 11:00 to 3:30.  I will be sure to give that a try next time I'm in town.

Unfortunately the full menu does not appear on their web site, but you can get the feel for it and check out the prices which I thought were very reasonable.  http://www.fressenrestaurant.com/fressen/menu.html

After dinner we walked down to the harbor and took in a play entitled 'Floating'; a comedy  written and acted by Hugh Hughes in which a small island off the coast of Whales breaks free and floats around in the North Atlantic Ocean.  It was creative and hilarious!  One word of advice...  be on time.  Late comers were thoroughly interrogated at this show where the audience participation was encouraged, and ad libbing obviously came easily to these actors.  This was the final of 5 shows in Toronto unfortunately, so you'll have to go oversees to see it now.

The Breast Cancer Prevention Diet

I recently read this book written by Dr. Bob Arnot.  Dean Ornish recommended this book be read by all women, and since I am a woman...  What woman doesn't think about breast cancer?  Those little pink ribbons are everywhere these days!

This is a fantastic compilation of the latest research in breast cancer up to it's publishing  in 1998.  And still a great guide to making healthy dietary choices.  Many of the recommendations are consistent with the measures recommended to prevent heart disease, diabetes and colon cancer, so it's hard to argue them:  avoid alcohol, exercise, control body fat, eat lots of fibre and cruciferous vegetables, avoid high glucose processed foods and foods likely to contain chemical estrogens and pesticides. 

But there were a few recommendations made that are worth extra consideration.  Dr. Bob recommends eating 35 to 60 grams of soy containing genistein per day to help block the estrogen receptors in breast tissue.  One cup of firm tofu contains about 31 grams of soy protein.  A half cup of dry roasted soy beans contains almost 40 grams of soy protein.  A half cup of soy milk has 2.8 grams.   The second breast cancer prevention food is flax seeds.  The book recommends eating 25 grams of ground flax seed on cereal, or salad or in a smoothie or wherever you can sneak it in.  Flax seeds are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and have even been shown to shrink the size of breast tumours!  I'm sold. 

Next, avoid omega-6 fatty acids (poly-unsaturated fats) and consume more omega-3 fatty acids.   Where do you find omega-6 fatty acids?  Mainly in margarine, mayonnaise, commercial salad dressings, safflower oil, corn oil, soybean oil, peanut oil, cottonseed oil, grapeseed oil, borage oil, primrose oil, sesame oil and anything containing trans fats.  Saturated fats should also be avoided because of their ability to raise insulin levels.  Evidence has shown that breast cancer incidence increases with blood insulin levels.

Dr. Bob recommends taking fish oil capsules to consume an abundant supply of omega-3 fatty acids.  I wondered why he recommended fish oils, when flax seeds are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and have other amazing breast health benefits.  Later in the book when he mentioned he was an avid sport fisherman it made more sense.  This is one recommendation that I find a bit counter intuitive since fish get their omega-3s from aquatic plants, and tend to bioaccumulate and bioconcentrate fat soluble toxins in their fatty tissues.  Perhaps he could have recommended more options to get your omega-3s.

Another interesting fact presented in the book is that the earlier you begin following the breast cancer prevention diet, the higher the prevention benefit.  The development of the breast begins before birth, but isn't fully complete until after a woman has given birth to a full term baby.  The hormones and toxins that the breast tissue is exposed to during these developing years are thought to have an enormous impact on the incidence of breast cancer.  So he recommends that our daughters follow the same dietary recommendations for breast cancer prevention.

At the end of the book, he recommends 2 breast healthy cuisines:  Asian and Mediterranean.  He also provides several meal ideas from each of these cuisines.

The book was informative, well organized, easy to follow and well referenced.  A must read for those interested in taking control of their own heath.

Delectable Dolmas

This weekend I had a friend come over to give me a little cooking lesson.  The topic??  Dolmas.  What exactly is a dolma you may be wondering?  The word 'dolma' comes from the Turkish verb 'dolmak' which means 'to be stuffed'.  So technically any stuffed vegetable (zucchini, pepper, tomato) can be called a dolma; but dolma usually refers to a stuffed grape leaf. 

I came across a big jar of grape leaves and thought to myself  "Oh cool.  This will be fun!"  I brought it home and cooked up some rice with onions and spices, rolled the filling up in some grape leaves and voila!!  It was disgusting!  Horrible.  Luckily I did not try to feed it to my party guests! 

Obviously I was going to need a little help.  Jeanette to the rescue!  Apparently grape leaves are preserved in a very salty brine that needs to be rinsed off repeatedly.  To do this you put your grape leaves in a big bowl and cover them with hot water.  They will start to loosen up from the bunch they are rolled in.  So as they soak, you can gently separate them.  We soaked them and drained them 3 times.  The last time with boiling water.  Then we laid them out between paper towels to dry.  We prepared some brown rice, only half cooked.  Then added sauteed onions, garlic and tomato with spices.  We added the onion mixture and some currants to the rice and mixed it up.  Then comes the fun.  Each grape leaf is stuffed with a dollop of rice mixture and rolled up like a little cigar. 

Then all the stuffed leaves are tucked into a baking dish side by side in a single layer.  Over this layer we poured a mixture of lemon juice and olive oil.  Then we poured water over the whole thing to just cover the dolmas.  We covered the baking dish tightly with foil and baked it for just under an hour.  But these need to be made a day in advance, because after baking they need to be refrigerated over night before you can eat them!  So as you can see.....  it was a little more complicated than I originally thought!

And what goes beautifully with hand rolled dolmas??  Tzatziki!  I finally managed to get my hands on some plain soy yogurt.  And it was not easy!  I had to get the grocery store to special order it for me.  In my pre-vegan days, tzatziki was one of my favorite things, so I was very excited to make some.  And it turned out very well.  I had to tweak my traditional recipe a bit and add lemon juice and salt.  I also added a bunch of dill.  One thing about the soy yogurt was that it didn't need to be drained (I tried, but no liquid drained off). 

 And what did I make for my special little valentines today??  Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies!!  I was inspired by the chocolate mint chips that I found at our new bulk barn.  They were gobbled up in no time.

I hope you enjoyed some sweet moments with your own Valentines today.

Breakfast Perfection

I have always been a huge fan of oatmeal.  It's quick, filling, versatile and delicious.  But oatmeal to me always meant those processed oats that cook in a minute.  Then I read about steel cut oats.  Instead of being flattened and toasted, steamed and rolled, steel cut oats are simply cut into a few pieces with a steel blade.  They are less processed but also take longer to cook.  Instead of a minute they take a good half hour or so to prepare.  But, it's definitely worth it!  They have a chewier texture and somehow feel closer to nature.

Whole grain oats contain 7 B vitamins, vitamin E, and 9 minerals including iron and calcium.  Oats contain twice the protein of wheat or corn flakes, and the soluble fibre that gives oatmeal it's gummy texture helps lower cholesterol.  The soluble fibre in oats pulls water into the upper intestinal tract creating a feeling of fullness that can be an important factor in a weight loss program.

So with the intent to cook up a super healthy and delicious breakfast in mind, I came up with this recipe.  I cooked up my steel cut oats with apples and cinnamon, added some ground flaxseeds and dried cranberries and topped it with chopped walnuts and a drizzle of maple syrup. 

Now let's consider each ingredient here....

Flax seeds are the ultimate super food.  I have heard enough benefits from eating these things to want to eat them every single day.  They are high in both soluble and insoluble fibre and therefore help prevent colon cancer and can even prevent some of the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).  They lower cholesterol and help prevent heart disease.  They contain the highest concentration of omega 3 fatty acids in the plant kingdom.  They reduce inflammation, reduce menopausal symptoms, boost the immune system and promote brain health.  The anti-estrogenic effect of eating flax seeds helps reduce the risk of breast and prostate cancers.  I think flax seeds deserve an entire post to themselves, so I'll stop here.

Cinnamon is one of the oldest known spices.  In traditional Indian healing therapy (Ayurveda), cinnamon is used as a remedy for diabetes, indigestion and colds.  Recent scientific evidence suggests that cinnamon may have beneficial effects on blood sugar levels and may help lower cholesterol.

Walnuts are one of the best plant sources of protein.  They are rich in fibre, B vitamins, and antioxidants including vitamin E.  They contain omega 3 fatty acids which lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease by improving blood vessel elasticity and plaque accumulation.  Phytonutrients found in walnuts have anti-inflammatory properties and can decrease the risk of breast and prostate cancers and help prevent Type 2 diabetes.

And last, but not least..... apples.  In addition to containing vitamins and minerals, fibre and phytonutrients, apples contain pectin which limits the fat absorbed by your cells.  Pectin also helps to cleanse the liver by grabbing toxins and escorting them out of the body.

So with all of those health benefits crammed into one delicious bowl, it's easy to see why I consider this to be Breakfast Perfection.  Give it a try!!