The last couple weeks or so I’ve been feeling particularly stir-crazy. The weather here has not been great and it’s been forcing me to stay indoors more than usual. Adding to the wet milieu is a general irritation with urban living – the incessant noise, construction, and chaos of life in a city of 3…
Tag: food
A Guide to Toronto’s Best Vegan Pizza
As I’ve documented a few times in various online channels, pizza is my favorite food. A cheese pizza was the last thing I ate before going completely vegan ten years ago, and while there wasn’t much that I thought I’d miss foodwise, I did have some reservations about giving up pizza. Fortunately that same year,…
A Guide to Lisbon, Portugal
The last five months have passed by in such blur as I tried frantically to get some movement with several long term projects. I was finally able to officially launch the Plant and Pine store, made some headway on my novel, started writing a second, wrote, revised, and submitted several short stories, a few poems,…
Chickpea & Tofu Quiche
I’ve been disappointed by my last few attempts at developing new recipes and was feeling pretty discouraged after so many misfires. With so much emphasis in our culture on comparing accomplishments, it’s pretty easy to get into a bit of a funk when our own execution falls short of the expectation. But what we don’t…
Pierogi Pizza with Dill Pesto
Sunday has been my regular meal prep day for quite a while now and I find myself increasingly looking forward to my routine – it provides some consistency, a momentary reprieve from the general chaos of the week. I find cooking calming, and I get a sense of immense satisfaction when it’s all done and…
Rice Noodles with Peanut-Miso Glazed Lotus Root and Wasabi Dressing
The New Year has me craving new culinary adventures, new foods, flavours, and experiences, but sometimes the standard supermarket fare does not provide much inspiration. When I lived in Chinatown, I got hooked on the rich variety of gloriously affordable fresh produce, can goods and imported products unavailable elsewhere. I still frequently return to the old…
Chocolate and Pistachio Covered Figs
It’s been a rough few weeks. Work has been stressful, more so than usual. It’s been rainy, dark and grey, and I’m not digging the short days and lack of sunlight. What’s a vegan to do in such trying times? Why indulge of course, and not just any indulgence will do in these circumstances. It’s…
Pumpkin Pancakes with Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread and Baked Cinnamon Apples
What is it about pumpkin that makes it such an appealing and popular food for autumn consumption? There’s certainly no comparable aroma to that of pumpkin cooking. It’s a rich, warm scent that evokes comfort, compels hibernation and reminds us fondly of cozy days inside, watching the leaves crisp and fade in the cold. Pumpkin…
Tofu and Dill Salad Sandwich
Eggs freak me out. I think they always have, even before I went vegan, but they were an integral part of my early food experiences. I ate them often enough, despite the bizarreness of it all. I can even distinctly remember lapping up those yolk rivers, that would dry on to my plate from the…
Je t’aime Montreal.
It’s odd that I’ve never been to Montreal before. It’s only a 5-hour train ride from Toronto (or a one hour flight). At times, I admit I’ve felt a bit apathetic towards exploring Canada more. There is a temptation to unfairly define and assess the entire country based on the qualities of its largest city, Toronto. I…
Plant and Pine 