Clean your face or floor without animal products

Some people still don't seem to know what "vegan" really means. Just last week, I heard about someone who calls himself a vegan, but eats fish. What!?!? 

Those who are in the know tend to automatically equate veganism with the absence of various animal meats and by-products in food, which is correct, but do not necessarily think of the everyday products we use that often contain various creepy ingredients: gelatin (animal fat), lanolin (grease secreted from wool), urea (animal urine), just to name a few. Or that many were unfortunately tested on animals to—might we add, inaccurately—ensure they are "safe" for humans.

Neither of these concepts are truly vegan. So if animal cruelty is an important issue for you to stand against, you should certainly be mindful of the many companies that now offer clear alternatives for skincare, hair, makeup and cleaning products. They're quite easy to find, too! 

The following brands represent just some of the vegan, cruelty-free stuff you can snag at many big drug and grocery stores in Canada, as well as health food and specialty stores, or—at the very least—online. Note: If somehow you can't find any of these, you're shopping in the wrong places!

• Method
• Live Clean
• Jason
• Desert Essence
• Kiss My Face
• Green Beaver
• Hugo Naturals
• Buck Naked Soap Company
• Pacifica 
• e.l.f.
• Pure Anada
• Arbonne
• Yes To Carrots/Cucumbers/Tomatoes/Coconuts
• Nature Clean
• Ecover
• Mrs. Meyers
• Attitude
• Seventh Generation

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Weddings and veganism: an unlikely pairing?

It's wedding season! And, when you're strictly vegan, that means attending various affairs where food options can be scarce. I recently had a good veggie burger (without eggs or dairy) on my friend's big day, but I skipped the uncertain bun, added hummus that was available on the table, and neatly stacked the tomato and lettuce back on top. At another wedding, the bride tried ordering me an appropriate meal, but the not-so-vegan-friendly Michigan venue misinterpreted that so I left the cheese ravioli untouched and partied on.

When it's eventually my turn to get married, I certainly plan on having a vegan wedding. And while I don't think people should be surprised by that news, I have experienced a few contentious responses, like "What will people eat?" "Don't you want people to come?" and "I'm going to bring my own milk for coffee." A herbivorous affair may still be uncommon, but the concept of going meat-free for a party nowadays is becoming more and more plausible.

Michigan sunset on the lake

Omnivores won't necessarily understand, but putting aside your beliefs for such an important day would seem incredibly contradictory to me. It's a time one should arguably feel the happiest and most loved by their guests! That's exceedingly difficult if they expect you to suppress your strong feelings on the subject because no one thinks they can go without meat, fish, dairy or eggs for one meal.

I know weddings should be fun for everyone involved, but a) That shouldn't come at the expense of the bride and groom's happiness and b) Who's to say eating vegan for a few hours is going to suck the joy out of an event? Bonus: c) As I tried expressing in my intro, I don't think food is the most important factor at a wedding anyway, and d) It still surprises me that many omnivores misconceive what vegan food can actually taste like nowadays.

Just some of the food I've had that didn't harm any animals

Although I briefly considered whether I would be able to "compromise" and have a wedding that wasn't vegan, I personally couldn't ignore what has basically become my religion for an event that would be half in my honour, and at least half my responsibility to plan. I have never even enjoyed the fact that my mom would host barbecues (with various meat options) for my birthday over the years, which happens to fall out just as the summer is approaching. And a wedding is a much bigger deal than a birthday party.

I'm very appreciative of the fact that, despite not being vegan himself, my boyfriend understands and respects my point-of-view when it comes to animal suffering. For the most part, he has been very supportive and accommodating when it comes to discussing our plans for a future wedding. And while such an event may be exciting for multiple people involved, most brides have arguably anticipated the day for the longest amount of time. They only plan to have one wedding and they want it to fulfill their expectations.

People may think your vegan wedding is "offbeat" 

My intention in having a vegan event would not be to convert people or impose my beliefs on them. If it happened to open people's eyes and taste buds up to food they would have never tried otherwise, then of course I'd be thrilled. But the bottom line is: vegans don't look at meat and animal by-products as plain old food. We think of all the suffering that animals endured and that is hard to overlook. An evening that is meant to be a celebration― particularly of love and unity―should not include such painful imagery.

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Cheezy Spinach Risotto

Let me start off by saying that the risotto part of this recipe was a happy accident. The sauce came from the popular Oh She Glows food blog's Quick & Dirty Cheeze Sauce though (non-dairy milk, nutritional yeast, a little flour, Dijon mustard, and garlic powder), which I had made before. When I discovered, this time, that I had quinoa and ancient grains blend in the cupboard instead of pasta, I decided to power through.

I improvised again by throwing some frozen spinach into the cheeze sauce after adding all of its standard ingredients—you know, for more nutrients. However, I learned from previous experience that sauce will absorb almost entirely into spinach if mixed too well, so I placed a large pot lid over the spinach for a few minutes to help soften and cook it without blending the sauce itself any further.

When the quinoa blend was finished (water absorbed and the grains cooled off a minute), I added the sauce with the spinach and—voila!—it became risotto. Fun, right? Also delicious.

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Why omnivores feel threatened by veganism

Just this past week, on June 21, the first all-vegan drive-thru opened up in London, Ontario. Globally Local has become somewhat famous among the vegan community for its McInnes burger and food truck that parks itself in different locations on a regular basis, as well as food truck festivals. So when the company decided to open a drive-thru, vegans everywhere rejoiced. Not only is this a convenience factor, but it’s a symbolic sign of the times changing—and both the popularity of, and demand for, vegan food growing exponentially.

But just like Doomie’s (famous for its own Mac Daddy burger) opening up in Toronto last year, it didn’t take long for someone to deface the outside of the restaurant. The letters on the marquee outside of Doomie’s on Queen Street, which now features changing statements such as “Your grandkids will wonder why you ever ate meat,” were manipulated to say something pro-omnivore. Just today, the awning outside Globally Local’s vegan drive-thru window on Highbury was spray painted with the words “I ♡ Meat.”

Globally Local's message on Facebook: "Thank you to the tens of thousands of people who have helped us to spread our message and join our fast food revolution. To those that undermine our mission and attack our values - know that we will not be stopped."

While the individuals who have felt so inclined to express their questionable fondness through vandalism may think they’re being clever and witty, these acts are a clear indication that some people are feeling threatened by the rise of veganism. Plant-based diets have actually been around for decades, but the narrow-minded stereotype that vegan food consists of grass and vegetables is being obliterated by the more recent rise of such institutions as Doomie’s and Globally Local.

As social media has helped to spread awareness about veganism, Google searches, online discussions, and the global population of vegans have risen in record numbers. Organizations like Mercy for Animals conduct undercover investigations of what really goes on in the meat, dairy and egg industries. Even drones are helping uncover the truth. And there are a plethora of educational documentaries exploring the health and environmental detriments of being omnivore, as well (not to mention the obvious animal suffering), such as “Forks over Knives,” “Cowspiracy,” “Earthlings” and the latest, “What the Health” just released on Netflix last week on June 16.

More and more young people are recognizing the animal holocaust, and the contributions to climate change, cancers, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, arthritis, and more. The dairy industry has taken a publicized hit with the rise of so many plant-based milk alternatives, even lobbying—unsuccessfully—for exclusive rights to the name “milk.” But the impacts of lactose intolerance are more immediately felt and, so, it has been more difficult to combat people’s love of meat and eggs because they are not forced to stop consuming them in the same way.

And that means ignorance may continue to be bliss for some individuals, who are still making the conscious decision to ignore where their food comes from. What’s likely creating the defensiveness in people encouraged to vandalize vegan businesses is the threat of having their day-to-day routines, lifestyles and even cultures change as a result of vegans wanting their food to change. But not the spices, sauces and other flavours that actually make their food taste the way it does—just the part where innocent, defenseless animals are tortured and killed to produce it.

You see, for every type of cuisine, there are now cruelty-free alternatives. In Toronto and the surrounding area alone, there are wizard vegan chefs who have created Indian food (The Vegan Extremist), Caribbean food (V’s Caribbean Restaurant and One Love Vegetarian), Chinese food (Greens and Zen Gardens), American comfort food (Hogtown Vegan, Doomie’s and Globally Local), pizza places (Apiecalypse), date night spots (Planta), veggie burgers (Boon Burger), coffee shops and little eateries (Bloomer’s and Sweet Hart Kitchen), donut shops (Through Being Cool and Bunner’s), bakeries (Vegan Danish Bakery and Sorelle & Co.), healthy spots (Fresh, Live and Kupfert & Kim), and more.

Globally Local's McInnes burger... looks "gross," eh? :)

Vegans get a lot of flak from people who think they're being funny. But vegans hear all the same jokes and they hear them often. The insults are not unique, but they do spawn more and more interest about why one of the most prevalent things people try to attack is the actual quality of vegan food. People want to claim it is "gross" to eat tofu, tempeh, textured vegetable protein, seitan, beans, legumes, lentils, nuts, vegetables and fruit when omnivore food literally consists of dead animals, milk that may as well have been breast-fed from a cow or goat, and eggs dropped from chickens' vaginas.

Society has managed to normalize these things, while turning a blind eye (or two) to the fact that they are aiding in the horrors of animal cruelty and suffering—including rape, enslavement, castration, skinning, separating mothers from their babies, torture and murder. And, quite frankly, saying "Mmm, bacon" to a picture of a live pig or spray painting "I ♡ Meat" does not make anyone sound clever; it makes them sound psychopathic. 

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Easy Like Sunday Morning Quiche

Whether you love your traditional breakfast style foods on a regular basis or save them for special occasions, this simple quiche is a fantastic dish to enjoy alone, with family, or whip up when entertaining people for brunch (but no judgment if you prefer breakfast food for dinner).

It takes three primary store-bought items: a block of extra firm plain tofu, a ready-made vegan pie crust, and pre-assembled seasoning to make your tofu taste like scrambled eggs! Throw in whatever vegetables you like and—bing, bang, boom—you can call yourself a chef.

Ingredients:

• 1 block extra firm tofu
• 1 pie crust like Wholly Wholesome
• 1 seasoning pack like Phoney Baloney's (black salt, nutritional yeast, black pepper and spices)
• 2 cups veggies (such as quartered grape tomatoes, spinach, broccoli, mushrooms)
• Dairy-free shredded cheese (optional)
• 1 Tbsp avocado oil (for the pan)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375˚˚˚ F and unwrap your pie crust
2. Drizzle oil in a pan on medium heat and stir in veggies
3. Cut up tofu, then use a potato masher to get the scrambled egg look
4. Add mashed tofu to the pan, then seasoning and mix until ingredients are soft and blended (approximately 5-10 minutes)
5. When ready, gently add ingredients to pie crust using a spatula
6. Bake for 35 minutes, then cool for 5 and serve

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Vegan food you're already eating

Think eating vegan is hard? Your regular food routines are implying otherwise. Just adding a little more consciousness to your orders makes it pretty simple, especially since the best meals are just a matter of finding the perfect blend of tastes and textures.

Falafel

Falafel is made with chickpeas and fried to make it crunchy on the outside, while many traditional toppings are totally safe from animal by-products, like hummus (also made of chickpeas), tahini (sesame seeds), and Israeli salad (diced tomato, cucumbers and onions). Fried eggplant and marinated mushrooms are vegan too, not to mention the pita or laffa bread that you stuff it all into. Check out two of Toronto's big Middle Eastern chain restaurants, Me Va Me and Sofra.

Mexican

Rice, beans and veggies are naturally vegan so it's very easy to do Mexican food proud while skipping the meat, cheese and sour cream. Some places even offer seasoned tofu (like the sofritas at Chipotle), but you will definitely be full and satisfied either way. All those flavours, with salsa and guacamole as your toppings, and you won't miss anything! Try burritos, tacos, fajitas, and rice or salad bowls at any local restaurant or chain. And make them at home with our super easy recipe.

Burrito salad bowl at Chipotle

Japanese

Avocado maki rolls may be simple, but they're truly delicious. Consider skipping boring cucumber or carrot rolls though and give sweet potato, mushroom, Inari (tofu), and various other vegan-friendly concoctions wrapped in rice and seaweed a try ‒ just hold the mayo. There's also tofu sushi, which is basically Inari pockets with rice inside, tofu teriyaki (try the In Your Vegan Face version), avocado or seaweed salad, edamame, veggie tempura, and green tea that's good for your metabolism. If you feel like miso soup, just check that it's made without fish.

Thai / Chinese

It's quite easy to order vegan with most Asian cuisines because there are numerous tofu and veggie options. Just specify that you don't want any fish sauces, eggs or butter in your dishes and ask about anything you're not sure about (like oyster sauce, for example, which is not vegan). Pad Thai with vegetarian sauce, plus tofu, lots of veggies, and rice or wheat noodles, are all great staples. Cynthia's at Bathurst/Centre, Lime at Yonge/Lawrence, and Empire Grill at Allen Road/Eglinton are delicious.

Pizza

Despite getting some chuckles about cheese-less pizza, there are plenty of Italian restaurants that make them taste fantastic (and they're easy to order). Most pizza chains in Toronto have now introduced vegan cheese ‒ such as Pizzaiolo, Mamma's Pizza, Pizza Nova, and Pizza Pizza ‒ and some even include mock meat as an option. You can also do panzerottis the same way. Pizza crust and traditional tomato sauce are almost always vegan.
 

Veggie (no cheese) pizza at Vannis at Bathurst/St. Clair

Indian

Samosas and pakoras are made of vegetables and flour, while many other dishes use scrumptious vegan-friendly curry and coconut milk instead of dairy. Indian food also consists of a lot of chickpeas, lentils, and potatoes so you are sure to find many great, satisfying options. Try the wonderful Copper Chimney in Toronto around Avenue/Wilson.

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