A Romantic Dinner for Two at Aux Vivres

Hello world! As you may or may not have noticed, Vegan Muffin is a blog written by my lovely wife-to-be, Andree-Anne and yours truly. At least in name only. I’m afraid I’ve been something of a slacker in contributing my own reviews for the blog. But I’m happy to report that I’m finally going to be writing a lot more and will be providing my two cents on a variety of vegan-related topics from product reviews to vegan politics and the hilarity therein.

Valentine’s Day came and went this past Tuesday and while every day is Valentine’s Day as far as I’m concerned (living with an amazing woman like Andree-Anne will do that to you), I specifically go out of my way on this day to make my Queen feel even more special. So I took her out for a romantic dinner for two at our favorite new Vegan restaurant, Aux Vivres. Some of you may recall our last visit there where we dined on some of the most delicious waffles we’ve ever tasted. This time around, we went for dinner and we weren’t disappointed.

I arrived at Aux Vivres before my sweetie and asked the hostess for a romantic spot for two. Now, as much as I adore this restaurant and the values it stands for, I do have a little bone to pick with them. It seems like without fail, whenever we go there, the first place they always seem to seat us is next to the bathrooms. They did that the first time we went there (but thankfully reseated us once we made it clear that the only odors we wanted to inhale were the aromas of fresh ground coffee and organic maple syrup as opposed to the manmade concoctions one creates while sitting on the porcelain throne) and they did it again on the 14th. They may want to seriously reconsider the seating arrangements as I can’t imagine anyone seriously wanting to sit next to the flatulence express.

Once we were seated, we perused the menu and decided on a variety of items.

We both ordered the Aux Vivres Burger, which consisted of a fresh “garden patty,” chipotle mayo, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes and caramelized onions along with side orders of roasted potato wedges, coleslaw and chipotle ketchup. I ordered a side garden salad with dill dressing. She ordered some corn bread with vege-butter. For drinks, she had a raspberry lemonade and I had a Cafe Frappe smoothie.

Needless to say, our taste buds experienced a barrage of mouth orgasms the likes of which they’ve never felt before. I’ve had plenty of veggie burgers in the past and while the ones at Harvey’s and Benedict’s passed the test as far as notable edibles go, they paled in comparison to the mouth-watering ecstasy that was the Aux Vivres Burger. I’m not entirely sure what the patty was made of. They also serve tofu, tempeh and mushrooms burgers, so clearly the patty is not made of those materials. I imagine it’s a patty made of a variety of vegetables forged in such a manner as if to resemble an actual patty. Case in point, when you take a bite into it, there are shades of red mimicking what a medium rare patty would look like. The choice of toppings complemented the burger nicely and I especially appreciated the fact that they divided the toppings equally on both sides of the patty. All too often, the toppings are piled on top of each other, canceling the various tastes out. But in this case, when I took a bite, I was first greeted by the tangy mustard, crisp lettuce and succulent patty followed by the spicy mayo and refreshing pickle. Great, great stuff. I was initially about to complain about the portions (which admittedly aren’t plentiful) but much like Boustan’s (an amazing Lebanese restaurant that we’ll one day write a review for), good things come in small packages, or in this case, portions as it doesn’t take much for you to feel full and satisfied. The potato wedges were delicious but the coleslaw was a little watery I’m afraid.

As far as the sides go, my garden salad was absolutely divine. It consisted of lettuce, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers with my choice of dressing. I chose the dill and wasn’t disappointed. My sweetie’s corn bread was also quite tasty and the vege-butter that came with it was pretty impressive. It had a cheesy taste leaving us wondering what it was made of.

I can’t recommend their smoothies enough. The Cafe Frappe smoothie was amazing! It was so sweet it could almost be a dessert in its own right. My sweetie’s soda was also refreshing but we knew that already as we often purchase this organic soda when we go grocery shopping.

The main disappointment with the meal, however lay in the dessert. We ordered an apple pie to go and we were quite unsatisfied with the choice. The crust was tasty but the pie had a lemony aftertaste which seemed to clash with the apples. Next time, we’ll probably go with the uncheese cake or the promising apple chocolate cake.

The poor choice in dessert notwithstanding, Aux Vivres has quickly become a new favorite for us. So much so, that we plan on turning brunch/dinner a weekly tradition so stay tuned for more Aux Vivres reviews to come!

Sunstart Gluten-Free & Wheat-Free Coconut Cookies

Here we have yet another Gluten-Free food win. We got these at Viva Vegan the other day, because we were looking for something to have with tea. Sunstart has different flavours, but Coconut was the one that got us the most curious about.

For roughly a dozen cookies, you will pay $4. It is a bit less expensive than the cookies I posted about previously. They are also much tastier, in my opinion. They reminded me of butter cookies, with an extra coconut touch. These cookies literally melt in your mouth and are perfect with some Sencha green tea! I went through half of the box in one afternoon. They were that good! And then Matthew scolded me for not keeping any for him… Oops! ^_^

Ginger Snaps By Mary’s Organic Crackers Love Cookies

This is another nice find from Fleur Sauvage. These cookies are wheat-free and gluten-free. I have been told that a lot of the time, gluten-free foods taste horrible, or that the texture is funny. I actually didn’t notice they were gluten-free until I threw out the box! I should also mention they are vegan, but that was a giveaway. 😉

My favourite thing about the cookies is the spicy taste. I’ve had ginger snaps before, but none of them tasted as much like ginger like these ones. My only disappointment with this product is the price. $5 for a dozen of cookies is a bit high. Oh well, we barely get any candy or any other junk, so it’s a nice treat.

Matthew should post his review for their Chocolate Chip cookies sometime soon. I know he LOVED them. 😀

4-Berry Smoothie

If mornings aren’t your kind of thing and you like to have a quick breakfast, you probably like smoothies, like me. They’re super easy to make, and they’re done in less than 5 minutes.

My sister gave me a blender for my birthday, back in May of last year, and I never got around to using it until this past weekend. I grabbed bananas, frozen berries, some orange juice, and a pouch of Vega Smoothie Infusion, and went for it. The recipe is below, but first, here is what it looked like:

• 1/2 banana
• 1 1/2 cup frozen 4-berry mix
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 Vega Smoothie Infusion pouch (source of greens, omega-3 and protein – optional)

Put in blender, mix, serve, enjoy.

A beautiful purple drink! Now, I said in a previous post that I didn’t like bananas much. Usually, you’re supposed to use bananas in a smoothie for the texture. Since the taste makes me gag a little, I used only half, and the berries overpowered the bananas. I could have used more orange juice – I was following a pre-made recipe, but hey, experiments are fun. 🙂

It yielded a big drink, definitely meal-sized. You can probably adjust portions if you want something not as big.

This is the Vega Smoothie Infusion pouch thingie I was talking about:

It is a greenish powder, made from plant-based protein, flaxseed and greens (spirulina, wheat grass, and the list goes on). I didn’t really notice the taste once mixed in my smoothie.

I will be making more smoothies and will also review them.

Happy healthy eating!

GoGo Quinoa Burger Mix

This is probably the best veggie burger Matthew and I have ever had… We found this product at our local organic grocery store, Ecollegey. I have seen a lot of recipes for veggie burgers made with portobello mushrooms, but seeing as we are both allergic to all mushrooms, we had to find an alternative. There are also bean burgers, which we will eventually try out.

GoGo Quinoa had the advantage of being a premade mix – you just add water, wait 5 minutes, make your patties, and cook them (on the pan or barbecue – latter would probably be best). Be careful not to add too much water because you won’t be able to use the stuff. Cook each side until golden brown-ish.

It’s also gluten-free, vegan and organic. I have been hearing and reading a lot about how a lot of people do not like gluten-free because it tastes weird. These burgers taste amazing, and you wouldn’t even know it’s gluten-free. Seriously. We also noticed they are a lot more filling than regular meat burgers, and definitely healthier. all it took was one veggie burger each! So basically, a win-win situation.

The box says it makes 5 big patties… That’s true. 5 BIG patties. Like, huge. What I usually do is take the amount I need and adjust the water required. I have to warn you, though, that the preparation is quite messy; but believe me, it’s absolutely worth it!

With some Vegenaise, tomatoes, fresh lettuce (that’s usually what I put in mine); or whatever else, it tastes amazing. It’s approximately $7 for the box, but when you do the math, it’s reasonable because it gives you 5 huge patties.

Tofurky Kielbasa Polish-Style Fauxsages

We’re usually not very big on faux-meat, but as we were walking around at Fleur Sauvage, we saw this. Caught our interest, so we decided to give it a try. Before going vegan I liked sausage every once in awhile, so I was curious to see what fauxsage would be like.

First off, I have to say that these fauxsages are BIG, and had enough with just one. It was a mixed review for us though. Matthew didn’t really like it because it reminded him too much of real meat, and I liked it. Well, not to the point of having it all the time, but you get the point. I have to agree with Matthew about the taste bit. I really felt like I was eating real, actual sausage. I was fooled. I liked the taste – very garlic-y and onion-y.

You can fry ’em up in a pan, on the barbecue, or heat them up in the microwave – but the first two options are much better I would assume.

Health Benefits Of Being A Vegan, Pt. 2

Since us vegans eat more fruit and veggies, incidentally we consume more phytochemicals. Here is a list:

• Allicin is found in onions and garlic. Allicin blocks or eliminates certain toxins from bacteria and viruses.
• Anthocyanins are found in red and blue fruits (such as raspberries and blueberries) and vegetables. They help to slow the aging process, protect against heart disease and tumors, prevent blood clots, and fight inflammation and allergies.
• Biflavonoids are found in citrus fruits.
• Carotenoids are found in dark yellow, orange, and deep green fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, parsley, oranges, pink grapefruit, and spinach.
• Flavonoids are found in fruits, vegetables, wine, green tea, onions, apples, kale, and beans.
• Indoles are found in broccoli, bok choy, cabbage, kale, Brussel sprouts, and turnips (also known as “cruciferous” vegetables). They contain sulfur and activate agents that destroy cancer-causing chemicals.
• Isoflavones are found in soybeans and soybean products.
• Lignins are found in flaxseed and whole grain products.
• Lutein is found in leafy green vegetables. It may prevent macular degeneration and cataracts as well as reduce the risk of heart disease and breast cancer.
• Lycopene is found primarily in tomato products. When cooked, it appears to reduce the risk for cancer and heart attacks.
• Phenolics are found in citrus fruits, fruit juices, cereals, legumes, and oilseeds. It is thought to be extremely powerful, and is studied for a variety of health benefits including slowing the aging process, protecting against heart disease and tumors, and fighting inflammation, allergies, and blood clots.

It is important to note that these phytochemicals cannot be found in supplements, so they can only be found in food. Food with high contents of phytochemicals include:

• Broccoli
• Berries
• Soy nuts
• Pears
• Turnips
• Celery
• Carrots
• Spinach
• Olives
• Tomatoes
• Lentils
• Cantaloupe
• Garlic
• Apricots
• Onions
• Seeds
• Soy beans
• Green tea
• Apples
• Cabbage
• Brussel sprouts
• Bok choy
• Kale
• Red wine

Antioxidants are also nice little guys that prevent oxidation from happening too much in your body. Oxidation causes accelerated ageing, cancer, and heart disease, to name a few. Oxidation creates free radicals, which attack the DNA of healthy cells. This causes mutations, and therefore, allows tumors to grow. Antioxidants include:

• Ascorbic acid, aka good ole vitamin C. It is present in citrus fruit, green peppers, red peppers, strawberries, and most green veggies.
• Beta carotene. Good sources are carrots, squash, collards, spinach and sweet potatoes.
• Vitamin E, which can be found in sunflower oil and seeds, most nuts, bran, and whole wheat to name a few.

Finally. omega-3 fatty acids. It is important to get them in our diet because the body cannot make them. Not only is it good for brain health, but right now researchers are studying the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on reducing or delaying the growth of certain tumors.

Like you probably already know, these fatty acids are found mostly in fish like salmon, tuna and mackerel (amongst many others). However, if you are vegan, you don’t consume fish (also I don’t like the thought of putting doses of mercury in my body, but that’s another story!), so getting your omega-3 dose can be a little trickier. Your best bet is flaxseed oil. You can find it in capsules in most natural health stores. Also, some beans like kidney, great northern, navy and soy beans contain omega-3 fatty acids as well.

Happy healthy eating! 🙂

Source

Lush Aqua Marina Facial Cleanser & Catastrophe Cosmetic Fresh Face Mask

For about 14 years, I’ve had almost-flawless skin. Before that, I had been on every acne treatment possible. I had to go down the Accutane route, and although this is one hell of a scary drug (which I won’t go into here), I have been acne free ever since, except for the occasional breakout of one or two pimples always on the same spot, caused by hormonal changes that one time of the month.

My skin is a bit sensitive, so I just can’t wash it every single day with regular soap. Spectro Jel used to be the only stuff that was gentle enough for my face. Although recently, having become a Lush junkie, I wanted to try their products and see how they fare compared to what I used in the past.

The Aqua Marina facial cleanser was highly recommended to me by one of the employees at Lush. It’s excellent for sensitive skin like mine. It has nori seaweed, calamine and aloe vera. The first time I tried it, although the smell was rather weird (because of the seaweed), it left my skin so soft and rosy! And you don’t need to use a lot – only the size of a pea is enough to do the job. You mix it with lukewarm water until it has the consistency of lotion, wash your face, then rinse. The seaweed will leave some green “fluffs”, so not to worry, it will come off when you rinse!

Next, the Catastrophe Cosmetic fresh face mask. Made with fresh blueberries, calamine, chamomille and almond oil, it is one of the only few vegan options, since most of them contain honey and/or eggs. I wanted something for sensitive skin, so this is the one I was recommended. Besides, I love blueberries, so how can I go wrong?

Since this is made with fresh products, you need to keep the mask in the fridge, and it is good for a couple of weeks only. That’s probably the only thing I don’t like about it, but other than that, it is amazing! I used it right after washing my face with Aqua Marina. It was a little messy, but the smell was great, and it soothed my skin like you wouldn’t believe! 5 to 10 minutes later, after taking it off, my skin was very soft, and looked extremely healthy.

Since I have to use it by mid-February, I will definitely be indulging again soon, since there was enough for a least one or two more masks!

Earth’s Own Chocolate-Flavoured Almond Milk

I am not a huge fan of most things that are chocolate-flavoured, I’ll admit. I guess that puts me in the minority. I have always preferred vanilla ice cream over chocolate ice cream, for example.

My sweetheart had tried chocolate-flavoured soy milk before, and was kind of neutral about it. He doesn’t really like the aftertaste of most soy drinks. Neither do I. Some flavours do a better job at hiding it, however.

We went to our local supermarket and he wanted to try the almond milk. We went for the chocolate stuff. I had already tried the original, unsweetened almond milk and really liked it, despite it being a bit “dry”. Most non-dairy drinks have so much sugar in them and I wanted to avoid that; however the plain unsweetened almond milk was a little too plain, and could have used a bit more sugar. They should really have the happy medium option. Lightly sweetened?

Anyway, this chocolate almond milk tastes just like the good ole chocolate dairy milk. I admit we were really fooled! It also reminded me of chocolate-covered almonds. Delicious!

Lush Daddy-O Shampoo

Since being vegan isn’t only about the diet, I figured I would post about non-dietary vegan products.

Lush  is HEAVEN if you like handmade cosmetics. Some would argue it’s expensive, but in my experience, the cost represented the quality of the product.

I went platinum blonde a few months before becoming a vegan. My hairstylist highly recommended their Daddy-O shampoo, and she uses it herself. For a small 100ml bottle, you will have to pay $9.95, which at first glance is definitely not cheap.

Why is it so worth it? Pretty simple. There are many reasons. First, it’s cruelty free! Second, it smells amazing and lathes very well. Third, it won’t dry your hair out like most blue/purple shampoos do. Fourth, you don’t need to use a lot! I’ve had the same bottle since September, but granted, I have very short hair.

And last, your hair won’t turn green/yellow. It’s pretty amazing. Now, I have read a review where someone said the shampoo turned her hair pink. My hairstylist said this is only possible if you over bleach your hair (bleaching all your hair instead of just the roots every month, making your hair more porous and therefore it will absorb pigments more).

Needless to say, I am hooked. And I was told it was also good for when I plan to dye my hair fuchsia pink, the purple pigments of the shampoo preventing my hair from turning salmon pink. The hassle to find cruelty free colour safe shampoo has been avoided!

I will be posting about more Lush products. Stay tuned!