-From The Edgy Veg’s new cookbook

Veggs Benny Recipe

Serves 4

 Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C)
 Baking sheet lined with parchment paper

12 asparagus spears, trimmed 12
1/2 tsp olive oil 2 mL
1 tbsp coconut oil 15 mL
1 block (10 oz/300 g) medium or soft tofu, cut into 8 slices, about 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick 1
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 slices of your favorite vegan cold cuts (I like Tofurky), sliced into bacon-like strips 8
4 English muffins, halved 4
1 recipe Ritzy Hollandaise (see recipe, below) 1
Cayenne pepper
Chopped chives

1. In a large bowl, combine asparagus and olive oil; toss to coat. Arrange in a single layer on a prepared baking sheet, and roast in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until tender but still crisp.

2. While your asparagus is roasting, heat coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When oil begins to shimmer, add tofu and a pinch of salt and pepper. (Don’t be shy with the salt: tofu literally has no flavor, so salt with conviction!) Cook for 10 minutes on each side, flipping once, until tofu starts to brown on the edges, just like an egg would. Set aside.

3. Heat the same pan you used to prepare the tofu over medium-high heat. Lightly fry cold cuts for about 3 minutes, flipping once, until heated and slightly crispy. Congratulations, you’ve just made vegan bacon!

4. Place 2 English muffin pieces on each plate and top first with cold-cut bacon slices, then tofu egg, followed by asparagus spears. Drizzle with hollandaise sauce and add a sprinkle of cayenne and chopped chives. Serve immediately and say “So long” to that hangover!

Ritzy Hollandaise

Makes 1-1/2 cups (375 mL)

The epitome of brunch sophistication is a perfect hollandaise, which can be found at the Ritz in Paris. I’ve managed to crack the secret to this rich, creamy, lemony butter dream of a sauce so you can enjoy it at home, no passport required. I guarantee even the French would approve.

 Blender

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk 125 mL
1/2 cup soft silken tofu 125 mL
1/2 tsp black salt or sea salt 2 mL
2 tbsp nutritional yeast 30 mL
1/4 tsp dry mustard powder 1 mL
1/4 tsp ground turmeric 1 mL
1-1/2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (approx.) 22 mL
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 1 mL
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 mL
1/3 cup vegan butter, melted 75 mL

1. In a blender, combine almond milk, tofu, black salt, nutritional yeast, mustard powder and turmeric. Blend on High until smooth. Add lemon juice and blend until smooth. Add cayenne and pepper; pulse until well combined.

2. Remove the plug in the lid. While the blender is running, slowly add vegan butter through the hole in the lid and blend until smooth. Check the taste and consistency of hollandaise and adjust salt, pepper and lemon juice, if necessary.

Hack It!

To ensure that the butter does not separate from the rest of the sauce, you want to make sure that you are adding melted vegan butter at a comically slow pace. If you think you’re pouring slowly, go even slower.

Hollandaise is a very versatile sauce; as well as Veggs Benny, it tastes fabulous on top of our Better Than Eggs: Tofu Scramble, in The All-Day Breakfast Sandwich, drizzled over veggies or even as a dip for Potatoes Served in the French Manner.

The hollandaise sauce will keep for 5 days in the fridge and for 1 month in the freezer. It can easily be reheated on days that you’re feeling extra lazy. To reheat, whisk in a small saucepan over low heat for about 5 minutes, until heated through.

Check out the cookbook by Candice Hutchings here.

The post Veggs Benny Recipe from recently released The Edgy Veg Cookbook appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

This cookbook caught my attention as I’m constantly on the look out for more tasty vegetarian recipe for my family. Could I convince them? I needed to find out.

Hutchings recently hosted a blind folded recipe tasting event for the launch of her cookbook. The event was held at the YouTube creator space downtown, of course. We were greeted with a mimosa made with kombucha.

Blind folded we were given the opportunity to taste four of her dishes from the cookbook. Not being told what was in front of us, we were instructed to use our sense of smell first before finding any sort of cutlery to aid us.

Dish one was the “Unorthodox Lox & Cream Cheese” that was overwhelmingly convincing in taste and texture. Made with carrots and nori, this dish was undeniably delicious. I quickly scanned the book immediately following the event to see what I needed. I’m going to take the directions and make a large batch of the carrots and just eat them on their own — like I would do with real smoked salmon.

The next dish that came was the “Loaded Breakfast Burritos”. Again, we wondered “how” did she create this without using eggs and making it so filling? The tofu scramble used in this will make you change the way you think about using tofu.

French Toast is always a brunch favourite but the Edgy Veg “PB&J French Toast” will become a family favourite for sure!

Hutchings also proves that you can extend these recipes to entertaining guests. The “Death by Chocolate Mousse” is easy but guests will think you’re all fancy like that. Light and rich. That’s all you need to know.

She tells us that her love for cooking was inspired by some of our most favourite chefs including Anthony Bourdain and David Chang (Momofuku). She’s even taken on recreating a Momofuku-style ramen in this cookbook that I can’t wait to try!

I’m sifting through the cookbook now and my mouth is watering. We were told to try the Cauliflower Buffalo Style Chicken Wings! And I wish I could show you the Chik-Fillet deluxe recipe – I pretty much want to lick the photo in the book. Yup, definitely food porn.

The Edgy Veg cookbook has 138 vegan recipes. More info on where to get it here.

The post Toronto YouTube Star Candice Hutchings launches Edgy Veg Cookbook appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

The East End has captured my heart, and taste buds, with the delectable Tori’s Bakeshop. The shop has a lovely vintage charm that is a treat for your eyes while you are treating your stomach. Everything falls right into place, from the pastel colour palette to the display cases right down to the dog water bowl outside. With such meticulous attention to detail, you know Tori has definitely set the standards high for her goodies and she does not disappoint!

If you haven’t tried the cinnamon buns then I suggest you run (not walk) there immediately! It came highly recommended by Candice Hutchings, the Edgy Veg, and was simply perfect! The texture was soft yet not mushy and it had just the right amount of sweetness. I also had the fortune of trying an ice cream sandwich, which Tori just introduced a few weeks ago. Two gluten free chocolate chip oatmeal cookies enveloping a cashew coconut ice cream layer. Look at this photo…how can you resist?

Tori herself is a total sweetheart (no pun intended) and brings such a welcome vibe as soon as you walk through the doors. I had the pleasure of speaking with a few ladies outside the shop who couldn’t stop gushing about Tori and not only the sweets but also all the savoury dishes as well. (I actually didn’t even ask them – they were so excited they just had to tell the next person who walked by which happened to be me). That, to me, is the best type of advertisement of all and I know it won’t be long before I’m back to try more! Check out the website here for more information.

How long has Tori’s Bakeshop been open? Why did you decide to open a vegan bakery?

We opened a year and a half ago, March 9, 2012. As a vegan for several years, I spent a lot of time “translating” favourite family recipes into something I could eat, that still tasted as good as its non-vegan counterpart. Through this process, I realized that this is a hard thing to do, but it is also necessary. I decided to open the Bakeshop in order to share delicious, ethical treats with people, who can then share them with their families, so everyone can eat well, together.

What are some of your specialties? Are these healthy alternatives?

Our “b”lt is definitely a healthy alternative to a bacon sandwich. We hickory smoke coconut, season and crisp it, and put it on the spelt bread we make in-house. We know an Albertan self-described “meat-man” who says, “This is how bacon is SUPPOSED to taste,” which we take as a great compliment. We now sell the ba”con,” as we call it, by the jar! Our gluten-free donuts are also a healthy alternative, because they are baked, not deep-fried. Some things though are still very much treats. There’s only so much “health” you can bake into a cupcake.

What is your philosophy? Tell us about your ingredients.

We analyze all of our ingredients — both food and nonfood. We bake with organic, non-GMO products, and make beyond fair-trade coffee. We build relationships with other like-minded businesses, to mutually help each other grow. It’s vital to know as much as possible about where everything comes from, to choose what you support. For me, it’s not possible to be vegan and simultaneously not also work to care for the whole planet. Tori’s Bakeshop is largely built with reclaimed materials, and we strategically monitor our energy conservation efforts, which include compostable to-go materials.

With more and more people developing sensitivities to gluten, I bet your gluten free treats are very popular. What are some of your favourites?

Our gluten-free oatmeal cookie is a huge favourite, in part because it is a challenge to find treats with certified gluten-free oats in them. We make a great loaf of sandwich bread that we sell whole, or use to make sandwiches here. And we’ve stumbled upon some great cupcake flavours after guests specifically asked for a cake that wasn’t part of our normal repertoire: the banana cake with chocolate frosting, and carrot cake! They’re buoyant, moist, and delicious!

What are the benefits of being vegan? Besides being vegan what do you do to stay healthy?

As a vegan, I have a much clearer idea of what my global footprint looks like. It helps keep me tuned in to my body and what it needs, because it isn’t clouded by confusing signals from foods that boost the body’s inflammatory responses. I also recently started Crossfit, which has been a wild, wild ride. I love the movements and the pace, and also that although the culture is largely associated with more meat-based diets, I perform just as well fuelled by plants! And I have a young Boston Terrier who keeps me always moving.

Name some healthy businesses in Toronto that you love and why?

We’re huge fans of Belmonte Raw, and sometimes carry their juices. We love Trebilcock Coffee Roasters, a father/son operation out of Pickering who share relationships with their coffee growers that boarder on the familial. Majesteas keeps us stocked in lovely loose-leaf teas that come from well-travelled experience. Working with Chocosol has elevated our baked goods to an entirely new level. We also love Fresh City Farms, Thomas Lavers, The Big Carrot, Kid Icarus, and The Paper Place!

Tell us about your location. Do you think you’re in a health-conscious neighbourhood?

We are located Queen East in the Beach(es). We’re a block north from the water which we all appreciate on our lunch breaks. We’re in a neighbourhood with a lot of families, and “Beachers” who have welcomed us so warmly. They often comment about how there’s not much else around like us. We provide options to accommodate so many different dietary concerns, and it is clear through our discussions with the locals that they are definitely health-conscious — but that might not mean what you mean by it. By, health-conscious, I don’t mean that they only eat healthy things, but that they are conscious about how what they eat affects their bodies. They’ve done the personal research to know whether spelt feels better than wheat, and that almond milk makes a fantastic latte without the dairy overload. So when they choose to eat a cupcake, they know what’s in it, and how it will make them feel — and because of this, they can actually enjoy it.

What do you have in store for the rest of the summer and what should we expect from you in the future?

We will be changing up our in-house-made ice cream flavours and pouring cold brew coffee for the rest of summer. We’re also quite busy with wedding orders! In the future we plan to convert the Bakeshop from the day into a wine bar at night, with biodynamic and organic wines, and small plates of “cheese” that we’re slowly cultivating.

Anything else you would like to add?

We never take it for granted that we live in a city that is so supportive of independent businesses, and that offers so many events where people can come together and try new things. We’re equally grateful for our Beach community who has welcomed us, and for the far-west-enders who make the journey out here and take half the shop home with them. We enjoy what we do because of the relationships we’ve made, and we thrive because of them — they are what keep us healthy. Thank you!

The post Tori’s Bakeshop in the Beach(es) appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

I first met Candice Hutchings, the Edgy Veg, through Belmonte Raw (see article here) as the General Manager. After speaking with her for a few short minutes, it was clear that Candice wasn’t just “doing a job,” she really was passionate about raw vegan food.

Somehow it came up that Candice had a YouTube channel and blog called the Edgy Veg. Since I was interviewing about Belmonte Raw, we simply left it at that. But one evening while I was randomly watching YouTube videos, I decided to type in “Edgy Veg” to see what came up. After watching one video about vegan mac and cheese (um…yes!), I was hooked. These were REAL food recipes, not crazy granola “this tastes like something I pulled out of my lawn mower” stuff. I hopped over to her blog – theedgyveg.com – and found hangover cures and face masks and thought to myself, “Who the hell is this chick?! I need to talk to her.” So I did. Candice invited me over for a vegan cooking lesson and I was stoked!

We had the most amazing raw zucchini fettuccine with basil and spinach pesto AND zucchini pizza bread (inspired by pizza baguettes). The best surprise wasn’t that it tasted fantastic, because I figured it would, but that it was so easy to make! Seriously, just watch one video and you’ll see. And even as a meat-lover, I was totally satisfied and happy with my meal! What’s even more refreshing is that you can genuinely tell that Candice loves what she’s doing and wants to share with people this lifestyle that we previously thought was unattainable. It’s easy, delicious, healthy and fun. Ok, I’m going to stop tooting her horn so you can read the interview and check out her blog and videos.

What is the Edgy Veg all about? How did it get started and who is it for?

The Edgy Veg is a combination of all the things I love: the internet, YouTube, blogs and food! It started out as a way for me to keep an online diary about the food I was making and learning how to cook. It started off as a vegetarian blog and slowly developed into a vegan and raw food blog as my own journey developed.

Really it’s for anyone!!! But I seem to be targeting the young, hip, urbanite that lives in a tiny apartment and is more interested in their music, partying and wardrobe than they are in cooking. That being said it’s a website full of videos, recipes and blogs geared towards making vegan food easy to make but also delicious!

Tell us about your involvement with CoralTV.

CoralTV is a women’s network on YouTube run by women! I am currently hosting a weekly vegan cooking show that teaches my audience how to make healthy vegan choices easy and affordable! It’s fun and upbeat (and totally not granola)! I even get to drink on camera!

Were you always a vegan? If not, what motivated you to become vegan and how long as it been?

I was not always a vegan, in fact I grew up German and mostly we ate very traditionally. What set me apart from the other kids at school was my somewhat vegetarian and very into alternative health Mother. We always ate weird food and were really into alternative healing remedies.
This is where my love for the natural really started but it was my horrific acne that gave me the push. After trying absolutely every drug, cream and injection, I was still suffering from horrible acne into my 20s. I, one day, decided to conduct an experiment on myself and voila! It worked. After 30 days of eating only raw food I noticed a significant change in my skin – I knew the answer was sitting literally in front of my face the entire time. I started to read every nutrition and health book I could get my hands on and began experimenting with cooking and preparing this amazing plant based food. My eyes were opened to the importance of food and I was hooked. It has now been 3 years since I became vegan.

What is the hardest thing about being vegan? Alternatively, what is the most rewarding thing about being vegan?

The hardest thing about vegan is the social aspect of life. It is getting easier but there is still that difficulty of going out to dinner worrying about what you will be able to eat at a restaurant. In the beginning it was tough for me to go out and watch my friends eat the food I loved. But after doing it and being strong, the love for that food just vanished. It’s really quite amazing.
The most rewarding thing about being vegan is that I no longer have belly bloat! I am not a big girl my any means but I used to have a permanent bloated, pregnant belly and it looked horrible and I was horribly self conscious about it! I used to wake up with this belly and nothing I did would help… until I did this!!! That and of course my clear skin!!! Yay!

Your website isn’t just about food, tell us what else you blog about?

I love to blog about sex and relationships. I think that might have been the influence many teen years of reading sexy columns and watching Sex and the City. I love to write them in a very bold, almost satire and humorous tone; mainly because I think we women are all thinking it but no one is saying it…so I do!
I also write about various tips and tricks that can be used in the kitchen and often blog about events in my own life. It’s fun to get personal with my readers, I find it very liberating.

How do you stay healthy?

I’m vegan!!!! I know, it’s the obvious answer, but it’s true. I stay healthy by taking care of my most important asset, by body. But I also do yoga and have a glass of wine every evening—I call that balance.

Name your all time favourite health foods (and how to use it…assuming we won’t know what the heck it is). What can’t you live without?

I AM OBSESSED WITH NUTRITIONAL YEAST! It’s cheesy and buttery and makes everything taste better! You can make vegan cheese sauces and butters with it or just sprinkle it on salads and pastas. It is very high in vitamin B12 so it’s a great ingredient for vegans and vegetarians to consume every day. I also need kale and avocados in my life; I eat these items daily.

What local businesses, personalities and vegans inspire you?

Carol Belmonte from Belmonte Raw inspires me. She is a genius when it comes to raw food and juicing. I love when companies refuse to sellout and compromise their products for mass consumption. It makes me so sad when I see my favourite products’ quality diminish.
I also really love the local vegan bakeries like Bunners and Tori’s Bakeshop for committing to staying vegan and gluten free without using unhealthy but vegan ingredients like refined sugars and flours.

Where do you do most of your grocery shopping?

In Kensington market and at farmers markets. It is so important to support your local farmers and eat organic!

Tell us about your raw protein bars (and balls). Where can we find it?

I am currently selling my own line of vegan protein bar mix and power balls. They are all vegan protein products that give you the energy to go about your day or refuel after a workout without the bloat, chemicals or GMOs.
Protein bars are one of the easiest ways to add convenience to your diet. On those days you simply do not have the time to prepare your meal in advance, just grab a bar and go. The protein bar mixes and power balls are made with all natural, organic ingredients and are made fresh each week by hand the same day you order. To find out more information you can email edgyveg@email.com.

What’s in store for the Edgy Veg in the future?

Loaded question! I want to take this show on the road, literally. I have a dream of travelling the world and sharing my story and my passion for the importance of food with people everywhere. I have huge goals as a YouTuber and just go where the wind blows… I am a terrible planner; I’m more into spontaneity.

The post The Edgy Veg appeared first on Toronto Guardian.