Would like to ask some help from the Greater Toronto Area members - Vanessa

[Guest guest]

Hi Vanessa,

Welcome to the group.

 

We go to Toronto and surrounding suburbs at least once a year for several days.

We've never had trouble finding plenty of Vegetarian selections anywhere,

especially at the abundant Asian and middle eastern stores and restaurants. We

just love all the choices we have there.

 

BTW have you been to Fire and Ice, just east of Unionville? It is so good and

you choose from the buffet and they prepare immediately. It is awesome.

Prepare for the visual assault of your first sighting of the Japanese-style

stir-fry restaurant Fire and Ice (25 Cochrane Dr., Unionville, 905-947-1900).

Its exterior is decorated with titanic fake icicles and flames, and the interior

is meant to resemble the inside of a volcano. Once you've been seated and had a

chance to adjust to the spectacle, you're given bread and salad and asked to

select your stir-fry protein (meat or tofu, etc, though you don't have to

select one.). You then go to the vegetable bar, take as much as you want, choose

a sauce and give it all to a grill chef, who woks his magic.(I always them to

prepare mine in a clean pan, instead of on the grill) The result is delivered to

your table. An unforgettable dining experience

 

There is a mall with a Wal-mart in it east of Unionville on the main Rd. thru

there, and it has a wonderful Asian fast food rest., just inside the mall from

Wal-mart, that has very good pad Thai noodles......... You get to pick what

ingredients you want put into it.

 

Check out this great directory of Vegetarian restaurants in Toronto area.

http://www.veg.ca/directory/vegrest.html Click on your area and then arrow

down to see what is available in that area.

http://www.veg.ca/directory/t-northyork.html Here is another great list.

The restaurants start about midway down the page and go on with loads of great

sounding places.

http://www.vegetarian-restaurants.net/Canada/Toronto.htm

 

Here is a place that I stumbled upon, when looking up the Fire and Ice

Restaurant info on line. It sounds good. A meal at Ruby's Vegan Vegetarian

Restaurant (325 Kerr St., Oakville, 905-842-6112) is like walking into a

neighbour's kitchen and being asked to stay for supper. Owner, chef, registered

nurse and nutrition proselytizer Ruby Thomas-Cezette introduces herself to each

and every diner and keeps her restaurant as simple, spartan and clean as the

food. Newcomers should ask for the combination dinner ($11.99), a sampling of

soy ''chicken,'' ''steak'' and ''roast beef'' served with eight types of rice

and a selection of seasonal organic vegetables. Wash it down with a fresh

vegetable or fruit juice, and top it off with apple crumble or homemade

imitation rum and raisin ice cream ($4.50). Handwritten signs advertise such

frozen takeout food as soy ''buffalo wings'' and ''chicken nuggets'' ($6.85 for

12) or soy ''fish fillets'' ($6.50 for four).

 

Scarborough is saturated with lots of Indian Restaurants, sit down and fast

food. Lots of great selections there. You can get takeout and take it home to

warm up for another meal.

 

There is a Seventh Day Adventist Church in Markham, and I'm sure in lots of

those other locations you mentioned. Call them and ask them for suggestions of

meat substitutes and restaurants with vegetarian selections. They should be

able to give you some good pointers and suggestions. SDA's recommend a

vegetarian lifestyle, though not everyone embraces it. They have vegetarian

potlucks too, that they'd be very happy for you to join in on. They may offer

some Vegetarian Cooking Classes. Most all SDA churches that I've ever attended

did, periodically throughout the year and anyone was welcome to come.

 

BTW, vegetarian meat substitutes fill that craving you might have and lets you

put into favorite recipes that called for meat. They require very little

cooking, so very quick and are healthy. Our favorite brands are Worthington,

Loma Linda and Morningstar Farms(frozen food section of your grocery store,

usually near frozen breakfast items). You can order them off of Amazon.com and

most have free shipping.

http://www.kelloggs.com/brand/worthington/

 

Amy Kitchen dinners http://www.amys.com/ has a frozen line of vegetarian

dinners that are healthy and very good. There is also CedarLane brand, but I

haven't tried that brand.

 

Well anyway this should give you loads of choices. You've got tons of

vegetarian choices in your area, that most here can only dream about. You may

want to order several items off a menu and get all of them to go except the ones

that you are eating there and then take the rest home and freeze in an airtight

containers. I've done that before. You make your own frozen dinners that way.

 

I think you'll might get much more encouraged to cook after staying on the list

longer. Most have learned to love to cook, that stick around. So many great

folks, recipes, tips and suggestions are daily shared here.

 

Enjoy,

Judy

-

Vanessa

Tuesday, January 02, 2007 6:11 PM

Would like to ask some help from the Greater

Toronto Area members

 

 

Hi everyone,

 

I am looking for some resources where I can find healthy, prepared

meals that I can just stick in the microwave after work. Ones that I

can take the leftovers for lunch the next day. I am single, so I

don't have to worry about anyone but me.

I think one of the biggest hurdles for me will be the convenience

issue. Yes, there are some foods that I will have terrible cravings

for, but I don't think that is the biggest challenge that I will

face. If I can find easy and tasty food, it doesn't bother me that

it doesn't contain meat products. I enjoy things like vegetarian

pastas and vegetable based indian foods, and frequently go days

without eating meat.

I would prefer references to places outside the GTA - Markham,

Richmond Hill, North York, Stouffville, Aurora - but I do have a

vehicle. If it means a trip into Scarborough or the city once a week

to shop, that isn't out of the question. I am looking for grocery

stores with a good selection of prepared vegetarian foods, stores

that cater to strictly vegetarian foods, and when I am craving

something like a sub, fast food places that carry decent vegetarian

options.

Thank you so much for any suggestions that you can make. I would

really appreciate any support that people can provide.

Vanessa