All posts tagged: vegetarian

Famoso Pizzeria

Published by Molly Catherine

I was recently invited to try some vegan pizzas at Famoso Pizzeria on Commercial Drive in VanCity. I can’t lie… I was a bit skeptical seeing as I just visited a brand new, fully plant-based pizzeria in China Town and was blown away. But… obviously I accepted the invite… who says no to pizza?! And, to my pleasant surprise, the pizzas were so good! 🙂 The menu was vegan & vegetarian friendly, with the ability to substitute Daiya cheese on any of the pizzas. They also had some nice vegan salads + a fully vegan sandwich…. so there were definitely options! It’s actually the perfect pizzeria to visit if you’re heading out with both omnivores and herbivores! And, the more us herbivores band together and order plant-based dishes from restaurants like this, the more they’ll realize the demand is there and in turn, increase their vegan offerings (perhaps phase animal products out altogether… a girl can wish can’t she?!). Famoso Pizzeria has locations across Canada in BC, AB, SK and ON. If you have a location near you, I …

Virtuous Pie Restaurant

Published by Molly Catherine

My favourite food for as long as I can remember has been pizza. But since going vegan 14 months ago it’s been the one food I haven’t really eaten much of. I’ve made it a few times at home but it’s been mediocre at best… So, you can imagine my delight when I heard there was a new vegan pizza + ice cream shop opening in Vancouver! Virtuous Pie opened their doors just a couple weeks ago in China Town and I cannot recommend them enough. Their pizzas and salads were soooo delicious. And, their dairy-free ice cream was the best Irek and I have ever had! So… do yourself a favour and get some vegan pizza from Virtuous Pie! They deliver too. 🙂 Hope everyone is having a fabulous week so far. Sending lots of love!! 🙂 Cheers, Molly xx __________ “I will not kill or hurt any living creature needlessly, nor destroy any beautiful thing, but will strive to save and comfort all gentle life, and guard and perfect all natural beauty upon the earth.” – John …

Lettuce Love Cafe

Published by Molly Catherine

I’m so happy that we made a last minute decision to try Lettuce Love Cafe in Burlington the day before we flew home to VanCity. Lettuce Love Cafe is situated in the beautiful city of Burlington, Ontario (about an hour South of Toronto). It’s 100% plant-based and the food was absolutely delicious! It’s safe to say it was the best food we’ve had in the GTA since transitioning to a herbivorous lifestyle. Lettuce Love Cafe has actually been rated the #1 restaurant in Burlington multiple times over the last 6 years and they have plans to expand and also offer a smoothie bar + smoothie bowls right next door! What more do you need in life?! I already can’t wait to go back next time I’m in the area! Irek and I both rate this restaurant a 10/10 hands down. We loved our meals so much. I had a Mexican bowl with a really nice tofu scramble, and Irek had a power bowl with sweet potatoes, kale, mushrooms etc. We also tried some avocado fries, which …

The Hogtown Vegan Restaurant

Published by Molly Catherine

Last week, Irek and I went to the #1 vegan restaurant in Toronto called The Hogtown Vegan. They specialize in vegan comfort food with a southern twist. This is the type of restaurant you could bring a meat-eater to and I guarantee they would leave satisfied. Actually, it was the first time in a long time that Irek and I both struggled to finish our meals… not because they weren’t good (they were delicious) but because the portion sizes were so massive! Since going vegan, I haven’t had a proper club sandwich- which is one of my favourite things! That changed thanks to The Hogtown Vegan! I can honestly say that it was the BEST club sandwich I have ever had. It was massive, and a bit difficult to eat, but worth every single bite. The meat substitutes used on the sandwich were tofu slices (which mimicked bacon), and soy “chicken”. The soy “chicken” was the best meat substitute I’ve tried since going vegan. I don’t think a meat eater would be able to tell the …

The Naam Restaurant

Published by Molly Catherine

Lately, I’ve been hearing really good things about The Naam Restaurant, located in the heart of Kitsilano. So, on our way to the beach the other day we stopped in for a quick lunch to see for ourselves. The Naam has a lovely outdoor patio area with plants all around and a really homey, welcoming feel. The menu has a huge selection of different cuisines, from Mexican, to Thai, to Italian even. I had a very hard time deciding what to order! We went with nachos to start, which were good, although too much daiya cheese (dairy-free) for my liking. And then I had a veggie burrito with a garden salad and some potatoes. The burrito was good, although again, too much daiya cheese. The flavours overall were nice but for me, there was just something missing… it didn’t ‘wow’ me. And as for Irek, he ordered his usual – a veggie burger. He said pretty much the same thing; the food was good but it wasn’t outstanding. That being said, The Naam is open 24 …

Quinoa Pasta

What I Eat in a Day – Part 2

Published by Molly Catherine

For breakfast I had a big blueberry smoothie… It was super filling, and very similar to the smoothie recipe I posted a few weeks back: Banana Berry Smoothie. I had this smoothie around 9am and a couple hours later I also had a big bowl of pineapple (to keep me full until lunch). For lunch I made a very simple quinoa pasta salad and on the side some sourdough bread with hummus and hemp hearts. In the summer I love making traditional salads like pasta salad, potato salad, coleslaw etc. It’s so easy to make them vegan and actually healthy for you! For dinner I made my own version of Lebanese Mujadra. Not sure how close it was to a traditional Mujadra, as I’m not really one to follow a recipe… I prefer just to wing it, be creative, and hope for the best! In this case, it worked out and was very delicious (Irek rated it a 10!!!). I will definitely be making this again soon. In addition to the 3 meals above, I also …

CHAU Veggie Express

Published by Molly Catherine

Yesterday, Irek and I had a lovely vietnamese meal at CHAU Veggie Express. They have a few locations around Vancouver and we’ve actually been wanting to visit for quite some time. CHAU Veggie Express opened in 1986 and originally served dishes rich in animal products, but over the years, they evolved into a restaurant that serves predominantly vegan dishes. The owners listened to their customers, their friends, and their own personal beliefs that eating meat, dairy and eggs was not ideal and not what our bodies need to survive & thrive. The dishes at CHAU are colourful, aromatic, and super delicious. The portion sizes are also quite large, so you definitely won’t go home hungry! Irek and I probably could have shared a main course… but what’s the fun in that?! Haha. Also, Irek’s not the best at sharing when it comes to food… But seriously, if you’re into Vietnamese food, and located in the Vancouver area, this place is fabulous (and also a great option for take-out). Go try it out and let me …

Summer Days

Published by Molly Catherine

Irek and I are finally back to our regular routines… Took me a good week and a half to feel 100% after France. Our schedule was so hectic during those two weeks, we didn’t get much sleep, and our diet was off. Definitely takes a toll on your body! But now we’re back and we have some nice sunny, summer weather! We satisfied our Heirloom Vegetarian craving (favourite restaurant in BC) and we’re also getting back into some cross-fit workouts! It feels really good to be on track again. We’re also going to start playing tennis in the evenings, we played 2 or 3 times per week last year and really enjoyed it. Hope everyone is having a lovely summer thus far! All the best. Molly xx Ps. I’m wearing Tonic Lifestyle Apparel in these photos and am actually an ambassador for this brand! I fell in love with them the first time I tried on their gear. Tonic is Vancouver based and they have a huge focus on sustainability- really awesome company! __________ “It’s …

Veganism in France

Published by Molly Catherine

Irek and I recently spent 2 weeks in France and we divided our time between Paris, Nice and Cannes. We originally planned to spend some time in Monaco as well, but the trip ended up being quite hectic so we figured it was best to do Monaco next year. Coming from my vegan bubble in Vancouver, I was quite disappointed and discouraged to discover how lacking the country is when it comes to plant-based options (call me ignorant / naive – going into the trip, I was both). Now, when I say my ‘vegan bubble’, what I mean is that Vancouver is super progressive in terms of the acceptance and continual growth of people leading fully plant-based, cruelty-free lives. There are tons and tons of vegan and vegetarian restaurants all around Metro-Vancouver as well as the outskirts. Vancouver actually ranks in the top 3 cities of the world in regards to the amount of vegan restaurants we have… I will clarify that in Paris you can definitely find vegan restaurants – they exist and they’re lovely. …

Paper Plane Restaurant

Published by Molly Catherine

On our last day in Nice, Irek and I found this little vegetarian brunch spot, called Paper Plane, which also had some decent vegan options. It wasn’t the most amazing food we’ve ever eaten, but it was tasty and it hit the spot… I wasn’t able to eat the second portion of my meal because although they said there were no peanuts in the food, we could clearly see that there were… Since I have an anaphylactic allergy to peanuts I obviously had to pass. If you’re traveling abroad and have a peanut allergy you need to be so careful. Even if they tell you that there aren’t peanuts in the dishes you still need to be skeptical and super cautious. It’s safest to eat at places where they do not have any peanuts on the premises at all. If you are skeptical or have any hesitations, just walk away. It’s not worth the risk. Now, all this being said, if you do not have any food restrictions, Paper Plane is a good option for vegan brunch in …