Honestly. I’ve wanted to spread the good word about this place for some time now. This post is a bit overdue and I want to say thank you to those of you who patiently waited for me to write it. 

If you’ve read any of my earlier posts about my trip to the Junction, you may remember me referencing the beet organic café which was on my list of places to visit but unfortunately didn’t get there on time before it closed. Well, just a few weeks ago I found myself back in the Junction once again and this time I made sure to stop in. 

The beet is an organic café that serves up delicious and nutritious food and a whole lot more. Owned by a Registered Nutritionist and Homeopathic Doctor, I must say this café is the real deal when it comes to real food. The menu is completely designed by these two ladies so you can rest assured you are getting only top-notch quality when it comes to optimal nutrition. I had the pleasure of speaking to the lovely Michelle Vella, Registered Nutritionist, who shared with me her vision from a few years back of wanting to open a café that served up the kind of food that she would feel good about putting in her own mouth. Everything that is served up is organic, locally sourced (when available) and Certified Fair Trade if imported. The café even goes one step further offering 100% biodegradable packaging and has an interior design made up of sustainable and recycled materials. It’s a truly eco-friendly café! 

The menu varies from breakfast items, sandwiches/wraps and dinner entrées, to fresh squeezed juices and grab-and-go items if you are on the run. Also on the menu – organic wine and beer!  Furthermore there is an assortment of vegan and gluten/wheat-free items to choose from.  Be sure to check out their menu on the website listed below for their daily specials and to see the full array of delicious choices available. Also keep in mind that their menu is ever-evolving with the seasons so that freshness and taste are never compromised. 

When I stopped into the café with a few friends one Saturday afternoon, it was that in-between time when you’ve already ate lunch but you’re not quite ready for dinner yet. We had more or less stopped in for a drink and a little something sweet. I ordered one of their digestive elixirs which intrigued my friends so much that they followed suit. What you get is a shot of  intestinal friendly kombucha in a fresh pressed apple/ginger juice combo. Truly refreshing! Between the 3 of us we sampled the vegan wheat-free chocolate beet cupcake, the gluten-free almond cookie and the vegan kamut ginger cookie. All were delish and satisfied our want for something sweet. I have to say though, I’m looking forward to going back and actually eating a full meal there. I’m thinking dinner. 

Yummy stuff

Kombucha Mojitos! Nevermind the pretty flower that has seen better days.

 The beet has the kind of warm ambiance and neighbourhood charm that will surely make you feel right at home. And for the superior quality you are getting the prices are right. Because of the location of this still up-and-coming neighborhood, you won’t pay the same prices that you would if this café was smack downtown. Rumour has it that they also have a nice patio for soaking up the sunshine when the weather is nice.

Check it out! 

As an aside, I just want to comment that I have no vested interest in reviewing any of the restaurants that I visit other than wanting to spread the word about real food experiences that I enjoy and to give people healthy options when it comes to eating out. If I don’t like a place or have a bad experience somewhere, I simply just choose not to write about it. I’ll save that for the real food critics! That’s not what this site is about. Anyways, just saying… 

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Check out the deets on the beet! 

http://www.thebeet.ca

2945 Dundas Street West
Toronto, ON

Yesterday I had a Valentine’s Day lunch date with my fellow nutritionista friend Joy.  Our original plan (as I mentioned in yesterday’s post) was to visit a particular little vegetarian cafe in Kensington market where neither of us had yet dined. Well actually to be fair, I had been to this place once before but only to sample their vegan ice-cream – not to actually eat a meal. In any case, it turned out that Hibiscus (our planned destination) was closed yesterday as the sign read that hung on the door. No, not for Valentine’s Day but apparently they are closed every Sunday.  Grrreat! 

Not too worry though. The nice thing about Kensington market is that there are a ton of different places to nosh at, and many cater to a health-conscious crowd.  Case in point, just a few doors down from Hibiscus we ended up at Urban Herbivore. 

Urban Herbivore is a place that I frequent often (as does Joy) so we were both more than happy to settle for something tried and true. What this place lacks in seating it makes up for in healthy and delicious vegan fare.  On the menu they have fresh squeezed juices, salad and grain bowls with an enormous selection of toppings from which to choose, delicious sandwiches, soups and baked goods. It’s my go-to-place when I’m doing a little shopping in Kensington and hunger strikes. It’s also the perfect place to people watch since all of the seats face looking out the window. 

For lunch I had one of their grain bowls – a quinoa and lentil base topped with diced beets, avocado, artichokes, sesame tempeh, grilled root veggies, toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds and drizzled with a lemon tahini dressing. So yummy and satisfying. 

My grain bowl

While Joy opted for a salad. She had no complaints:) 

Joy's salad

Both of us were more than happy with our selections. 

Other personal  favorites of mine are the avocado sandwich and the sweet potato & date muffins. You have to try these muffins! I’ve never tasted anything quite like them before in the form of a baked good. 

If you haven’t checked out Urban Herbivore yet I would highly recommend it next time you are in Kensington market. Just be weary that sometimes it can be difficult to get a seat if you hit it up at the wrong time. Easier if it’s just you or one other person, as opposed to a larger group. 

And if you’re not a herbivore – no problem!  This place doesn’t discriminate and neither should you. 

If you give this place a try it’s likely you’ll be back for more!

Urban Herbivore 

64 Oxford Street, Toronto

Q. What do I like just as much (probably more!) as eating out at places that serve up healthy and delicious fare??

A. Shopping at places which offer a wide selection of organic and healthy food options that I can bring home and get creative with in my own kitchen!

This brings us to our last stop of the day – The Sweet Potato.

The Sweet Potato is a healthy grocery store that’s a bit of a cross between an organic market and a health food shop. More than just a food store, you can find anything from cleaning supplies to beauty products. The prices are reasonable and many products are marked down lower than what you would find in some of the bigger chains. This is to be expected though seeing as their tagline is “Natural Foods…Sweeter Prices!”

We didn’t really stop in to do a full grocery shop, more so just to check the place out and peruse the aisles. I did however leave the store with a new jar of coconut oil that was on special. I like a good deal!

Hmmm..which one?

I have to say, if I lived in the Junction I would definitely make this one of my regular shopping destinations. And the next time I am back visiting the neighbourhood, I won’t hesitate to stop in.

The Sweet Potato | 2995 Dundas Street West, Toronto

This brings our Sunday afternoon Junction day trip to an end. I do want to point out that in terms of food, this neighbourhood has more to offer than just the places we happened to visit. One such place is The Beet, an organic market and cafe. We had intended stopping in for a late afternoon tea but unfortunately they close their doors at 4pm on Sunday so we missed the boat. Oh well, gives me an excuse to go back! And when I do, I will definitely write about my experience.

Well that’s it for this series. Stay tuned for more “Real Food” discoveries in other neighbourhoods!

Everybody needs a little indulgence in their life from time to time.  Yes, nutritionists included!

When it comes to indulging though, my personal motto is: Do it right, or don’t do it at all.

This brings us to the next stop on our Sunday afternoon Junction excursion – Delight!

Delight is a quaint little shop that specializes in organic, fair trade chocolate. Each hand-crafted item is made using all-natural quality ingredients, so rest assured that there will be no artificial crap or additives finding their way into your chocolate treat.

One thing I found quite interesting was the array of unique flavours they had to offer. After careful contemplation, I selected a dark chocolate square with an organic ice wine filling. So delectable, it left me completely satisfied. Like any “real” quality chocolate, a little goes along way, so you’re not left feeling the need to devour a whole bar.

Now I have to say, we originally stopped in to sample the chocolate, but after speaking to one of the owners we learned about another one of their specialties – ice cream!  Not only is it all-natural, organic and made in-house, but all their flavours are seasonal. What that means is, if you decide to visit the shop in October expecting to get strawberry ice cream, well my friend, you’re out of luck! That’s because they only source fresh and local ingredients, and as most people know, strawberries are only available locally in the summertime.

With this knowledge in hand, my friend decided to splurge on a cup of the pumpkin spice ice cream, with promises to let me sample. And how could I resist? After all, pumpkin is my favourite gourd!

I have to say my taste buds were in heaven. It was delicious, in every sense of the word. And after stepping back out into the street and leaving the little shop behind, I have to admit I was secretly a little envious I didn’t get a scoop of my own.

Picture perfect little window front

Delight definitely gets my splurge-worthy seal of approval. See, it is possible to indulge while still adhering to most (if not all) of the “real food” guidelines. Now putting my “nutritionist hat” back on for a second, I’m not by any means encouraging you to gorge on chocolate and ice cream every day, but if you’re going to indulge (most of us will at some point!) at least make it worth the added calories. No point in wasting it on some pre-packaged “treat” that has been sitting on the store shelf for a year and loaded with artificial flavourings and preservatives. Kapeesh?

So there you have it! Next time you are in the Junction and in the mood for something decadent, I would definitely recommend hitting up this place. I will probably make a trip back just for the pumpkin spice ice cream alone! My only concern is that it’s only offered for a limited time.

My suggestion?

Run, don’t walk!

Delight |3040 Dundas Street West, Toronto

www.delightchocolate.ca

Check back soon for my final post of this series – Real Food in the Junction Part – 3.

I’m a bit of an explorer, always have been.

One of my favourite pastimes since moving to Toronto has been wandering the streets, exploring the many little pockets and neighbourhoods the city has to offer in search of hidden gems. More than ever though, the “foodie” in me loves to discover new restaurants, cafes and eateries in hopes of  finding unique “real food” experiences that leave me feeling nourished, revitalized and inspired.

Case in point, this past Sunday my friend and I decided to spend a perfect Sunday afternoon exploring the Junction, a neighbourhood in Toronto. I had been wanting to visit the area for a while since hearing that a few new health-conscious cafes had cropped up that were serving tasty eats. So I figured it was about time. 

The first order of business was lunch.

Destination – Rawlicious

Rawlicious is a cool little cafe that serves up (you guessed it!) raw and vegan cuisine. Nothing is cooked above 118 degrees F which means that all enzymes, nutrients, vitamins and minerals are intact. (Note: cooking at high temperatures can destroy these vital elements). Everything is 100% raw (with the exception of a few ingredients) and 100% organic (unless availability is an issue). The vibe is really cozy and totally laid back. It wasn’t very busy when we stopped in so we opted for one of the best seats in the house; a little cove in front of the window furnished with comfy pillows on which to sit upon.

The menu offered an assortment of juices, smoothies and other delicious drinks.

I opted for the “Lean Green” juice  to get my daily dose of green loving, while my lunch date went for the Berry Green Smoothie.

Me drinking my Lean Green juice

 To start we selected the Nacho Platter, which believe me, is much healthier than it sounds! It came with all the fixings (salsa, guacamole and dairy-free “sour cream”) and “Rawlicious” chips. Delicious!

Nacho Platter

For our mains we both went the sandwich route. For me the “Rawitch” which consisted of veggies and sprouts on onion bread, while my friend opted for the daily special – the “mock” chicken sandwich. Let me digress. I have to laugh while writing this because this is a post (and blog) about “real food” and here I am talking about “fake” chicken. Well let me tell you, there was nothing fake about the ingredients that went into making that “mock” chicken. Haha. I believe it was actually made from raw cashews!  Totally real and healthy.

Check out our sandwiches below.

Mock "chicken" sandwich

My Rawitch

After having ate all that raw and living food, we left Rawlicious feeling energized and ready to take on the rest of the day. And as tempting as the dessert menu looked (Rawkalicious cookies?!), we decided we needed to save a little room in our bellies for our next destination.

To sum it up, if you are a raw foodie, a vegan, a vegetarian, on a wheat-free or dairy-free eating plan, or you just want to try something healthy, unique and delish  – this place is definately for you!

Rawlicious | 3092 Dundas Street West, Toronto

Check back soon for Real Food in the Junction – Part 2