SUVs killing the malnourished

Yes, your gas guzzling SUV is not only contributing to the destruction of the environment, it's also putting the world's poor and starving in more jeopardy. According to the Guardian, a secret World Bank report finds that the production of biofuels has contributed up to 75% to recent rise in food prices. The report, completed in April, was not released in order to not cause an embarrassment to George W. Bush, who's championing biofuels to reduce American dependence on foreign oil. Read more here.

Monsanto’s Harvest of Fear

There are few faceless corporations that are truly evil. Monsanto is one of them. One must wonder about the people who are the tireless cogs in its machinery -- as they slog away, do they ever wonder about the machine they power? Vanity Fair is running an investigative piece that looks at Monstanso: its quest to control the food supply chain and the destruction of the environment that it is responsible for. If I worked for Monsanto, I think I would breaking glass and diving out of the offices of its highest towers, because I wouldn't be able to live with myself. Evil.

Virtuous Indulgence

Honeybees are dying off mysteriously, and it's causing quite a stir in circles that usually don't care if another species is about to kick the bucket. Honeybees are important to the food industry in more ways than just the production of honey. Honeybees are valued at about $15US annually for the pollinating services they provide. Without them, there would be a lot less food being produced, and prices would skyrocket.

The bees problem, labeled Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), is occurring in North America and Europe. Bees are leaving their hives, with the Queen and a few workers, and not coming back. To date, there are many theories as to why this is happening: from man-made problems, such as pollutants, to an infestation that's hitting the bees hard. Whatever the problem -- there's definitely a problem -- and our dependence one of nature's busiest creations has never been so clear.

The problem is so serious, that financial and public awareness help is coming from an unlikely corner: Häagen-Dazs. Yes, if honeybees disappear, you can forget about ice cream. Häagen-Dazs ice cream is made only from natural ingredients, and without honeybees, there would be none. The company is launching a campaign, as well as a new flavour, Vanilla Honey Bee. Each container of ice cream that benefits from the work of honeybees will bear the new mark, HDLovesHB, and the company is donating $250,000 to fund sustainable pollination and research into CCD.

The new flavour and branding will be hitting the grocer freezer shortly, and if you've ever needed a feel good excuse to enjoy some ice cream, you just got it.

Stuffed Cardboard Buns

Chinese food quality is making the rounds in the news in North America. Food quality is also making the news in China. Yesterday, as I flew out of Shanghai, I heard the news of an undercover TV crew that busted a dim-sum restaurant in Beijing's Chaoyang District. The restaurant, in a effort to save money amid rising pork prices, started to cut their steamed pork-stuffed buns with cardboard.

The recipe went like this: Cardboard was soaked in water and an industrial-use caustic soda, a poisonous chemical, was added. The cardboard lost its normal color and became fragile under the soda's strong causticity, making it look more like pork. Finally, pork-smell essence and pork fat were stirred into the concoction to make the stuffing more "vivid."

Product quality in China is suspect, and to be fair, China is starting to take product quality seriously. Earlier this month China executed the State Food and Drug Administration director, Zheng Xiaoyu, for taking bribes to look the other way on food and drug quality. The execution was a signal -- but hardly the end. A heck of a lot more needs to be done.

Jewelled Rice & Roasted Eggplant Dip

I'm not one to cook from recipes. I have difficulty keeping up with too many instructions. I'd much rather just start in the kitchen and see where the dish takes me. Sometimes I totally screw things up -- but mostly, things sorta work out. Tonight however, I decided to try a recipe, and more or less, stick to it.

I had seen a couple of Persian recipes for dishes served during Naw Ruz celebrations in Chatelaine's April 2007 issue. The pictures looked enticing, and I wanted to taste the food. So, when the opportunity presented itself to cook dinner tonight, I went for the Jewelled Rice and Roasted Eggplant Dip (served with pitas) -- click the links for the recipes. The result was pretty good. I enjoyed both dishes -- and my wife must have, as she had seconds.

I did make some modifications to the recipes. For the Roasted Eggplant Dip, I had no tomato paste, so I ignored it. I completely forgot the garlic, so it wasn't included. And since I had no saffron, it was nixed as well. The Jewelled Rice saw some changes as well. I substituted long grain brown rice for basmati rice; I had no idea what barberries were, and didn't have cranberries; instead of chicken thighs, I used breasts; and since I had no saffron, I used tumeric in its place. The recipes both call for about an hour to get the whole meal ready. Yeah right. That's if you have a huge kitchen, and have helpers. From my experience, you'll need to have two hours if you want to eat this meal.

TO's Top 25 Vegetarian Restaurants

I've been eating less and less meat -- ever since my wife. She takes care of my health better than I do -- tuning my stomach to things I had never heard of before, such as flax, fibre, and omega-3, 6 & 9. Lately, the only meat my stomach has had the opportunity to rejoice to has been chicken, turkey and fish. Nothing else. Which isn't all that bad. I was never a big beef eater -- but occasionally, I have been tempted by a burger, which I have managed to resist for so long, that I can no longer remember the last time I've had one.

So when NOW magazine recently published their top 25 list of vegetarian restaurants in Toronto, I flipped to it, intrigued. I am interested in trying every one of them in the next several months or so, including some restaurants that weren't on their list, but were in the ads in that section. So, with the help of NOW, here are the restaurants I'm going to have a go at.

1. Café 668 | 668 Dundas W., at Denison, 416-703-0668.
   Updated: Nov. 6, 2006
   Friends, my wife and myself went out to Café 668 last week Thursday. It was different -- great different. The food was amazing, and we didn't even notice there was no meat. We ordered four dishes, which we shared, and also had appetizers of hot and sour soup and spring rolls. The restaurant is extremely small. In the cramp quarters, there is room only for about 24 people. When we got there, a party of 12 had just arrive, so most of the restaurant was already full. We had to wait about 20-minutes for a table to be free. The staff is family -- or so it appears. A husband and wife team, with a son who helps. Our friends had never been to a vegetarian restaurant, let alone a Thai restaurant. Comments about the 2x4s (chopsticks) and cups without handles were flying, but did not distract from the food. If you're looking for great vegetarian Thai, Café 668 is a nice place to drop by -- even if it is a bit out of the way. Oh, and remember to bring cash. The establishment does not take any other forms of payment.
2. Live Organic FoodBar | 264 Dupont, at Spadina, 416-515-2002.
3. Fressen | 478 Queen W., at Denison, 416-504-5127.
   Updated: March 29, 2008.
   This is a bit late in coming, but, I've been to Fressen twice, both times with the family. Once for lunch, late last year, and then again in February, for another lunch. Fressen is great for serving vegan organic meals. They manage to take what usually starts out as simple ingredients, and make something artistic and tasty. Couple of things you have to be aware of with Fressen: make reservations, as they are quite popular with the vegan crowd -- and also appeals to a wider swath of consumers. Second: the later you come, the greater your chance of finding them running out of ingredients. There aren't many places where you can find organic and vegan ingredients. As they run out, the menu shrinks, and tables close.
4. Organiclicious | 258 Dupont, at Spadina, 416-513-0479.
5. Wanda's Pie in the Sky | 7 Yorkville, at Yonge, 416-925-7437.
6. Narula's | 1438A Gerrard E, at Ashdale, 416-466-0434.
7. Pulp Kitchen | 898 Queen E, at Logan, 416-461-4612.
8. Boom Shiva | 1180 Queen W, at Northcote, 416-538-1300.
9. Tinto | 89 Roncesvalles, at Marion, 416-530-5885.
10. Urban Herbivore | 64 Oxford, at Augusta, 416-927-1231.
11. Get Real | 135 Ossington, at Argyle, 416-532-4564.
12. Simon's Wok | 797 Gerrard E, at Logan, 416-778-9836.
13. Govinda's | 243 Avenue Rd, at Roxborough, 416-922-5415.
14. Sunny Cafe | 322 Bloor West, at Spadina, 416-963-8624.
15. Bo De Duyen | 254 Spadina, second floor, at Sullivan, 416-703-1247.
16. Kissan | 1411 Gerrard E, at Hiawatha, 416-466-9777.
17. Vegetarian Haven | 17 Baldwin, at McCaul, 416-621-3636.
18. Udupi Palace | 1460 Gerrard E, at Rhodes, 416-405-8189.
    Updated: March 29, 2008.
    I was here last month with the family. The food was great, especially considering I hadn't a clue what I was ordering. It was amazing how fast the place filled up. The decor is simple, but the food is just such a great distraction, that you won't notice -- or care.
19. Buddha's Vegetarian Foods | 666 Dundas W, at Denison, 416-603-3811.
20. Kensington Natural Bakery | 460 Bloor W, at Brunswick, 416-534-1294.
    Updated: March 29, 2008.
    Another late update -- this is a restaurant my wife and I visited for a quick bite last year. It's small, and a bit of a hole in the wall in Bloor West Village. It's not a fancy place, more of a little cafeteria. It's good if you're looking for a snack, and don't mind the decor. The food wasn't bad.
21. King's Café | 192 Augusta, at Baldwin, 416-591-1340.
22. Annapurna | 1085 Bathurst, at Dupont, 416-537-8513.
23. Camros Organic Foods | 25 Hayden, #6, at Yonge, 416-960-0723.
24. Full Moon | 638 Dundas W, at Denison, 416-203-1210.
25. Naturally Yours | 100 King W, at Bay, 416-368-0100.

Updated: October 15, 2006
And here's a couple other restaurants I'd like to try -- they're not necessarily vegetarian.

• Fish Shak | 193 Baldwin St, West of Spadina, Kensington Market, 416-599-7425.
• Lalibela (Ethiopian) | 869 Bloor Street West, 416-535-6615.

There are a few restaurants that I frequent on a regular basis because I really enjoy their food ... they're worth a try.

• Bombay Bhel | 230 Commerce Valley Drive E, Thornhill, 905-771-6957.
• Jaipur Grill | 2066 Yonge Street, 416-322-5678.
• Indian Garden | 32 Eglinton W, 416-485-3377.
• Nando's Chickenland | 9625 Yonge Street, Richmond Hill, 905-508-6500.