The beet organic cafe

Welcome to The Beet Organic Cafe! Offering a taste of local, organic, and healthy eating to Toronto's Junction neighbourhood since 2008. Located at 2945 Dundas Street West, this corner street shop is a great find if you're looking for something fresh and wholesome to satisfy your tastebuds.  I ventured out to the Beet a few weeks ago with some friends, and was so impressed with both the service and quality of the food. Our server made too much of a smoothie I ordered, so our table got an extra glass. Their specials are posted online daily, and feature whatever locally grown and/or organic ingredients they can get their hands on. Next time I want to stay for dessert...I mean when else am I going to make Vegan Kamut Ginger Cookies??

12 oz "True Blue" smooth, blueberry, fair trade bananna - comes in soy,

almond, skim or whole milk

"Farm Fresh Eggs"  - 2 local organic eggs, cheddar cheese and 

spinach on a whole wheat english muffin, side of fresh fruit

Buenos Dios Wrap (avocado, spicy black bean, pico de gallo, and raw 

Quebec cheddar) and Soup du Jour

To be honest, can't quite remember what this was, but I'm almost positive

it's the "Huevos Rancheros" - 2 baked eggs with raw Quebec cheddar, sweet 

potato mash, topped with sour cream and avocado

If that doesn't win you over, owners Michelle Vella and Heather Osler have really gone over the top by creating this cafe in the most eco-friendly way possible - the Beet was constructed using recyclable materials, from flooring to cabinetry, and all of their packaging is 100% biodegradable. So if you're ever in the area (or even if you're not), drop in to the Beet and enjoy one of their many delightful dishes. (They have an organic wine and beer menu too..) 

Happy Monday!

A.C

Do you know the muffin man?

Okay....so I know I didn't fully make these from scratch (caught me), but I'm always excited when I find a product that gives me that "can't-tell-it's-not-homemade" feel, so I thought I'd share. Not only is this muffin mix healthy, easy to make, and tastes amazing, but it leaves a cinnamony smell in the kitchen that lasts for hours!

Product: President's Choice Organics Apple Cinnamon Muffin Mix
Egg free, milk free, and only 8 ingredients (!!)

Instructions are super easy:

1. Mix entire package of muffin mix in a bowl with 1 cup of water, 1 egg, and 2 tbsp of vegetable oil.

 2. I added half of a yellow delicious apple cut up really thin to the batter, to give the muffins some extra flavour.

3. Scoop the batter into a greased muffin tray or muffin cups. The recipe says it should make 12 muffins, but ours filled about 14.

 4. Put into a pre-heated oven (350 degrees) for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

5. Cool for 5 minutes in the tray, and then transfer to a cooling rack for about 10 minutes.

And that's it! Eat for breakfast or a snack. The apple chunks were a great addition, they kept the muffins moist and flavourful. I looove muffins but unfortunately most of the recipes I've found either call for a few sticks of butter or a ton of oil to keep them moist, and the healthy recipes (Read: bran muffins) are so dry it tastes like I'm eating cardboard. These muffins are the perfect balance.

Happy Saturday! :)

A.C