Restaurant Review and Cake.

Not too long ago, a large group of my classmates and I spent a Friday evening at Vegetarian Haven restaurant located downtown Toronto. Everyone who attended the dinner (omnivores and vegans) seemed to love their meal. The staff are absolutely lovely and the restaurant itself has a very serene feel.

I ordered the "spicy Bali stir-fried rice noodles": homemade flat rice noodles, tempeh, lots of veggies, cilantro, all topped with sweet and spicy (including curry powder perhaps?) pineapple peanut sauce. It was oh-so good; serve me any peanut sauce-covered dish and I'll be your biggest culinary fan.

Cake

Also not too long ago, I made an allergen-free, chocolate layered cake. The most common food allergies/intolerance include nuts, gluten, dairy, soy, corn, yeast, refined sugar and eggs, and this cake is free of all of them! This cake can most likely feed people on the most complicated diets in addition to feeding the most picky eaters. I was really proud of my baking skills when I pulled this cake off: it was my first-time making a layered cake and it was also my first-time making a cake free of all food triggers. The result: a delicious chocolate cake (and I am not tooting my own horn: the cake was devoured by 20 raving-fans in less than 48 hours!).

Here is the recipe. My modifications: I made a chocolate icing by adding cocoa powder, safflower oil instead of coconut oil, soy-free margarine instead of palm shortening.