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Friday, December 18, 2020 5 Brooklin Town Crier Plant-Based Eating by Sheree Nicholson Simple and Local This year brings a very different way of celebrating Christmas as we're limited to how many people we can see. My family is small and so we'll have a gathering of only four then "Zoom" with the rest of our family on Boxing Day. While I'd rather see my parents in person, I think our Zoom celebration should be fun, too. I'm planning a family history trivia game as well as a slideshow of old family photos. I've also decided to do more of my shopping at local small businesses given I own one myself and know the impact the pandemic has had. I've purchased cool handmade gifts from local vendors and am ordering plant-based food from local restaurants. In preparation for cooking classes I'm offering this winter, I've been cooking a lot this fall, testing new recipes. Some turned out great and some not at all which is to say that when trying new recipes, you run the risk of them not working out. As well, if you're trying to accommodate both meat-eating and vegan family members, it can be a lot of extra work cooking. So why risk the stress of a failed recipe when you can order quality vegan takeout? Last year, I spent about 10 hours in the kitchen for both Christmas and Boxing day cooking and cleaning up. It's been a challenging year, so I relish some time off to be with my partner and not spend as much time in the kitchen as I usually do. This year I want to spend more time playing board games, going for walks and interacting with family members. Here's a list of my favourite places to order plant-based food: Mathilda's Oshawa: Plant-based foods, some grocery items and desserts - mathidas.ca The Portobello Road - Whitby/Oshawa: Plant-based food, smoothies and Christmas Meals -theportobelloroad.com Crave Donuts - Whitby: Vegan and non-vegan donuts - cravedonuts.com 21 Desserts - Bowmanville: Vegan and sugar-free desserts - twenty1.ca Copper Branch - Bowmanville: Plant-based food, smoothies and some desserts - eatcopperbranch.com Lil Organic Kitchen - Whitby: Plant-based foods, smoothies, soups, salad dressings and desserts - lilorganickitchen.com Most do not offer delivery since delivery service fees can be high and cut into restaurant profits. A few have cutoff dates when ordering Christmas meals. However, ordering from them means you're supporting a small local business that offers quality plant-based meals. Sheree's Hack: Keep it simple and spend quality time with the people in your bubble. Thank you for your support and have a safe and Merry Christmas!