The big difference between Sunday brunch at Equinox and at many of the restaurants competitors is not immediately apparent. Like other sources of the weekend ritual, the downtown fixture owned by chef Todd Gray pours its share of bloody Marys, sets out a colorful buffet and even serves live music, most recently reggae.

Closer inspection of the occasion reveals whats missing from the meal: bacon and eggs. Thats because in July, Equinox took over the vegan brunch it made popular at the Muse Cafe within the Corcoran Gallery of Art. (After years of financial and other woes, the Corcoran is being merged with George Washington University and the National Gallery of Art.)

Gray is happy to be on home turf. Unlike Muse, Equinox has fire power in the form of a grill and gas stoves, he says. So no more heating food on a panini press. The relocated brunch also gives the restaurateur a chance to talk up the vegan tasting menu Equinox offers at dinner. To make Muse regulars comfortable in his upscale dining room at Farragut West, the chef uses the branded coffee mugs and the pale green plates from the previous brunch site.

Gray presides over the scramble station near the entrance. What looks like scrambled egg is tofu tinted with turmeric, curry and (local) saffron and cooked with a choice of vegetable fillings, including eggplant tapenade and caramelized cauliflower. Other main dishes pear-stuffed french toast crackling with a veneer of house-made granola, a cassoulet built with lentils, beets and Brussels sprouts call from the bar counter. I found myself going back for seconds of the wrinkly string beans tossed with red pepper, toasted cashews and fragrant Thai basil, as well as a comforting squash soup made with almond milk and pecan bits. On the sweeter end: gingery muffins and macaroons.

No stranger to meatless ways, the chef, a carnivore, has a reliable sounding board in his wife and business partner, Ellen Kassoff Gray, whom he describes as vegan 80 percent of the time. She still puts cream in her coffee and enjoys a local oyster.

Earthy-crunchy this brunch is not. While theyre in season, fresh white truffles from Alba, Italy can perfume any dish for $20 a shave.

818 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-331-8118. equinoxrestaurant.com. Brunch served Sundays, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Buffet $30 for adults, $15 for children under 12.

Weaned on a beige buffet a la Fargo in Minnesota, Tom Sietsema is the food critic for The Washington Post. This is his second tour of duty at the Post. Sietsema got his first taste in the 80s, when he was hired by his predecessor to answer phones, write some, and test the bulk of the Food sections recipes. Thats how he learned to clean squid, bake colonial cakes and distinguish between nutmeg and mace.

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Vegan brunch at Equinox satisfies an omnivores appetite

NEGAUNEE -- Who says vegans can't enjoy a Thanksgiving meal too? The Northern Vegan club met today at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Negaunee for the 8th annual vegan Thanksgiving potluck.

All of the food was made without any animal ingredients. They had a variety of dishes and some Thanksgiving favorites like vegan mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and even pie. They also had tofurkey, and non-traditional foods like quinoa salad and tabouli .

"It's a chance for vegans to get together and have an all vegan Thanksgiving which is kind of a unique thing," says Jeff Plummer, a founding member of Northern Vegan. "We do it at a time where it still allows them, if they need to go to a traditional family event after, they can still go, but they've already been fed."

The Northern Vegans meet monthly at local restaurants to share a meal together to find out where they will be in December, you can go to their website, http://northernvegans.com/, or go to their facebook page, Northern Vegans.

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A vegan Thanksgiving

Vegetarian diets can meet all the recommendations for nutrients. The key is to consume a variety of foods and the right amount of foods to meet your calorie needs. Follow the food group recommendations for your age, sex, and activity level to get the right amount of food and the variety of foods needed for nutrient adequacy. Nutrients that vegetarians may need to focus on include protein, iron, calcium, zinc, and vitamin B12.

Iron functions primarily as a carrier of oxygen in the blood. Iron sources for vegetarians and vegans include iron-fortified breakfast cereals, spinach, kidney beans, black-eyed peas, lentils, turnip greens, molasses, whole wheat breads, peas, and some dried fruits (dried apricots, prunes, raisins).

Calcium is used for building bones and teeth and in maintaining bone strength. Sources of calcium for vegetarians and vegans include calcium-fortified soymilk, calcium-fortified breakfast cereals and orange juice, tofu made with calcium sulfate, and some dark-green leafy vegetables (collard greens, turnip greens, bok choy, mustard greens). The amount of calcium that can be absorbed from these foods varies. Consuming enough plant foods to meet calcium needs may be unrealistic for many. Milk products are excellent calcium sources for lacto vegetarians. Calcium supplements are another potential source.

Zinc is necessary for many biochemical reactions and also helps the immune system function properly. Sources of zinc for vegetarians and vegans include many types of beans (white beans, kidney beans, and chickpeas), zinc-fortified breakfast cereals, wheat germ, and pumpkin seeds. Milk products are a zinc source for lacto vegetarians.

Vitamin B12 is found in animal products and some fortified foods. Sources of vitamin B12 for vegetarians include milk products, eggs, and foods that have been fortified with vitamin B12. These include breakfast cereals, soymilk, veggie burgers, and nutritional yeast.

Build meals around protein sources that are naturally low in fat, such as beans, lentils, and rice. Don't overload meals with high-fat cheeses to replace the meat.

Calcium-fortified soymilk provides calcium in amounts similar to milk. It is usually low in fat and does not contain cholesterol.

Many foods that typically contain meat or poultry can be made vegetarian. This can increase vegetable intake and cut saturated fat and cholesterol intake. Consider:

A variety of vegetarian products look (and may taste) like their non-vegetarian counterparts, but are usually lower in saturated fat and contain no cholesterol.

For breakfast, try soy-based sausage patties or links.

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Tips for Vegetarians - MyPlate

The vegetarian buildings versus non-vegetarian buyers issue may just be the precursor to what is in store for BJP in the run up to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) election, scheduled to be held in the beginning of 2017. As reported in dna earlier, BJP is mulling over going solo.

According to sources in BMC, the resolution developers who refuse to sell flats to non-vegetarians be denied crucial nods may just have been used to show BJP's alleged proximity to a certain community. Sources said the alleged arrogant behaviour of BJP unit in the corporation post the party's triumph in the Lok Sabha and state assembly elections this year is also a key reason for it being isolated over the issue.

According to the resolution passed on Thursday, BMC will not issue intimation of disapproval (IOD), commencement certificate (CC) and water connections to developers who engage in such practices.

"When we approved the resolution, only BJP opposed the proposal. All of us know a majority of developers belong to which community. We aren't against them for being developers or belonging to that community, but people are being deprived of homes based on what they eat. BJP, which was supported by people from all segments, though, chose to support the anti-non-vegetarian view. Ideally, it should have supported the resolution as it is in public interest," the source from opposition benches said.

When asked, Dilip Patel, former deputy mayor and BJP's ex-group leader in the corporation, ridiculed the claims that BJP protected a certain community. "Do they mean vegetarians belong to certain community alone? There are vegetarians in all communities. There are vegetarian and non-vegetarians staying in one family. There is no truth in the allegation... Our point is each of us has the right to sell our property to whoever we want. That right must be protected," Patel said, adding that BJP has already sensed that two regional parties are trying to come together in city before the civic polls.

He also refuted the allegation of the party unit behaving arrogantly. "Whoever has evidence to prove the allegation can bring it to our notice. Our men have always conducted themselves in the right manner," he added.

Communal politics? Rais Shaikh, Samajwadi Party's (SP) group leader in the BMC, lodged a complaint against Patel and his BJP counterpart Manoj Kotak before mayor Snehal Ambekar. In the complaint, Shaikh has alleged the duo was allegedly engaged in communal politics during the general body meeting on Thursday, which can create a rift between two communities. Shaikh demanded that Ambekar ensure the two fall in line. When asked, Patel termed the allegation as baseless. Kotak retorted, "In fact, SP corporators were engaged in the very thing they are alleging. Let the mayor inquire... She knows what happened."

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Civic resolution against builders a trap for BJP?

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Tim Caulfield: The Organic Food Debate #2
The verdict is in. Ryan did well to guess the organic produce over the "conventional" options. Tim Caulfield says it #39;s just about taste; there is no evidence...

By: citytvofficial

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Tim Caulfield: The Organic Food Debate #2 - Video

Four trustees of the Soil Association have resigned from its council board with a stinging blast over how the organisation is run.

Campaigning food journalist Joanna Blythman, food writer Lynda Brown, author and former editor of The Ecologist Pat Thomas and organic baker, author and founder of the UKs Real Bread Campaign Andrew Whitley stood down after criticising the associations approach to promoting organic food and farming.

The four singled out the Soil Associations strategy, Road to 2020, and its effect on the associations profile as the main reason for their resignation.

They saidthe strategys implementation wasas a major factor in the demise of organic awareness and general confusion around what the association stands for, and what it does.

See also: Organic farming on the rise in Europe, says EU

The four ex-trustees highlighted seven areas of criticism, which they believe the strategy is promoting:

The four accused the Soil Association of avoiding the use of the word organic in preference to nature-friendly and planet-friendly substitutes.

They claimed the association, which has 17 trustees on its council board, had shifted its focus to position itself as a public health delivery organisation rather than the UKs main organic food and farming organisation.

They said the organisation was suffering from a PR void at senior management level and had lost its authoritative voice.

The Soil Association is no longer the go-to place for media on food and farming matters and lacks political clout on national farming matters, said the former trustees, in a blog.

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Four Soil Association trustees quit over organic strategy

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3Hours, Relaxing Music / Soothing, Healing, Calming, 1/f, Meditation Music.
Soothing, Meditation, Healing, 1/f, Calm, Deep Sleep, New Age Ambient Relaxing Music.

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3Hours, Relaxing Music / Soothing, Healing, Calming, 1/f, Meditation Music. - Video

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2Horus, 8Hz Alpha Wave Relaxing Music / Deep Meditation, Alpha Wave, Sleep, Healing Music.
8Hz BinauralBeat, Alpha Wave, Deep Meditation, Sleep, Soothing, Meditation, Healing, 1/f, Calming, New Age Ambient Relaxing Music.

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Relaxing Music By LiNa-Deep Sleep and Spa Music Relax By The Water [Part 2]
Relaxing Music-Deep Sleep and Spa Music Relax By The Water Relaxing Music For Children , sleep, studying, piaono, stress Subscribe for more videos : http://goo.gl/WqIxaY Sleep Music, Peaceful...

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Relaxing Music By LiNa-Deep Sleep and Spa Music Relax By The Water [Part 1]
Relaxing Music-Deep Sleep and Spa Music Relax By The Water Relaxing Music For Children , sleep, studying, piaono, stress Subscribe for more videos : http://goo.gl/WqIxaY Sleep Music, Peaceful...

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