8 Friday, February 11, 2022brooklintowncrier.com How to "veganize" Plant-Based Eating by Sheree Nicholson We often think of going plant-based as a whole new way of eating. But to keep it simple, we can start with some favourite recipes and just re-do them. Rather than reinventing the wheel, with a few tweaks, you can still enjoy some of those meals. These can be re-made using different ingredients. It's what I call "veganizing" the recipe. For example, for spaghetti sauce, you can switch out the ground beef for canned green lentils, Beyond Meat or even chopped cremini mushrooms. I make a yummy spaghetti sauce from scratch and have used various alternatives, my favourite being ground Veggie Ground Round, my least favourite being bulgur wheat. When my kids were young, they would look at dinner, then back at me and ask suspiciously, "Is there tofu in this?" Mostly, they couldn't tell. Baking substitutes Baking is a great way to experiment with substituting animal- based products for plant-based ones. I still make the same banana bread and oatmeal cookie recipes I've used for 35 years. But instead of a real egg, I use a flax egg. You can also substitute egg with applesauce or mashed ripe banana. Dairy is easily replaceable and there is a wide variety of non-dairy kinds of milk. Generally, in baking, you would use coconut milk as a replacement as it's sweeter and fattier, making for better baking. Soy milk tends to add a strong flavour in cooking. I prefer an oat milk latte, but you can also experiment with nut milks. For many, the hardest is to replace cheese. It's been a long haul getting cheese alternatives that taste good and I've thrown a few brands out. A good spreadable cheese alternative is a Canadian brand, made from cashews, called Nuts for Cheese. I've served it to guests who didn't realize it wasn't dairy cheese. You can also try coconut oil based cheeses. Farm Boy has its own store brand available in sliced, shredded or block style. I'm always cautious when someone tells me something tastes just like meat. I used to love the taste of meat. Since going vegan 11 years ago, I have given up on the illusion of finding something that tastes like a steak. I've learned to enjoy the wide variety of foods from many different cultures that don't base all their meals around meat. You can easily find more substitution ideas online. Recently I made a terrific "parmesan fake cheese" and have been sprinkling it on salads, soups and pastas to add a nice sharp flavour. It's from the blog www.theminimalistbaker.com. Parmesan cheese alternative 3/4 cup raw cashews 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast 3/4 tsp sea salt 1/4 tsp garlic powder Instructions Add all ingredients to a food processor and mix/pulse until a fine meal is achieved. Store in the refrigerator to keep fresh. Lasts for several weeks. Sheree's hack: Double this recipe and freeze half. You can use it straight from the freezer. The Whitby Autonomous Vehicle Electric (WAVE) shuttle pilot project will conclude testing in this month. The pilot project's conclusion was announced at the Dur- ham Region Transit Executive Committee (TEC) Meeting on February 2, following additional updates on the WAVE shuttle pilot project. More than 250 passengers had the opportunity to ride the WAVE shuttle over the course of the four-month pilot with a total of 2,390 kilometres driven in both autonomous and manual mode (including set up time). The project garnered valuable information on the technological capabilities and limitations, weather, accessibility, insurance and policy surrounding autonomous vehicle integration into public transit. Specific insights and data for the project are being compiled by the project partners. This will help to inform future preparations for autonomous vehicles on public roads and public transit systems. The shuttle manufacturer, Local Motors, is ceasing operations, the TEC learned. Collision update An update was provided on the Durham Region Police Services' investigation of the December 16, 2021, WAVE shuttle's single- vehicle collision, confirming the shuttle was operating in manual mode at the time of the incident. The hazard mitigation safety systems, used when in autonomous mode, were not engaged when the incident occurred. The shuttle was not in service at the time, and the lone occupant, the safety attendant who was operating the vehicle, is expected to make a full recovery. The incident is not related to the closure of Local Motors. The WAVE shuttle pilot project was the first-ever autonomous shuttle integrated into an existing transit service in Canada. Durham Region Transit (DRT) Route 300, a six-kilometre shuttle route, began and ended at the Whitby GO Transit station, making a loop through the Port Whitby area. The project team will arrange for the removal of smart technology infrastructure and signage from the route. Whitby Mayor Don Mitchell offered, "I would like to thank Whitby residents and all project partners for supporting this pilot that will help to advance autonomous and sustainable technologies and innovation, locally and around the world. This project represented a number of local and global firsts and we were proud to have hosted it in our Town." Whitby Autonomous Vehicle Pilot Ends Project PartnersThe project was supported by the Government of Ontario, in funding through the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN), which is led by the Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI), in addition to funding from project partners at the local, national and international levels, including: Government of Ontario: OVIN: funding to support this technology commercialization and demonstration project Ministry of Transportation: regulator for autonomous vehicle pilots in Ontario Metrolinx: provincial transportation agency SmartCone: project lead, provider of smart infrastructure technology AutoGuardian By SmartCone: operators of the intelligent infrastructure and autonomous shuttle Town of Whitby: host community for pilot Region of Durham: traffic and signal operations Durham Region Transit: transit service Local Motors: shuttle manufacturer Ontario Tech University: Automotive Centre of Excellence for autonomous vehicle maintenance Durham College: outreach and engagement support Transport Canada: regulator for importing the autonomous vehicle shuttle