Weekend Reading List: top stories from our sister sites, from chimpanzees to zucchinis

Every weekend we round up the highlights from the other websites in the St. Joseph Media family. Check them out, after the jump.

• Vegan and gluten-free food consumed by attractive ladies? Jessica Milan, we like your style. Fashion magazine has the story on the Toronto-based creator of Lookbook Cookbook. Read the entire story [Fashion] »

• Apparently the winter tradition of drinking hot chocolate is so passé. Canadian Family has a five-minute recipe for chocolate cake in a mug. See the recipe [Canadian Family] »

• Ottawa Magazine reports on a pair of extreme locavores—as in no food coming from a foot off their own property. Click the link to see what it takes to raise your own goats, chickens and ducks—and why you “don’t name the food.” Read the entire story [Ottawa Magazine] »

• Anyone who enjoys the Bixi bike-sharing network available at Union Station and elsewhere in the city should click over to Where, which has the details on major shakeups threatening the company’s future. Read the entire story [Where] »

• Not to be outdone by Canadian Family, the mad chefs at 20 Minute Supper Club have devised a way to make banana bread in a slow cooker. Read the entire story [20 Minute Supper Club] »

• Accessories can make or break an outfit. That’s why Weddingbells has 28 trendy pairs of shoes to complement any wedding dress. They all look great, but we’re not sure why the photographer thought this pair would look better in a bowl full of apples. View the slideshow [Weddingbells] »

• In the latest episode of Quillcast, Toronto journalist Andrew Westoll describes his experience writing The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary, a book about the last days of apes used for medical testing. Listen to the podcast [Quill and Quire] »

• Torontoist caught up with the city’s resourceful gardeners, who share the custom rigs that keep Jack Frost away from their zucchini. Read the entire story [Torontoist] »