After eating my way thru New York City  – it was time for me to, um, eat healthier. This means – cut down on eating out and make more salads at home!!

Here’s two of my favorite corn salads.

(original recipe posted on The Pioneer Woman – sadly I cant find the exact link – sorry )

4 ears of corn, cooked

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

2 large avocados (I used only 1)

1 jalapeno, seeded and finally diced (I only used a little)

Dressing:

juice of 1 lime

plenty of cilantro

salt

1 tbsp of vinegar

1 tsp of sugar

Preparation: Boil water in a saucepan. Then add corn. Boil till tender. Rinse. Drain. Then slice off corn from the cobb.

Dice avocado, red onion and jalapeno.

Dressing: Using a food processor, combine the cilantro, vinegar, lime juice, salt and sugar.

Assembly: Add corn to other ingredients. Pour dressing over the corn mixture. Toss. Cover and refrigerate.

END RESULT:

Barley and Corn Salad with Basil Chive Dressing

(original recipe posted on epiciurious)

2 cups water

3/4 tsp salt

1 cup barley

2 cups corn

1/3  cup oil

1/3 cup  fresh basil

3 tablespoons chives

1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/4 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp black pepper

Preparation:

Bring a large saucepan to boil – then place the corn in the boiling water till tender. Rinse. Drain. Then cut off kernels from the cobb.

Next, bring 2 cups of water with 1/4 tsp of salt to boil in another large saucepan. Stir in barley, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until barley is tender. About 10-15 minutes

For the Dressing: Pulse in a cusinart – oil, basil, chives, vinegar, sugar and pepper,  and the remaining 1/2 tsp of salt

Assembly: Slice corn of off the ears – transfer to a bowl. Add the barley. Add the dressing. Toss to combine.

END RESULT:

I love salads. Do you?

A few months ago, I received an email from a friend ,with a link to the Russian and Turkish Baths and I knew that I HAD to visit this place on my visit to NYC.

I spent some time looking at the website and knew that it would be an adventure. I wasn’t wrong – it was indeed a great experience. I have never been to anything quite like it.

They have separate hours for women and men. Plus there’s co-ed. My schedule only allowed me to go to the co-ed option. So I packed my bathing suit and off I went.

I was given a key for my locker and told to put my valuables in their safe. (which I did). Then I went to a locker room to get into my bathing suit. I also told the staff at the front desk that I wanted a platza treatment. (no appt necessary – how awesome)

When I walked out of the womens locker room, a RIPPED GUY (did I just say that?) approached me and said “I am Dennis and I’m here to give you your “platza oak leaf treatment”. I honestly was expecting a big fat russian woman but hey – the ripped guy will be just fine. LOL

Dennis told me to experience the different steam rooms and that he would find me later on..so I did.

Lets review what I experienced:

• The Russian Sauna: According to the website, the oven is filled with 20,000 lbs of rock which are cooked overnight. During the day, these rocks give off intense heat. Apparently only a handful of places have this type of room in the United States. When you walk in – its really dark – kinda like a cave and there’s these white plastic buckets (like the type you use for mopping your kitchen floor) and a large basin filed with water. When YOU CANT TAKE THE HEAT, you take the bucket and throw COLD COLD water onto yourself.  I loved this room the best.

• Turkish Room – I liked this room too. Kinda like a wet steam room but with a shower inside so you could cool yourself off without having to leave the room (how brilliant).
• Steam Room – this room had so much eucalyptus scent that I started to cough and had to leave. However I returned later on – and got use to it.

• The Redwood Sauna – typical dry shvitz. Not complaining but not my favorite.
• The Ice Cold Pool – I’m not kidding – this is a pool with ICE COLD WATER. I felt the cold IN MY BONES. This is serious Sh*t. I shook my head when I saw people swimming or dunking their whole bodies into this water

Now let’s talk about the people: Not once did I feel uncomfortable even though at 2 p.m on a Sunday there were 15 men and 4 woman there. People were shmoozing away in each room unlike the QUIET ZONE I am use to at other spas. I liked it. One guy was even sharing his home made salt scrub with a whole bunch of us. Nice!!

As for my platza oak leaf treatment. Dennis found me, and then led me into the Russian Sauna (didnt realize it would take place in a public room – but hey – I just rolled with it). He told me to lie on my stomach on one of the benches. He put a towel over my head and then proceeded with the treatment. It felt like I was going thru a car wash. (not when the hard spinning bristles hit the car, but when those long soft ribbons hit the car). I loved it. I really did. Between the heat, the oak leaves hitting my body, and the buckets of cold water splashed on me – it was indeed SUPER RELAXING. I felt like a wet noodle afterwards. I even said “I could do with a nap now”.

I was drained even though the treatment wasnt that long. Then I had a shower (to rinse off the oak leaves) and had a quick head massage and shoulder rub to relax me even more.

Would I go back again? In a heart beat. Would I get a platza oak leaf treatment again? in a heart beat.

PS if you go to YouTube – do a search for “platza treatment” and you will find a video.

If you are looking for food adventures in NYC, then I highly recommend the following:

a) Go on a food cart tour with Urban Oyster. I went on a food cart tour last year and I was so impressed that I did it again this year. It’s well organized, informative and DELICIOUS. The tour guide (last year and this year) is a food blogger (@EatThisNY) and knows his stuff, so you can’t go wrong. Plus I love how accomodating they are; i.e if you dont like spice, if you dont eat meat etc.

Food Carts on the tour that we visited:

• El Reydel Sabor (King of Flavor)…quesadlias made with pumpkin flour
• Trini Paki Boys Halal Food….veggies with a tarmarind sauce over rice
• Bapcha Korean Cuisine…noodles with stir fried veggies
• Biryani Cart…kati rolls
• Treats truck…for dessert

b) Attend a cheese class at Murrays Cheese. I participated in a mixologist and cheese class in 2009 and it was on my list for this years trip. The beer and cheese class worked out well with my schedule so thats what I signed up for. Once again – the presenters for the evening were entertaining and well versed on their respective subjects. Enjoyed listening to both of them.

c) Visit Smorgasburg in Williamsburg. This outdoor food flea market was launched last weekend and I was thrilled to have found out about it (thank you Google Search)!! The variety of vendors, the setting and the layout was perfect. It was hard to figure out what to eat cause I wanted to try so many things…thankfully @norecipes joined me so we could share everything (problem solved!!). We enjoyed Kelvins Natural Slush & Co, anchovies from  Bon Chovie, a noodle dish with peanut sauce, Grass Jelly, Coconut Milk Infused Corn with Scallions and more!

d) I also found out about Taste of Tribeca (thank you again – google search) and went to check it out – after Smorgasburg. By this time I was FULL – but still managed to try out a few vendors. It was quite the festival – lots and lots of vendors and lots and lots of people. This was a charity event and you could tell that the restaurants and the neighborhood came out to support this cause.

e) It was suggested from @winedanddined that I visit a block in the East Village (7th avenue between 1st and Avenue A) for “great food”..and I did. She was so right!! Lots to eat on that street plus I discovered even more food a block away on St. Marks Pl. Between the two streets this is foodie “heaven”:  ButterLane, Lukes Lobster, Porcetta, HolyLand, Crif Dugs, Chocolate Library, and Abreca Coffee.

Oh yeah – one more thing. I went to check out Eataly (in my spare time). I was blown away with this concept. Only had a coffee but I certainly enjoyed walking around and snapping up photos.

Needless to say, I picked a great weekend to visit the city. Sadly there was so much going on that I didn’t actually go to a restaurant in the city. No room in my stomach!! Im not complaining…I know I will be back.

I’ve just returned from New York City and I’m very eager to blog about WHAT I ATE..as that’s what I did for three full days.

Sadly I can’t tell you about shopping cause this trip was about EATING. So let’s begin.

Here’s the highlights:

This beet gelato not only looked beautiful but actually tasted like beets!! Il laboratorio gelato – knows how to make gelato. I actually knew about this place as I follow a food blogger (@EatThisNY) who tweeted about it. (oh the things I learn from twitter).

I’m not sure I have ever had smoked salmon like this before, even though I grew up in a household that ate smoked salmon every week. Russ & Daughters has been around for decades, and now I know why. Thanks to @norecipes (another great food blogger) who took me to this fabulous store.

This is called a Chocolate Soup Dumpling from Rickshaw Dumplings and it’s an outstanding creation. You bite into this dumpling and hot chocolate liquid oozed into your mouth. EPIC!!

This is a brilliant concept – a slush without chemicals, preservatives or artificial colors. JUST GOODNESS. I discovered Kelvin Natural Slush Co. at a food flea marked called Smorgasburg (more on that later) and all I kept thinking was “why doesnt this concept exist in Toronto?”. They have a mobile truck too and you can call the “Slush Phone” for the latest location.

Again, I discovered Bon Chovie at the Smorgasburg Food Festival. I love the concept – the name – the graphics and these deep fried anchovies. I’m sure this booth will be  a hit throughout the summer and wish them well. Please click on the link to look at their website!! Brilliant.

ButterLane has a smart concept too. You pick your base (chocolate, banana or vanilla)  and then pick your frosting (over a dozen to chose from). GENIUS.

What else did I discover that was fun?

-Kumquat Gelato with Black Label Scotch from Cones Ice Cream Artisinal – 272 Bleecker St.  (happily paid $1.00 for a huge sample).

-Dr. Browns Cel-Ray water from Katz’s Deli (bought 2 for my dad – who loves this stuff).

-Over Sized Needles filled with Chocolate from Max Brenner

–Eataly ..walked around drooling

Had coffee at Eataly, Oslo (in Williamsburg), and Abraco. Huge line ups at the last two places…clearly poplular in their respective neighborhoods.

I promise there will be more blogs about my food adventures this week!! Come back to read more…K?

This showroom opens up to the public only twice a year and I swear I’ve only missed it once in the last five years. Silly me – I was out of town.

That won’t ever happen again. Here’s a few reasons why I love this sample sale:

a) I buy clothes my Fall clothes in the spring, which means I wont be freaking out  what to wear in the Fall as I will have bought a chunk of my wardrobe in May.

b) There is only one item available at the sample sale so I know I will look unique. (this doesnt happen too often).

c) I save $$$…

d) I really like the women who own this showroom. They are super helpful and always help me make the right decisions.

e)  it’s not far from where I live…kinda convenient.

HERES THE INFORMATION (that was missing in the previous blog post – sorry about that)

Hagerty & LeMessurier Fashion Sales, 71 Wingold Suite  102 (just south of lawrence on the west of side of dufferin)

Tuesday May 24 from 10 am to 7 pm, Wednesday May 25 from 10 to 6 pm, Thursday May 26th from 10 to 4 p.m

Collections include: Eric Alexandre, Sandwich, Lemondrop, Pure and Simple and more.

Happy Shopping!!

ps suitable for those who are size 6, 8, 10

pss this is the Fall/Winter season sample sale…

As I was running the Toronto Half Marathon, I couldn’t help but notice (when I wasn’t staring at the pavement), that everything was a spectacular color of green. The trees, the shrubs, the grass…do you know what I mean? It really is pretty out there at the moment.

Looking at all those shades of green for over 2 hours, made me want to make something green. So I did.

Here’s a quick and easy recipe for Pea and Basil Soup that I found on the the Food Network website.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 small onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

4 1/2 cups frozen peas

3/4 cup chopped basil leaves

2 cups chicken broth (I used  1 cup fresh vegetable stock and 1 cup water)

2 cups cream (I chose not to add cream seeing as I’m lactose intolerant)

4-6 very thin slices of fresh mozzarella cheese (oops didnt have this on hand)

1/4 cups diced roasted red bell peppers (jarred is fine…oops didnt have this either).

Directions:

Place a medium soup pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil, butter, onions, garlic, salt and pepper.

Cook until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the peas and basil and heat until the peas are thawed.

Place the pea mixture in a blender. (I used a Cuisinart). Add one cup of the chicken broth and pulse until pureed, adding more broth if necessary.

Return the pureed mixture to the pot. Stir in the remaining chicken broth and cream. Return the pan to pan medium heat and cook until hot but not boiling. Garnish with mozarella and the roasted red peppers. (I chose to eliminate this step).

I love soups that are vibrant green (like this soup) to serve in the spring or the summer.

I bet it would be delicious served cold too.

Are you cooking green foods at the moments? fiddle heads perhaps? or asparagus? Do share.

Disclosure: I am part of the Life Made Delicious Connector Program and I receive special perks as part of the affiliation with this group. The opinion on this blog our my own.

I ran the GoodLife Toronto Half Marathon in the rain today and I have a lot of people to thank!! I am normally a pretty decisive person but when it comes to “races” ..I procrastinate. I’m always signing up for them at the LAST MINUTE.

Case and point this past Friday which was the last day to sign up and pick up your race kit.

After studying weather patterns like a mad woman, I realized the weather was going to be lousy. I called up a buddy who said “think positive”. I replied “I cant”. I then asked him if he ever ran a race in the rain. He replied “I raced a half ironman in the rain for 7 full hours”. That answer certainly put things in perspective for me.

Then I tweeted “looks like rain on Sunday…cant decide if I should register. So nervous”! The words of encouragement came pouring in:

@aurorameyer…a half marathon in the rain means no sweat stinging in your eyes. It also means investing in more Body Glide, wet clothes rub.

@karmasdogma….I did a 20km training run in rain. Wear a hat to keep rain off face. Use good (not cotton) running socks. Good luck.

@Ontario Culinary…it’s refreshing. You’ll do great.

@Botdenlrma….go Vicky. It smells great outside when its raining maybe that keeps you going

@KiddingAround…Perhaps the rain will be refreshing. Best of luck

@MichaelNus..the rain will cool you down

@CookTrainEatRce rain or no rain, it’s still 13.1 miles and you have trained for it. You will be golden.

@HorriblePeanut..Ive done a 32 k training run in the pouring rain. Just concentrate on the the feeling of WIN you will get and a hot shower

@HorriblePeanut..YOU CAN DO IT

After all those great tweets…I went down to the CNE grounds and registered!!

So how did it go? I had a terrible sleep (which is what happens every time before a race)..woke up at 7 a.m., got dressed, make an egg white omlette and a piece of toast and at 7:20 a.m. I was picked up by my buddy’s friend. We got to Mel Lastman Square and before we knew it, it was 8:00 a.m

By 5 km…I didnt notice the weather anymore!! I put one foot infront of the other and kept going. The last few kilometres up University were brutal. I was stopping more then I wanted to.

Finally after 2 hours and 16 minutes I crossed the finish line. I felt great!! I walked to grab a taxi and treated my muscles to the best spa ever…Body Blitz!

I dipped into the sea salt pool, the green tea pool, the cold plunge pool, and also took advantage of the infrared sauna and the eucalyptus sauna. I rested. I drank an ice tea and left feeling AWESOME.

I will actually be able to climb down the stairs tomorrow AND sit in a chair thanks to the water therapy at Body Blitz.

I really had a great day. Thanks again to everyone for all the words of encouragement. It really made a difference.

SIAL is an International trade show dedicated to those in the food industry. They have five shows a years in four continents (pretty impressive) and this year, the Canadian SIAL was moved from Montreal to Toronto. How convenient!!

This show is unlike Grocery Showcase or the CFRA Show and you can tell immediately. There’s rows and rows of booths from Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal, France etc. You really feel an International presence!!  I heard more French and Italian than I have heard in years. I wont mention the European men and their beautiful suits (oops did I just say that?).

But let’s talk about the food! Here’s a few products that caught my attention.

Marcy’s (well known for her croutons) has introduced a bread pudding! For someone like me, who loves making bread pudding but HATES cutting up the bread – this is ideal. Talk about convenience!

I also loved Vertigo Gourmet and their line of summer mix salads. Flavorful and colorful. Take a look at these edible flowers. HOW GORGEOUS is that?

My favorite product had to be Mostarda di Mele Cotogne from Senapata. This product, which is distributed by Serrano Imports, had such a kick to it and because I love flavor – this product won me over. Sadly not available at retail locations but you will certainly find it served in restaurants.

Naturally these new tipsy fiery-olives from Sable and Rosenfeld caught my attention too. They are intended to kick up your cocktail but I would just eat them right of the jar.

I also saw a booth about The American Cheese Society’s Annual Conference and Competition that taking place in Montreal Aug. 3 to 6th. I am SO THERE!! It’s already in my calendar!!

I love food shows. Can you tell? Actually I like all shows…the International Bike Show, The Green Living Show, The One of a Kind Show and the Home Show. Never been to the Auto Show, or the Cottage Show but they have always been on my  list. Do you have a favorite show?

I am so lucky to be regularly visiting a city that has such great food. The trip was carefully planned so I could celebrate Mothers Day with my mom, as well as enjoy great food (once again) and see the Canadian Tulip Festival (which is taking place May 6 to 23).

Let’s begin with the food: A trip to Ottawa would not be complete with a visit to the Byward Market. I associate the Byward Market with Beavertails and with Maple Syrup Cones. (childhood memories).

I also went to visit the Byward Fruit Market store and to my delight found this unusal looking product that I have never seen before. I gave it to my mom as a Mothers Day gift . (its so great to have foodie parents). We loved the texture and the flavor and were eager to try it on more foods (ie a piece of dark chocolate). YUM.

I also visited the Red Apron to see their new location. The new space is stunning. PLUS…they now carry my favorite butter  (Beurre de Patrimonie) that I had been bringing back from Montreal.  I was squealing with delight that it is now in Ontario, so I happily bought three tubs to bring back to Toronto.

I also made sure that I snuck in a visit to Art-is-in Bakery, so I could enjoy a coffee and an incredible croissant with a twitter friend (@kleggett). The place was busy the entire hour we were there and for good reason!! This bakery rocks.

A trip to Ottawa wouldnt be complete without a tweet up so I could shmooze with some local foodies. The tweet up  for this particular visit, was held at Jacobsons Gourmet Store and everyone enjoyed their charming hospitatlity as well as some great food…fig balls, jam, crackers, charcuterie, cheese, refreshments and desserts. I especially loved the gift bags that they gave to each attendee. How thoughtful!!

Next to Jacobsons is ZaZas pizza. I had read a review on Nooschi.com ,so I met some friends there before the tweet up to try the mushroom pizza with truffle oil. It was perfect. Demolished the whole pizza along with 4 lactose pills.

The trip ended with a visit to Landsdowne Park Farmers Market on Sunday and it was PACKED at 10:30 a.m. It was a gorgeous sunny day and it was mother’s day. I tried some organic cucumbers, some paneer from Curry Home Soon and welcomed Pascales Ice cream to twitter.

As for the tulip fesitval. The tulips weren’t quite open. (sadness). We stopped at Dows Lake and managed to find one patch close to our car. I have no doubt that in a week the tulips will all be open and it will be spectacular.

Tulips or no tulips…it was a great visit!! As always.

In April, I attended the Green Living Show for my first time. I had never been and had really no idea what to expect. What I didn’t expect was to stumble upon a booth called Island Spirits that featured three unique Eco Cabins on Rice Lake. I stopped to chat with the owner and her son and listened to them tell me more about this unique holiday experience.

A few weeks later, I received an email from TJ (the owner) asking me if I would like to come up for a night. I gladly accepted as I knew it was on my way to Ottawa and I was visiting soon.

Here’s a brief description of our adventure.

4:00 p.m  Left Toronto

5:00 p.m. Exited at Cobourg and then drove another 30 minutes exactly.

5:30 Greeted by TJ and loaded our belongings on the ferry.

5:50 p.m Arrive at Grasshopper Island and we are beaming. We unload and have a quick dinner of party sandwiches. Then we  immediately start to explore the island. We have 25 acres of an island to explore and we can’t wait. This is what we see.

Our ECO CABIN looks like this and we are SO impressed:

8:45 p.m. Sunset time..(more or less)

9:00 pm We are tucked inside our sleeping bags. The kids are making shadows on the walls while I tried to read on my kobo but fell asleep within minutes.

10:00 p.m The kids fall asleep (so they told me).

NEXT DAY

9:00 a.m. Kids enjoyed chocolate cheerios for breakfast. We then pack up and take one last tour of the island.

11:45 a.m. TJ helps us unload our stuff back on the ferry and by noon we are back on land and we head to Ottawa.

We are sad but we know we will be back.

Please visit the Island Spirits website and please book early so you aren’t disappointed!!