Hooray…I finally made it Dufferin Grove Farmers Market. I seriously don’t know what took me so long. This farmers market is pretty impressive and worth a visit (justsayin’).

Can’t Miss the Sign

What I love about this Farmers Market is the setting. There are HUGE MASSIVE trees which provides  a lot  A TON of shade for both the vendors and the shoppers.

See What I Mean?

Dufferin Grove Farmers Market is located at 875 Dufferin Park (just south of Bloor). They are open every Thursday from 3-7 p.m, ALL YEAR LONG. That’s right – they operate right thru the winter. You can tell that a lot of people go here for dinner, hang out on the grass, listen to live music, and also shop!! I also have a feeling that this is a real community meeting place as it seems as everyone is talking to everyone.

It’s also impressive that there seems to be as many prepared food vendors as produce vendors. I really like that and it seems as everyone else does too.

Now lets talk about the FOOD.

I was not a happy camper that I bought kale today from a grocery store and not kale from the Farmers Market (poor planning on my part). The kale at the farmers market is the size of my arm and the kale from the grocery store is the size of a large hand. Note to Self: Don’t Do That Again.

Dinosaur Kale

The lavender chocolate SHEEP ice cream from Best Baa Farm caught my attention too!! I could actually taste the lavender and was so impressed with this unique ice cream (which is easier to digest than cow’s milk). I’m on a carb free diet (week 5) so I only had a small sample but I wish I could have had more!!

not baaaa–d. HA HA…couldn’t resist

I also picked up a (raw) Nut Burger from Earth & City,  that contains all sorts of super healthy ingredients: raw sunflower seeds, raw walnuts, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil, oregeno, cumin, sundried tomatoes, raw almonds, flax seeds, lemon juice, sea salt, sunflower sprouts, collard greens, honey dates.

A Perfect Meal for Someone on a No Carb Diet

Guess who is going back to Dufferin Grove Farmers Market next Thursday. See you at 6 p.m! You will find me buying KALE!! (lesson learned). Join me.

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During the heat wave last week, I was determined to prepare an entire meal for guests without using the oven. Yay for me..I did it.

This is what I served:

1. Tuna Nicoise: lettuce, tuna,mushrooms, tomatoes, black olives, red pepper, yellow pepper and hard boiled eggs. (sorry no green beans as I’m on a carb free diet)

Not Just Your Average Salad

2. Asparagus: I also served an asparagus dish that I haven’t made for years. All you have to do is steam the asparagus  and then make a marinade.(sauce?) Please forgive me as I don’t have the exact measurements nor can I even remember which cookbook this recipe is from! (oh the joys of owning too many cookbooks).  Here’s the best I can do: grated ginger, grated garlic, rice wine vinegar, tamari sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, salt and peper. Does that help? Probably not…again, my apologies.

Steam the asparagus. Make the Marinade. Plate the Asparagus and then drizzle the marinade over it. Simple Stuff.

My Favorite Asparagus Dish

3. FISH:   I als0 served fish using a spice packet that I bought at Eat Sum More (7700 Bathurst St, Thornhill.  This unique retail store specializes in products from South Africa. I figured for $2.99 – it was worth trying. All I did was squeeze some lemon juice into the mixture and let the fish marinate in it for a few hours in the fridge.

There were 4 different spices in this packet. Sadly I took the photo after I used it…but you can get an idea what it looked like

After marinating the fish, I simply pan fried the fillets for a few minutes on each side.

So Tasty

4. Berries with Whipped Cream: I served a carb free dessert to my guest  However they didn’t seem to mind being served an assortment of berries (blackberries, blueberries and raspberries) with whipped cream and some mint as a garnish. Do you like the cups? First time I used them.

A perfect ending to a summer meal

As for drinks: I served a red sangria and a white sangria for my guests and I sipped Molson Canadian 67. This beer is SAVING ME. It’s one thing to go carb free and it’s another to go carb free during a HOT summer. A huge thanks to Molson for developing this beer.

Mission Accomplished: I entertained without using an oven PLUS I stuck to my carb free diet. I’m on week 5 and so far so good.

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Everywhere you look – there is a festival. I’m not complaining…just wish I had more TIME to go to all of them!

This past weekend I went to two festivals in one night. I started off at the South Asian Festival on Gerrard East and ended up on St. Clair for Salsa on St Clair. Each festival had something different to offer and I was happy to be able to walk thru both of them. (and eat, of course)

Needed a translation but managed just fine!!

Other festivals that are on my ‘hit list” include the following:

a) Toronto Fringe Festival to see “Everything I Never Knew I Wanted”. This festival takes place from July 4 -15th. This is my first time attending the Toronto Fringe Festival but I’m really looking forward to it. I didn’t know this but it’s Toronto’s largest theatre festival with 150 plus artistic creations. I have a good feeling that this festival might be on my list every year!

b) Night It Up which takes place July 13-15 at the Markham Civic Centre. This festival features 100 plus different vendors including many “street foods” that one might find in the markets of Taiwan or Hong Kong. I’ve heard so much about stinky tofu that I really think I might go this year!!

Street Food!!

c) Toronto Festival of Beer which takes place July 27-28th on the Exhibition Grounds. I am a huge fan of this festival and have been going for years and years and years. In my opinion the festival just gets better and better each year. Don’t delay and buy your tickets as this festival will sell out on all three days!!

Won’t Miss the Toronto Beer Festival. Period.

b) Cobourg Sand Castle Festival which takes place Aug 4 – Aug 5th. Well worth the drive to Cobourg to see the spectacular sand castle exhibits.

Love this beach and this competition.

c) Wild Blueberry Festival which takes place August 11th from 8 a.m to 3 p.m at Evergreen Brickworks. If you love blueberries – this is the festival for you!! Tons of great activities, recipes, food products containing blueberries and more.

Blueberry Heaven

d) The Ex which takes place Aug 17 – Sept 3rd. I’ve been eating my way thru the Ex for the last two years and once again will be there the minute it opens. The minute!!

Eating My Way Thru The Ex.

e) The Toronto Garlic Festival which takes place Oct 13-14 at Evergreen Brickworks. I went last year and learned so much about garlic that I need to go back to learn even more!! (and taste more).

Garlic 101..So Much To Learn Here.

I know that my calendar has all these dates marked down and I encourage you to look at your calendars too. By all means take a peek at this website  called Festivals Toronto for a bigger list (way bigger) . In this blog post, I simply wanted to highlight some of my favorites!! I’m hoping to add a few more festivals to this growing list but like I said in the title of this blog post….so many festivals, so little time!!

PS what are your favorite festivals?

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Thanks to twitter, I discovered Paulette’s Original Donuts and Chicken. They were on twitter even before they opened (smart business move).  Last Monday I was following @amypataki and her tweets about the donuts she was trying. I then noticed more tweets from @foodie411 about Paulette’s Original Donuts and Chicken!! Clearly, I had “donuts” on my brain and wanted to go check it out too.

Donuts are the New Cupcakes. Did you know?

I really wanted to do a tweet up there but knew that there would be a good chance they would sell out if I organized a tweet up at 7 p.m. You see, they start serving the donuts at 8 am and start serving fried chicken at 11:30 am and serve till 7 p.m OR TILL THEY RUN OUT. I wasn’t risking it.

I gathered a few friends to meet there on Friday at 10 a.m. We all happily tried: a Rootbeer donut, a Strawberry Balsamic donut and a Mango Yuzu donut. Every day there are 7 different flavors and each donut will set you back $2.75. I liked the rootbeer donut and the Mango Yuzu donut the best and we all agreed that the donuts were cakey not yeasty. Hope that description makes sense.

Im on a carb free diet so I only had a bite. Me. Good.

The store is really cute with a few bar stools and a ledge by the window. I wonder if the owner would tell me the paint chip number as I adored the shade of blue that was used in the store.

Seeing as I was with a few foodies…we went to explore another nearby restaurant that also opened recently, called Leslieville Pumps. Think of a gas station (which it is) that is totally hip and serving cool food.

Love this concept!!

The gas station/restaurant is owned by two friendly  brothers and one of them is the chef. So of course we talked FOOD and ordered a few things to try:

a) The Deep Fried Pickles: These are my weakness. Something about the crunchy batter and the sour batter along with the wicked sauce. I was a happy camper.

Deep Fried Pickles. My Weakness.

b) We also ordered the baked beans which were full of flavor. The right type of flavor. Not to sweet, not to smokey….just right.

Clearly Homemade!!

c) Also spotted a few bars of candy that you don’t see every day: I have never tried them but the White Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup certainly intrigued me. Next time.

Candy that I have never tried – but would like to try.

They even have a herb garden on the rooftop. How impressive.

What’s also impressive is both of their websites. Worth clicking on their links:

Paulette’s Original Donuts and Chicken 913 Queen St. East (647) 748-1177

Leslieville Pumps 929 Queen St. East (416) 465-1313

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Canada day is quickly approaching and this means that my brain is thinking about “Canadian Foods“. It’s a problem. I wish that I didn’t think about food as much as I do but we can talk about that problem another time!!

Here’s a few food items that I identify with as being “Canadian”. I won’t be googling about the history of each item (although I’m sure it would be interesting)…just going to share a few photos with you. Is that ok?

#1 on my list: Beavertails: Have been eating beavertails since the 70’s.

I indulge in a Beavertail almost every time I visit Ottawa #fact

Item #2: The Buttertart

oh such goodness

My favorite treat but I will only have a buter tart if it’s a GREAT one. Not just a mediocre one. (I’m fussy that way). I love the buttertarts from Flaky Tart ( 711 Mt Pleasant) or from Marty’s World Famous Cafe. (5 Manitoba St. Bracebridge)

Item #3 Tim Hortons: I had one Tim Bit and a medium sized coffee every day for years.

My favorite: Banana Timbits or the powered sugared ones

Item #4: Maple Syrup

I head out the Maple Syrup Festival almost every year!!

Item #5; Ice Wine (sorry no photo)

Items #6: Poutine. Poutini’s (1112 Queen St. West)  just celebrated their third birthday and it was very very hard for me not to go that day. (due to this carb free diet). The minute I decide to splurge..I will be going directly to Poutinis for their teeny weeny version (the best idea ev-uh).

another weakness of mine…specifically from Poutinis

I know I missing a few: Saskatoon berries, and a few other items. You can help me out by leaving a comment (hint).

Have a wonderful Canada Day. I will be in Ottawa walking thru the downtown core and catching the fireworks. Can’t wait.

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Last weekend, I went camping at Island Spirits on Rice Lake. As you might know (or might not know) meal planning is an important element of the camping experience. We actually sat down and made a menu plan so that we would be prepared. Camping on an island means that there is no “corner” store to run to in the event you forget something!!

This is what we ate:

Friday nite: Salmon (click here for the recipe) and baked potatoes.

Friday nite dessert; Marshmallows (of course)

Saturday morning: Scrambled eggs and Yves Veggie Sausages

Kept me going all morning

Saturday lunch: Pizza made in the  wood fired brick oven. Was thrilled that we took advantage of this unique oven on the island

Awesome oven and an awesome chef!!

bubbling pizza

Saturday dinner: It was suppose to be corn on the cob but the sheep thought it was THEIR dinner. Dont get me started.

no corn for us…but I’m sure the sheep were happy

Instead, we had a huge salad.

Other food items we enjoyed: Pringles, blueberries, cherries, cereal and more. Next time we camp, will be freezing milk bags and not bringing a carton of milk. What do you think? good idea?

As for the camping vs eco cabin debate. Here are my thoughts:

a) If you stay in a eco cabin (there are only 3 on the island)  No sheep will be waking you up at 615 a.m “baaayyyiinng”.

Ya You..Thats right ..YOU. Were you the one baa-hhh-ing at 615 am?

b) If you stay in an eco cabin you don’t have to ensure that everything is “locked up” to prevent the sheep from eating your pens, food, etc.

c) Price. Slightly more money to stay in a cabin than to camp ($75 a weekend per adult for the weekend for a campsite vs $190 to $225 for an eco cabin) Here are the rates.

Needless to say we had a wonderful time enjoying the 21 acres (the size of the island). Lucky for us, there was only one other couple on the island. Talk about peace. I hear it’s not the same if you camp at a Provincial Park. Guess who is going to find out? ME. We have already began our search for the perfect camping spot. (suggestions welcome) Stay Tuned.

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For some reason Fresh was never on my radar. I figured “why would I go to a restaurant to have vegetarian food I could make at home?”. Well I WAS WRONG. (in a big way).

My friend introduced me to their Buddha bowl a few months ago and then another friend gave me the Fresh cookbook as a dinner gift. Clearly this was a sign that I should go again. Infact it was the perfect restaurant to visit seeing as I am trying to follow a carb free diet (14 days and counting – thank you very much).

We started off the meal, with the quinoa battered onion rings. I was totally blown away with these onion rings. They were crunchy and hefty. What a wicked way to start our meal.

Coated with breadcrumbs and puffed quinoa. Will be ordering this again!!

My boyfriend ordered the bbq burger which was served in a wrap and not a bun. The bbq burger is described as having a tangy bbq sauce, garlic mayo, quinoa rings, napa cabbage, hot bananas chilies, tomato and lettuce. It was not your ordinary veggie burger!

Not the best picture..sorry didnt have my Canon DSLR

I ordered the Italian Raw Bowl which is described as zucchini noodles tossed with a basil pesto, garnished with kale chips, grape tomatoes and sun dried tomatoes. This totally appealed to me.

One Word: FRESH

We would both order the same items again in a heart beat!!

There is clearly a reason why Fresh has been around since 1989. They are serving FRESH food with interesting flavors. Plus we had a lovely waitress who made sure we had plenty of water and was happy to answer our questions.

Locations:

Fresh on Bloor: 326 Bloor West (416) 599-4442…twitter @FreshonBloor

Fresh on Spadina: 147 Spadina (416) 599-4442…twitter @FreshonSpadina

Fresh on Crawford: 894 Queen West (416) 599-4442…twitter @FreshonCrawford

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I’ve just returned from visiting a new pizza restaurant that has opened up at 386 Bloor St West. It’s called Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria and I have a good feeling that they are going to get a lot of love in Toronto.

Right in the Heart of the Annex

They are already a hit in Western Canada and they now have two locations here in Toronto (their first location is in the new Food Court at Yorkdale Shopping Centre).

I immediately liked  this blackboard  that you see when you walk in: (I am a sucker for clever marketing)

I am on a carb free diet so I was “good” and didn’t touch the pizza (sorry Famoso Pizzeria) but I certainly did enjoy the Gorgonzola Walnut Salad. It was exactly what I needed and the full size salad hit the spot ($12.50).

Perfect

I did however take a photo of their famous (and popular) Margherita Pizza. I mean who wouldn’ t want to dig into this?

Will have to return to try this one day soon when I’m no longer doing this crazy carb free thing.

What really grabbed my attention was the Nutella pizza. They take their authentic pizza crust and smother it in Nutella. I mean, seriously, could life get any better?

there is a Nutella banana version too!! ps I had a bite. I had to.

If you want to end your meal with something “lighter” – then try their authentic artisan-style gelato, which is handcrafted in small batches and has low levels of butterfat (4-6%) and made with no preservatives. Famoso Pizzeria has partnered with Fiasco Artisan Gelato and in my humble opinion, it’s a perfect match!!

I gravitated towards A SAMPLE of the blueberry basil (Wild BC blueberries macerated in fresh basil and cane sugar). …however other flavours include: salted caramel, burn sugar banana choccolate, zesty lemon and more!!

My carb free diet did not interfere with the opportunity to have a great meal at Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria. There is something for everyone!!

Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria:

1. Yorkdale Shopping Centre (full service restaurant in their new food court).

2. 386 Bloor St. West.

657-748-23333

@FamosoPizzeria

Hours: Sunday to Wednesday 11 a.m to 11 p.m, Thursday to Sunday 11 am to midnite

ps vegetarian friendly: Daiya Vegan cheese is available as a substitution for mozzarella at no extra cost

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The other nite, @HorriblePeanut sent me a photo of what he made for dinner. (only because I asked!!). He had prepared cod and kale. I asked him how he prepared the kale and he replied “with veggie stock – er, Knorr”. I then realized that this would be a good time to do a blog post called How to Make Your Own Vegetable Stock!! 

Oh How I Love This Stock!!

Here’s what you need:

Ingredients:
2 carrots, peeled and chopped*
2 onions, peeled and chopped*
1 parsnip, peeled and chopped*
1 apple, cut in half
1 whole head of garlic, peeled (no chopping necessary0
1 sweet potato peeled and chopped*
and bunch of parsley

*:no one is going to see the vegetables so it doesn’t have to be pretty looking!! BONUS

Feel free to add celery, apples, bay leaves, zucchini, etc.a

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Boil water in a saucepan (please forgive me, I did not measure the quantity)
2. Add all the ingredients listed above. Cover the pan with a lid.

A Rough Chop is Just Fine!!

3. Season with salt and pepper
4. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

5. Strain the vegetables

Voila…beautiful aromatic vegetable stock. By all means play around with this recipe: add celery, add bay leaves (which I did by the way) or  add zucchini. Just don’t add anything bitter like broccoli or green pepper.

I like to freeze this soup is small ziploc containers so I can use it whenever a recipe calls for vegetable stock. It will make a HUGE difference and you won’t be buying any powdered soup stock anymore.

Happy Cooking (even if its 30 degrees outside)!!

By the way: I grew up in a household with a product called Croyden House. (kosher fake chicken stock poweder)  My mom used it on EVERYTHING. (as still does). I promised myself when I moved out that I would never buy a jar of that stuff and guess what? I haven’t.

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On May 6th I ran the Toronto Half Marathon and then for some unexplained reason I got lazy.  I haven’t run….I haven’t been to a body pump class or even a zumba class. I have done NOTHING . Well not exactly. I have excelled in the sport called “eating”. Infact,  I have morphed into MOMWHOEATS.  That’s right….I have been eating and eating and eating and there seems to be more calories going in than going out.

BYE BYE BUTTER TARTS (sniff)

I was looking in the mirror and noticing that I was getting puffier by the nano second. Finally I said “ENOUGH” !! Time to do something about it. However I love food so much that I knew if I went the “low intake” approach…it wouldn’t work for me. So I decided to try something that worked for me eight years ago. I broke up with carbs.

This means:

-no more bread (ouch)

-no more pasta (double ouch)

-no more cereal

-no more bananas, apples, and oranges

-no more poutine (don’t get me started)

-no more chickpeas, kidney beans, legumes

However I have been enjoying:

-kale smoothies

a kale smoothie a day keeps the pounds away!!

-plenty of great salads with cheese and nuts

-blueberries/strawberries with whipped cream (its allowed)

-low carb beer.  A huge thank you to Molson for creating Molson Canadian 67 Sublime. It’s not perfect but it will do the trick. (67 calories, 1 carb)

-plenty of egg whites with sauteed mushrooms

-tuna burgers, salmon, sole. I even bought sardines but havent brought myself to open the tin yet

–Silk True Almond, unsweetened, vanilla. (30 calories with 0 % carb per cup). Totally impressed with this product.

– tofu shirataki noodles!! I can “pretend” Im eating pasta. Emphasis on the word “pretend”.

buying a few packs a week.

It’s now been almost two weeks since I broke up with carbs. It hasn’t been a picnic to give up sandwiches, cereals and all the other carbs I use to enjoy on a regular basis. However I can tell you this – I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER.

Curious to find out if you have ever tried this “lifestyle” before? or how many of you are trying not to eat wheat, sugar, etc?

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