March 14, 2012

Let’s talk about fat…(Part 1)

By marilenecaetano

One pound of body fat

…and I don’t mean in your food. I have no space in my cupboards or body for foods that claim to be fat free or low fat or reduced fat.  Why you ask…because they obviously don’t work people!  Have a look around, does it look like since we’ve replaced butter with margarine that we’ve been able to control our weight?  No we haven’t and that’s because fat doesn’t make you fat, eating low nutrient, processed food does.

My own diet and every diet I recommend to people contains a healthy dose of good quality fat and tons and tons of plant foods, namely vegetables.  I don’t sweat the fat content in my food because I make sure to use only the most nutritious fats out there.  That’s my kitchen therapy philosophy.

But fat is a very important thing and the kind of fat I want to talk about is the fat in your body. Nature’s insulation. The belly blubber. The jiggle in your wiggle. The junk in your trunk.  Adipose tissue (that’s the medical term for it).  And I don’t want to talk about body fat because I want to talk about being skinny and how great that is for everyone because that’s not the case.  Your body type and metabolism know what the perfect weight is.  I want to talk about why it’s so important to reach that perfect, healthy weight and stay there.  I’m telling you, fat stresses out more than your beach vacation with Brad Pitt and here’s why:

  • Fat is active: oh yeah baby, while you’re sitting on the couch eating a pint of ice cream, your fat isn’t just sitting back and relaxing…oh no, it’s releasing hormones and it’s shooting out chemicals that cause inflammation.  We have learned recently that fat tissue in the body releases powerful hormones called adipokines.  Some of them have good effects on the body and some of them have bad.  What happens if you have too much fat on board is that the fat tissue becomes confused and unregulated and starts producing too much of the bad hormones and not enough of the good hormones.
  • Fat moves: contrary to popular belief, fat likes to exercise and sometimes it decides to take a hike and move out from under the skin and into much more precious organs like your liver and muscles.  Your liver and muscles don’t want globules of fat getting in the way of their business and this can lead to impairments in how they work which causes disease.
  • Fat makes you sick: and not “I’ve got the sniffles sick”, I mean chronically sick.  Too much fat has been directly linked to developing diabetes and heart disease.  When there’s too much body fat, there’s too much cholesterol. Having too much cholesterol means that there’s so much floating around that your body has to store it somewhere.  That somewhere may be your arteries where it causes inflammation and leads to blockages that cause heart attacks.  Those same hormones I talked about above also have effects on insulin and may cause disruption in insulin release and production leading to diabetes.  In fact, 60-80% of people with type II diabetes are obese!

You can see that fat is no jiggly, wiggly, joking around matter!  Considering how prevalent obesity and all the diseases related to obesity are in Canada, I have been learning tons about fat tissue in school.  I’ve tried to simplify that information as much as I can but if you are interested in getting more in depth, consider reading this article.  If you want to take my word for it then stay tuned because, next week, we’ll talk about fat some more, specifically how to get rid of it and what kinds of healthy fats to include in your diet.

6 comments   |  tags: , | posted in Uncategorized

March 11, 2012

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

By marilenecaetano

Hello Spring, so nice to have you in our lives early!  As you soak up this ridiculously beautiful sunshine and enjoy your longer afternoon, consider cooking up this soup for when the sun finally sets and the cold wind blows in.  I just had to get one last wintery, warm-you-down-to-your-toes soup in.  I made this creemy (without the cream) cauliflower soup and it was a hit.  It’s easy to make and uses cashews to make it extra creamy and pack in some protein and healthy fats.  Cauliflower looks kind of plain but don’t let the lack of colour fool you.  Cauliflower is a super food!

It is part of the cruciferous family and these vegetables have a high phytochemical content, linking them to cancer prevention.  They are also very rich in beta carotene, vitamin C, B vitamins, potassium and loads of fibre.  Their richness in antioxidants means they eliminate free radicals which are known to cause inflammation in the body.  Cooking these veggies increases their richness in indole-3-carbinol, a powerful compound which helps in estrogen metabolism.  They also contain sulphoraphane which is a powerful liver stimulant that increases detoxification of the body.

So go on, make this vegan, delicious, creemy, warming soup.

Creemy Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients:

  • 2 heads of cauliflower, core and outer leaves removed
  • 2 tbsp + 2tbsp olive oil
  • 4 sprigs of time, leaves removed
  • 4 garlic cloves, skin on
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1/4 tsp of nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/4 cup cashews
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F
  2. Place cauliflower on a pyrex dish, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with thyme leaves.  Scatter cloves of garlic alongside cauliflower.  Place in oven and bake for 1-1 1/2 hours, until fork tender. Remove and set aside to cool.
  3. In a large pot, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat, add diced onion and saute until translucent.
  4. Add thyme and nutmeg, stirring to coat. Squeeze roasted garlic cloves out of their skins and add to pot.
  5. Chop up roasted cauliflower.  Reserve several small florets for garnish.  Add remaining cauliflower to pot and stir to coat.
  6. Cover with water and season with salt and pepper.  Turn heat to high, bring to a boil and then cover and simmer for 15 minutes to allow flavours to mingle.
  7. Transfer soup to blender in small batches to puree.  In the final batch, add the cashews and puree until smooth.
  8. Transfer soup back to pot, taste and season as necessary.  Thin with water if required and bring to a simmer.
  9. Garnish with cauliflower floret, a drizzle of good quality olive oil, a sprinkling of smoked paprika and some sprouts.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , | posted in Soups, Uncategorized

February 28, 2012

The World’s Best Cold Remedies…au naturel

By marilenecaetano

 

So I’m still nursing my cold and since it is cold and flu season, I figured you might be feeling the same way.   I thought I would pass along the 5 tips that have been keeping me as healthy and comfortable as possible:

  1. Take a hot shower: A hot shower provides steam which releases all the mucous trapped in your nose.  It also causes you to sweat which releases toxins and kicks those cold and flu germs to the curb.  Another great trip is to stand over the sink filled with boiled water and breathe in the vapours.  Add some eucalyptus, tea tree or oregano oil for a sinus clearing kick.
  2. Irrigate your nose: I know this sounds crazy but it works! Nasal irrigation basically involves taking a warm, salt water solution and gently pouring that water through one nostril until it comes out the other.  It sounds a lot worse that  it is and I promise if you make a good solution, it won’t sting or burn or cause you to feel like you’re drowning.  I usually like to use a neti pot which delivers a gentle stream of water but for the days I’m really clogged up, I like to use this device which delivers water at a higher pressure.  You’ll know it works when you literally see the boogers, snot and yuck come out.  I swear you will breathe clearer.  Check here for great instructions: http://www.neilmed.com/can/directions.php
  3. Drink tea: hot water is your friend; it’s soothing and warming and hydrating.  Brew up a tea with lemon, ginger and honey.  I also really enjoy David’s Tea Organic Cold 911 which is an amazing blend of peppermint, juniper, orange and eucalyptus.
  4. Drink green juice: I haven’t felt like eating much since I’ve been sick. As I said earlier this week, I’ve been on a diet of chicken soup.  While chicken noodle soup is amazingly nourishing, your body definitely wants more.  To easily get the nutrition down and absorbed, make yourself a green juice or smoothie.  I’ve been sipping on a blend of kale, apple, cucumber and lemon.  A little tip: it tastes better when someone else makes it for me.  I know because I had a personal juicer whipping them up for me.
  5. Make your own medicine:  Inspired by Meghan’s post of a medicinal smoothie she made, I whipped up my own using some ingredients on hand. It was difficult to get down but after a few glugs, I was done and I definitely felt better after a few hours.  I’ve passed on the wisdom to you…come on, you know you can handle it…
Now it’s your turn, you tell me what your best, natural, cold busting formulas are.

Let Thy Smoothie be Thy Medicine

Ingredients:

This smoothie is chock full of anti-inflammatory compounds + ingredients that are naturally antibacterial and antiviral.  It won’t give instant results but it will certainly pave the way for healing.

  • 1 cup tea, cold (I used David’s Tea Organic Cold 911 but you could use ginger, lemon, peppermint or any other herbal tea)
  • 1/4 tsp of cayenne
  • 1 tsp of coconut oil
  • 1 tbsp of fresh ginger root
  • 1 tbsp of raw honey
  • juice of 1 lemon + 3 slices of rind
  • 1/2 cup of frozen berries blend
  • 1 tbsp of vitamin C powder
  • 1 tsp of MSM powder
  1. Blend until smooth.
  2. Chug.
  3. Heal.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , | posted in Uncategorized

February 26, 2012

The Best Medicine: Chicken Soup

By marilenecaetano

I know I’ve been MIA for the last little while (ahem…3 months) but I have still been playing in the kitchen and learning lots.  I’ve been traveling and studying and enjoying these longer, sunnier, milder days of winter.  Despite this pretend winter we’ve been having, the pesky cold and flu viruses have still be lurking around. It seems that everyone around me has been battling some type of cold, flu or infection and they have been so kind as to sneeze in my direction and pass it onto me.  Needless to say, there has been a lot of chicken soup flowing at our house.  You might think that chicken soup for a cold is just a myth, something your mama made in hopes to make you feel better.  Well…I’m here to tell you, it works!

  • Chicken broth nourishes your small intestine.  You’re probably thinking why do I need to heal my small intestine when I have a cold?  Because your digestive tract contains thousands of immune cells.  Keeping it strong means your body will fight that cold more efficiently.
  • Chicken broth is rich in gelatin.  Gelatin allows your body to better use the protein that you digest.  This is important because when you have a cold, you don’t eat as much.  Whatever you are eating, you want to absorb it the best you can.  Increasing your protein absorption means your body has the building blocks to heal.
  • Chicken broth is an alkaline liquid.  Too much acid in your body puts a strain on healing.  Taking in alkaline liquids (water with lemon is another one), neutralizes the acid in your body and strengthens making it easier for you to kick your sickness to the curb.
  • It hydrates!  A nice liquidy soup that is delicious means you are taking in lots of liquid which keeps your body hydrated and cleanses out all the icky bugs causing your sickness.
If you or someone you know is sick then get in that kitchen and make this!  If you feel the sniffles coming on, whip this up and nip it in the bud!

Marilene’s Healing Chicken Soup

My homemade chicken soup is the kind that heals your sniffles and your soul.  It is soothing, warming, comforting and very nourishing.  With coconut oil, ginger, cayenne onion and garlic it is an antimicrobial powerhouse that will get your body cleansing that virus out.  The turmeric makes it a vibrant yellow and gets the anti-inflammatory mojo going.  With all the minerals and vitamins extracted from the chicken bones, you get a broth that prepares your body for healing. In Portuguese, chicken soup is called “canja” and it is traditionally made from a freshly butchered chicken.  Please take the effort to find a free range, organic chicken.  It is best when you know your farmer or butcher directly so that you can ensure that the chicken lived a happy life and died with dignity.

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp of coconut oil
  • 2 onions, diced
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 2 stalks of celery, diced
  • 1 whole chicken, cut in 8 pieces (be sure to ask for the neck and back; if the butcher has extra bones or necks lying around take those too)
  • 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
  • 1 inch piece of ginger, cut in 4 pieces
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • water to cover
  • 1 teaspoon of turmeric
  • 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne
  • sea salt and black pepper to taste
  1. Heat coconut oil over medium heat in a heavy pot/dutch oven.
  2. Add the onions and saute for a minute until fragrant.  Add the carrots and celery, saute for 3 more minutes.
  3. Add the chicken pieces and bones.  Stir in apple cider vinegar.  Toss in ginger, garlic and bay leaf.
  4. Cover with water and bring to boil on high.  After a few minutes, skim the scum that rises to the surface and discard.
  5. Season with salt and pepper and reduce heat to low, simmer for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
  6. Remove chicken and bones.  Allow to cool.
  7. Once cool, remove the chicken meat from the bones,  discard bones and chicken skin.  Shred the meat into bite size pieces and add to chicken broth.  Taste and season as needed.  Pour in bowls and let the healing begin :)

 

1 comment   |  tags: , , | posted in Uncategorized

November 22, 2011

Make this now…kale chips

By marilenecaetano

That's me beside a beautiful kale plant in the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. Kale is so hardy it grows until the frost!

When we got back from the indulgence that was New York City, there was only one thing I was craving: veggies!

On my way home from work, I picked up as many veggies as I could prepare quickly, I roasted cauliflower florets with cumin seed and olive oil.  I baked thick slices of eggplant and topped them with an olive and walnut tapenade. I served this all alongside a big green salad with homemade greek dressing.  It was exactly the energizing meal I needed.

The next day I took a whole head of kale and made kale chips.  Oh you’ve never heard of this you say?  Well my friend Meghan was recently on national TV whipping up a bunch.  Check her out here.

I’ve made kale chips before and I was less than impressed so I decided to give them another try and I am so hooked now.

You’re probably wondering…what do you mean kale chip?  Chip, as in crispy, crunchy, salty deliciousness?  Why yes I do!  The really cool thing about kale is that when you bake it, it dries up into crispy, thin, chips that totally satisfy that savoury craving.  I’m telling you it is the most amazing way to get kale into you and there are plenty of reasons why you want more kale in your life:

  • Kale is both a member of the cruciferous vegetable family and the leafy green family and both of those vegetable families have been shown to decrease your risk of cancer and heart disease
  • The bright green colour of kale means that it is rich in chlorophyl which is going to give you energy and help cleanse your body of toxins
  • The bright green also contains antioxidants which are going to protect your cells from damage
  • Kale is also rich in calcium, beta carotene and fiber

Besides, kale chips are the easiest possible thing to make.  Let me tell you how…

Lemony-Snickets Kale Chips

Ingredients

  • one head of kale, washed and thoroughly dried*
  • juice of half a lemon
  • olive oil
  • sea salt
  1. Preheat your oven to 170 F (or its lowest setting)**
  2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat
  3. Tear the prepared kale into large pieces (approximately 4-8 pieces per leaf)
  4. Toss them in a bowl and pour lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt over them.
  5. Massage the kale (yes massage) for about 30 seconds.  This makes sure the lemon, salt and olive oil really coats and flavours the kale.  Kale is a really hardy green so it can handle the fondling.
  6. Lay the kale pieces on the baking sheet in a single layer
  7. Place in the warmed oven and leave the door slightly ajar.  Allow to dry in the oven for about an hour (or two) but keep an eye on them .  You’ll know they’re dry when they’re crispy and have slightly browned edges.  If you’ve massaged the lemon juice in well, they should still stay a pretty bright green colour.
  8. Enjoy alongside a delicious bowl of soup or fizzy cup of kombucha!  Once totally cool, they can be stored in an airtight container and will stay crispy for several days.

*My favourite way to wash greens is to place them in a sink or large bowlful of cold water.  Swirl them around in there and let them soak for a few minutes.  Then lift them out of the water and place them in a pillowcase and tie it closed.  Then march that greens-filled pillowcase over to your washing machine and put it in (yes in the washing machine…just do it…trust me).  Set the machine to your spin cycle.  Once the cycle is done, your greens will still be firm and crunchy, dry and no nutrients will have been lost.

**It’s really important that the oven is on the lowest setting.  You’re just drying these chips not baking them.  I made them one day when I was cooking a lot on the stove top which increased the heat of the oven and they quickly turned into brown, crispy kale chips.  For this reason, kale chips would be a great thing to try overnight.

1 comment | posted in Healthy Snacks, Veggies

November 13, 2011

NYC Wrap Up

By marilenecaetano

That's the Plaza hotel viewed from Central Park...remember the hotel in Home Alone 2?

Oh hi there again…yes I’m still alive.  Somewhere between New York and Toronto I got sucked into the abyss that is nursing theory and so this here storytelling fell by the way side.  Do forgive me?

The rest of NYC was amazing.  I had 2 projects for school due on Monday so I spent quite a bit of time Sunday and Monday doing homework but we still made the best of it.  I’m telling you, if you ever feel like you need to be more productive…take a vacation!  Since you’re always looking to go out to play, you finish your work a lot quicker.

So what did we keep ourselves busy doing for the last 4 days in the Big Apple?  Well Saturday was dubbed as our “cheap” day.  It was about affordable, good eats and free outdoor activities.  I woke up nice and early to do some homework and then went over to the neighbourhood Lululemon for a free yoga class.  From there we had lunch at a great Thai place where I had the “no carb” pad thai where the noodles were replaced by carrots…you couldn’t tell at all!  We popped by a little Farmer’s Market selling great upstate New York produce as well as lovely, local dried lavender.  From there, we walked over to Brooklyn’s version of Central Park, Prospect Park.  We checked out the botanical garden and the dog park which was lovely.  From there we needed a place to put our feet up so we went to Grumpy Cafe which was anything but grumpy.  Let me tell you something…New Yorkers are nice…like really nice, way nicer than Torontonians.  Almost every place we went, we chatted it up with someone who worked there and they even asked us our names.  I never felt stupid asking for directions and people actually held the door for me.  It made my vacation just a wee bit sweeter.  As for the cafe at Grumpy Cafe, M tells me it was amazing…unlike anything he’s ever tasted.  I tried a sip and, while I don’t like coffee, I could definately see what he was talking about.  The coffee wasn’t bitter, it was acidic, aromatic and really, really flavourful, like a good, bold wine.

From super friendly “Grumpy” Cafe, we hopped on a bus to a part of Brooklyn called Red Hook, to check out the famed bakery, Baked.  You may remember Matt from Top Chef Desserts who is a baker at Baked?  (Oh you don’t? oh ok it must just be me the reality TV cooking competition junkie…nevermind).  Anywoo, the bakery was stellar, a really hometown feel with some solid brownies, cheesecakes and caramels.  From there, we went back to our place and then had some takeout salad for dinner.  Yup that’s how M&M spend a Saturday night in NYC…we stay in.  Are we getting old?

Sunday was a great fun day.  We hopped on an early morning subway train to Harlem to eat at Top Chef Masters’ (here I go with my chef competition trivia again) Marcus Samuelson’s restaurant, Red Rooster.  I walked in and immediately loved the place…bright open space with lots of interesting American meets African decor.  Plus it was Gospel Sunday Brunch at the restaurant so there was a beautiful soulful black woman belting out the Church music.  I wish I could say I loved the food but, to be honest…I was underwhelmed.  It was too bad really, because I respect Marcus Samuelson as a chef and expected more.  From service to plating to taste, it just did not cut it.  Maybe I’ll invite him over for a private dinner to give him a second chance?

We didn’t let our sub par Sunday brunch let us down…it was the New York City marathon after all!  We ran to Central Park (ok fine, leisurely strolled) where we watched the Marathoners run their hearts out.  It was quite a moving thing to see and I’m so glad we happened to be there when it was going on.  In fact one of the people staying at our guest house was running too so it was cool to talk to him about it.

From there we continued our coffee testing and headed to a cafe called Joe where M had another exquisite java.  From there we went to a little New York institution you may have heard of called, Zabar’s, where we split a Reuben sandwich.  The real highlight here though was the congregation of Jewish women gathering at the formica tables for their Sunday afternoon gossip.  It was seriously too much…I was laughing out loud listening to these 80+ year old women talk about the beauty parlour in their thick New Yorker accents while applying bright red lipstick.

From Zabar’s we headed for a little walk.  Have I mentioned that the weather was amazing, almost warm?  To celebrate this, we had a gelato at GROM on recommendation of my friend Tiz.

After all this, we were beat and we literally collapsed alongside the marathoners on the subway and headed home.  I did some homework and then we took a break for dinner at a most amazing local Italian place called Al Di La.  I had the first raw kale salad I have ever liked.   Stay tuned because I will be replicating that recipe in my own kitchen and posting it for you all.  We got to talking to the people beside us too and met some great guys: Matt from Seattle and Steve from Queen’s.  I’m telling you New Yorkers are awesome!

This is one of the photos M took when he was out and about while I was studying. It's the Brooklyn Bridge at sunset...amazing eh?

Monday was homework day as I mentioned.  I finally wrapped up my projects by dinner time so we travelled into Manhattan to have dinner at another famous New York restaurant: Lombardi’s for some real delicious Neopolitan pizza.

Tuesday was my free day where I could live it up from morning till night without worrying about school and that’s exactly what we did.  We had breakfast at home and picked up a green juice on our way to the subway.  We then headed into Manhattan and popped by Bluebird Cafe to check out their super duper coffee offering.  We met some great locals including a chanting vegan thrusting don’t eat meat flyers into my hands.  From there, we travelled back into Brooklyn to go visit 2 brilliant chocolate men: the Mast Brothers.  They deserve an entire post of their own, but let me just say that these guys literally make chocolate bars from scratch with no bull shit in them.  I had a million questions for the staff there and after tasting several bars, we bought a few and went on our merry way.

M's photo taken from the Top of the Rock. What a great city!

No visit to NYC is complete without a stroll along 5th Avenue.  After perusing through all the merchandise I could never afford, we parked ourselves down at a sandwich joint we could afford: Wichcraft, an idea by Tom Collichio (also of Top Chef fame…are you seeing a theme here?) where I had a smashed chickpea and preserved lemon sandwich that was so light and fresh, I will be replicating that one at home too.

After some more perusing on 5th Avenue including Tiffany’s, we went up the Rockefeller Centre to get the best view of Manhattan.  We spent over an hour and half up there while my amazing photographer husband shot some award worthy photos.  After that it was time for…dinner!  This dinner was the highlight of my NYC trip.  We went to Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill and…he was there!  I saw him with my own 2 eyes!  For those of you who don’t know, Bobby Flay is an Iron Chef (see I’ve switched chef competitions) and he specializes in Mexican inspired dishes.  Eating there was amazing…the best table service I’ve ever had and the flavours were deep and complex but still refined.  It was a great way to spend our last dinner in NYC.

We woke up Wednesday morning with a bittersweet feeling.  We were excited to come home to see our puppy again but we were sad to leave this great city.  We popped by a great neighbourhood grocer, called the Brooklyn Larder, to pick up some snacks for the ride home.

Overall, it was one of the nicest vacations I’ve ever had with some of the greatest food I’ve ever tasted.  I hope I’ve given you some great ideas on places to visit when you head to NYC.

Leave a comment | posted in New York, Trips

November 5, 2011

Tales from Brooklyn to Manhattan

By marilenecaetano

M's sunset photo of Manhattan.

Hello there…I am emerging (but only for a short time) from food bliss to tell you how my little jaunt in NYC is going.  What have we been up to you ask?  I can sum it up in 3 activities:

  1. walking (to procure food)
  2. eating food
  3. meeting and talking to all the dogs in Brooklyn (on our way to procuring food)

I’m telling you, this city has a whole new standard of food.  Today we paid $20 for authentic thai-appetizer and entree!  $20!  I haven’t eaten one bad thing since we’ve arrived and I haven’t overpaid for it either.

While we adore it here in Brooklyn, yesterday we ventured to Manhattan to check out what’s going down.  To energize  us we picked up a bagel at Area bagel in Brooklyn on our way to the subway.  I had my first ever, bialy, which is a P olish Jewish bagel-like bread.  It’s not boiled before being baked so it’s less dense and chewy and more crispy and airy.  It was delicious!

This is a bialys. Accompanied by some brocolli, spinach, celery juice--we have to balance things out :)

After a 20 minute ride to Manhattan, me and my financial guru husband went straight to Wall Street.  We popped by the Federal Reserve Bank and were quickly rejected by the New Yorkah guard who said we would not be able to admire America’s gold bars without a 6 week in advance booking.  Boo-hoo.  So we did the next best thing you do in Manhattan in November 2011: we checked out Occupy Wall Street.  It was a lively, peaceful, eclectic gathering of people (the 99%).  Their belief is that by occupying public space, their voices will be heard and the dialogue between the 99% of people and the 1% controlling all the power and money in the world will be opened up.  They are literally living in Liberty Square…complete with tents, dirty laundry and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  We even saw some children around.  There were focus groups discussing next steps for change; there were bands making music with pails and sticks; there were anarachists waving flags.  There was a lot going on and while I can see the skepticism, I really did see passion and real desire for change.  I’ll be interested to see how it turns out.

From there we took a long walk up Broadway to arrive at our next food stop: Balthazar’s.  A New York institution, this is a classic French bakery serving up delicious, traditional pastries.  It was filled to the brim and reminded me of bakeries in Paris.  I had the rustic gallette which is an open face tart of apples and plums.  The crust on this baby was amazing, crispy, fall apart, mille-fieulle and was only slightly sweet.

Outside Balthazar's enjoying my crispy, fruity pastry.

With our sweet tooth still not satisfied, we trekked on over to Babycakes NYC, a vegan, (mostly) gluten free bakery.  Famous for their baked doughnuts, this small bakery certainly offers a lot of variety.  While I could definately tell the goods were gluten free, I was really impressed with the texture and taste.  For someone who is sensitive to gluten, I didn’t have any upsets with their doughnuts which makes the treat all that much sweeter.

We certainly had a lot of calories to burn off so we decided to go back to Brooklyn via the Brooklyn bridge, a long,  beautiful (but chilly) trek across the East River.  After briefly re-enacting the Miranda and Steve make up scene from the Sex and the City Movie (you know what I’m talking about right?), we strolled along admiring the view and people watching.

Me finishing off the Balthazar's pastry on the Brooklyn Bridge

Once we arrived at our place, it was time for me to get some work done, so M went to take photos of the sunset while I toiled away at nursing theory.  Upon his return, our appetites were back (really,  eating here is more like a hobby than a response to hunger) so off we went for our first experience with Columbian food at Bogota.

Let me tell you something: Latins know how to cook!  This isn’t dainty, pretty food.  No way, this is in your face, flavour blasting food piled high on your plate overflowing with love.  The empanadas, the arepas, the plaintains, the beans…everything tasted straight out  of a Columbian bodega.  It also helped that the bartender took a liking to us and offered us free mango mojitos to wash it all down with :)

And this was only day 2!  I can’t imagine what other culinary milestones we’re going to achieve while here.  I wish I could tell you more but my food coma has come on again and I have to go lay down…talk soon.

2 comments | posted in Uncategorized

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