NYC - Farmers Market

It was Saturday morning, lower Manhattan and we came across this market. I remember reading in how there ws agreat market down the street from Pure (17th st & Irving) on Saturday mornings. I just went and looked it up, there are a lot of farmers markets going on in Manhattan! here is a map of them! I think this is the Union Square Greenmarket that we were at. & I was just reading an article of America's top 25 farmers markets - and this one ranked #3!

"Shop like a NYC chef at Greenmarket in NYC, after all, it's where Manhattan's top chefs go to get their meat and produce. While the market is spread out at different locations due to Union Square construction, it's still the same great market that lures the likes of top city chefs. Greenmarket promotes regional agriculture and ensures a continuing supply of fresh, local produce for New Yorkers. Greenmarket has organized and managed open-air farmers markets in NYC since 1976. Greenmarket supports farmers and preserves farmland for the future by providing... " nice to read! and awesome to walk through.. I kind of wished I was hungrier! ; )

I did however buy a clove of garlic - and ate a clove straight in my hotel room that night. Garlic is the best medicine ever. & this the best garlic possibly in the Universe?? Wow, thats really powerful medicine!










I went to the Dufferin Grove market here in Toronto this afternoon. Now that I am not working I am missing the community - that was one of the wondeful things about working at Rawlicious..being aound all those high vibe people all the time. Working from home is nice.. but I miss the energy and the contact. It was so nice today, my friend Duane had his tree set up "The Best Tent Ever" its a 1-2 person tent that hangs from a tree, a couple feet up from the ground. It was my 1st time in it.. and I sat there cross legged & Grace, Chocolate Phil's daughter, came and spun me around. So great! (& then I spun her ; ) The market was so nice! Many of my favorite people were there.. perfect timing! soo wonderful there was a parade of funky wild dressed musicians wnding through - very fun! ..just a beautiful vibing sunny afternoon.
Markets are the best! ~blowing sunshiny, nature drenched, wild and windy kisses at you! xo ~

NYC - Quintessence

Believe it or not, I am still posting food from Day One of our trip! We went to Quintessence Thursday evening and these are pics from our meal that night. One of the things with trying to sample as much food as possible is that you rarely leave yourself time to get hungry. Maybe 'sampling' should have been the key word here.. however, it really was more like 'eating' as much food as possible! When you get to new places, taste so much delicious new raw foods, especially when this is your passion.. creating such foods.. well, it's hard not to go overboard and just enjoy everything.
It was late and we kind of closed the place, but the staff was really friendly. They were great and the ambiance here was great also, cozy. It was darker than it seems in the picture with candles.. and the waiter let us take a quick peek in the kitchen. I love seeing kitchens. I didn't take a picture but it was narrow, all the dishes are prepped here but they have another kitchen and storage downstairs where I imagine all the dehydrating and lots of the work is done also. That's the thing about creating raw foods.. it takes a lot of space, time, labor.. and as far as I have seen it's always a labor of love. Too much goes it it to be otherwise.


The dishes shown above and below are the Appetizers we chose. We were talking had started eating already before we remembered to take pictures..so this is close, a few bites in. : )

Above is the Spinach Onion Ravioli with Pesto Sauce a rich creamy spinach, onion, walnut and pine nut pate folded in paper thin turnip skins topped with pesto sauce finished with a sprinkle of black pepper.
This was really good, the sauces were great, the filling was also.. but the turnip wrapper wasnt reallypaper thin.. and although it was quite good, thinner wrappers or marinating them would have really made a difference. That being said, the tastes were great and I would happily order htis dish again another time.

Below is the Stuffed Fofu -Our silken mock tofu stuffed with a succulent filling of nappa cabbage, shitake, seaweed and scallion marinated in a savory ginger cilantro sauce. Topped with thinly sliced marinated shitake mushrooms.
Wow - Mock Tofu. lol I had seen a recipe for this in one of Matthew Kenneys books and thought about trying to make it just for the fun of it. & I liked Quinessences take on it, with the stuffed vegetables& mushrooms..but the taste is what I expected the taste to be, kind of bland..but then again, that is what tofu is. ..except that tofu kind of absorbs the sauces and this really more coats itself with sauce. still, considering, a brilliant attempt. & the sauce under it was really, really good - Really good! It was a fun and happy experience.

The Entrees:
Muquecca - a new dish on the menu - "Whether you are a Brazillian or not, this dish will instantly transport you to Brazil" says Andre, our server from Brazil. An array of marinated vegetables and mushrooms drenched in an authentic rich mouth watering sauce. Served with our fantastic butternut garlic-herb bread.
I was curious to try this because I wanted to try making a moqueca before. This is a traditional Brazillian seafood stew and there are many variations to it. This was my least favorite to be honest, but that could just be personal preference. I did however love the garlic bread!

It's a nice change to see bread that is made into a small loaf and cut. Not that I mind bread make flattened out into sheets, which is much more common. It's just more unusual to find it this way.
This was extremely garlicy!!& I love garlic! It was made primarily of butternut squash I think and pine nuts and lots of garlic.

This is the side salad served with the Mexican platter coming up which was soo good! & too big to have the salad served on the same plate. That's one great thing at Quintesence, the dishes are big, they serve a lot of food with each.

Here it is, my favorite of the night The Mexican Platter - a delicious enchilada, a sweet corn golden flax tortilla roll filled with "refried beans", "cheese", tomato and lettuce. Drenched with mole sauce and finished with a dollop of "sour creme". Paired with out #1 seller Taco with Guajillo chili sauce and scallion wild rice.
This was all good! The enchillada had 2 tortillas overlapped and wrapped around the filling. The wrapper was really good, and I am usually least interested in the wrapper although it's the most work to make these, the fillings were delicious and the sauces also. In fact, the mole sauce was the best I've ever had! The taco was delicious and the sauce served with it was Really hot. I loved that!! Nice to get good hot and spicy raw food.. great flavor!
Quintessence makes great sauces!

We also ordered the California Pizza - Chipotle cheese, pesto sauce, avocado, red bell pepper, sprouts, carmellized onion and sour cream. This was so loaded and we were getting so full! But it was so good and we ate it anyway! Delicious!

However, we were so full we didn't order dessert. ..and we kept wanting to come back to try the Indian platter and Biryani and more.. but we didn't have the time to return, we had so many other places on our agenda to see.
..so I guess I will just have to come back to NYC one day soon!

Bonobo's

We were walking down Madison Ave, it ends at 23rd & I was expecting to see Bonobo's and there it was right at the end of the street, and although barely visible from the scaffolding around it I saw it right away. It's very fun to look for and find places which you have previously researched out and found on the internet.

So we found our way through the scaffolding and in. This was day 1 and actually the 1st raw place we found.. our destination was Pure, but we stopped in here for a drink and a quick check around.

We just got coconut water and Coconut Chai, which a few people on reviews raved about and I was curious to try. It was every bit as good as claimed, which is no small feat - I've discovered that I tend to have pretty high expectations. They also have prepackaged foods - nori rolls and salads.

The menu board is much longer and includes nori rolls, soups, salads with scoops of different pate's, sauces and sandwiches. The prices are very reasonable!

The food is presented in a cafeteria style lay out.. lots and lots of different salad ingredients and toppings..

You can make your own salads..

or order and have specially made burgers, sandwiches etc.. One of the really great things about here is that they let you taste anything you want to before you order it. That's pretty amazing and they offer right away, I think they are known for this.

They offered us soup to sample, I tasted a couple different kinds and they were all amazing. Really good soup! I can see why they encourage you to sample.

However, maybe because of the cafeteria setting and lay out, it wasn't really what we were looking for and we didnt go back to eat. If I lived or worked in the area, I could see frequenting this place. It would be a great lunch spot. Very bright, good food. Easy, raw, not expensive.
& they are open 7 days a week, they cater and deliver.. maybe thats why they have been here for so many years. I think Bonobos is now one of the longest running raw restaurants in NYC.

Adelina - a new raw find in NYC

Just a few blocks before reaching Pure, also on 17th st. we came across this new vegetarian and raw organic Italian restaurant. I was amazed, as we had searched the internet thoroughly before leaving.. but they have only been open a short time. And we lucked into walking past and noticing their sign.
Outside they had this menu put up with half of the dishes being on the raw menu & the other half on the vegetarian one.

We were intrigued and led in to check out the desserts, which were mainly all raw, in a display cooler. We tried a few on Thursday and went back on Saturday to try their Lemon Cheesecake. I don't have a picture of it, I knew it would be amazing! & it was. it was tall and I could tell it would have a great texture, it did. I could tell it wasn't like just any cheesecake and asked about it. The guy who made the desserts for Jubb's Longevity (& I hear they made great desserts when they were around) came in to help them and I believe this was his recipe. It was made with Irish moss, I guessed, getting good at figuring these things out.
Mmm, it was delicious, if you go there, definitely order that!

5 Day Cleansing Fast - meals delivered to your home for 5 days.
Great idea! I think this would go over well in Toronto!!

Slice Pomodoro (marinated tomoatoes) :

Slice Funghi (marinated mushrooms) :

This is Anthony & I. He was amazing! He let us take a look around the kitchen too, cool spiral staircase going down. He uses a few different types of dehydrators & great kitchen.
He also has a great staff! The waitresses are so nice. One was also Canadian, Adriane (s/p?) and so great with help, getting around etc. Much love & Thanks!

& the Crystal table. Always a good sign to have one of those!! a sign of a good energy place!!
Best wishes with your wonderful restaurant! xo

Raw Biscotti and Spanish Films

I made some biscotti yesterday (yes, raw of course!!) & so delicious - with hazelnuts and cranberries and dark chocolate pieces chopped up in it. Mi mejor amiga says that I should dip them in chocolate also.. but there are only 2 left. I maybe addicted to them.. sitting here eating them & drinking tea and watching mi pelis en Espanole (my Spanish films).

James rented 3 for me when I was in NY & I watched them all, brought them back & just rented 3 more. I am loving these!! Que diversion! me gusta mucha la pelis de Pedro Almodovar!

Mire Volver tres veces!! 3 X y mire Penelope cruz en la peli 'Sin Noticias de Dios' anoche y que era muy interesante!! It tells all about the inner workings of heaven & hell. Important things to know
Importante cosas a saber. whoa.. not sure if thats right, but I may be picking this up!

Oh, & the one I just finished was Caotic Ana - about an artist and her past lives. I loved it!!

I am discovering I love Spanish films!
& I am loving having the freedom to discover things that I love. & to be happy. & of course we always have this freedom.. but I have also discovered that we can lose sight of our freedom. We are meant to be happy.

I had a long talk today with a friend of mine about happiness and how it is a basic right of ours, our birthright..but often we lose sight of these freedom and rights we are born with .. and often we get clogged up, polluted, dulled by the foods aroud us, the drugs, pharmeceuticals, the media.. I am not sure if its the greed of people making money or if its a conspiracy, I just know we live it.
But there are things we can do.. 1st is opening spiritually, meditating and reading enlightening books, 2. opening physically, yoga, exercising, stretching.. 3. opening, detoxing physically.. and ultimately to fill our selves with 'Light' foods..
and then things start becoming clear.. more and more..
we see things.. and we also get more sensitive..
but I told her this awareness is not something I can give her, or anyone.. it's experiential.

There is a magic to Raw foods.. we can talk about it & talk about it ..but ultimately, it is something that everyone needs to discover for themselves! xo
Happy Discovering!
Big Hugs with gentle windy skys, billowing clouds and huge rainbows of flowers!
Enjoy Life!

NYC - Pure Food and Wine Pt 4: Dinner #2

~ First Course ~

Butter Lettuce Caesar Salad with Chocolate Balsamic Reduction avocado lemon caesar dressing, fines herbes, caper parmesan
Looked great and the caesar dressing was delicious. I wasn't so crazy about the chocolate balsamic reduction - personal preference. Still, a great salad!

Asperagus Sushi Rolls with Mirin Soaked Forest Mshrooms avocado red pepper scallion

The Nori rolls were amazing! & The pickled ginger was strong but still really good - These were great!

~ Second Course ~

Caper Lemon Roasted Chanterelle Mushroom with Truffle Creamed Broccoli port and currant mustard sauce, wild arugula pesto

All delicious!, great texture.. loved the broccoli.


White Corn Tamales with Raw Cacao Mole marinated mushrooms, salsa verde, avocado

A couple girls at a table the night before claimed that this was the best meal they had ever had int heir life so of course we had to order it. The corn husks are filled with the tamale stuffing, which is a nice change from the flax wraps which we found at most places. But I may have had my expectations too high, because although it was quite delicious, I preferred many of the other dishes we ordered.

This was a tasting plate brought to us: Turnip julienned & marinated with Pistachio parmesan & aged cashew cheese grated on top. It was simple and delicious.. like almost everything at Pure.

~Third Course ~

Strawberry Shortcake Napoleon orange blossom honey soaked strawberries layered between vanilla cream and orange almond cookies and strawberry sherbet

Desserts completely win the round! This was so beautiful and soo delicious. Everything about this was perfect. I loved it!

Tiramisu. We had heard over and over how the tiramisu from the juice bar was everyones favorite and how they would plate it for a dessert so we decided to try it. Again, while delicious I think I had overly high expectaions and it just wasnt my favorite. Still delicious, the desserts here are phenomenal, all of them! What a beautiful ending to a beautiful meal.

A special Thank you to all the amazing people at Pure! : Tara, Thanks for showing me around, you were amazing, appreciate it lots! Laura, thank you for the amazing green juice, you are a juice goddess, Joey thanks for all your help also, Dave - also juice bar, Noe, amazing waiter!! Maiquen, amazing waiter 2!! and Amelia for setting the kitchen tour up and Sarma, thank you for heading all this! Huge Thanks for all you do!

Walking Uptown, Downtown and through Central Park

I love Central Park!

I love how beautiful buildings sometimes all of a sudden peek through the nature scene and expose the city behind.
However, I was surprised (& disappointed) by how many times there were fences to keep you from walking on the grass. & when you are developing crazy blisters on your feet from so much walking on cement and then you see grass.. and then the fences to keep you off it- well, that's kind of disappointing. My feet were crying out to walk on the earth!!
But besides that point, I love how the city was so beautifully planned with this big park right in the middle of it!

back out onto the street..

..cut through a park (more fences) I considered going to play in the waterpark fountains with the kids. ; )
1 really great thing about New York City, is the abundance of fruit stands on the street.. lots of them! and most have ready to eat fruit - cut up melons, mangoes, pineapple etc. We ate too much at restaurants to stop but I was really craving just plain fruit everytime I went by one.. and was thinking how easy to be a fruitarian here - fruit is so accessible!

Loved the architecture! Amazing the stonework on so many buildings!!

Lots of churches.. we noticed a real abundance of them in the poorer neighbourhoods!

Yes, my feet happy again!

Nice cool walk though Central Park.

Very romantic, all the couples laying together through the park. Nice.

I love NYC .. but it really affected me more this time how much concrete there is.. I must be getting more & more into nature. & I found myself really appreciating my green Toronto home.