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Death and the Maiden, Cooking Edition: Pomegranate Tiramisu

Fahwad Khan, IMPERMANENT (THE POMEGRANATE SKULL) 2014

Pardon the long post, but I just don’t know where else to go with this. And even in terms of recipe posts it will be annoying because there’s the dreaded backstory — but I’m sharing in honor a friend who passed away, so I guess if you feel terrific about skimming past all that to get to a cake recipe one minute faster, no one can ever question your commitment to gastronomy. 

So here’s the deal. Back in 2011 I was hosting a monthly variety show that featured numerous components: film, live music, burlesque, PowerPoint presentations, arts & crafts, really ANYTHING. 

My friend Cas Marino wanted in on the action; he was a performer, but he was so much more than that. He was performing life, quite vividly; he was a cancer survivor who’d never stopped transforming. He played serious dramatic roles in productions all over New York City, he was happy to dive into a drag revue, he would host salons and get-togethers in his Midtown apartment, and on top of everything else, he was working on a blog called “The Food Daddy,” which was entertaining to read even if you couldn’t cook. As you’ll see below, everything he touched became infused with his humor and personality.

He’d appeared in a number of my shows, usually in drag inspired by that night’s theme. Here he is on the night we read excerpts from Elsa Lanchester’s then-out-of-print memoir. 

Here he is, drinking milk right out of the carton on the night we did a whole show about the trope in fiction about women who transform into cats. (I’m telling you, dear reader, I was truly living my best life as a producer!)

This was all in a lovely professional downtown establishment, so naturally I was interested in bending every possible rule past the breaking point. So when Cas asked if he could make food for my entire audience, I said YES... and then went to inform the venue so they could explain why it was completely against the rules. (In this instance, they had their own cafe on-site that was strictly kosher, and they could not risk confusion or contamination with outside food.) 

I don’t recall exactly how we pulled it off, but Cas began showing up at my events armed with enough food to serve 75 people (the theater’s capacity). Do you realize how incredible that is, reader? Sometimes we’d sell out, but sometimes we’d only have 15 folks in the audience, half of them comps. Cas believed in me so hard, he planned for a sold-out show every time. He would have been offended if we ran out of kibble with even one person left to feed.

The food was always on theme, so when I did a show about America’s First Ladies, he combined vintage recipes from Barbara Bush and Rosalynn Carter to make Bipartisan Buffalo Chicken Sliders, which he served dressed as Eve, the original “first lady,” mostly naked and covered in vines.

As you’ll read below, he agonized over the perfect thing to serve at our “Death and the Maiden” show.  At one point, it was going to be mini-eclairs filled with pomegranate cream and tipped with an almond fingernail. He finally settled on this original tiramisu recipe that knocked us all COMPLETELY OUT. And I ate the leftovers out of my fridge for days, because letting even one serving go to waste felt like a desecration.

Look, I’m telling you he could COOK. He once described his culinary style to me as “tragically indulgent.” His fantasy (like so many others at the time) was to parlay his food blog into an actual cookbook someday. 

Sadly, Cas did not live to fulfill this particular dream. In 2014 his cancer returned, and he faded away right before our eyes. From his hospital bed, he wrote me: “I have to survive this just to write about it and do a one-man show where I cook and feed and we all laugh and sob and go ‘Mmmmm that's fucking good’ and it just becomes a big audience/artist participation evening of sharing where I am the only one who gets to talk.”

That same year, I managed to recreate his Pomegranate Tiramisu and serve it to friends as my birthday cake; for a couple years afterward, I would look the recipe up on his website and fantasize about making it again. The ingredients weren’t cheap, and it required more kitchen space than I had in NYC. 

And then the worst thing happened: at some point after Cas’s death, the domain expired and his blog went 404, and ONLY THEN did I realize I hadn’t scribbled it down anywhere. People say “the internet is forever,” but hell... even Tumblr users know differently. 

I spent a few more years being very depressed about this, imagining the recipe was lost forever, but it turns out someone had managed to preserve the blog’s contents, and at long last it fell back into my hands. BACK FROM THE DEAD! Not unlike the Bride of Frankenstein herself.

So I’m going to let Cas take it from here, dear reader. Thank you for letting me bring him back to life for a just few minutes, performing for you, feeding you. Knowing that would’ve meant everything to him. From one of his last messages to me: “I have no designs on sainthood. But I know I still have shit to accomplish in this world, even if not a physical member of it.”

Knock ‘em dead, Cas!

“The Food Daddy” - Pomegranate Tiramisu

This recipe was created by me to fit the bill for the recent “Meet the Lady” performance (which, if you’ve not heard or read, is a monthly variety show that really rather defies description), titled “Death and the Maiden”.

I toiled with possible ideas that had to do with death and maidens, figuring most easily that a “death by chocolate” offering would at least use one of the title words. Then lady fingers came into the thought process because, well, if you dismembered a maiden you’d have two byproducts: death, most notably, and lady parts — including, but not limited to, her fingers.

Lady fingers naturally led to Tiramisu fantasies, but I didn’t want to go the traditional route. And after discussing it and brainstorming, I got smacked in the back of the head with the realization that the mythical Persephone — a maiden — kidnapped as she was by Hades — who, by way of his being the god of the underworld, was death its very self in semi-human form — ate nothing but pomegranate seeds during her detainment in hell.

If this doesn’t spell fucking dessert, I don’t know what does.

Herewith, my scaled-down recipe (in scope, not in structure or composition; I doubt you’ll need to serve 75 people with yours, though even at half-size this will serve a small army). You can pare it down even further if you feel such need, or instead of making it into one big sheet cake, assemble several smaller ones (I found this worked BEAUTIFULLY in loaf pans) and send them straight to the freezer for future enjoyment.

A few other flexible considerations: I made mine in a full-size deep steam table pan for presentation and food service purposes. These things measure roughly 20 x 10 x 3.5”, but you can use the smaller (12 x 9 x 2.5”) disposable aluminum half-pans for this recipe, or as stated above, any other configuration of sizes that suit your needs. If you want to unmold it and slice it after freezing, line your pans first with cellophane wrap. After just a minute or two out of the ice box, you’ll be able to lift it out of the pan (perhaps with the help of a hungry friend) by the ends of the cellophane, place it on a cutting board, and have at it. Tres artistique, even weighing in as mine did at about eight pounds. This last conclusion required me getting on the scale both with and without the final dessert in my arms and subtracting the first weight from the laden number, which could have been quite a site, as I generally refuse to step on a scale until I’ve removed every last stitch of clothing including my socks, and spit out any spare saliva and shaved every last facial hair so NOTHING will add even a bazillionth of an ounce to my readout, lest I suffer a deep fit of depression. And being depressed when you’re holding what turns out to be 8 pounds of really good cake is a recipe for emotion-eating disaster. But I staved off the need to feel slimmer than normal in light of the facts that (a) I was mid-movie shoot that week, and thus had to maintain a larger-than-usual mane of face-hair for my role; (b) spitting near food meant for others would be gross; (c) being naked around the same food would be even grosser; and (d) the tile floor in my bathroom could be a bit chilly, so why risk taking off my socks?

Socks, spitting, scanty clothing — nothing could have made this less enjoyable. The audience that night devoured what was served to them, and all but attacked the leftovers on the way out of the theater. I had sent samples of this creation to my usual team of taste-testers for input as part of the development process, and perhaps the most poignant and fitting critique came from my dear Mom who, just having started a new diet regimen, had the following to say during our brief check-in on the phone:

“Hello. This is your mother. Fuck Weight Watchers, and Fuck You.”

I love you, Mom. And not just because you loved this surprising new take on an old favorite.

60 Lady Finger cookies

4 Cups Pomegranate juice

1-½ Cups plus 2 Tbsp. sugar

1 Packet unflavored gelatin

4 Egg whites

1 tsp. Cream of Tartar

1 Cup Mascarpone cheese 

3 Cups Crème Fraiche 

1 Tbsp. Corn starch

¼ Cup water (or as needed) 

½ Cup sliced almonds

¼ Cup Pomegranate seeds (or dried sweetened cranberries) 

(Reserve 6 Lady Fingers for garnish.)

In a saucepan, mix pomegranate juice with 1-½ cups sugar, and sprinkle gelatin on top. Stir or whisk until gelatin is dissolved with no lumps remaining. Bring mixture to boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until sugar and gelatin are fully dissolved. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to boil, stirring often, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set saucepan into a larger bowl filled with cold water. Stir frequently and change cold water bath often, allowing juice reduction to cool as close to room temperature as possible.

In the bowl of a stand mixer or with electric beaters, whip egg whites with cream of tartar until stiff. Remove to a separate, clean mixing bowl (preferably chilled in the freezer) and set aside.

In stand mixer or large mixing bowl with electric beaters, mix mascarpone with 1-½ cups of cooled juice reduction until well blended. Beat on medium-high for one minute. Add 1 cup of the crème fraiche and blend until smooth. Finally, fold in beaten egg whites, half at a time, just until fully incorporated.

Assembling the tiramisu: Here’s where Food Daddy starts getting anal (but this works easiest, so just shut up and do as I say. Love you!). On your prep surface, set your plate or bowl of unpackaged lady fingers (you don’t want to be messing with cellophane and plastic bags and such mid-project here); next to that, set your remaining juice reduction; and next to that, set your cake pan.

Working from left to right (or for my Hebrew or dyslexic foodies, right to left), dip a lady finger lightly in the juice by placing it on the liquid’s surface, flipping it over with your fingers, then removing it by hand and placing it in the cake pan. Working quickly, repeat this process, building a tightly packed layer of side-by-side, row-by-row, lightly soaked lady fingers on the bottom of the pan. Nobody will see the inside of the tiramisu in its entirety, so if to make a uniform layer with few gaps you need to rip a finger here or stuff a finger there, I won’t tell a soul if you have to be a bit forceful or creative.

Spoon half of the pomegranate mousse mixture over the bottom layer of lady fingers. Using the back of a spoon or a rubber spatula, spread the mixture evenly. Lift the pan and drop it gently a few times on your work surface, just to make sure all the gaps are filled and big air bubbles are removed.

Repeat with a second layer of dipped lady fingers, and then a second layer of pomegranate mousse, again tamping pan to release air bubbles and distribute the filling evenly. Top with one final layer of dipped lady fingers.

Spread the top with the remaining 2 cups of crème fraiche, tamp pan to settle the layers, and set aside.

Pour remaining juice mixture into a measuring cup, and add enough of the water, if needed, to make 1 cup of liquid. Return to saucepan, and stir in the corn starch and the remaining 2 Tbsp. of sugar until starch is dissolved. Place pan over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil to thicken. Remove from heat.

In a food processor or with a cutting board and knife, coarsely chop the almonds and the fruit, then add the reserved lady fingers and pulse (or chop and crumble) until the whole thing looks like somebody pawed at a poor helpless berry-nut muffin until there were no big chunks left.

Sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly over the top of the tiramisu. Drizzle with the pomegranate syrup mixture.

Chill tiramisu at least 2 hours in refrigerator before serving. For overnight storage or longer, cover with cellophane wrap gently pressed against the top surface.

This will “cure” and the flavors will blend and the whole combination really pull together if left refrigerated for two days. For storage beyond that or to deal with leftovers, this freezes BEAUTIFULLY. Just allow to come to room temperature before serving, or enjoy it “semi freddo” by removing from freezer and slicing wide, inch-thick slices, laying each on its side on individual serving plates and eating it cold and firm. A dollop of additional crème fraiche and a sprinkling of chopped almonds (did I hear someone say “mint sprig”?) sure would make this anything but a “leftover” dessert.

[carmnyc]

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[asntmc5recap]

EPISODE 5: The Girl Who Make ‘It’ Happened

Well, what do you know, this is actually my favourite episode so far.

We start the episode with Tu mourning Layla’s elimination. Despite having her first FCO (and the very first for Vietnamese contestant), she still feels empty and unhappy, claiming that Layla is the only girl in the house that understand her, despite the language barrier.

Meanwhile, the girls in the ‘Bad Girls’ room celebrated the first week they don’t have any of the members of their group eliminated.

THE CHALLENGE

For their challenge, they met Cindercella, a Youtube star/makeup artist, and they were required to create a fun photo story showcasing Maybelline girl’s personality.

They were assigned into three groups - Group 1: Shikin, Tu & Valerie; Group 2: Alicia, Nametha & Veronika; and Group 3: Dorothy, Cindy, Clara & Maureen.

Each girl was given an edgy phrase that has something to do with Maybelline makeup product and they need to take a photo that embodies the phrase, which the combined, will tell a story. The winning group will get $10000 worth of Maybelline product.

While Group 2′s completed the task smoothly, Valerie and Shikin from Group 2 had some disagreements because they’re both ‘bossy,’ as Valerie put it. Honestly, I just think Valerie was letting this whole “I know a lot about social media” gets to her head. Shikin knew what she wanted and stuck to that decision. And gurl clearly knows her thang considering she got the highest challenge score.

But what they went through was nothing compared to the conflicts going on between Clara, Maureen and Dorothy in Group 3. First, Maureen took too long to finish her makeup. Dorothy was annoyed (and it showed) but it was Clara that just couldn’t shut up about it, much to Maureen’s annoyance.

And then, of course, Maureen “failed” to take beautiful picture of Cindy and Clara called her stupid. 

You know, Clara got A LOT of hate on social media for her antics, but seriously, am I the only one who LOL-ed the entire time. It’s Clara being Clara. Not an ounce of hate or anger coming from her when she called Maureen stupid. Of course, I’d like to see her act more matured, but let’s just enjoy this while we can, no? It was fucking hilarious. Why all the hate?

Anyway, they put it all behind them when they won the group challenge. I mean, nothing brings women together than beauty products, am I right?

They got back to the house and Shikin was surprised she got the highest score, considering that her group didn’t win the challenge, and she thanked Valerie for taking an amazing picture of her.

And thank her she should. This is amazing. I agree with Cindercella. The highlighter really stood out in this photo. Told you gurl knows her thang.

But my favourite has to go to Dorothy’s. This is amazing. I love the creativity behind this. I mean, if this was Maureen’s idea, then she should really put all her animosity towards her behind and go give that woman a hug.

Nametha got the lowest score. She and Veronika suspected that it was because she refused to use heavy eye makeup for her photo. I think it is more because she failed to show any makeup in her photo. It was a challenge to sell makeups anyway.

Overall, I think this challenge makes more sense than last week’s challenge, which I think is extremely stupid. I get that to sell a brand on social media, you more or less have to be social media famous in the first place, but last cycle what they did was go through the contestants’ Instagram and tell them how they can improve it, instead of asking them to take part in some dumb internet challenge.

THE PHOTOSHOOT

For the photoshoot we have the delightful slice of sweet, fluffy rainbow cake, Nigel Stanisalaus, who’s the creative director of Maybelline New York.

In this shoot, the girls embodied the NYC “It” girl, running around the city while the paparazzi take pictures of them. The girl with the best photo will stand the chance to be featured in a Maybelline campaign.

The girls were assigned into groups and each group will get a distinctive look that Nigel himself had come up with.

Clara, Cindy and Valerie got the ‘Uptown Princess’ look, with simple makeup, dewy skin and matted lipstick. 

Dorothy, Nametha and Shikin got the ‘Downtown Edge’ look. They’ll be using strong colours, smoky eyes and bold lipstick to make them look like rockstars.

Last but not least, Maureen, Tu, Veronika and Alicia got the “Midtown Girl” look. They would have to embody a woman who are confident, chic and fashion forward, with their bold makeups and smoky eyes.

JUDGING PANEL

What a delightful panel of judges. I hope Nigel make constant appearance in this show. His insights were interesting and his remarks were HILARIOUS. Heck I think he even brought out a little bit of cray in Cindy (but she claimed it was the leather).

Shikin slayed, yet again. Boy, put this girl in a potato sack and she’ll make it werk. I kinda wish she had Nametha’s outfit though. Alicia, again, had the worse. I’m starting to suspect even the wardrobe department don’t know how to dress her body shape. That top is just atrocious.

Now moving on with the pictures!

MY BEST

1) Dorothy, 4th place, 40.3 points

SHE. FUCKING. KILLED. IT

Now I’ve seen her Colgate commercial (can’t seem to find it on the internet) and it was terrible. But it isn’t her fault. She’s a girl with attitude and in that commercial they just dress her up very beauty-pageant style and ask her to smile and sell her product (as it should be). It’s not her and I stick with my opinion that the job should be given to the prettiest, sweetest contestant - Maureen.

This is not my favourite photo this week, but I try to look at it from the perspective of a Maybelline director, who hire Gigi Hadid to sell their product. This picture embodies “It” because being an “It” girl is not just about looking pretty in front of the camera, but it’s also about having attitude. And like May from last cycle getting the best photo for showing attitude, I think this one deserves an FCO too.

And wtf was Yu Tsai rambling about her nose and shit? Taking ‘modelling H2T’ way too far there buddy.

2) Shikin, 2nd place, 41.8 points

THIS. Just, THIS. From the moment she stepped out of the building to the set, right until the end, everything about the shoot, and her photo are PERFECTION. She was rightfully sad about not getting the FCO despite all the positive feedbacks and getting the highest score for the challenge, but I get why Maybelline might not want someone “too edgy” to represent their product. (What, you think the judges are the only ones making all these decisions? Hey, they sponsored it, so... You know.)

3) Nametha, 6th place, 35.3 points

A lot of people don’t like this picture but I have to side with Nigel on this one. That is a million-dollar slouch right there. Based on her performance this past few weeks, I think she produced the best photo when she has this “I’m tired of your shit” kinda attitude. Girl needs a cheerleader on the set, but instead of lifting her spirit, she’d be there to say things that piss her off.

4) Valerie, 3rd place, 41.3 points

None of the judges talk about how posey this looks. I know it’s not easy to model while getting out of the car, but her left hand could’ve looked more natural. And she was doing the jaw thing too, although maybe not as obvious as her twin. Other than that, I agree with the judges - this looks expensive as fuck.

5) Maureen, 1st place, 45.3 points

I don’t know why the judges seem to be pushing her to adopt this “badass, don’t care” attitude. It’s not working with her. I don’t like this picture. It’s not a bad picture, but it doesn’t look like her at all. The makeup was terrible (sorry, Nigel) and everytime she tries to give attitude, she ends up looking bored. She tried Christy Turlington (sexy) at the field, it didn’t work out. Now she’s doing Naomi Campbell (fierce, badass) and it still doesn’t feel right. I hope she’ll try to embody the spirit of Linda Evangelista (fearless, free-spirited) in the next photoshoot. I mean, if THE HOLY TRINITY can’t help you, nothing else can, darling.

MY WORST

5) Veronika, 8th place, 34.0 points

Yeah, the jaw was quite bothering, but the rest of it I find pretty non-offensive. Loving the cheekbones, btw.

4) Cindy, 7th place, 34.3 points

What I find amazing about this picture is how she can look like she’s trying too hard and not trying at all at the same time. The first thing that comes to my mind when I saw this was “lazy.” But the more I look at it the more it seems... forced. From her finger to her facial expression. 

3) Alicia, Eliminated, 32.0 points

Alicia’s another one that seem to try too hard during her photoshoot this week. Kinda cringed a bit looking at how hard she tried to look all sexy and alluring in her photos. I think she’d do better had she got the “Downtown Edge” look. This high-society, art-of-the-seduction thing is just not for her.

And for the love of humanity, I wish she had just throw away that stupid handbag. Because it’s fucking stupid.

2) Tu, 5th place, 38.9 points

This is just bad. I don’t see whatever it is that Nigel saw. (Bar owner? Really?) The angle is bad, her mouth looks awkward and her pose isn’t doing her gorgeous body any favour. And give her her big hair back, for god’s sake!

And my worst, of course, you already know it, goes to...

1) Clara, Bottom Two, 32.4 points

Funny how Clara protested having to work the “Uptown Princess” look when she’s basically “The Princess” in this cycle. As for the photo, well, she was just standing there. I agree with Yu Tsai. This looks “too real.” This doesn’t belong in Vogue or Harper’s Bazaar, it belongs in a tabloid magazine.

“An heiress to a wealthy oil tycoon seen leaving her hotel with a cheap-looking handbag! Our 10-page cover story inside!”

Goodbye, Alicia.

So adios, Alicia, you beautiful, beautiful thing, you. They didn’t do right by you, hun, I swear to God.

While it’s hard for me to see her go, I totally understand why the judges decide to eliminate her. Her performance had been lackluster these past few weeks, and despite showing promises in the third week, her photos continue to be at best, forgettable.

But damn gurl had the most graceful exit in the show history. That’s some #attitudegoal right there. I can’t recall such amount of wisdom, maturity, professionalism and poise coming from any contestants from earlier cycle. And for that I say, brava Alicia. I genuinely hope that your attitude will carry you very very far in the modelling world.

[pulsdmedia]

Weekly Round-up 11/20 - 11/26

Slaving over a stove all day, eating endlessly, then getting mowed over by a crowd at the mall (ew)...Now that's not the kind of Thanksgiving you'll be having in NYC, is it? Our countertops are the size of our iMacs, and we're way too plugged in to get sleepy, ever. Instead, stay on top of your wellness game this week with plenty of me time. Think: an organic, cold-pressed juice cleanse, a slimming boutique workout straight from LA, and a complimentary organic mini-facial. And of course, you'll be feasting too on Thanksgiving Day sans prepping and cooking, at downtown's hip Hotel 50 Bowery - now that will make you thankful for living in the best city in the world. 

$79 For Five 60m Classes At Pop Physique

You won't feel guilty about a slice of pumpkin pie when you're toning up at this celebrity-magnet boutique barre studio. 

11/21 Complimentary Organic Brow Threading

Before meeting out-of-town guests and overdosing on sugar, get the health of your skin checked by the experts at Wink Brow Bar. You'll get a mini facial plus bubbly and cookies - and that eyebrow shaping, perfect for all the photo ops.

  11/22 Yoga & Tea Time

Before the hustle and bustle, an evening of quiet "me time" is seriously in order. Take a 1 hour Vinyasa flow class led by Natalia Mandonado, followed by Kiwami Greens tea - the tea that contains green juice from 4 leafy greens. 11/23 Thanksgiving Tasting Dinner & Cocktails At Rice & Gold At Hotel 50 Bowery

Don't you hate it when your friends invite you for Tgiving and you have to slave over what to bring? (Or worse: when you're hosting). Listen, unless you're Martha F Stewart, nobody likes touching a slimy bird that much. Make things easier and decidedly more glamorous for yourself at this hotter-than-hell spot by celeb Chef Dale Talde. 

11/25 Snack n' Shop With Wafels & Dinges at Story

Black Friday is *the worst* if you live in the suburbs...but it's quite pleasant if you're in NYC, actually. Especially if you get treated to free waffles while you shop. 

Up To 60% Off Organic Juice Cleanses by Agavi Juice

Okay, so that was a lot of food. It's fine, everyone overdoes it during Thanksgiving - just be sure to straighten up with a juice cleanse. You'll feel lighter by Monday, we promise. 

[lenaglittleus]

The Health Nut’s Guide to Toronto

Sorry for going MIA on you there for a couple of days. I was actually back in Toronto visiting friends and family for the past week and decided to take a little break from blogging. It felt good to just be with my people and visit my favorite places. Which reminded me, I never got around to sharing those favorites with you while I was still living there.

If you’re new here, I was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. I lived there until I was 18 before moving to Montreal for school and NYC for a few years. I returned back to my hometown (or “The 6ix” as my homeboy Drake calls it) at 24 and lived there for 3 more years before moving to San Francisco. So I have a solid 21 years of Toronto under my belt.

A lot of you guys would write to me before visiting Toronto asking for my recommendations. I actually have a note on my phone with the list so I could copy and paste into emails and IG messages, but for some reason I just never took this list and put together a post. So today I’m doing just that. I’m going through the best of the best healthy restaurants in Toronto along with fitness classes, green beauty and some not-to-miss places if you’re visiting or a local looking to get more into the health scene.

Keep in mind, Toronto is HUGE. It’s the 4th largest city in North America and the GTA has over 8 million people. The city itself is quite sprawling, so while I tried to include a variety of locations, the reality is that I tended to explore more in my neighborhood the last few years (King West) and uptown near where my parents live. I did, however include a few in the east and west ends.

So without further ado, here is The Health Nut’s Guide to Toronto:

RESTAURANTS

Fresh Restaurants – my go-to for a quick and healthy meal. Everything is vegetarian and can be made vega. I always get the Green Goddess Bowl with the peanut dressing. It will change your life. There’s several locations across the city. (locations across Toronto)

Kupfert and Kim – Fast food made healthy and it’s 100% meatless and wheatless! I love the one at Richmond and Spadina. Go for the Paleo Bowl. (Queen West)

Impact Kitchen – I could go on for days about Impact. Their baked goods are incredible (get the raw chocolate chip cookie), their bowls are made from organic, farm fresh ingredients and their drinks are delicious. If you’re east and close to the distillery be sure to stop here. (Distillery/King East)

Greenhouse Juice – Toronto has quite a few juice companies but Greenhouse is my favorite. They have locations across the city (I grab mine from their pop-up in The Detox Market – see below) to get your fix of green juice and beyond. (locations across Toronto)

Sweat and Soda – Admittedly I’ve only been here once, but I loved it! If I still lived in T.O. and was in Leslieville more often I’d have been a more frequent visitor, for sure. (Leslieville)

Woodlot – My favorite restaurant in Toronto! Don’t miss their vegetarian menu and go big on their homemade sourdough bread! Menu changes seasonally so every time I’m back I feel like I have a new experience. (Little Italy)

Bunner’s Bake Shop– the best vegan baked goods in Toronto! Need I say more? (Kensington Market + High Park)

Planta – fancy plant-based eating in Yorkville. Admittedly it’s a bit pricey for my taste but if you’re looking for upscale healthy food, this is your spot! (Yorkville)

WORKOUT

Barre3 Toronto – this place feels like a second home to me. The team here is incredible and so so welcoming. Come for a true Toronto burn! (Entertainment District)

Studio Lagree – I am a huge fan of any pilates reformer class but this one is by far my favorite. Make sure you book in advance! (King West)

Yoga 889 – this yoga studio is absolutely beautiful and their classes are amazing. If I lived closer I would have been there everyday! (Yorkville)

Track Fitness – For a solid group fitness class uptown, make sure you stop by Track Fitness. They have a huge variety on their schedule. (Forest Hill Village)

Soulcycle Toronto – SC actually opened after we moved (3 blocks away from our old place!) but I love it and wished that it had opened sooner. To be honest, the spin classes downtown kind of suck so if you want to get in a good spin you gotta go here! (King West)

GREEN BEAUTY

The Detox Market – this place is heaven! For all-natural makeup and skincare products, this is the mecca of green beauty. (King West)

Province Apothecary – go for an organic facial made from oils specifically tailored for your skin type. (Dundas West)

Saje Wellness – I’m so excited that Saje is officially launching in the US, but as a Canadian company you should definitely check out their Toronto stores. I get sucked into the one on Queen West every time I go to Lululemon across the street. (Queen West)

The Cure Apothecary – If you find yourself on Queen West, you must stop by here. Their store is beautiful and they sell a great selection of natural bath and some beauty products. (Queen West)

NOT TO MISS

These are the places that maybe don’t fully fit the “health” bill in the conventional sense but definitely fit the soul bill. 

Forno Cultura – get a loaf of their sourdough bread or one of their sweet treats. I love this organic bakery on King Street! (King West)

Portland Variety – their lattes and chocolate chip cookies are the best in the city. Their brunch is also SO worth the wait. (King West)

Bar Isabel – Behind Woodlot (see above) this is my favorite restaurant in T.O. Book in advance! (Little Italy)

Gusto 101 – Prepare to wait but I love the vibe at Gusto. Don’t miss their kale salad! (King West)

Churrasco Villa – Portugese food at its finest. Definitely check it out if you’re uptown (Yonge + Eglinton)

Mildred’s Temple Kitchen– a staple in Liberty Village. We pretty much stopped here every time we went to West Elm across the street…aka every weekend. (Liberty Village)

Tabule – With a couple locations around T.O. you’ll probably be close to at least one. This Mediterranean spot has the best Shish Taouk in the city. (Locations across city)

. . . . .

If you’re from Toronto or have some places that you absolutely love in the city, feel free to drop your recs below! I’d love to hear the places you enjoy and where I should check-out the next time I’m in town.

Have you ever been to Toronto? Which city should I tour next?

The post The Health Nut’s Guide to Toronto appeared first on The Healthy Maven.

from News About Health http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheHealthyMaven/~3/XmSgumliIPI/best-healthy-restaurants-in-toronto.html

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[carmnyc]

WHAT’S YOUR GO-TO SUMMER SUNSCREEN? _______________________________________________ No matter what season it is, what the climate is like, or where I am in the world, sunscreen is indispensable to my AM routine. I apply sunscreen every day, unless I don’t plan to leave the house — or if it’s seriously storming outside and day has ominously turned to dark. . When I was working at Kiehl’s, one of my favorite of the brand’s philosophies was that it is essential to “wear sunscreen even on cloudy, seemingly sunless days.” Of course, the mistake so many people make is in thinking that they can somehow outsmart the sun; that they don’t need sun protection in winter. Truthfully, the sun’s rays always find a way to our skin. . While I make it a practice of consistently applying sunscreen every day, all year round, the one thing that isn’t consistent is the texture of the facial sunscreen product itself. I prefer something heavier in the winter — a richer cream does the trick. In the spring and summer months, the lighter the better. I prefer super lightweight A-beauty or K-beauty sunscreen products, which I consider the best sunscreens for face period – any time of year. . So with hot summer days upon us here in NYC and much of the Northern Hemisphere, I thought I’d pull together a few new super lightweight favorites for my SS21 sunscreen recommendations. Among the three are the Supergoop! Daily Dose Vitamin C + SPF 40 Sunscreen Serum PA+++, Glossier’s Invisible Shield Daily Sunscreen+ SPF 35 and the newly launched Zitsticka MEGASHADE Breakout-Proof SPF 50 Sunscreen Serum. . I invite you to take a deep dive with me into my summer sunscreen recos on this week’s new Skincarma Blog at skincarma.com. _______________________________________________ 💟@supergoop | Daily Dose 💟@glossier | Invisible Shield 💟@zitsticka | MEGASHADE . . . . . . . . . . . #skincarma #maleblogger #skinfluencer #supergoop #glossier #zitsticka #spf #sunscreen #bestsunscreen #antiaging #skincarefanatic #skincarecommunity #summersunscreen @skincarma @skincarmanyc (at Downtown Brooklyn) https://www.instagram.com/p/CRi60dnrLPe/?utm_medium=tumblr