Eat Dance Live

I celebrated two stages of matrimonial bliss this weekend, all of them involving mountains of happiness and buckets of tears. Needless, to say it was an emotionally packed weekend, but I'll share its joys with you in the way I know best... through food. The first tearjerker was the beautiful wedding of two very dear friends. They both just  looked so beautiful and so happy. If I haven't cried already at some point during the day, all you have to do is push the "first-time-the-couple-hears-the-terms-husband-and-wife" button that just really gets me going. Call me old fashion but there's something so beautifully transitional (and traditional) about that moment that's just... timeless. But back to the food. The reception was a pot luck, and given that the bride has been a vegetarian/raw foodist/vegan, it was right up my alley. Everything I made was of course 100% organic, 100% vegan, and 100% made with love. For a main dish, I went for something that would f...

FINALLY! A place to get some raw eats in Ottawa! On Saturday, Natasha Kyssa's Simply Raw Express opened its doors in the Hintonburg neighbourhood (989 Wellington West to be exact). It's a welcome change from the pubs and meat joints lining up the rest of the street, except the Table Vegetarian Restaurant which was our Hintonburg haunt until now. Whenever I check out a new place making the "healthy" claim, I'm always curious to see how far they take their ethic and Simply Raw Express definitely goes the whole mile. Aside from offering fresh and organic raw vegan foods to go, the restaurant really lives up to its claim: reclaimed wood tables and service counter, compostable to-go containers, cork lamps, eco-friendly washroom products, and more. If you're not a raw vegan, don't be frightened! To bring health and veggies to the Ottawa area, Simply Raw also offers some cooked vegan options including a daily soup or a quinoa bowl. If you have any question...

Aside from feeling energetic, happy, and awesome, there's something about raw food that really just makes me smile. I've often talked about the Chinese cooking elements of taste, texture, colour, smell, and flavour. The ideal dish has all five, along with being nutritionally maximizing. Raw food is often able to hit all of those things to perfection, but I have to say, our trip to la Belle Verte across the bridge in Gatineau took that concept to a whole new level. We've been wanting to try this place since we moved here, mostly because it's kind of the only raw vegan restaurant in the area right now. On the downside, because it's in Gatineau and we're car-free, it's a little hard to get to. However, since we had to rent a car this weekend to go help out some friends anyway, a trip to la Belle Verte became a top priority. The food there is just so beautiful. I already love my veggies to begin with, but their platage actually made me giggle and do my l...

What's better than a spontaneous dinner date before a night out to the theatre? An amazing spontaneous dinner date that fulfills a craving that you've had for months, and that's discounted through Groupon, that's what! There's been a new Lebanese restaurant in the neighbourhood that I've been wanting to try since it moved in months ago and today was the day. Naji's  is a wonderful little place right by Bank Street and Second Avenue that has just brought a whole new world of flavour to the Glebe. Apparently, I have to come to terms with the reality that there is a compartment in my stomach dedicated purely to digesting falafels, and since it's been about a month since I had any, it was time to replenish its stock. Conveniently, right in time for out date night, I found a Groupon for Naji's and I was sold. Though I didn't get any good pictures of the inside of the place, it was really nice; warm colours, really simple but classy decor, and i...

Once upon a time, there was a modest little bakery at the corner of Bank and Gloucester Street, named Bread and Sons . When they moved into town, the two heroes of our story learned that at 195 Bank Street, they would likely find one of the best vegan pizzas in town. Now, everyone knows that excellent vegan pizza is a rare thing to behold. Fake cheeses and processed soy meats abound, masking the health and deliciousness of what vegan food can be. Few are the vegan pizzas our heroes have truly considered delicious and consumable. Only once before, at Bread & Brew in Washington DC, had they had vegan pizza worthy of raising their four united thumbs to. The quest for a better vegan pizza was theirs to make.  However, life's trials and tribulations kept them from the little Ottawan bakery, and it quickly faded from their memory. Many moons passed... Papers were written, tears were shed, laughter rang within the halls of their home, walks were taken, meals were eaten...

Since we moved to Ottawa, we have a number of go-to places when we need a non-homemade vegan fix. While t he Green Door and the Table were always our favourites, there's a charm and quirkiness to our neighbourhood's  Wild Oat Bakery , which has always made us come back for more. My favourite vegan item on their menu is actually their raw "pizza," which is more of a big salad on a flax cracker. Andrew's is their Vegan "No Cheese" Pizza, which is essentially veggie toppings on a flat bread. Really the catch of that pizza is the sunflower seed-paste type thing they use instead of cheese and tomato sauce, so I knew that would have to be my focus. (For any local readers, their vegan hemp brownies or their raw truffles are to die for.) I knew exactly what to do. We also recently went to Montreal for a long weekend to celebrate the New Year, where we rediscovered our love for Aux Vivres , probably the city's most popular organic vegan haunt. On the fir...

When I knew my parents were coming into town, Andrew and I knew right away that we had to take them to Zen Kitchen . After the fabulous first experience we had there back in August of last year, we knew that if anyone could convince friends and family that vegan fare can be more than just dahl or tofurky, it would be Zen Kitchen. Once again, thank you so much to all the folks at Zen for giving us another memorable experience in fine vegan dining. In any gourmet restaurant, I always take such joy in the unique dynamic created between those who experience their love for food by eating it (the customer) and those who are show their love for food by creating it (the chef). Last time I wrote about them, one of biggest draws I noticed was Zen Kitchen's ability to combine "taste, textures, and timing" to perfection. Once again, they did not disappoint. We all truly appreciated the frequent attention the waitstaff and the chef herself gave to us and other diners. It show...

For all of you who actually got that joke, hah, sorry... So I have a new addiction: Hooping . By that I'm referring to the cooler version of hula hooping. It's not the kind you used to do as a little kid, but the awesome adult version, using bigger and heavier hoops. I totally recommend this to everyone! Why am I picking up this random hobby though? 1) As an avid summer festival go-er, I love to acquire as many miscellaneous talents as I possibly can. My long-term romance with tribal fusion aside, I've attempted poi (a skill I have left up to Andrew, seeing as how most people argue it was started as a flexibility exercise for male Maori warriors), have some pretty mad skills with the chinese yo-yo , tried Acro Yoga quite a few times, love love love our Om Gym , and more. Now I'm seeing hooping as part of my array of renaissance woman talents. Once my skill increases, I'm seeing LED hoops, fire hoops , and so much more... 2) As an avid dancer, hoopi...

Yes, I am a vegan. Yes, I am a raw foodist. Yes, I am a lover of optimal health. But I am also a lover of food. And as I implied in my last post, I am also someone who supports "omnivores who make good choices," in other words, those who may still have a desire (for whatever reason) to eat meat, but do so in an ethical, conscious, and informed manner. (Obviously, I support them even more if they keep their meat eating to a minimum, for obvious environmental and health reasons!) To all you conscious omnivores, I say kudos to you. I'd much rather have you eat a diet of organic free-range bison and whole fruits, veggies, and grains, than being a vegan who eats processed squeaky meat and sugar-coma inducing cupcakes. Once again, my sister was up for a visit this week and I took it as an opportunity to go to a place I would have never stepped into were it not for an Ottawa foodie adventure with a meat eater. We went to The Works . In short, the Works is a local burger chain t...

I believe that there are only so many instances in ones life when one is able to partake in a truly gourmet meal. Good food, yes. Delicious food, often. But truly gourmet? I can count those times on one hand. Whether at the Courtyard in Ottawa's Byward Market in 2007, at Luke's Gastronomy in Kingston, Ontario in 2008, or at Lou Fassum in Plascassier, France, in 2009 (where a French restaurant, yes a French one , accomodated my vegan diet), those experiences were rare, but all a unique delight. Tonight, I had my gastronomic experience of 2010 at none other than the Ottawan gem, Zen Kitchen . Walking into a gorgeous heritage house on Somerset Avenue, we were immediately struck by the place's vibrant energy. It was both peaceful and energetic aside, as warm as it is classy. In terms of their ethic, Zen Kitchen boasts that they are local, organic, and gourmet, but the added bonus? They're vegan. No more do vegans have to bemoan the idea that they are stuck with bu...