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Hi.

I’m having tons of fun teaching group fitness. I’ve been at it since early February, and it couldn’t suit me better. I’ve even had the chance to create my own classes from scratch, so I now teach Hip Hop and Boot Camp in addition to Zumba.

My good friend Kara Fox is a really talented photographer and came to my last Hip Hop class to take some shots of us in action, so I thought I’d share a few here.

Needless to say, fitness has somewhat taken the place of food in terms of what occupies my mind and therefore what I have to blog about. Don’t get me wrong—I think about food a LOT and consume astounding quantities on a daily basis. However, whereas this time last year I was always thinking about creative cooking and enjoying the whole culinary process, I now simply feed myself. Cooking time is limited now that I both work full-time and teach during the remainder, so for the most part, I turn to quick, reliable dishes that come together easily and with ingredients I always have around. Translation: I eat a hell of a lot of zucchini stuff.

I have a lot of guilt where this blog is concerned. I desperately want to avoid it looking like dead air, so to speak, but my eats are not likely to inspire anyone these days, so the likelihood of this remaining a food blog is low. I wish I could go back to the days of posting 5 times a week, but the reality is that this blog was serving a different purpose for me back then, and I no longer have that need to satisfy. So it is that the blog will have to evolve along with me.

It makes me cringe, but I’m thinking a more realistic goal will be posting once a month. I don’t think I’m breaking any hearts here except my own, though, so a lower expectation on my part is best for now, as far as the blog is concerned.

Indeed, the best way for me to share what I’ve been up to is to show you! I would love to see any New Yorkers in class sometime. You can attend any of my 3 formats at M Dance & Fitness. In fact, we are running a special discount right now: 3 classes for $25! This deal is only available through June 15, so if you’d like to take advantage, click here to sign up. Plus, starting in July, I’ll be teaching 7 times a week for MDF (as opposed to the current 2; I teach Zumba elsewhere at other times).

…And that’s all I’ve got for now. Until next time!

Bloggy Style: Meetings to Remember

Last weekend, I got to share a really special dinner with nine other NYC bloggers. Though I wish we weren’t gathering for this particular reason—Gena’s departure from New York (as I write this, in fact)—it was a wonderful occasion to rub shoulders with some of my favorite New Yorkers and enjoy a meal put on by Verite Catering.

Raw gazpacho in a cucumber cup with dehydrated beet chip

There were some familiar faces…

(Pictured: Melissa and Gena; Unpictured: Danielle, Katie, and Dori)

…as well as several people I was delighted to meet for the first time.

(Pictured: Sofia, Leslie and Kathleen; Unpictured: Ada)

We were treated to a gorgeous set of five courses…

Mushroom and sweet potato soup—my favorite of the five! Well, until dessert…

Green salad with spiced sunflower seeds

Half-eaten risotto tart with basil and yellow pepper sauce
(I got so excited that I committed the usual blogger faux-pas of digging in pre-picture!)

Pictured: mango sorbet and coconut mini-cupcake; Unpictured: me on the floor, swooning

I think I am the Godfather of coconut. And by that I mean I doubt I could refuse any request on a day involving coconut treats. Do with that what you will.

While I am loathe to let D.C. have Gena, I’ve no doubt that there are some pretty major things in store for her, and for that I am willing to let her go. Temporarily. During which time I may show up at her apartment unannounced.

Gena toasts Melissa, who I (we?) consider the blog fairy godmother, as she both inspired Gena to start blogging and organized the first blogger meet-up I ever attended.
I’m so glad to know these ladies.

All in all, it was such a nice time, and all credit due to Gena and Verite Catering for pulling it off seamlessly.

Dinner kept me out late enough that I’d lost my oomph for blogging last Sunday, so add that to my mile-long list of blogger-don’ts. I don’t like to skip a week unannounced because I am nothing if not consistent, but maybe just this once it’s worth it for the sake of an extra-awesome post, if only for the following photo:

It made me so hap-pea to spend some QT with Sarah after many, many moons of fandom on my part. She was in town for Book Expo America because, in case you didn’t know (as if!), her book drops July 26. (Sarah, can I refer to a book “dropping,” like a single? Whatever, I’m keeping it. Flava Flaaaaaaaaaaaaav!) My piggy bank’s a’rattlin’ with my savings for said book. I wonder if there’s enough in there to fly her out again so she can sign it…?

Our feast of choice occurred at Bonobos.

Necessary accompaniments include the legendary Coconut Chai and fresh Thai Coconut Water. I might start writing off coconut products, what with coconut water being nature’s Gatorade and all. No one wants a dehydrated Zumba teacher, right? Right. Pardon me while I add a “Coconut Chai” column to my budget spreadsheet.

Ahem.

This is how you make a salad stick to your ribs, by the way (and keep it raw, vegan and gluten-free, if those are a factors for you). A bed of greens dressed in their amazing sweet basil dressing, topped with a mixture of walnut pate, zucchini, carrots, sprouts, purple cabbage and red pepper.

This is also how you stay regular. I’m just sayin’!

Again, all in all, Sarah is a wonder to behold and I couldn’t ask for a nicer time. It doesn’t get much better than Pea and poop.

If you’ve ever attended a blogger meet-up, who did you meet and what made it memorable?

Giveaway Winner! Y una cancion

Happy New Year! The winner of a $55 gift certificate to CSN is KRISTA! Congratulations! Buy something awesome.

And now for a song. The theme of this post shall be Mexican, so for the sake of authenticity, please pretend I’m wearing a sombrero and a mustache and lots of sequins.

Actually, that’s not so far from the truth.

Let’s hope my Spanish isn’t as rusty as I fear it is!

Ahem. Me me me meeeeeeee…

There once was a dinner at Maya
To tempt everyone to the playa.
You really must go
To fair Meh-hee-ko
To eat all the food you deh-sai-yah.

There’s one thing I bet you don’t know.
It has to do with Unesco.
Whenever you eat a
Mexican comida
There’s World Heritage fare in your bowl.

That got me truly excited.
With food we can all be united!
Sopa, margaritas,
Fish tacos…y pizza!
I was very glad to be invited.

Sopa y Pizza VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

I confess that my favorite bebida
Is that drink that they call margarita.
But my friends seemed to feel a
Huge shot of tequila
Would make the whole meal that much sweetah.

A scallop arrived on my plate,
Though the drinks had long sealed my fate.
I did eat it all
But prayed I’d recall
the next day what it was that I ate.

I needn’t have feared I’d be OK;
The main dish contained huitlacoche!
The crepes may seem gross,
But I ate all dos!
Cleaning my plate is my forte.

Crepas con Huitlacoche VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

I started to feel very full.
But dessert has the ultimate pull!
Helado y churros?
Not even 10 burros
Could keep me from this miracle.

Sadly, it came to an end.
But not before I made a new friend:
The muy genial
Richard Sandoval.
His food I simply must recommend.

Do you like Mexican food? Have you been to Mexico? I’ve been to Cozumel, but that hardly counts!

Pure Food and Rhyme

‘Twas a fair autumn eve when four girls chose to dine

at a glorious restaurant called Pure Food and Wine.

I’ll try to distract you with bloggers so famous

you won’t even notice my pictures are heinous.

We chose us some cocktails and “cheese” to begin.

Drinks must’ve been strong—I just typed “be gin.”

My entrée could only be the lasagna.

Food paps got excited…

(Don’t get any on ya!)

But any fan knows that dessert always wins

when enjoying a meal with the Shirts

and the Skins.

Fin.

Brooklyn Supper Club: Gina’s Cafe

For the most recent meeting of the Brooklyn Supper Club (am I the only nerd who calls us that, ladies?), Sarah, Vani, Olga and I went to Gina’s Cafe down at Brighton Beach.

That’s the south-est of south Brooklyn, for those of you foreigners. Actually, I’m sure even I’d be considered a foreigner in those parts, given that the natives are mostly Russian. To that end, Sarah, Vani and I were mighty glad to have Olga with us for translation purposes, as Gina’s Cafe is authentic Russian and Olga was able to explain the menu items better than the actual menu could.

With our private interpreter, we were able to select a handful of dishes to share, and every single one of them wowed me with its freshness and flavor.

I figure beets should be a staple of any Russian meal, at least for a gringo like me. The above-pictured dish is venigret, which is a salad of boiled beets, potatoes, carrots, peas, fresh dill, vinegar, oil and some spices (to quote my translator herself). Loved this!

Next up was the eggplant caviar. As soon as I saw the word “eggplant” on the menu (and squealed…maybe), I think my dining companions knew we wouldn’t get away with not ordering it.

This was another cold, vinegar-y dish, and it was delicious as well. I need to get busy recreating this at home. And no, no fish eggs were harmed in the making of this particular caviar.

By now, you’re surely wondering where all the sour cream is. And I don’t intend to disappoint. Bam!

Potato pancakes with sour cream. AKA the very essence of what I came for. Believe me, McDonald’s hash browns these are not. Thank God.

Other bites included vereniki (known as pierogies in Polish) filled with cherries…

…and knishes filled with cheese and topped with sesame seeds. They were more like puff pastry than the dense potato-y versions I’ve had elsewhere in NYC. Light and crispy and amazeballs.

The real standout of the meal, however, was the Juliene.

Translation: mushrooms baked in a year’s supply of cheese…and happiness and rainbows and flowers and unicorns. 

I feel like I should return the favor and escort my fellow supper clubbies through a meal of cuisine near and dear to my own upbringing, but I think we’d soon find that we all speak the universal language of pizza and ice cream.

School of Fish

Last night I went to see Oceans with the roomie and our friend, Christine.

When I learned this movie (well, documentary, actually) was coming out, I got really excited. For one thing, the roomie and I went to see Earth together while we were at Disney World last year, and we loved it. Beautifully filmed and totally endearing, I’ve been excited for more Disney Nature films ever since. Moreover, I’ve been a total shark nerd since before I can remember.

I mean, we’re talking big time, like…

…yeah.

My first memories of life, period, begin in Palos Verdes, California, where I lived a stone’s throw from Marineland of the Pacific. Naturally, we had season tickets.

Was it nature or nurture that cultivated my love for all things waterborne? I guess we’ll never know. What I do know, however, is that Marineland left Palos Verdes right along with me in 1987, so residents of the Vista Pacifica community shall hear those walruses barking no more. Their loss.

I continued to pursue my interest, though, as any kid with a library card is wont to do. Over the next 10 years or so, my recreational reading often looked something like this:

I loved visiting aquariums, watching Jaws, and going on whale watches. I fancied myself a future marine biologist.

Until, that is, I learned that I’d have to actually get in the water.

That is some foolishness if I ever saw it! Screw marine biology, Ma, I’m gonna be a painter.

Truth be told, 20 years later I am neither painting nor marine biologizing, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy a good fish film from the safety of an armchair once in a while. These days, as far as sharks are concerned, let’s just say I prefer the “dock” part of documentary, and Oceans definitely filled my nerdy guilty pleasure quota for a while!

I mean, look at this face:

If you don’t think that’s cute, I’m forced to assume you subsist on a diet of babies and unicorn dreams.

It wasn’t just the imagery that was stunning in Oceans, though…

…it was actually the soundtrack that I found just as fascinating as the wildlife itself.

I don’t mean soundtrack as in music, but rather the actual underwater sounds. To hear a hermit crab burrowing into its home or a shrimp doing battle with a crab was so totally cool, and not something you’d ever experience if you weren’t there underwater (or in a movie theater, as it were).

I think the biggest impact of sight and sound together had to be the moment when an orca plows into the beach to capture a seal.

It was so intense, I think I actually gasped out loud. I imagine being hit by a bus would have a similar effect.

Anyway, you get the idea: Oceans is good fun for people who like nature films (and perhaps Shark Week…).

Naturally, I must also share the dinner part of this dinner-and-a-movie night. Before the fish film, my buddies and I dined at Taze, a local Turkish restaurant. I got my favorite dish, Hunkar Begendi.

AKA smokey eggplant puree topped with grilled salmon, served with a generous side of irony.

Star-Studded Restaurant Opening: Otarian

For someone who gets heart palpitations at sight of even a minor celebrity, last night was basically a heart attack.

Let me back up.

By a grand stroke of luck, I was invited to attend the grand opening of Otarian in New York City. As “the planet’s first low-carbon  [and vegetarian!] restaurant,” it’s safe to say I haven’t dined anywhere like it before. With locations both uptown and overseas in London, I have a feeling Otarian will be coming to a city near you in the not too distant future!

Upon arrival, my eyes zeroed right in on the bar, where I snagged a glass of Veuve Clicquot (!) and took in my surroundings.

The party was just starting to warm up, and after a few minutes, I noticed the food starting to come around. Check out Otarian’s menu! I don’t think I’ve ever drooled this much over a “fast casual” restaurant’s offerings, so I was jazzed to sample the goods.

First up was the Roasted TomatO soup. Delicious! And served in little bamboo cups. Points for sustainability already!

I also got to try the Avocado Tomato Mozzarella salad, which, of course, couldn’t have been anything but great, given the ingredients.

The labels for each dish even showed the carbon emission savings of consuming this dish instead of one that wasn’t sustainably produced.

So what’s up with the paparazzi? Are there famous people coming or something?

As I was happily paparazzi-ing my salad, flashbulbs started going off in a total frenzy and they all seemed to be pointed at this blonde chick walking by me.

She must be important—she’s standing in front of that official-looking backdrop thingie…

…and that’s because she’s Mary-Kate Olsen. Gotcha.

WHAT?! [Heart begins to race, despite the Veuve’s best efforts.] Holy guacamole, please don’t let her look at me, except I kinda want her to… Well, she’s not even really looking at Radhika [Oswal, Otarian owner and CEO]…I’m probably safe…

…oh, wait…she’s gone already. And with nary a “You got it, dude!” I guess I will forgive her for that one.

There were more celebrity arrivals, but you “have to” read to the end of the post to see them! You’re here for the food anyway, right?

Once the paparazzi calmed down, I figured it was safe to resume my role as “food paparazzi”. That’s what a nearby party-goer actually said as she looked curiously at me aiming a tiny point-and-shoot at an even tinier veggie burger.

I imagine I’ve been called worse! I’ll take any name, as long as it’s in the name of deliciousness.

Pardon my hasty (and blurry) photos, but as these were passed appetizers, I had to work quickly if I wanted to get my shot! It was worth it—the Toasted BurritO was muy rico.

This little veggie burger—I believe it was the PortobellO Mushroom—was way better than I expected. Not that I expected anything bad, but after this taste I was officially convinced that someone knows what they’re doing in the Otarian kitchen.

If you are in New York or London and can make it to Otarian, I command you to try these:

Sweet Potato Chiplets! (Side of taco optional.) They have this thick, crispy coating not unlike a chicken tender, but that’s all sweet potato in there. Swoon!

For any Indian food lovers out there, the Mushroom O Paneer wrap is a spicy bit of yum. Don’t forget the raita!

I couldn’t believe how good the food was, considering the projected price point (and the fact that the menu didn’t seem so diverse when I perused it quickly before the event—I was wrong!). Everything was hot, too! Impressive for passed apps, no?

After the paneer, I decided I was done tasting. All the samples look small on their own, but they were starting to gang up on me.

Confronted with the Spinach Potato O Tart, however, I figured I had room for one more bite.

Wouldn’t you?

We heard Radhika speak about Otarian’s mission and philosophy, which is really admirable. Few companies are so committed to reducing their impact on the environment, and the fact that Otarian actually puts that at the forefront of its menu and marketing has the potential to really set an example of a sustainable business model. I hope the trend spreads!

Everything in the restaurant, from the ceiling decorations down to the floor tiles (including the paint on the walls!) is made from recycled and reclaimed materials. What’s not to like?

Well, I can’t say I “like” having butterflies in my stomach, but I’m not about to complain. Here are the rest of my non-food paparazzi shots from the evening.

Ugly Betty fans, how about a little Mark Indelicato?

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Yes, please. I’ll even throw in some Vanessa Williams to up the ante.

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I shouldn’t have expected less, but these people are seriously stunning in real life. It’s not all camera magic!

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Same goes for Judah Friedlander. :)

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Love his character on 30 Rock!

Sadly, I didn’t get to schmooze with the celebs. That would’ve cost me my spot in the path of all the food. Priorities, people.

Do you know of any sustainable businesses like Otarian? Have you ever had a celebrity sighting?

New Yorkers, Otarian opens next week: April 19th on Bleecker Street and April 23rd on 8th Avenue.