It’s Sunday night…the start of the New Year…and I’m feeling my body creep into that dreaded “your metabolism hates you” stage thanks to a big month of over celebrating the holidays.  Quick, think fast! I dial up my favorite inexpensive hummus joint, Chickpea, come to find out that they’re closed for the night (who knew this could happen in NY…) What’s a girl to do?! Well, just like any good Fit Post-er, I call the new Mediterranean sit down/order out restaurant in Union Square – Nanoosh.

Nanoosh offers organic all-natural ingredients in their fresh hummus, wraps, salads and soups.  The few times I’ve walked by the restaurant I can’t help but notice how sleek, clean and modern everything looks – it’s as if the Jetson’s opened a Mediterranean food bar!  I frantically order delivery while mentally plotting out tomorrow’s workout plan.  Thirty minutes later, I chow down on a Hummus Chicken Plate with all natural chicken breast, organic onions and tahini ($10.95) – the wraps and tabouleh salads look delicious for next time.  I doubt that this will become my new go-to but I do like the change and am glad/resenting the fact that I didn’t get the delicious Blue Nine Burger I seem so trigger happy to order. 

I’m not ashamed to admit that my father packed my school lunch for me up until the day that I left for college – and when I say packed, I mean thoughtfully put together a balanced and fun meal complete with a note on my napkin (sometimes written in Latin depending on if I had an exam that day in class).  I miss Dad packed lunches…

Thankfully, one of my favorite organic NYC restaurants has rolled out (literally) a food cart on 53rd and Park!  Operated by Gustorganics (see full post 10/21/09), this first ever USDA-certified organic street cart is operated with a sustainable focus.   All of the food is cooked fresh daily and packaged in either biocompostable or 100% post-consumer recycled cardboard imprinted with soy ink.  Straws and utensils are made from potato straw and a solar panel on top of the cart powers the refrigerator.

Stop by between 11AM and 4PM to pick up a tasty certified organic and local lunch for less than $10 (breakfast menu coming soon!) See below for their menu:

• Tapito – over a bed of quinoa or fresh greens – tenderloin ($9), chicken ($8) or grilled veggies/vegan ($7)
• Empanadas – with either meat, capresse, humita, ham & cheese or fugazzetta ($4)
• Salad/vegan ($7)
• Soup of the Day ($5.50)
• Huumus with Chips/vegan ($3.75)
• Homemade Drinks – lemonade ($3), fresh squeezed OJ ($5)
• Fair Trade Iced Coffee or Tea ($2.50)
• Super Purified NYC Water in Biocompostable Cup ($1.50)

*napkin note from Dad not included.

I hate to start the week off ranting, but why are granola companies including so much extra sugar, artificial ingredients and other unhealthy add ins with their recipes? If I want a bowl of Lucky Charms, I’ll buy Lucky Charms – however, I prefer that my granola not look and taste like the sugar doused cereal I ate when I was 7…

Ok – phew.  positive voice is back ON!

My favorite (other than the one that I make obviously – see recipe from 10.1.09 post) is Chappaqua Crunch Granola – a high quality company started by one very biz savvy (ex Wall St. to be exact) woman.  Their fiber and protein rich organically grown rolled oats oats provide a great source of complex carbs with 20 grams of whole grains and at least 3 grams of fiber/serving.  Things you will never find with a Chappaqua product: trans fats, preservatives, artificial flavors, cholesterol, high fructose corn syrup, genetically modified ingredients OR wheat in the product itself as well as in their baking facility.  My favorite is their Simply Granola but the other flavors that include real nuts and fruit are delicious too – try including a 1/4 cup in Greek Total 0% Fage yogurt or rolling with peanut butter.

I once worked with a woman named Angelika… German, tough as nails and always on top of her game – super cool, but absolutely not someone that projected a warm and fuzzy “I love to cook” persona.  However, my favorite East Village restaurant, Angelika’s Kitchen, thankfully reminds me nothing of my old cube mate.

Changing daily according to season and weather, Angelika’s Kitchen boasts ingredients that are most often served less than 48 hours after harvest and even better, never include refined sugars/preservatives/dairy/eggs or animal products.  This organic plant-based menu promotes sustainable agriculture and responsible business practices.  The restaurant uses renewable sources of energy and a high quality backwash carbon system to filter their water (ehhh…forget I used the word “backwash”).  Best of all, their commitment to a no bottle waste environment acts in YOUR favor…making the entire restaurant BYOB friendly.  By not serving bottled beverages, plus their composting and food donation system via City Harvest, likely puts Angelika’s Kitchen as one of the top planet friendly restaurants in the city.

Bottom line – the food is delicious, super fresh and ultra filling.  During my most recent visit, I had the Norimaki ($8/rolled veggie sushi with lemon-shoyu dipping sauce) and the Mixed Sprout salad ($8.75/snow pea shoots, sunflower sprouts, seeds, mint, cabbage, daikon and watercress) for dinner.  I left feeling healthy, full and a little bit less guilty for littering earlier that day…oops!

A gray and hazy morning, filled with an incessant drizzle of rain…made even worse by a bluster of wind every now and then – all in all the City doing its best to ruin my mom’s fresh new cut from Bumble and Bumble.  In town visiting for the weekend, I needed a warm place close by to take her for brunch.  Thank god for Le Pain Quotidien (pronounced luh paN koh-ti-dyaN) and its 19 locations in Manhattan – another in Westchester but that’s too far of a trek for a bread basket.

French for ‘daily bread,’ Le Pain Quotidien first cropped up in Brussels and then made its way (thankfully) to the States.  With a low-key West Coast vibe, each ‘seat yourself’ location includes a long communal table as well as individual areas for anti-social seating (i.e. for my mom and I).  The flooring and furniture include reclaimed wood and recycled Gypsum, lit with energy-efficient lamps.  Even the corn-based disposable cups and spoons are made from potato starch to degrade completely within a week or two.   As much as I try to channel my inner Captain Planet to enjoy the restaurant’s ‘Green’ features… I really just come for the food.

The menu promotes simple, nourishing food.  I got the Organic Red Quinoa Basil Pesto Salad with an order of Farro Cranberry Porridge and Walnuts.  My mom filled up on her nutrients with a double order of the Seaweed Miso Dressing Salad and Avocado and Tomato Organic Egg Omelette.  We each received a side basket of bread made with only organic stone ground flour, salt and water – kneaded by hand (total order: $40).  If I were to come back later in the day, the Asparagus and Parm Bruschetta sounds amazing not to mention it would be hard to pass by their Organic wine list and patisserie of desserts.

First chocolate…now healthy eats – who’s ready to move to Brussels?!

GustOrganics has quite the resume:

• First and only certified organic restaurant in New York.
• World’s first certified restaurant using 100% organic ingredients.
• First and only USDA certified organic bar on the planet.
• Recognized as a ‘Green Restaurant’ by the Green Restaurant Association
• 100% organic restaurant and bar open 365 days a year (just in case you’re itching for a wheat grass shot Christmas morning)

You can find these stellar credentials in a rustic open air setting at 519 Avenue of the Americas, cooking up a full latin inspired menu for breakfast/brunch/lunch/dinner.  During my most recent visit, I tried the Pear Strawberry & Pine Nut Salad ($8.95) but had serious food envy for the Grilled Organic Empanadas ($4) and Spinach Risotto ($17) that were at the table next to me.

If you have a little health tot, GustOrganics also offers an Organic baby menu with items served either finely chopped or  fully processed in a blender.  I know I have all of my teeth but the Tenderloin Beef Puree with Zucchini, Carrot and Bay Leaf looked worth putting on a bib for ($8.95)

I admit, I rarely venture North of 21st Street unless it’s for work or a run in Central Park…and even then, I feel like I need my passport (I’m being dramatic).  However, I’ll make a trip to the Upper East Side any day for a chance to eat at one of NYC’s greatest health spots.

Candle Cafe, located at 1307 Third Avenue , serves seasonal organic vegan cuisine with a focus on sustainability, eco-friendly practices and compassion for animals (menu also includes a large range of gluten free items).  Although my go-to is the Ginger Miso Stir-Fry ($15), I can see the Tuscan Lasagna made with grilled zucchini and tofu basil ricotta ($16) as the perfect cold weather dish.

Don’t think that you’ll be stuck slugging down H2O with your tofu.  Candle Cafe also offers fresh blended smoothies, mixed green veggie juices, natural sodas (think Maine Root Ginger Brew) and organic wines/beers.

New Yorkers live for brunch – it’s pre-coded into our DNA to see brunch as the ultimate meal – it’s all of our favorite things packed into one event: trendy restaurant, overpriced menu, extensive cocktail list.  However, sometimes I want to pull on some sweatpants and just make something myself at home.

Natures Path Organic FlaxPlus Multigrain Pancake Mix (you would think they could come up with a shorter name) is an easy way to make a whole grain breakfast packed with omega-3 rich flaxseeds ($6.79 per 26 0z. bag).  This weekend, I added blueberries to the batter for added antioxidants and switched to a non-stick pan to avoid having to use butter.  Despite the words “light” and “fluffy” on their packaging, these turn into pretty dense patties (eat two or three and you’ll be stuffed).

I figured after 24 years of ignoring my Asian roots I would finally pay homage to my inner Korean and make a few trips to K-Town.  Of course, the BBQ hole in the walls are fantastic (who knew my heritage was so delicious) but the one place that I can’t wait to go back to is HanGawi at 12 East 32nd Street. 

HanGawi, a Vegetarian Korean restaurant, embodies the principles of Um and Yang – Korean version of the yin and yang (I admit, I didn’t know this until reading their website).  The menu balances these two forces by combing green vegetables and fruits (the um foods) with roots, radishes, carrots and potatoes (the yang foods).  The flavors are rich but not overly doused in sauce, producing creative items like Kabocha Pumpkin Pancakes with Mung beans ($11), Spicy Kimchi Mushroom Pancakes ($12) and Watercress Tofu Dumplings ($9).  There is a separate menu using all organic ingredients for the die hard foodies.  Believing a nutritious meal requires thoughtful consideration to both the food and space, the HanGawi vegetarian sanctuary is dimly lit and beautifully decorated with dark wood and artifacts.  Although, I hope you’re nimble –  even I felt a little clumsy trying to lower myself onto the floor cushions without knocking over my neighbor’s silken tofu.  The entire experience was more relaxing than being in 10 minute Savasana (yoga “corpse” pose).

The Fall in New York is beautiful, but I’m already getting sick of pumpkin spiced coffee and heavily decorated Halloween displays – over it (I know, bad attitude to have this early in the season).  With summer treats like Van Leeuwen’s Ice Cream, how could you not want it to be 80 and sunny all year long?!

Benjamin Van Leeuwen, a 24-year old ex Good Humor truck driver, sells his homemade ice cream from a buttery yellow postal service truck around the city (check his website for seasonal truck locations).  Using local, hormone and antibiotic free milk and cream (no stabilizers or preservatives), the all organic ice cream envelopes unique and exotic ingredients  to enrich old school flavors – Tahitian beans aged in vodka oak barrels anyone?   Excluding the use of condensed milk, corn syrup or any other kind of artificial sugar, coloring or thickener, the scoops of ice cream are pure in taste and light in texture.  Even the toppings are homemade and organic to complete the experience.  Van Leeuwen also makes sure to reduce his carbon footprint (and yours) by using sugar cane and corn husks for his biodegradable cups, napkins, spoons and straws.  As if this 24-year old entrepreneur wasn’t doing enough, he contributes one percent of his profits towards the protection of the Congo Mountain Gorilla.  So go ahead…eat some Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, you’ll feel like you did a good thing for the environment, your body…and the gorillas!

My favorite is a combination of the hazelnut (made from Piedmont Hazelnuts processed in a facility in Italy that uses the hazelnut shells to generate electricity) with two scoops of strawberry (containing actual pieces of fresh berries).

Blossom Restaurant at 187 Ninth Avenue is the ideal place for fresh organic and vegan food sans the earthy dirty taste.  Personally, my body doesn’t work well under the restrictions of one specific diet – I’m not a ‘one size fits all’ kind of girl.  Instead, I try to make an effort to choose healthier alternatives whenever possible (except for dessert…that’s an entirely different ballgame).  Not a vegetarian or a vegan, I still appreciate Blossom’s commitment to providing a meat and dairy free menu.  Blossom offers several protein substitutes, including seitan, tofu, and tempeh.  Set in a warmly lit townhouse, the dishes are enriched with strong flavors and textures.  I love the  Feijoadinha with Smokey Tempeh ($18) which is a twist on the Brazilian national stew of smokey roasted tempeh, black beans, chayote sqaush and sweet potatoes in a light orange-lime broth.  The Phyllo Roulade ($18) of french lentils and root vegetables served with swiss chard and a carrot-cream sauce is also amazing (and I usually HATE carrots).

Seitan: High in protein (twice as much as tofu and 40% more than two medium eggs), Seitan is made from wheat but looks, tastes and feels more like a meat product.  This raw wheat gluten is higher in calories than its other soy counterparts but contains no saturated fat or cholesterol.

Tempeh: A complete protein food that contains all of the essential amino acids, Tempeh is made up of fermented cooked soybeans and is firm in texture with a subtle nutty mushroom flavor.   This meat substitute contains isoflavones which are most commonly associated with stronger bones and a reduced risk of coronary heart disease.  The fermentation process coupled with the fact that tempeh retains the whole soy bean, contribute to this foods higher protein, diety fiber and vitamin content compared to tofu. 

Seitan (4 oz) = 20.3 grams protein/114 calories/2.1 grams fat

Tempeh (4 oz) = 20 grams protein/ 216 calories/ 12 grams fat

Firm Tofu (4 oz) = 10.1 grams protein/94 calories/5 grams fat

85% Lean Ground Beef (4 oz) = 21 grams protein/240 calories/17 grams fat

*Recommended daily intake of protein is 56 grams for most men and 46 grams for most women

Grapefruit Lollipops. Kimchi Doughnuts. Jalapeno Hush Puppies.  These are a few things Amanda Cohen (Angelica’s Kitchen alum) dreams up in her kitchen at Dirt Candy located at 430 East 9th Street.  Committed to providing beautiful healthy treats using ingredients found literally in the dirt (half of the dry items are from Organic vendors), Cohen offers a small but impeccable menu of fresh healthy meals (everything on the menu can be made vegan on request).  I can’t wait to go back to try the asparagus paella ($19) and zucchini ginger cake ($12).  Just watch out, the bill can quickly add up…but I guess that’s the price you pay for good dirt!

One of the benefits of having ‘healthy living’ enter the NYC trend scene, is that restaurants are now paying closer attention as to how they can transform sterile tofu and broccoli stalks into a medley of tastes, colors and smells.

Gobo, a vegetarian restaurant that creates “food for the five senses,” incorporates Zen compassion with global organic cuisine.  Aside from the food being fresh and filling, the interior space is sleek with light stained wood and includes an organic juice bar.  During this visit, I had the five spice tofu rolls with mango puree ($6), pine nut vegetable medley with lettuce wraps ($13) and soy filet with coconut curry rice ($19).  The next time I go back I’ll plan to bring a larger group of friends so we can order several items to try tapas-style.

New Yorkers would expect nothing less from Gobo considering that the leading chefs, Darryn and David Wu, are the children of founding partners of New York’s Zen Palate.