Take a free yoga class in the Meatpacking District. Credit: Meatpacking District Improvement Association
Getting fit shouldn’t have to cost a fortune. Luckily, summer in the city means there are plenty of free outdoor fitness classes and activities. From the ever-popular outdoor outdoor yoga classes to free kayaking on the Hudson, here are some of our top picks.
1. Fashion, Fitness, Fabulous’s “Get Fit” program: Fashion, Fitness, Fabulous will offer “Get Fit” outdoor boot camps and group fitness activities every Saturday and Sunday starting on June 14. The free activities will be led by celebrity trainers like IFPA Pro Cynthia Rodriguez, trainer and author Jessica Kiernan, TV personality and fitness expert Willy (J.U.I.C.E) Rafeh and former World Super Middleweight Boxing Champion and celebrity trainer Danny Musico. Visit the Fashion, Fitness, Fabulous website for more details.
2. Classes on the Cobbles: The Meatpacking District Improvement association will offer free monthly workout classes from Exhale Spa, Lululemon, Chelsea Piers and Asics. The free outdoor classes, which include Krav Maga, yoga and Zumba, take place on Gansevoort Plaza and start on May 22 and end on Sept. 25. RSVP is recommended.
3. Shaolin Five Animal Kung Fu: Learn kung
Learn kung fu for free in Riverside Park. Credit: Shaolin Five Animal Kung Fu
for free in Riverside Park every Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. These beginner martial arts classes meet at the entrance to Riverside Park at 108th Street; come early to make sure you don’t miss the group after they enter the park. More information is available on Shaolin Five Animal Kung Fu’s website.
4. Bryant Park yoga and fitness: Bryant Park offers plenty of free classes, including yoga in the park on Tuesday mornings and Thursday evenings, Pilates classes on Monday mornings and fitness boot camp on Wednesday mornings. For more information and reservations for yoga classes, visit the park’s website.
5. Kayaking on the Hudson: Head to the Manhattan Community Boathouse this summer for free kayaking on Saturdays. The walk-up program is first-come, first-served and starts at 10 a.m. The boathouse is located at 72nd St. on the Hudson River.
6. Shape Up Zumba: Get your free Zumba fix at 11 a.m. on Saturdays at West Harlem Piers Park, located on West 125th Street and Marginal Street. The Zumba class is part of a city initiative to bring free fitness classes to New Yorkers in all five boroughs. Find more classes here.
7. Yoga on the Plaza at 66th St.: How about those sunset salutations? You can practice Hatha yoga every Wednesday evening at 6:30 p.m. on the Plaza at 66th St.
8. Cardio classes at Prospect Park: Shape Up New York hosts free cardio, toning and stretching classes at the Audubon Center every Thursday at 10 a.m.
Almost free
Outdoor Rise: It’s not free, but it’s only $5 to attend an Outdoor Rise event. Outdoor Rise will host more than 50 events from June 21 to 27, including yoga, stand-up paddle boarding, rock climbing, parkour and plenty more. All proceeds go to the Discover Outdoors Foundation, which gives underprivileged city youths access to outdoor education. Find out more on the Outdoor Rise website.
David Karp, Tumblr Founder and CEO, strikes a pose at Internet Week New York 2012. Credit: Internet Week New York
Matylda Czarnecka, director of content for Internet Week New York, knows that navigating the 200-plus events on the schedule can be daunting. The city will be teeming with tech events and talks with luminaries ranging from Chet Kanojia, founder and CEO of Aereo, to Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Chrissy Teigen, and will include both “Citywide” events, like the Webby Awards and Webutante Ball, and festival headquarter “HQ” events. Here are eight of her top picks for HQ events, plus more pro tips on getting around the festival.
Internet Week New York will open with Mayor Bill de Blasio’s first major address to the tech community. “We’re really excited to hear what his vision for the tech sector in New York is,” said Czarnecka. “He’s going to be addressing exactly that, so that’s going to be a huge highlight.”
Startup Aereo has made headlines recently because of its legal battles against television broadcasters, which have taken the company to the Supreme Court. Czarnecka said of Kanojia, “It’s not every CEO who finds themselves in the Supreme Court in defense of their company. Aereo is a fascinating example of a nimble start-up disrupting a major industry.”
Eric Hippeau, Managing Director of Lerer Ventures and a major tech investor, knows all about what it takes to gain startup success in New York City. Hippeau will be talking about the advantages of opening a startup in New York. “New York used to be compared with the West Coast, but it’s matured into a tech hub with a unique character and distinct advantages,” said Czarnecka. “Eric has seen this evolution and it’ll be interesting to hear his perspective.”
Limor “Ladyada” Fried, founder of Adafruit, will present on why even in this high-tech era, DIY is thriving more than ever. “The maker movement and technologies such as Arduino make it easier for anyone to be an inventor in the hardware space,” Czarnecka told us. “AdaFruit is leading the charge in making these tools easily accessible.”
The real-life Piper Kerman of “Orange is the New Black” fame will host a talk at Internet Week New York. Credit: Internet Week New York
You’ve seen the show; now meet the people who inspired the show. The real-life Piper Kerman and Larry Smith, portrayed in the hit Netflix series, “Orange is the New Black,” will talk about storytelling on an online stage and Smith will discuss his Six-Word Memoir project, which challenges participants to tell their story in just six words. “‘Orange is the New Black’ is a fantastic show, and it’ll be exciting to hear directly from Piper, whose experience it was based on,” explained Czarnecka. “Also, if [writing in] 140 characters wasn’t limiting enough, Larry’s Six-Word Memoir project challenges us to be all the more pithy.”
Has the mouse become obsolete? Internet Week’s Senior Editor of Live Content, Michael Buckwald, will talk about the future of gesture control technology and how it will change the experience of both PC and Mac users. “The computer mouse is more than 30 years old, and new ways of interacting with technology has the potential to change how we relate to it,” said Czarenecka. “This session will provide a glimpse into that future.”
Robin Chase, founder and CEO of Buzzcar and founder and former CEO of Zipcar, will enlighten attendees on the future of the driverless car and how it can turn cars into “on-demand public transit.” Czarnecka said of Chase, “Robin Chase is one of the smartest people contemplating and disrupting how we get around.”
Need a good laugh after loading up your brain with paradigm-shifting talks? Blogologues is a live sketch comedy show during which a talented ensemble will perform their live-action take on the Internet. “This ensemble is hilarious,” raved Czarnecka. “The Internet can be a strange place, and Blogologues brilliantly personifies the oddest YouTube comments, anonymous rants and bizarre tweets.”
Let loose at the Webutante Ball. Credit: Internet Week New York
Czarnecka’s Internet Week Tips:
- For the first time, one-day HQ passes are available.
- Student HQ passes are available for only $45 (with valid student ID).
- Plan ahead and stay organized using the “My Schedule” feature on the Internet Week New York website.
- Be part of the conversation with hashtag #IWNY.
- Anyone can tune in to watch the Webby Awards on demand to hear the 5-word acceptance speeches the evening of the Awards (May 20) or after.
For more information on hundreds of events and ticketing, visit Internet Week New York’s website.
You can’t stop your hair going gray, but you can take steps to keep your color longer. Credit: Creatas
It’s very likely that at some point everyone will develop canities — the technical term for gray hair. The bad news is that there’s no proven way to reverse the condition. The good news, as most of us probably know, is that it isn’t life or even health-threatening — just a little demoralizing. Canities can affect 20-somethings, but usually kicks in around middle age. Some people retain most of their hair’s color into their 60s. Technically, hair doesn’t turn gray — it turns white — but as it does, it reflects nearby coloring and appears gray.
“Each of the 100,000-150,000 hairs on our scalp are on independent growth cycles,” says Dr. Robert Dorin, a family practice doctor and member of The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery. “As our hair shafts elongate, special cells called melanocytes produce hair pigment and deposit it in the hair cells. As we age, the specialized cells that constantly re-supply new melanocytes, called melanocyte stem cells, begin to slow down.”
So, with aging, or interruption in melanocyte production due to illness, the amount of pigment distributed through the hair becomes more sparse. The rate of natural hair color change is mostly due to genetics, says Dorin, but maintaining good health plays a huge part, too.
“Hormone levels, stress, lifestyle, environmental pollutants and toxins can affect hair pigment production,” he adds. Even natural body chemicals affect it. “Recently in a study done in Europe, scientists found that a buildup of hydrogen peroxide from the hair cells’ biological process contributed to graying hair.”
Keep your color
As yet, there’s no proof that graying hair can be reversed, but slowing down the process is possible, says Dorin. His tips for maintaining natural hair color sound familiar: They are the same for maintaining general good health.
Stop smoking and limit alcohol consumption: “These inhibit your body’s ability to fight the processes of aging, and create free radicals that destroy cellular function.”
Exercise: “Consistent moderate exercise helps your body’s innate defense system to maximize its ability to slow aging and to prevent loss of cellular function at the molecular level.”
Eat a well-balanced diet: “Eat the ‘rainbow’ of fruits and vegetables to ensure you consume plant-derived antioxidants. Drink green tea. Juice at home, especially with organic grown veggies. This is a fabulous way to get high nutritional value antioxidants into your system.”
Bring lots of friends to share La Bottega’s rich Nutella pizza. Credit: Provided
If you’re sunburn-prone, object to cronut mania or simply a working stiff like most of us on Monday mornings, you probably didn’t stand in line for free Nutella Cronut Holes this afternoon.
Unfortunately, this is a one-day-only treat — cronut inventor Dominique Ansel personally bestowed 2,000 communion pastries on the faithful few at the Broadway Pedestrian Plaza on Monday afternoon. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with the world’s favorite chocolate-hazelnut spread.
Get in on the celebration of Nutella’s 50th anniversary this week with one of these treats.
At funky trattoria La Bottega, chef Lucia Piscopo takes the French classic Nutella-and-crepe concept and turns it into an american treat. This wood-fired dessert consists of Nutella, mascarpone and bananas on a homemade double crust. Enjoy it on La Bottega’s spacious outdoor terrace, shaded by magnolia trees.
Nutella … anything!
Koffeecake Corner
1269 Lexington Ave.
This Upper East Side cafe will put Nutella in practically any drink, from plain old milk to lattes and milkshakes.
Nutella Doughsant
ChikaLicious Dessert Bar
204 E. 10th St. (between First and Second avenues)
212-475-0929
This cozy spot can satisfy your Nutella craving at most reasonable hours — it’s open 7 a.m. to midnight daily (11 p.m. Sunday). The main event is the Nutella Doughsant (get it?) with the eponymous ingredient drizzled on top and a cream filling.
The calzone di Nutella is meant to be shared — but you can’t be blamed for making friends fend for themselves. Credit: Provided
Chef Chris D’Amico took a savorily Italian treat and turned it into the perfect vehicle for Nutella. The flaky calzone is dusted with powdered sugar and stuffed with Nutella and creamy ricotta. Share it with a friend at one of Gemma’s sidewalk tables and bask in the envy of passers-by.
Eataly closed its wine shop (woe) and opened a Nutella-centric dessert spot (yay!) on May 12, featuring crepes, a Nutella crostatina and other treats. Check it out 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
Get ready for summer with Madewell’s latest collection. Credit: Provided
Starting tomorrow, Upper Manhattan residents will no longer need to trek down to Soho to shop at Madewell. The brand is opening a new location at 1144 Madison Ave. at 85th St. To celebrate, the store will be offering special deals to customers all day, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
With every purchase, every customer will receive a free Bien Fait tote bag. And even though you’ll have a new stylish tote for your new purchases, the store will messenger your purchases home for you for free, if you spend $250 or more. They will also be doing special monogramming on site, so you can get your initials on one of their lust-worthy leather bags.
From 5 to 7 p.m. the real fun starts, with a cocktail party complete with champagne and appetizers. It’s all happening tomorrow, Wednesday May 21.
Forty-one percent of New York City residents report never wearing sunglasses outside, found The Vision Council. Make sure yours actually boast UVA/UVB protection and aren’t just dipped in tint. Credit: Digital Vision
You know to apply (and reapply!) sunscreen. You know to buy the broad-spectrum kind. You know that you should get weird looking moles checked out. But what you don’t know about sun protection could mean the difference between a summer on the beach and one on the operating table.
We asked derms to fill us in on the beyond-basic skin rules you need to know for protecting yourself this summer.
You need sunscreen every. single. day.
Yes, even when it’s cloudy, raining, sleeting — you get the idea. The sun beams out UVA and UVB rays — the latter are the sun’s most damaging rays during the summer months, in the middle of the day, says Dr. Neal Shultz, a New York City dermatologist. But it’s the UVA rays that are “more plentiful and present all year long, and at all times of the day, and much more important in causing premature aging and causing skin cancer,” he says. Put your sunscreen on as the first layer of products you apply to your face each morning — that means it goes under your makeup, ladies.
You’re sweating off your sunscreen more than you think
You definitely want to reapply after you go for a dip and after you get sweaty. But even if you’re just lounging around, you still need to reapply every two to three hours “because there’s something called insensible perspiration, which invisibly washes away the sunscreen,” says Shultz. This is when your body doesn’t realize it’s sweating “because [the sweat’s] evaporating before it collects on your skin.” It’s a necessary part of your skin’s breathing process, but it makes the sunscreen you’ve got on obsolete. Set your timer to remember when it’s time to add more.
A spray-on probably won’t cut it
“Spray-on sunscreens are real easy to miss big areas of your body, or small areas [that] you don’t know you’ve missed,” says Shultz. Convenient? Yes. Dependable? Not quite.
You don’t really need SPF 100
You might think you’re doing your body some extra good, but really, even a 15 provides almost 90 percent coverage from the sun’s rays (an SPF 30 provides over 95 percent coverage, and an SPF 50 provides 99 percent plus). But don’t get too cozy, regardless of the number: “Whether the SPF is 15, 30 or 100, it needs to reapplied with the same frequency,” Shultz says.
Boozing? You’re more likely to burn
Nothing beats laying poolside with a cocktail, but when you’re drinking your skin is way more vulnerable to the sun. That’s because alcohol dilates your blood vessels, meaning there’s more red in your skin, and “the pinker the skin, the closer the blood cells are to the surface — and therefore, they absorb more damaging UV,” Shultz says.
You can get skin cancer in spots that aren’t exposed to the sun
Even if you’re not sunbathing in the nude, you can still get skin cancer in your groin and anus (apologies for the visual). Other weird places you can get it? Your mucus membranes, like inside your nose and mouth. Have a dentist check inside your mouth for splotches, recommends Dr. Sapna Patel, assistant professor of melanoma medical oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
You can also get melanoma, believe it or not, behind your eye. Make sure you see an ophthalmologist once a year for a full exam (including dilating your pupils — sorry!) to ensure nothing funky is going on in the back of the eye, which produces skin cells just like the rest of your body. And at your derm’s office, make sure your doc gets in all your nooks and crannies: “You should feel invaded,” says Patel. Don’t wear nail polish to the appointment — skin cancer can lurk even in your nailbeds.
If it bleeds, it leads
You’ve likely heard the ABCDE of spotting skin cancer: Look for moles that are asymmetrical, have an irregular border, have a funky color, are bigger in diameter than the size of a pencil eraser, and/or have evolved over time. But that B could also stand for bleeding: A mole that gets bloody with minimal trauma is something to watch out for, says Patel. “Most benign things shouldn’t have a blood vessel in them — it’s malignant things that are digging in and growing roots.”
Free screenings
The Skin Cancer Foundation is providing free full-body screenings by dermatologists at Rite Aid locations throughout the country. The Road to Healthy Skin Tour sets out on Tuesday and will make its way around New England before crossing to the West Coast. Four dermatologists will be on hand to provide quick screenings. You can also learn how to do monthly checks at home and get free sun-protection product samples. Skin cancers found and removed early are almost always curable, so the foundation advises getting checked annually. For more information, visit SkinCancer.org/Tour.
Decoding melanoma
The process of how healthy skin cells turn into cancerous melanoma cells has been decoded by Oregon State University researchers.
“We believe this is a breakthrough in understanding exactly what leads to cancer formation in melanoma,” said Arup Indra, an associate professor in the OSU College of Pharmacy. “We’ve found that some of the mechanisms which ordinarily prevent cancer are being switched around and actually help promote it.”
A protein called RXR is normally part of the skin’s immune response, helping to produce the skin pigment melanin in response to sun exposure. But when RXR levels are too low, the genetic damage that skin cells routinely suffer cannot be repaired.
This process had not been understood entirely, Indra said, and the new findings could lead to diagnostic tests to gauge RXR levels, as well as diets and treatments to boost the body’s production of the protein.
More than 70,000 cases of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, develop in the U.S. every year.
A hangover may not be your only regret after a night of binge drinking. Credit: Monkey Business
Early menopause may be tied to heart failure
Location of study: Sweden
Study subjects: Over 22,000 postmenopausal women
Results: Heart failure may be more likely for women who experience menopause between the ages of 40 and 45. A recent study found postmenopausal women in this age group to have higher rates of heart failure when compared to women who went through menopause between the ages of 50 and 54. This risk was even more pronounced in smokers, who typically experience menopause about one year earlier than women who don’t smoke. The study found that for every one-year increase in age at menopause, the rate of heart failure was 2 percent lower.
Significance: The link between early menopause and cardiovascular disease isn’t new – prior research has associated early menopause with coronary heart disease and stroke. However, the Swedish study is rare in that it takes a closer look at heart failure. “Most of the studies on menopause and heart disease focus on cardiovascular disease, heart attacks and atherosclerosis,” said Dr. Margery Gass, executive director of the North American Menopause Society. Gass was not involved in the study. “By focusing on heart failure, this study contributes important information to the field. It also raises questions about cause and effect.”
Novel approach to treat peanut allergies
Study subjects: Mice
Location of study: U.S.
Results: Oral immunotherapy works by building up a person’s tolerance to food allergens by gradually ingesting them over a period of time. If successful, the body becomes desensitized to problem foods. However, immunotherapy has been associated with adverse effects in some people. Now researchers are developing a new type of flour that could make immunotherapy safer. The new flour powder is made up of compounds called polyphenols derived from cranberries. These polyphenols are bound to peanut proteins, which allowed peanut-allergic lab mice to become desensitized without experiencing any adverse reactions.
Significance: “The danger is severe enough that oral immunotherapy treatment can only be performed under attendance of a physician in the clinic because patients – commonly children – can unpredictably react with severe symptoms, including anaphylactic shock,” said Mary Ann Lila, director of the Plants for Human Health Institute at North Carolina State University. The next step in the research may be to extend the strategy to other food allergies.
Too much of a good thing is always risky
Location of study: U.S.
Study subjects: 11 men and 14 women
Results: Binging on alcohol, even on occasion, may lead to bacteria leakage from the gut. This, in turn, can raise bacterial toxins in the blood, which strains the immune system. For the study, participants were given alcohol until their blood alcohol levels reached at least .08 g/dL. After monitoring their blood, researchers found that even a single alcohol binge was associated with a significant increase in bacterial toxins.
Significance: “We found that a single alcohol binge can elicit an immune response, potentially impacting the health of an otherwise healthy individual,” study leader Dr. Gyongyi Szabo said in a statement. According to researchers, their findings suggest that binge drinking is more dangerous than people may think. Car crashes, injuries, and liver and other organ damage are the most widely recognized side effects of alcohol. This research shines a light on another potential new danger.
Cardiac protein may explain heart failure
Location of study: U.S.
Study subjects: Mice
Results: A newly discovered heart-specific protein may help experts predict heart failure. While there’s currently no cure for the condition, researchers at Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute have discovered a protein that appears to shield the heart from arrhythmias (irregular electrical impulses that cause an abnormal heartbeat). Arrhythmias can lead to heart failure and sudden cardiac death. The protein, called BIN1, sculpts small folds within pockets that are on heart muscle. These folds are critical in that they trap the chemicals that regulate heart rhythm.
Significance: “In most types of heart failure, this protein decreases about 50 percent,” said cardiologist Dr. Robin Shaw, an expert in heart failure and rhythm abnormalities at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute. “Our results suggest that one of the reasons that the heart can stop from an arrhythmia is not because of any real structural problem. It’s because the diseased hearts have less of the protein.” The protein could potentially be used as an indicator for heart failure, especially since it can be detected in the bloodstream.
Opt for a one- or three-day juice cleanse package at Affinia 50 hotel. Credit: Provided
Health doesn’t have to take a holiday
With all the decadent food options, most of them anti-diet, in New York City, Midtown’s Affinia 50 wanted to give its guests an easy way to reach for a healthy option. The hotel, which just completed a total renovation, has partnered with local juice brand Love Grace to offer one- or three-day cleanse packages. Love Grace’s Green Sunshine lives up to its name, erasing a long day of running around with each sip, while the Longevity Tonic packs a cayenne-fueled kick to boost metabolism. Rates start at $248 per night; to book, go to www.affinia.com/50 and use promo code CLEAN1 or CLEAN3.
Snacks at your doorstep
Metro’s nutrition columnist is expanding her empire. Joy Bauer has launched a subscription line of non-GMO and gluten-free treats called Nourish Snacks. Each box contains five varieties, all less than 200 calories per serving, and costs $12.50 weekly. You can also submit your own recipe suggestion online, with a $1,000 prize if your snack is chosen. For more information, visit www.nourishsnacks.com.
Work out to support health research
Sweat for a good cause in Union Square Park next month. Register online City of Hope’s Fit & Fearless Fitness event on June 1, and the class fee will go toward cancer, diabetes and HIV/AIDS research. Classes range from $80 to $350. Visit the event’s CrowdRise funding page to register.
No texting for 911 help yet
You may have heard that you can now text 911 in an emergency, but that service is not available in the five boroughs yet. Though the four major telecoms — AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon — have pledged to provide the service beginning last week, it is up to individual 911 call centers to become capable of receiving text requests for help, and that hasn’t happened yet for New York City. Also, while you can make free 911 calls even if your cellphone doesn’t have a service plan, you must have a data package to text in an emergency.
Portsmouth has grown into a cosmopolitan city, with boutique shopping, outdoor events and a vibrant food scene. Credit: Getty Images
As summer approaches, sleepy towns across New England begin to wake up from winter hibernation. With flowers in bloom and leafy trees covering the mountains, summer is the best season to visit New England (and the only time to enjoy its pristine beaches). The region has plenty to offer, especially on the coast, where locals flock to relax on the beach, go biking and sailing, and enjoy the delicious seafood New England is known for. Starting in Connecticut and heading north to Maine, here are five of the most scenic small cities and towns to visit for summer fun, food, history and culture.
Newport, Rhode Island
Gilded Age tycoons flocked to the charming seaside city of Newport to build their summer “cottages” at the turn of the century. Early examples of these homes — such as Isaac Bell’s shingled house — actually resemble cottages. With the arrival of the Vanderbilts came opulent mansions modeled on European palaces. The Breakers, designed by Richard Morris Hunt in the Italian Renaissance style, is the grandest, though Marble House, modeled on Le Petit Trianon at Versailles, set the tone for the rest. Though the mansions are Newport’s claim to fame, there’s plenty to do in this historic city.
Mystic, Connecticut
Halfway between New York City and Boston, Mystic has plenty of coastal attractions. The historic town is home to Mystic Seaport, the world’s largest maritime museum with over 500 vessels, including the last remaining whale ship in the world. At the Mystic Aquarium, you can see New England’s only beluga whales, plus penguins, seals, sea lions and plenty of other aquatic animals. Embrace the kitschy side of town at the Olde Mistick Village, where you’ll find souvenirs and homemade fudge at Franklin’s General Store.
Lenox, Massachusetts
Home to the Tanglewood music festival, Lenox exudes mountain charm unique to the Berkshires. Winding roads twist and turn, enveloped by verdant canopies that open onto spectacular views of the rolling valleys dotted by farmhouses. The main attraction in Lenox is The Mount, Edith Wharton’s country estate. Built in 1902, Wharton designed the home based on the precepts outlined in her 1897 book, “The Decoration of Houses,” which emphasized simplicity and harmony. Three acres of formal gardens complement the home, providing a beautiful backdrop for a stroll.
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
The charming coastal city of Portsmouth was originally settled in 1623 as Strawbery Banke, and its colonial legacy lives on at the Strawbery Banke Museum. This 10-acre living history exhibit proudly displays houses, gardens, shops and taverns from the 1600s and 1700s. In fact, the whole town is full of colonial, Federal, Georgian, and Victorian house museums. There are plenty of modern-day amusements too, from laid-back pubs serving local craft beer to a lively local music scene.
Montpelier, Vermont
With a population of about 8,000, Montpelier is the nation’s smallest state capital, but it makes up for its diminutive size with its independent spirit and rustic charm. The downtown area is concentrated around Main Street, which is full of quaint restaurants and shops, and State Street, where the state house is located. Montpelier is a great place to sample New England specialties. Try the maple syrup at Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks, cheese at Cabot Creamery, and whatever’s on the menu at the New England Culinary Institute.
Red wine and grape extract kill the bacteria colonies that lead to cavities and other oral problems, a new study says. Credit: Getty Images
Learn to save a life
National CPR Awareness Week begins next Sunday, June 1, and the American Heart Association is reminding people that Hands-Only CPR can save lives. To help a teen or adult who’s suddenly collapsed, first call 911, then place the heel of your hand in the center of their chest and put your other hand on top, lacing your fingers together, and push down hard and fast. The compressions need to be performed at about 100 beats per minute, which is coincidentally the rhythm of the Bee Gees song “Stayin’ Alive,” until paramedics arrive.
Another reason to drink red wine
Besides being the main ingredient in the summer party staple sangria, red wine could also protect your teeth. A study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that red wine as well as grape seed extract (good news for you non-drinkers) disrupted harmful colonies of bacteria responsible for cavities and other dental diseases. Brushing and fluoride have limited effect on these germs, but the wine and extracts, whether boozy or not, effectively killed them. Cheers!
Reset your body
From June 2-6, organic food delivery service Sakara Life is partnering with modelFit for a five-day program designed to cleanse and rejuvenate your body. Sakara Life, whose philosophy is eating organic, seasonal foods rather than following a calorie- or diet-based plan, will supply five days’ worth of meals designed to “spring clean from the inside out.” Put that new energy to use during five classes at SoHo’s modelFit studio, the first of which will end with a “community gathering” to set your goals for the coming week. $559, more details here.
Next-level Pilates
Put your core through a summer intensive course. Beginning tonight, David Barton Gym is holding a four-week Pilates workshop. Each hourlong class, split between The Reformer and The Cadillac, is limited to six participants. Classes are held Tuesdays, 7-8 p.m., from May 27 to June 17. The program costs $200, or $250 for non-members.
ChaiseFitness open second studio
Get “reinvented” at ChaiseFitness’s new Upper East Side location, which opened this month at 1204 Lexington Ave., after beginning two years ago in the Flatiron district. Classes alternate between the Reinvention Chair, a futuristic-looking backless stool, and hand-held bungee cords suspended from the ceiling to blend Pilates, ballet and aerobics. The resistance cords help develop long and lean muscles, improving balance and posture. Group and private sessions are available; visit www.chaisefitness.com for more information.
“For New York to take a stand and say we will honor this, our human history, we will honor the lives that we lost on that day and the days following, is I think very important,” Eppley says. Credit: Getty Images
The opening of the 9/11 Memorial Museum brought mixed feelings to the city most profoundly touched by its tragedy. But for those living with grief tied to the event, whether it’s directly tied to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks or the ensuing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the museum is a high-profile acknowledgement that their loss is not forgotten, according to psychotherapist Mandy Eppley.
“It’s about letting survivors and families know that, while it is a trauma, we’re not asking you to forget, and we won’t forget,” she says.
The museum is a rarity in the modern, fast-paced world that pressures people to overcome grief rather than allowing themselves to experience it fully, Eppley says.
“Society is sending the messages subtly and directly to get on with it, because it’s making everyone uncomfortable,” she says. “The reality is grief has its own pace.”
And it doesn’t take an event the magnitude of 9/11 to spur grief — the end of a relationship, being laid off or health problems can all trigger feelings of profound sadness. But with so much tragedy constantly bombarding us on 24-hour news networks and the Internet, our individual losses can seem insignificant. “Technology is a gift and a blessing,” Eppley says. “And at the same time, perhaps when we don’t have digital boundaries and we have that coming at us all the time, maybe it desensitizes us to human suffering.”
There are consequences to not letting ourselves experience that sadness. “The truth of the human psyche is our capacity to feel the depth of our sorrow … is directly tied to how much we experience our joy. We don’t have the luxury of compartmentalizing our grief and it not impacting our capacity to feel overall.”
Refusing to deal with grief can lead to numbing behaviors, from alcoholism and compulsive shopping to watching too much television — anything to avoid the pain.
But suppressing grief also robs us of its potential.
“Learning to hold [our grief] with great dignity, to hold it without shame, it does create a new relationship to the loss itself,” she says. “If people are open to their grief, and truly grief is how we learn about who we are, it’s what great movements are birthed out of.”
She points to the #SaveOurGirls campaign and Mothers Against Drunk Driving as moments when grief transformed from pain into positive action. But even a casserole for an elderly neighbor, volunteering for a nonprofit or taking part in a cleanup makes a difference. Ask yourself what you’re most passionate about and turn it into action.
“People who have been brokenhearted are the ones bringing change to our planet,” Eppley says. “I’ve never seen a therapeutic technique that can hold a candle to people using their suffering to help others.”
Can’t talk about it?
Allowing ourselves to experience the intensity of our feelings is not something many people are taught, Eppley says. To help those who may not even confide in a friend, let alone a professional, Eppley and fellow psychotherapist Chris Saade created the Model of Heart-Centered Grief, an in-home counseling program. To learn more, visit The Respite, Eppley’s nonprofit foundation .
Ivan Orkin was the first American to open a ramen shop in Tokyo. Credit: Daniel Krieger
Ivan Orkin knows ramen — so well, in fact, that his fan base is in New York and Tokyo. The American chef meshed seamlessly into the Japanese dining scene when he became the first American to open a ramen shop in Tokyo (and to wide acclaim, we might add). When he returned to the States, he opened Slurp Shop at Gotham West Market and now, his eponymous Ivan Ramen, on the Lower East Side. We spoke to Orkin a couple of days before his brick-and-mortar Stateside debut.
Why did you want to open up downtown?
Quite honestly, I like the neighborhood. … If you insist on being in a specific neighborhood, you can sometimes wait a couple of years. I heard about the space on Clinton Street and I really liked it. It had a great backyard, and I thought I could do a cool thing with a counter for people to sit at and that’s what started it all. Danny from Mission Chinese [has] a spot down there, and I was friendly with him. … I sort of treated myself like an outsider a little bit so that I would force myself to work harder and not just say to everybody ‘hey I’m coming from Japan with this great concept, you’re going to like it.’ [It was] more like, I was going to create a new concept for New York and work really hard to make people really happy.
What businesses do you like in the area?
I got to Mission Cantina. All the folks on my block I really like: the new Thelma next door, Pig & Khao, wd~50, Clinton Street Baking Co. Yesterday I went to Taqueria Diana — it’s great. They do an outstanding job and it’s really reasonable. A lot of times I walk over to Abutzo for a cortado, I still think theirs is the best in town. It’s funny, once you’re downtown, everything’s really close. You can easily walk into SoHo, you can easily walk into Nolita, you can totally walk all through the East Village, and there’s so much to do.
Ivan Orkin recently opened Ivan Ramen on the Lower East Side. Credit: Daniel Krieger
Ramen is so trendy right now. Do you worry about competition?
You can’t have competition. There’s just not that many [ramen shops]. You wanna see competition? Go to Tokyo — I’m one of 8,000 there. They’re everywhere, 8 or 10 on one block, so here in New York we’re more sort of part of a guild. There’s also styles of ramen: Just because you eat at Ivan doesn’t mean you cant eat at Ippudo. Everybody’s sort of doing their thing. A lot of ramen shops have really great personalities, and that’s true of restaurants — you might have five places you like to get a hamburger.
I don’t believe in competition as a bad thing; it makes you better, it makes you work harder. If competition is what knocks you out, a lot of times it means you didn’t stay relevant. You gotta work.
What’s different about your new outpost?
Downtown is a whole new ballgame. We’ll share some of the dishes but other than it it’s a totally different restaurant. We’ve added a spicy ramen at Slurp Shop and people seem to like it. I only took one dish off the menu that I sell in Japan.
What’s the secret to eating ramen?
It’s hard, it’s a very hot bowl of soup and you want to eat [the noodles] as quickly as you can. If you chew on them it’s harder to eat them efficiently. The longer you take, the soup gets a little mushy. They’re kind of overcooking in that soup. Eating at its peak of freshness is really the way ramen tastes best. I just think it’s more fun to eat it that way.
Who’s the tougher audience: Tokyo or New York?
I think sophisticated diners are always challenging. New Yorkers are great because I think they’re very demanding, but if you do a good job they’re very loyal. I take my customers super seriously — they go out of their way to come to your restaurant and I try really hard. I want to make people happy. I’ve been lucky, people have been very nice to me. New Yorkers and Tokyo people, they’re big-city folks who are used to having good stuff, and high expectations.
Carlo Bigi recently opened a new restaurant in Hudson Square. Credit: Hotel Hugo
Carlo Bigi, formerly a chef at Sant Ambroeus and Casa Lever, is now the executive chef at Il Principe, an upscale Italian restaurant that opened in April in Hudson Square. This Lower-Manhattan neighborhood, also known as West SoHo, is bounded by West Houston Street to the north, Canal Street to the south, Sixth Avenue to the east and the Hudson River to the west.
Il Principe, located on the ground floor of the newly opened Hotel Hugo, features indoor and outdoor seating and is currently open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Bigi also anticipates a brunch menu.
The chef welcomes the challenge of working at a new restaurant in a recently established neighborhood. “[Hudson Square] is going up, it’s on the rise. I believe this is the right food to do here,” he says.
Born and raised in Italy, Bigi was inspired to become a chef at an early age. “My mother owned a pizzeria, so it was kind of a family thing,” he says “I really liked to work in the kitchen, give orders. This was a great job for me.”
As the executive chef, Bigi decided to infuse both local and imported flavors in his dishes, which can be experienced in dishes like eggplant parmesan, Fusilli de Farro (homemade farro fusilli, broccoli rabe and lamb ragout) and Salmone con Insalata di Panzanella (Scottish salmon, cucumber, tomatoes, croutons and pickled red onion salad).
One of the dishes Bigi is most proud of at Il Principe is the gnocchi, a food he has been fond of since childhood. “I always loved gnocchi,” he says. “Now we serve it at Il Principe with buffalo ricotta and a lemon-butter sauce.”
His advice to aspiring chefs? Always try new things. “The best thing for any aspiring chef to do is to work with different chefs and learn new things, new techniques,” he says. “This is how you get better.”
Bigi says it’s the changes that make him a better person and professional. “You gain experience by seeing and doing new things,” he says. “These experiences open your eyes and your mind.”
Though the Visionaire is equipped with fitness studios and a rooftop garden, its best amenity may be its location near Battery Park. Credit: City Realty
From the greenest transplants to lifelong New Yorkers, it’s easy to be surprised by life in Downtown Manhattan. Just ask Pete Culliney and Carter Horsley of CityRealty, who make a living out of helping clients start new lives in some of the most exciting neighborhoods in the city. Culliney and Horsley shared a few buzz-worthy buildings that give residents new ways to call NYC home.
The Visionaire, 70 Little West Street, Battery Park City
This sleek, curved-front building features floor-to-ceiling windows with skyline views, as well as fitness studios, rooftop gardens and a communal entertainment area. But its best amenity may be the neighborhood surrounding it: “Battery Park City is about 40 percent park land,” Culliney said. “The folks who live down there love how much of it is parks and ball fields. That’s not a building-level amenity, but it’s so important to the residents.”
“Sensational looking inside and out, this knock-out structure is the best modern building in Greenwich Village,” said real estate agent Carter Horsley regarding One Jackson Square. Credit: City Realty
One Jackson Square, 122 Greenwich Ave., West Village
“Sensational looking inside and out, this knock-out structure is the best modern building in Greenwich Village,” Horsley raved in a review. The units include high ceilings and wine coolers, and the building features valet parking and spa treatments.
Leonardo DiCaprio and his neighbors in 66 East 11th St. live in one of the most environmentally friendly buildings in the city. Credit: City Realty
66 East 11th St., Greenwich Village
While most people may be priced out of the ultra exclusive building Leonardo DiCaprio just bought into, Horsley pointed out that the building leads the pack in ecologically-minded amenities, which are often overlooked. “Environmental friendliness isn’t often too visible, but people do care about it.” This property includes Vitamin C-infused water and filtered air.
The building at 56 Leonard St. is reminiscent of a Jenga tower, a design enabling residents to have their own outdoor space. Credit: City Realty
56 Leonard St., Tribeca
This building creatively divvies up outdoor space among its residents. “They’ve designed this building so it looks like a Jenga tower,” Culliney said. “The goal is to give each unit individual outdoor space.” It also boasts an event space, a children’s playroom, a pool and a business center.
Cipriani Residences boasts a long list of amenities, including an on-site restaurant, dry cleaning, pet sitting, a salon, a reading room, a tanning booth, and shopping options. Credit: City Realty
Cipriani Residences, 55 Wall Street, Financial District
“These are super deluxe small apartments,” Horsley said. “They’ve got every facility in the world.” The long list of amenities includes an on-site restaurant, dry cleaning, pet sitting, a salon, a reading room, a tanning booth, and shopping options.
Running on pavement takes a different kind of shoe than trails or treadmills. Credit: Petr Dosek/flickr
With spring, it seems like they are suddenly everywhere, popping up in bright colors all along sidewalks and crowding parks. So instead of dodging runners, how about joining them?
Today is National Running Day, and there are few easier ways to get fit than lacing up a pair of kicks, putting in some headphones and taking to the road.
“It’s almost like, why aren’t you running?” jokes Giovanni Jimenez, a manager at Brooklyn Running Co. “I don’t think [racing] has a lot to do with our sport anymore; you have a lot of people participating.”
While the convenient thing about running is that you can do it pretty much anywhere, not every shoe is created equal. We asked Jimenez which shoes are best suited to various city terrains.
Asphalt: Streets and paved paths want something “soft and squishy that you can manipulate” with a feeling “like stepping into cake.” Ultimately, it comes down to preference: Are you looking for something lightweight, racy or a workhorse that can collect miles? Every brand has a signature feel. “It’s sort of like picking your own mattress: Which one is more comfortable?”
Trail: “I would pay attention to the tread on the shoe,” he says. Lightweight trail shoes that can dig into the dirt a little better are ideal; think road tires vs. mountain bike tires. Nike’s waffle tread is iconic for a reason. Try the Nike Zoom Terra Kiger ($125), “a good example of a true trail shoe.” If you want to go way off the beaten path, consider Inov-8, a British shoe company that’s becoming a darling of the Crossfit movement.
Long distance: The Brooks Running Glycerin 12 ($150) has “a ton of cushion,” and the newest model, which came out on June 1, shed nearly an ounce of weight. The shoe has what Brooks calls an “ideal pressure zone” construction to distribute pressure evenly along the foot, maximizing shock absorption.
Treadmill: Indoor running has its benefits. “You’re already removing a ton of the impact; you’re not running on the asphalt, that treadmill is going to flex a little bit,” Jimenez says. Opt for a “nice little racing flat or lightweight trainer” like the Mizuno Wave Sayonara ($120), which is especially easy on the midsole, with a low profile.
Just starting out? Brooklyn Running Co. doesn’t just cater to the experts — in fact, beginning this month they’ve set up a Running Academy for beginner and intermediate levels, with coaches and crew to guide you on achieving your running goals.
Expert advice: Get the right fit
Going into a running-centered store can feel intimidating, acknowledges Matthew Rosetti, Brooklyn Running’s co-founder. But the equipment and expertise can help you not just find the right shoe, but one that heads off potential problems.
“Running is a repetitive stress type activity,” he says. “So over time, incrementally, you can develop some repetitive stress injuries as a result of imbalances that may occur from working at a desk in a terrible posture all day.”
And like car tires need alignment, so does your stride. At Brooklyn Running, the experts ask about a runner’s habits and injury history, then assess their running and walking gait to choose a shoe and recommend possible corrective action, like stretching or massage, or gear like orthotics or insoles.
“We’re not doctors at all, and we don’t believe that any one piece of footwear can be truly corrective,” Rosetti says. “But it’s a good place to start.”
Don’t suppress your anger, which may still come out in unpleasant ways. Credit: ThinkStock
Question: Ever since I had a baby a few months ago, my mother keeps sending me baby clothes that I don’t like, need or have space for. She constantly texts me with advice. She’s always been like this — doing things for me because it meets her needs, not mine. When I express my irritation, my mother says I’m unappreciative and that it’s unladylike to be angry, which really infuriates me and makes me feel a bit ashamed. What should I do?
When I was a 20-something living in San Francisco, my Harvard-educated feminist roommate introduced me to “her bible:” Dr. Harriet Lerner’s “The Dance of Anger.” Initially, I couldn’t understand why such a privileged, educated young woman could feel so strongly about a book that explores women’s anger. But as I began to read, many of Lerner’s points and examples resonated with me, only I had been socialized to hide my anger or call it something more acceptable: frustration.
While it’s been ages since I read Lerner’s book, a few points have always stuck with me:
Anger is not only a natural emotion that is nothing to be ashamed about;
It’s also a powerful signal worth heeding;
When channeled constructively, it can transform relationships, especially with ourselves.
Let’s start with the first point: It’s natural. Anger is one of the five fundamental emotions: mad, glad, sad, bad (guilty) and afraid. It’s hardwired into our brains to protect ourselves against perceived threats. Like other emotions, it triggers physiological and biological reactions in our bodies, including changes in heart rate, blood pressure and adrenaline. So honor your anger — it’s there for a reason.
This leads to my second point: Anger is a signal that our boundaries are being violated. Historically, anger rallied men to protect their land, livelihood and family against intruders (perhaps another reason why men are allowed to express anger, even celebrated for it, while “bossy” women are often called a word that rhymes with witches).
In your case, your mother is the intruder into your personal space, undermining your sense of competency. Aside from being a doting grandmother, she clearly has a hard time determining where she ends and you begin.
Because she doesn’t show respect for your own needs and boundaries, your anger is urging you to push back. This leads to my last point: How you push back can make a difference in how she responds and, more importantly, how you feel about yourself. Lashing out at her is only going to make things worse. Yet suppressing your anger isn’t the answer either, especially if this has been an ongoing dynamic. Here are my suggestions:
1. Write an uncensored letter to her that expresses every horrible and annoying thing she has ever done. But do not send this letter; it’s intended to help you release anger from your body so that it doesn’t fester or leak out in undesirable ways. Give yourself permission to fully feel your feelings without judging them.
2. Show appreciation while setting clear boundaries. Set up a time (when you’re not in the middle of an argument) to meet. Begin by saying that you appreciate her desire to be helpful and involved with her grandchild. Then, explain that you need some room, free of her feedback, to develop your own parenting style and confidence as a new mother. You might appeal to her own sensibilities as a parent; for example, “Mom, you must understand how fun it is to pick out your children’s clothes. I, too, would like to do that for my own daughter.”
3. Finally, accept that while you can assert your own needs, you can’t control how others respond. If your mother still refuses to respect your wishes, you may need to let go and approach her with a sense of humor. At least you’ve made your case. And if she sends you stuff you don’t need, donate it to charity. At least her goodwill won’t be completely wasted.
This column is not intended to be a substitute for a private consultation with a mental health professional, nor is this therapist liable for any actions taken as a result of this column. Metro does not endorse the opinions of the author.
Sleep is when your body flushes out potentially harmful chemicals. Credit: ThinkStock
Burning the midnight oil could be costing you more than your concentration the next day. A new study out of the Netherlands shows that sleep may be key to flushing your body of a protein that’s known to be key in the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers at Radboud University Medical Center tested the spinal fluid of 26 healthy men with normal sleeping patterns before and after either a regular night’s sleep or staying awake for 24 hours. The rested men showed a 6 percent lower concentration of amyloid beta proteins, which form the neural plaque long thought to play an important role in the degenerative brain condition. The sleepless study participants showed no change in their levels of amyloid beta.
“We think the beta is cleared from the brain or less produced during sleep,” head researcher Dr. Jurgen Claassen said. If you keep deferring your sleep debt — the researchers noted that partially sleepless nights for a week add up to an all-nighter — the protein could build up and raise your risk of developing Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
And there’s more bad news for the sleep deprived: Not just any sleep will do. Sleepers who got better quality Zs decreased their amyloid-beta levels by more than their restless peers, according to the study.
Shruti Jain’s winning wasabi-spiced aduki bean burger recipe incorporates sesame seeds and a wasabi-avocado dressing. Credit: Natural Gourmet Institute
If you’re under the impression that veggie burgers are no more than edible hockey pucks, you’d better think again.
The Natural Gourmet Institute challenged its graduates on Monday to create the best-tasting meatless burger. The contestants had two hours to prepare their burgers, which were inspected for taste, texture, originality and presentation. Judges Mark Rosati, Culinary Development Director of Shake Shack, Peggy Neu, President of the Meatless Monday campaign and Neal Harden, Executive Chef and partner of Pickle Shack ultimately crowned Shruti Jain the winner for her Wasabi Spiced Adzuki Burger.
Check out the recipes for the winning burger, as well as the other two finalists below:
Kaitlin Maritato’s creative concoction utilizes tempeh as its burger base. Credit: Natural Gourmet Institute
BBQ Tempeh Temptation Burger (Kaitlin Maritato)
(Smoked tempeh and barbecue sauce burger with cabbage and radish slaw)
Yields: 4 patties
Ingredients:
Smoked Tempeh
¾ lb tempeh
1 tbsp adobo sauce from can of chipotle peppers in adobo
3 ½ tbsp shoyu or tamari
BBQ Spice
1 tbsp smoked paprika
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp garlic
3 tsp black pepper
½ tsp cayenne
3 tsp oregano
3 tsp thyme
BBQ Sauce
½ cup bourbon
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp BBQ Spice (note: BBQ Spice recipe above makes more than 1 tbsp. Only use 1 tbsp of the combined mixture)
1 tsp minced garlic
Zest of 1 small lemon
½ cup crushed tomato
1 cup black coffee
1/3 cup molasses
¼ cup red wine vinegar
Burger Assembly/Toppings
4 whole wheat burger buns
4 slices of swiss cheese
1 ½ C Cabbage and Radish Slaw (recipe attached)
Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Slice the tempeh into 1 to 2 inch pieces
3. Combine the tempeh, adobo and tamari in a medium sauté pan. Add enough water just to cover the tempeh. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Remove from liquid and set aside.
4. Combine all the BBQ spice ingredients in a small bowl and mix together.
5. Bring bourbon to a boil in medium sauté pan. Cook on high until reduced by half.
6. Add remaining BBQ Sauce ingredients to the bourbon. Simmer and whisk until all ingredients are thoroughly combined and sauce thickens slightly; about 5 minutes.
7. Add the smoked tempeh to the BBQ sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
8. While tempeh is cooking, prepare Cabbage and Radish Slaw and Frizzled Onions (recipes attached)
9. Remove tempeh from sauce. Set any remaining sauce aside. Put tempeh in food processor and pulse until ground into a coarse meal. Form into 4 evenly-sized patties.
10. Heat grill/grill pan to high. Place patties on grill and cook for 8-10 minutes each side. If you would like the burger to be a slightly firmer texture after grilling, bake in pre-heated oven for another 5-10 minutes. In the last few minutes of grilling or baking, top each patty with 1 slice of Swiss cheese and allow the cheese to melt.
11. Remove the patties from heat and place on burger buns. Top each burger with 1/3 cup of Cabbage and Radish Slaw and garnish with Frizzled Onions.
Cabbage & Radish Slaw
Yields: 2-3 cups
Ingredients:
½ head of a small green cabbage
5 red radishes
¾ cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp Greek yogurt
2 tbsp grated yellow onion
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
½ tbsp mustard powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Procedure:
1. Finely shred the green cabbage and radishes using a food processor or box grater. Mix the cabbage and radishes together in a large bowl.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, yogurt, onion, honey, vinegar and mustard. Add to the cabbage and radish mixture.
3. Mix well and taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper as desired.
Caramelized Cauli Burgers (Alyssa Loscalzo)
(Cauliflower burger, caramelized onions and creamy burger sauce)
Yields: 4 burgers
Ingredients:
4 T. olive oil (divided)
1 head cauliflower (stem and leaves removed)
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 onion (diced)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tsp. dried parsley
2 tsp. capers
1 tsp. hot sauce
1 tsp. chickpea miso
1/2 cup cooked brown basmati rice (cooled)
1/2 cup w. wheat breadcrumbs
Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Wash cauliflower. Place cauliflower on baking pan. Add 1 T. oil, salt and red pepper. Roast cauliflower in preheated oven. Cook for 45-55 minutes. When cooled, cut into florets. Place aside.
3. In a medium sauté pan on medium heat, add 1 T. oil and onion, cook until translucent. Add garlic, when fragrant add, parsley, capers and hot sauce.
4. In a food processor, add miso, rice and bread crumbs. Process for 30 seconds. Add sautéed onion mixture and cauliflower. Process until well blended.
5. Scoop even palm size balls onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Press and even out burgers. Place baking sheet in the freezer to firm burgers for 15 min.
6. In a medium frying pan add 2 T. oil, place burgers in pan, be careful not to crowd the pan. Cook burgers for 3-5 min. on each side or until done. Serve on a warm toasted bun, with caramelized onions and creamy burger sauce.
Caramelized Onions
Yields: Condiment for 4-6 burgers
Ingredients:
2 T. canola oil
2 onions (sauté sliced)
1/4 tsp. salt
Procedure:
1. In a sauce pan on med low heat, add oil and onions. Do not sauté onions. Let them sweat and caramelized for 20-25 min. Add salt and stir onions until they have a golden hue.
Creamy Burger Sauce
Yields: Condiment for 4-6 burgers
Ingredients:
2 cup soaked raw cashews
1/4 cup water
5 green pimento olives
1 tsp. agave
2 tsp. sweet chili sauce
Procedure:
1. In a blender, add ingredients and blend until smooth. Add more water if desired.
(Adzuki bean burger, caramelized onions, wasabi avocado mousse on a multigrain burger bun)
Yields: 2 burgers
Ingredients:
2 cups soaked adzuki beans
1 tsp butter
1 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic
2/3 cup minced shallots
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp minced green pepper
¼ tsp grounded black pepper
1 tbsp fresh rosemary
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp sweet tamarind paste
1 cup tomatoes small diced
½ cup shredded carrot
1/3 cup shredded beetroot
1 tsp apple cider vinegar (optional)
Sesame seed enough to coat the burger
Procedure:
1. Pressure cook adzuki bean with enough water to cover the beans. It will take 15 – 20 minutes.
OR
1. Place adzuki beans in a small pan with 4 – 5 cups water and cook until soft. This will take 50-60
minutes. Mash the beans.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 350F.
3. In a sauté pan, warm the butter and olive oil. Add garlic, shallots and salt and let them sweat.
4. Now add green pepper, rosemary, black pepper, paprika and tamarind paste. Let it cook for 5
more minutes on low flame, then add tomatoes and let the mixture cook for 10 minutes on a
medium flame.
5. Add mashed beans to the onion mixture and remove it from the flame. Let it cool slightly and
then add shredded carrots and beetroot. Taste and add vinegar. Add more salt if needed.
6. Make 2 patties of 3.5-4 oz. each using the mix. Coat it with sesame seeds on both the sides.
7. Brush a baking sheet with oil and bake the patties for 10-20 minutes on each side. Finish grilling
the patties on a grilling pan.
Wasabi-Avocado dressing and caramelized onions
Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato, sliced long & thin (like fries)
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp onion powder
1 ripe avocado
1.5 tsp wasabi powder
1 tsp lemon
1/2 tsp maple syrup
Salt to taste
1 ripe avocado small diced
1 tsp butter
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup onions thinly sliced
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 sesame multigrain burger buns
1 small head Boston lettuce
1 small tomato
½ Cup micro greens
Procedure:
1. Preheat the oven to 425F.
2. Toss sweet potato with spices and olive oil and bake it in the oven for 25 minutes until crisp and
brown.
3. In a food processor, add one avocado, wasabi powder, maple syrup and salt. Process until
smooth. Add lemon and diced avocado to the mixture.
4. In a pan, add butter, oil and onions and let it sweat. Let it cook till the pan gets brown at the
bottom on a low flame. Add balsamic vinegar and caramelize it.
5. Place a Boston lettuce, tomato and the patty on the base of the bun. Top the patty with caramelized
onion, avocado dressing and micro greens.
This Tuscan Cannellini Ragout dish is just one of many you can make using Fresh Routes’ handy dinner kits. Credit: Josh Wessler
There’s a new gourmet store in town, and it’s in a near the 4-5-6 platform in Union Square subway station. Sound impossible? Unhealthy? Or at least unsanitary? Well, not anymore. Startup Fresh Routes lets you could buy everything you need to make a wholesome family dinner without ever leaving the station.
The goal of Fresh Routes, which opened its store this week, is to provide “fresh food dinner kits for people on the go,” each of which contains all the ingredients, which are organic and locally sourced when possible, with directions necessary to create a meal for four in under 30 minutes.
We tested out one of kits, choosing the special of the day, the “Thai coconut chicken” box. “Berbere-Spiced Beef with Cremini Mushrooms” and a vegetarian option, “Soho Rice Bowl with Avocado Relish” were also available.
Inside the box, we found one sheet of instructions with tidy plastic-wrapped portions of fresh ingredients like sugar snap peas, cilantro and raw chicken, along with some prepackaged spices and a can of coconut milk.
From box to bowl, constructing the entire meal was well within Fresh Routes’ estimate of 30 minutes. Our 6-year-old taste-tester gave a thumbs up: “It’s good! I like the pasta.”
To be sure, it isn’t a 5-star meal, and home cooks definitely need some basic tools. But for those who want to pick something up on their commute home without sacrificing a homemade meal, a box from Fresh Routes fits the bill, and four servings for around $34 doesn’t break the bank, either.
Fresh Routes stands out from competitor meal-delivery and food-kit services like Blue Apron and Plated thanks to their brick-and-mortar storefront. “Being able to provide customer service in person is something we think is essential, especially when it comes to food,” says Fresh Routes CEO Josh Wessler. “Customers want flexibility to when it comes to buying their food.
If the thought of buying dinner in a subway station makes you balk, have no fear. All food in the Fresh Routes kits are prepared and packed in a sanitary facility uptown, as well as stored and delivered cold to the site. “Cleanliness was one of the biggest concerns we had [when designing the store],” says Wessler.
The Fresh Routes pop-up store will remain at its Union Square location through at least the summer, and possibly for the rest of the year.
This could be you — with a lot of caffeine. Credit: Pixland
Get ready to shop till you drop — from sleep deprivation.
For the first time, J.Crew will launch a dedicated CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Shop at its Prince Street store to offer three exclusive designer collections before they become available elsewhere.
The CVFF shop will be open for 24 hours beginning Thursday at 8 p.m., in advance of the collections’ global launch on Monday, June 16.
This year, J.Crew is debuting three collaborations with the 2013 winner and runner-ups: Public School (who was also named the CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year), Marc Alary and Juan Carlos Obando. The collections feature 19 indigo-inspired pieces including skirts, vests, jewelry, chambray shirts, sweatpants and tees.
But even if you were first in line on Monday, you may not get a piece of the collections: The majority have already sold out via online preorders. So this event is your chance to own the hottest color of the season by Vogue-approved designers.
J. Crew 24-Hour CFDA Shop 99 Prince St. (at Mercer Street) 8 p.m. Thursday – 8 p.m. Friday
