80% of New Year’s resolutions don’t make it to February. Yeeks. Sorry. Not to start our 2019 Healthy Eating Guide off on a negative foot or anything. Are you determined, though, that this will be the year that you finally cut the junk, cut the excuses, and buckle down so you don’t have to move that ol’ belt buckle? We thought so and therefore, we’d like to give you a leg up on throwing that 80% statistic to the ground and showing it who is boss. When you surround yourself with the healthy stuff, it makes it easy to enjoy the healthy stuff, so that said, we’ve got a nice long list of inventive, delicious, inspiring spots that are serving up food that will help you cruise into February with your head held high.
Acai: the dark purple berry from the lush jungles of the Amazon has made its way to the recently opened Playa Bowls kitchen in Fairfield. With almost 50 locations, Playa Bowls has quickly grown from an idea in New Jersey to a nationwide phenomenon that highlights Acai, the berry that makes it all happen.
Acai contains the nutrients that provide a natural energy boost that doesn’t overload the stomach. Playa Bowls uses this berry to its best ability by complementing it with concoctions of other fruits and intricate, yet simple, twists of decadent flavors that are rarely seen in a bowl.
We are only a few short weeks into this brand-spanking new year, and TVs are blaring with eating program ads, magazine covers are screaming about how to “Lose 10 lbs. in a week!” and gyms are overflowing with people running for their lives on treadmills (Run, Forrest, Run!). Naturally, the CTBites answer to the holiday indulgences? EAT! Ok, ok…eat…HEALTHILY! Our fair state is brimming with amazing grocers, restaurants, and speciality stores that can help you get back on track after a season of going full-tilt boogie with the eating and drinking. The best part is that everything is so delicious and interesting. Branch out this year and try some new flavors and foods…goji berries, Matcha, Cauliflower pizza crust (wha!), Jackfruit! Dive in and explore. Here are some venues that will help you do just that. One more note: We fully realize that due to the sheer amount of noteworthy establishments, we are not able to list them all here. Please refer to our past Healthy Eats roundups for more listings and also, please chime in with places that you know and love. The more the merrier!
What should I make for dinner? This daily lament is the million billion dollar question fueling a booming meal kit industry. Weekly deliveries of fresh ingredients with easy-to-follow recipes offer the promise of an easy weeknight dinner. However, a growing segment of this audience such as young professionals and busy families is seeking something even simpler, less time consuming, and healthier.
Mix Creative Kitchen is the latest to grace the ever-growing and increasingly popular health-focused, quick serve restaurants in the area. Located near the bottom of Greenwich Avenue on Elm Street, a brightly lit café style eatery now occupies the longtime vacant space. The restaurant was created on the premise of bringing together “fast food” and “real food,” a theme that seems to be trending in Fairfield County. As I walked in and surveyed the premises, noting the salad and bowl areas as well as the items in the refrigerated sections I was reminded of other local favorites; The Granola Bar, Organika, B.GOOD and Freshii and was curious to see how this would stack up against the competition.
Tyler Moss is rolling into town, quite literally, with a new Thai rolled ice cream and dessert truck that elevates this food trend to the next level. After nearly dying from an allergic reaction to a peanut, Moss, who previously ran the popular Bun Burger Bun allergen friendly food truck, is reaching out to his fan base again and providing a healthier dessert option in the form of outrageously creative frozen desserts, coffee, and hot cocoa. Cocoanuts is the name to look for, and the truck will be parked outside the South Norwalk Ice Rink starting in late October. What’s on the menu? Cocoanuts will be serving up non -dairy, gluten free, vegan desserts to the hungry masses using coconut cream, coconut milk, and other allergen friendly ingredients. The best part...these desserts are so rich and delicious, you would never know they are allergen free.
Tomato season is in fill swing in CT and Barcelona Wine Bar is featuring this gorgeous local bounty. There is nothing simpler than this recipe for Tomato Montadito w/ Goat Cheese but some things are better left simple.
Embody believes in eating local, keeping things simply and honoring ourselves by eating real food! This summer salad with edible Nasturium flowers makes for a beautiful dish to bring to parties or just to enjoy on your own. Takes only 15 minutes to make! Also, the majority of the ingredients are LOCAL (from the Westport CT Farmers Market) and all are organic.
Cask Republic will be demoing this gorgeous salad at The Westport Farmers' Market July 20th. If you can't get to Westport, feel free to enjoy this healthy summer salad in your own home. We encourage you to shop your local famers' market for ingredients. Tomatoes season has just started in CT. Make the most of it!
Summer has finally arrived, and with heat and humidity, nothing is more refreshing than a chilled soup. On July 6, Chef David Romero of Tavern on Main in Westport, will be serving up his delicious Chilled Beet Soup with Greek Yogurt and Dill, featuring beets, herbs and yogurt from the Westport Farmer’s Market. Here is the recipe:
Chef Anthony Kostelis will be one of the many guest chefs at The Westport Farmers' Market for the 2017 summer season. The complete lineup will be released shortly. In the meantime, Chef Kostelis has shared one of the recipes he will be demoing at the market, Kohlrabi & Radish Salad with Goat Feta and Zesty Breadcrumbs, made with local ingredients from CT farms. When you create this salad at home we encourage you to seek local purveyors at a farmers' market near you.
Kohlrabi and Radish Salad with Goat Feta and Zesty Breadcrumbs
After nine years, EMBODY FITNESS GOURMET has a new location in Darien, at the Palmer’s Market Shopping Center (380 Heights Road). This is one of three Embody grab-n-go healthy organic locations; the others residing in New Canaan and Westport.
Embody is our go-to spot for protein shakes, juices, and salads. In Darien, they have also started serving Intelligentsia coffee--one of the top coffee roasters in the country. Embody's menu embraces all forms of lean proteins and nutrient dense vegetables and fruits in their menu creations, many of which pair well together allowing customers to mix and match items for an entire day's worth of nutrition. My personal favorite...The Almond Buzz, a perfect combination of almond butter, almond milk, bananas, cacao and protein powder.
Cataplana is a Portuguese seafood dish originating in the southern region of Portugal in Algarve, and it is about as traditional a Portuguese dish as you can get. It uses a copper cooking device also called a Cataplana which unique to the Algarve region. If you don’t have this vessel you simply can use a pan with a lid.
This dish we are going to make is a variation using a fresh fish like Halibut, littleneck clams, and Spanish chorizo. Cataplana is perfect for making this dish because it efficiently contains the flavor and heat of the contents in the dish to provide a uniquely flavored and scented dish, simply without any fuss.
We couldn’t be happier that spring is here! Savor the season with this light and yummy Fennel-Pear Salad. It's packed with flavor and just takes a few minutes to prepare.
Mushrooms are one of the few natural sources of vitamin D and they promote immune boosting functions by increasing production of antiviral proteins. Some of my favorite mushrooms are Shiitake. They are simply delicious and they taste particularly divine in this, always fool-proof, oven roasted lemon and parsley chicken one-tray recipe. It takes 35 minute in the oven and minimal prepping. Even my children, those little rascals always poo-pooing mushrooms, after falling from their chairs laughing when they heard the word SHIITAKE, gobbled these ones down!
We usually post our “Healthy Eats” roundup at the beginning of January, when everyone is recovering from their holiday-induced food stupors. Indulgence ruled the roost for one-too-many weeks, so January brings a time of detox “get it all away from me” vigilance. After thinking about all of this healthy food, though, we realized that healthy eating isn’t just for those first weeks in January; it’s for all twelve months. I mean, man cannot survive on pork belly and butter alone (can he?).
The Granola Bar of Westport and Greenwich will soon be opening its doors in Stamford's Harbor Point District as part of an exciting and large scale expansion plan. The Granola Bar has joined forces with Trilynx, an investment and operating platform whose founders have more than 15 years of experience in hospitality brands such as Disney and Starwood Hotels. This new team will take The Granola Bar's breakfast and lunch hot spot beyond the boundaries of CT, but more immediately, will debut the first ever The Granola Bar TO GO at 700 Canal Street in Stamford in spring 2017 (directly across from Fairway Market).
Dig Inn, a highly successful natural restaurant with 13 locations in Manhattan and one in Boston is opening its first suburban venture on January 12th at 112 S. Ridge Street at the Rye Ridge Plaza. Dig Inn mindfully sources ingredients to deliver wholesome meals at a reasonable price, democratizing good, food. Along with the company's signature menu with farm fresh options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, this location will include new and unique features specifically created for Westchester County.
The Rye location will feature family packages, long tables for communal noshing, private nooks for working and reading, and cooking classes with our head chefs. In addition, it will offer an intimate 10-seat chef’s counter, serving vegetable-forward entrees, including mushroom tartare on flax crackers, and black lentils, grilled chicories, and butternut squash conserva…perfect for date night.
Gino and Cathy Riccio have been an integral part of the Fairfield County restaurant scene for the past three decades, but their newest venture – an organic plant-based eatery – is uncharted territory for the couple. While many alleged healthy eateries have been popping up all over the place, Organika Kitchen takes the idea of healthy eating to a new level. I recently sat down the Riccios to learn about the inspiration behind their latest endeavor.
Organika is more than a restaurant Gino explained, “It’s an experience that is as much about the food as it is the customers and the employees.” Organika opened its doors in August to praise from vegetarians, vegans and meat-eaters alike. Cathy expanded on her husband’s thoughts. “We felt that we needed to be eating healthier. We grew up eating healthy, but somewhere along the way processed foods started to enter our diets. Now we have all this modified food and heavy-duty pesticides so even when we try to eat healthy we aren’t always.”
