Toronto Stay-cation: Body Blitz Water Spa and Arepa Cafe

Yesterday a girlfriend and I decided to treat ourselves to a spa date. We went to the highly recommended Body Blitz Spa (http://bodyblitzspa.com/). I've been meaning to head there ever since I received a lovely Amex gift card for my birthday and I'm so glad I did.

Body Blitz offers a range of services from scrubs to massages but their signature facility is their "waters". There is a circuit featuring a sea salt pool, eucalyptus steam room, sauna, cold plunge pool and green tea pool. If you get any treatments, access to the waters is included but you can also experience the waters on their own. Their treatments are quite expensive (i.e. $90 for a 30 minute massage) so my girlfriend and I decided to try the waters on their own. On Tuesdays, access to the waters is discounted by $10. Bonus!

I paid around $45 for access to the waters and a soothing ginger tea drink (that the staff deliver to you while you bathe). This is definitely not something I would do all the time, but once in a while it is a lovely experience. At Body Blitz, they think of everything! You are provided with towels, a robe, flip flops, hair ties, spray deodorant and hair dryers! The products in their showers and vanity are all made in the spa and from quality ingredients. They even have plastic bags for you to put your bathing suit in after so you don't get your purse wet!

Not only relaxing, the waters have various therapeutic benefits. The steam room, sauna and green tea pool flush out your toxins. The cold plunge pool closes your pores and stimulates your thyroid (only if you go up to your neck- which I couldn't but I splashed water onto my face and neck). The sea salt pool relaxes your muscles with lovely waterfalls and jets, easing tension.

Sorry gentlemen, but Body Blitz is ladies only (and clothing optional).

After Body Blitz, my friend suggested we grab a snack at nearby Arepa Cafe (http://arepacafe.blogspot.com/). I had never had arepas (a Venezuelan breakfast/ snack muffin) before but she described them to me as a gluten-free (cornmeal based) English muffin with a variety of fillings. I ordered a pork and tomato arepa and my friend ordered something with steak, avocado, cheese and tomato. My arepa came with three thick pieces of tender pork and a juicy slice of tomato. My friend's arepa looked equally delicious and filling.

The server assured me that the pork was not spicy and my friend warned me against using the sauces you get (white= garlic mayo, green= spicy, red= super spicy). It would have been nice to have non-garlic mayo as an option but my arepa was delicious nonetheless. The arepa dough is cooked perfectly crispy on the outside but soft on the inside.

Prices are fair ($7-9/ arepa) considering how much food you get. Many of the items have cheese but I'm sure you can ask for none. They also offer delicious looking deserts (some of which are gluten free). I was tempted to try the fried plantains with honey and pistachios but decided to save room for dinner instead.

In addition to arepas and desserts, you can also find salads, finger foods, fancy coffee drinks and a bar offering beer, wine and Venezuelan rum.

Arepa Cafe also sells the P.A.N. flour so you can make your own arepas at home! P.A.N flour is considerably cheaper and easier to prepare than other gluten-free starches I've encountered; all you do is add warm water and and salt!

I'm excited to make some "mock McMuffins" at home and visit Arepa Cafe again.

Hockey Game Food: Lentil- Beef Burgers

I'm writing this as I watch the home opener for the Toronto Maple Leafs (home-team in my adopted city). Later tonight, Vancouver Canucks (who are in my humble opinion as a lifelong Canucks fan, the best team in the NHL) will play their home opener.

Hockey in Canada is like American football in the States, or football in Europe- a must see event.

Hockey means pub food and beer- both of which are very food-allergy unfriendly. Recently, I got cable at home! Now not only can I waste hours watching TV instead of doing schoolwork, I can watch hockey at home and make my own pub food.

My original plan was to make chicken wings. Usually pub chicken wings (even those pre-made in grocery stores) are coated in flour before frying. However, I saw my favourite gluten-free burger buns (O'doughs Flax Buns) on sale this week and decided to make burgers instead.

To accompany the burgers, I made a broccoli coleslaw (recipe to come) and heated up some Cavendish Farms From the Farm Potato Wedges that I bought at Shopper's Drug Mart (2 bags for $5). These potato wedges are labelled gluten-free and are simply seasoned (no garlic salt). I would make my own potato wedges but the sale price and convenience was just too good to turn down.

I also stopped by the liquor store for some gluten-free beer but they were sold out. Instead I picked up a regular beer for my boyfriend and a Strongbow cider (gluten-free!) for me. In reality, I drank maybe 1/5th of the Strongbow. Knowing your limit with alcohol is one of the best things you can do for your health, whether you have colitis or not.

As I've mentioned, I love a good burger. Chicken burgers and veggie burgers are alright but I like my burgers best when they are beefy. Ready-made frozen burgers are often (but not always) thickened up with breadcrumbs, and in general (especially "lean" varieties) are quite pricey ($10.99 for 6 burgers). Lentils are a vegetarian staple and often found in veggie burgers. I decided to mix lentils and lean ground beef for a more budget-friendly and low-fat burger.

I cooked my burgers on a George Foreman Grill and it didn't turn out as well as I hoped- the burgers fell apart a bit on the grill. Perhaps it would be wise to try this recipe next time with one more egg or to cook the burgers on a pan or using the oven broiler.

I read a little bit on the web about how to shape the burger patties. Some people like to use just their hands, other have expensive burger patty making gadgets. I used a very low-tech, low cost tool: a sour-cream container lid.

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef

540mL can of lentils (rinsed and drained)

1 egg

1 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp dijon mustard

1 tbsp gluten-free tamari sauce

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

What you need:

1 sour-cream container lid (yogurt lids, takeout container lids would also work)

1 large bowl

1 spoon or fork

1 George Foreman Grill or non-stick frying pan

18 burger-sized pieces of parchment paper

1 large plate or cookie sheet

Directions:

1) In the large bowl, thoroughly combine ground beef, lentils, egg, turmeric, mustard, gluten-free tamari sauce and pepper using a spoon or fork.

2) Using the container lid and the spoon or fork, shape hamburger patties individually and place flat on a plate with parchment paper on both sides. Make a small indent in the middle of the burger so it cooks evenly.

3) For burgers you are eating immediately, refrigerate for at least 30 mins to let the burger patties set.

For burgers you are freezing, place on a cookie sheet and freeze for about 2 hours before stacking and storing in ziplock bags. The double layer of parchment paper between each patty will prevent sticking.

Recipe makes 9 burgers.

4) Cook the burgers on the grill or pan. I cooked mine from the fridge for about 5 minutes on the grill. Cook time will vary depending on cooking method.

Advice from the internet tells me to thaw my frozen burgers before serving.

5) Serve on gluten-free buns with toppings and condiments of choice.

Enjoy!