Inspired by summer-like weather we have just taken our bikes into get tuned up so we can hit the roads and trails safely this summer. While many may complain about Vancouver’s bike lanes disrupting their commutes, we think it’s great that our city celebrates cycling and embraces this green means of transport no matter what the weather. There are lots of bike rental spots should you need to rent, and many events even have free bike lock up. Throw on a pair of sporty sandals, I’ve just found some lovelies, from Keen UNEEK Foot Wear, and they’re perfect for going from cycle to patio.…
Author: Cassandra Anderton
Saturday, 30 May 2015 from 5:00 PM to 11:30 PM (PDT) Vancouver, BC 5pm – 12:30am 50+ Hawkers…Hawking up Vancouver’s most unique food offerings! DJ Sets All Night Long The Steve Z’s Covering The Life Aquatic Soundtrack at 9pm The Life Aquatic Screening 10:30pm Visit Hawkersmarket.com for lineup details Hawker Fest explores the best of Vancouver’s artisan community. FREE admission courtesy of Flook – Vancouver’s mobile marketplace. Flook is a new way to buy & sell locally in your neighbourhood. Show your downloaded Flook app at the door for free admission (download links: Apple and Google Play)
You know those underground dinners you always meant to attend? Well they’re back! Plate Invaders serves up a delicious vegan meals made with seasonal local produce in an intimate setting. On May 20/31 there are two seatings, the first from 6pm til 8pm, the second from 8:30pm til late. TICKETS If you want drinks, please bring your own bottle and let them know well in advance about allergies. Kindly they also donate 10% of all proceeds to a local animal charity. The dinner happens in a private East Van location. It is up a flight of stairs and not wheelchair accessible. After you…
LOVE Santa Monica and went this spring. The article below was published in Darpan Magazine print and online. More travel writing please! Heading to Southern California has never been easier with many direct flights a day into Orange County, Palm Springs and Los Angeles. While the larger cities may sound tempting, we suggest that you take a true beach-side escape and head to Santa Monica, where you can experience a touch of Hollywood glamour in an outdoor paradise where the city meets the sea. READ MORE ON DARPAN
Owners of British Columbia greenhouses are inviting their neighbours and customers to tour four Lower Mainland greenhouses on May 23 and to see for themselves how so much can be produced from so little, and for so long. To visit a B.C. greenhouse is to look through a figurative, and rarely uncovered, window and see modern science’s solutions to the time-and-space restraints on food production that have challenged humankind since the first nomad planted the first grain seeds 12,000 years ago. In B.C., greenhouse production of flowers and vegetables accounts for 21 per cent of total agriculture production. Remarkably, that…
TONIGHT! May 21, 2015! A unique night of mingling and networking combined with all your favourite beauty services. Drink wine and connect while getting a blow out, a Dermalogica MicroZone Skin Treatment, an RMT back massage, a make-up touch up and a manicure. Find out first hand how it feels to help the women of the Downtown East Side through the magic of Beauty Night. 100% of the proceeds will go towards Beauty Night embracing the concept of “women helping women”. Just $50 TICKETS!
My first foray into Chinese Food was as a child at the local food fair in Orchard Park Mall in my hometown, Kelowna. I’d order up a some sweet and sour chicken, mostly consisting of batter and topped with a bright red overly sticky and sickly sweet sauce, and maybe some soggy chicken chow mein, a mess of overcooked noodles and a few sad looking veggies. I was a kid and it seemed more exotic than the other limited choices the mall offered, and the deep fried, sweet mess, somehow did the trick back in those days. When I moved…
Selfology Spa is a modern spa and salon at Granville and 16th in Vancouver who’s primary goal is to nurture you towards better health. Their treatments range from skin care to massage and makeup, as well as hair cuts and styling. This is my second very excellent visit to this spot! There is an awesome SocialShopper deal on now too! It’s a comfortable place with natural wood accents and the treatment rooms enable you to escape for an hour or two and enjoy a variety of healing treatments. My latest adventure at Selfology a including firming and slimming facial using the natural Sea Flora line…
TODAY #3 in the Greasy Spoon Diner Supper Series featuring the amazing Chef William Tse’s! Chef Tse taken the diner concept in an exciting and unexpected direction with a menu which features classic Asian comfort food delivered with a fine dining spin. Guests can look forward to a feast that includes short rib, pork belly, dumplings, crêpe and much more. The menu reflects Chef Tse’s passion for local and sustainable ingredients and includes paired drinks with every course. Greasy Spoon Diner Supper Series #3 — Chef William Tse First Course Corn Soup: Creamed corn, roasted garlic, chicken dumpling. Second Course Smoked…
This easy recipe is perfect for using up your ripe avocados. Best served fresh. I also like to cut out some of the water and use as a dip for carrots, pita bread, etc. Great with noodle salads too! 2 large, ripe avocados, peeled pitted and diced 1 large garlic clove, minced Handful of fresh cilantro leaves 5 tablespoons water, plus more if needed 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup Sea salt, to taste DIRECTIONS Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Add more water for a thinner…
One needn’t spend a fortune on makeup. A quick trip to London Drugs Make Up Counter proves that makeup can be put on, and taken off, at an super reasonable price, all without compromising quality. Check out our latest beauty finds. I blend the Marcelle CC Cream in with my foundation as it’s full of nourishing ingredients and adds a glow to the entire face, without that heavy caked-on look. It works to even skin tone, is high on the SPF scale for sun protection and reduces dark spots. It’s even infused with 24K gold for extra shimmer. $24.99 To line those lips with…
If you are a bit of a tech geek like me, you’ll get addicted to the Jawbone Fitness and Sleep Tracker. This attractive looking wristband tracks not only exercise, but calories burned, and hours slept and can even track your food intake should you care to enter it, which I actually don’t. It also has a “Smart Coach” which offers “Idle Alerts”, so if you set it to go off every hour you are inactive, or whatever time you choose, it will buzz and you can choose to ignore it, or take a lap around the room, fold some laundry, or…
It’s just about that time! Craft beer appreciation is growing and what better way to celebrate than with 10 days of events focused on the craft beer community. Thousands of beer enthusiasts from around the world take part in Vancouver Craft Beer Week, which celebrates fine beer and extraordinary flavours, and will be held in Vancouver from May 29th – June 7th 2015. Vancouver Craft Beer Week’s closing festival is the most attended craft beer festival in British Columbia and showcases the craft-brewing scene in all its delicious glory, with new and unique brews from across the globe. This year there…
Starting Friday, May 15th from 3pm-7pm it’s the start of this season’s MERCATO at the Italian Cultural Centre! Our Farmer’s Market with Italian flavour will host 40+ local farmers and artisans, feature freshly made Italian food by Il Centro’s Chef Nevada, live Italian music, fun activities for children at the Kids Korner, a raffle to win a brand new Vespa Primavera or a trip 2 to Rome and much more!
Cirque du Soleil is returning to Vancouver with a five-day engagement of Varekai, a captivating forest at the summit of a volcano inhabited by whimsical and enchanted creatures, at the Pacific Coliseum from May 20, 2015 to May 24, 2015. www.cirquedusoleil.com/varekai. Ticket prices range from $40 – $125 (subject to change). Synopsis Deep within a forest, at the summit of a volcano, exists an extraordinary world – a world where something else is possible. A world called Varekai. From the sky falls a solitary young man, and the story of Varekaibegins. Parachuted into the shadows of a magical forest, a kaleidoscopic world…
Our avocado adventures in the kitchen continue and we’ve discovered that they are also AWESOME as a substitute for some of the less healthy fats when crafting tasty chilled desserts. When you use Avocados from Mexico you will increase the nutritional value of your sweet treat by contributing nearly 20 vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients (plant compounds that promote good health). In addition, over 75% of the fat in avocados is unsaturated (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats), making them a great substitute for foods or ingredients high in saturated fat. And since I’ve just been told my cholesterol is too high and learned that avocados are one of…
Our pal and fellow food writer, Tara Lee, has come out with some very tasty sounding baked goods and is debuting The Scone Queen at Baker’s Market, May 24, June 7 & 14. At the Market, they’ll be three different kinds of scones: Cardamom and currant White chocolate and dried sour cherry Aged cheddar and chive (sweet and savoury) Tara stated that “scones have been a personal and family obsession for quite some time!” The Queen also suggests that you enjoy them with copious amounts of butter and/or clotted cream If your heart and stomach are calling out for scones, please email me…
As an addict of cookbooks, and an owner of many, I was eager to get my hands on the newest Whitewater Cooks with Passion Cookbook, the fourth in the serious. This book is indeed filled with passionate recipes, and just flipping through the pages reignited my own cooking passion. I’ve whipped up many of the easy to follow and extremely tasty recipes. Shelley Adams, the author, is the owner of Whitewater Ski Resort and the director of the Fresh Tracks Cafe in Nelson. She’s sharing the innovative recipes she’s become known for at the cafe, a collection of multicultural recipes that…
St. John Ambulance is urging Vancouverites to take safety into their own hands and get emergency ready with the launch of their dedicated emergency preparedness blog, 15 Easy Steps to Emergency Preparedness at EmergencyReady.ca. We are sharing this article on how to prepare for an emergency with and how to stock up on non-perishable food items so you can weather the storm with less stress. Fueling your body in an emergency is very different from your everyday diet. The focus is on meeting your basic needs rather than on satisfying any cravings and preferences. Of course, non-perishables and other emergency-friendly foods have…
Well, well, well, the LA Times just reported “According to a 2014 study by the American Chemical Society (ACS), sugars found in the plant that makes tequila could lower blood glucose levels for people with type 2 diabetes, and help obese people lose weight, researchers say. According to the study, Agavins, a natural form of sugar found in the agave plant, are non-digestible and can act as a dietary fiber, so they would not raise blood glucose.” So get out there and try some of this magic Elixir! The 4th Annual Vancouver International Tequila Expo? The Grand Tasting event features over 25 tequila and…
