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Asian Slaw and Potato Salad

A new vegetarian restaurant opened up today in downtown Asheville. Green Light Cafe, on Lexington near College (across from Tops Shoes) offers a new healthy option for dining out.

Everything on the menu is vegan or can be made vegan, with the exception of one of the dips. There are also several gluten-free options, although they do not have gluten-free bread for the sandwiches and wraps at this point. For the raw fooders, there are several salads and at least one raw dip.

The first thing they brought us was chlorophyll water, which they serve free of charge. It didn’t have a strong flavor but I did feel as though I was getting my meal off to an extra healthy start.

We then ordered the savory pocket appetizer which had a flakey spelt flour and coconut butter crust. It was magical. I will no doubt go back there many more times just to order that.

For entrees, we had sweet potato patties over rice with peanut sauce which was amazing, although a little more like breakfast than I’d expected. More sweet than savory. We also ordered the Jamaican Rice Mixup which was also a little sweeter than expected, but still a very filling, healthy, and tasty meal. The food was so filling actually, that we took half of it home with us.

But that didn’t stop me from ordering the Chunky Monkey cookie (I was won over by my server’s enthusiasm for it). It wasn’t the greatest cookie in the universe, but I did enjoy the blend of chocolate, banana, and walnut. They weren’t stingy with the good stuff.

High quality and generous portions and the whole thing cost us only $25 (before tip, after taxes).

More so than other restaurants, the staff seems so genuinely happy to serve their customers. It made me that much more happy about giving them my business. It’s a little unfortunate that their name is so similar to another healthy restaurant that is just a block away, The Green Sage, but on the other hand, Green Light Cafe has actually been around since 1998 as a catering and “mobile cafe” based out of Black Mountain. It is only their downtown Asheville location that is new.

So overall, I am genuinely excited about this new addition to Asheville. If you’re not a vegetarian or if you’re not into health food, you might be inclined to think “what do we need another healthy veg restaurant for?” But if you are into vegetarian health food, you’re probably just as tired as I am of eating the same things all the time. Green Light Cafe brings a whole new set of options to town. Check them out and give them your support!

[P.S. – like an idiot, I left my camera at home so I didn’t get any pictures. I’ll take some the next time I’m there. The picture currently on this post is from their website and is not what we ordered.]

Smashed up windows at the Grove Arcade

I remember being angry at how messed up the world is. I even remember thinking people who engaged in “civil disobedience” that involved stealing from and destroying property of big corporations were heroic.

Even at my angriest, I never would have even considered wrecking the storefronts of small, family-owned businesses in a little mountain city like Asheville. The only chain store in the effected area, which is a Subway restaurant, escaped unscathed.

From the Asheville Citizen-Times:

About 10:45 p.m. Saturday, a group of between 20-30 people wearing dark clothing, some wearing masks and carrying backpacks, threw items, including newspaper boxes, through windows of several businesses along O’Henry Avenue. A front window of the Asheville Citizen-Times was shattered, as were multiple storefronts at the Grove Arcade. An ATM was smashed at the RBC on O’Henry.

Multiple cars parked on Battery Park had their windows smashed.

The violence is likely linked to the observance of May Day, a day for marking worker solidarity that has been seized upon for anti-capitalism displays of violence, especially by self-proclaimed anarchist groups in Europe.

Several in the group yelled unintelligably as they vandalized. The group walked south on O’Henry Avenue and turned left on Battery Park Avenue. Some walked through the alley beside the Citizen-Times, where several employees of the paper had rushed to ensure the safety of their cars.

Talk about your random acts of senseless bullshit. For goodness sake, one of the vandalized shops, the Grove Arcade Copy Shop, has a big photo of the sweet-looking couple that owns the place right inside one of the smashed windows.

A comment on the article sums it up perfectly:

…this bunch of momma’s girls and boys who decided to get all radical in the most soft, liberal sympathizing, white-bred town they could find. LOL! Way to really show “the man” and take “the struggle” to the epicenter.

The Grove Arcade, where all this took place, is full of nothing but small locally-owned businesses, most of which take pride in supporting local artisans, farmers, and other local businesses. They are already struggling to survive in a down economy.

Since many of these “kids” were in their early- and mid-twenties, I am sure they came up with some amazing justifications for why they ran through downtown Asheville smashing stuff up. Wish I could hear what it was. I hope they all feel really stupid about this some day soon. Preferably from the inside of a jail cell.

The businesses that were vandalized include the Asheville Citizen-Times, RBC Bank, Grove Arcade, Grove Arcade Copy Shop, and The Eye Center.

Check out Veggie Trader! A new website that allows you to search for fruits and veggies grown by your neighbors in local back yard gardens. Sign up and you can trade your excess garden vegetables with your neighbors. Yet another way of building a strong local community!

It doesn’t seem like there’s much going on for Asheville yet, but I did my part to help change that by signing up for a Veggie Trader account. If my garden ever manages to produce excess I will be sure to list what I’ve got and hopefully trade with a neighbor for some good stuff that I’m lacking.

Sign up! Eat well! Get to know your neighbors!

Greenlife Grocery, more so than other large stores in the Asheville area, seems to be on the cutting edge of food options. While EarthFare only carries a few over-sweetened raw energy bars, raw crackers, and a couple of live food lunch-on-the-go type of items, Greenlife has an ever-expanding collection of raw food meals, snacks, desserts, fresh deli items, and ingredients.

For a long time, Greenlife has offered a full section of snacks about 7 shelves high. And they have featured some live food deli items for quite some time. In recent visits, I have discovered a new line of raw ice cream and a whole line of raw pies by Earth Cafe Living Foods in the freezer section. Both are out of this world delicious.

They have also expanded their selection of deli items and added a regular selection of to-go meals in the refrigerator. And they continue to add new snacks to their raw snack shelves all the time.

All the raw food isn’t in one place, so you have to become familiar with where everything is. Check the far left end of the deli case and the refrigerated area near the sushi. The refrigerated section in the produce area has some raw kimchee and sauerkraut and there is a mini fridge around the corner with some random items as well. The raw snacks are at the end of the pasta aisle facing the meat counter. And the frozen treats are a few feet away at the end of the freezer section.

Just like most people in Asheville, the employees at Greenlife are very friendly and helpful, so ask them to show you where all the raw food is and they’ll probably give you the full tour.

Greenlife is located at 70 Merrimon Ave.

BoBo Gallery is an art gallery, music venue, and vegetarian cafe all rolled into one. They are one of the few restaurants that seems to value the growing number of people who want vegan and gluten-free – not just one or the other. Their menu is mostly vegan and has extensive gluten-free options.

About half their menu is also raw and living foods, which is a first for Asheville. Other restaurants in town, such as Ophelia’s and Laughing Seed, offer raw specials or a couple of raw salads, but BoBo has a full menu of raw appetizers, entrees, and desserts.

This little gem is rare in the world and Asheville should feel very fortunate to have it. I hope everyone will support BoBo Gallery and enjoy their awesome food and friendly, welcoming environment.

BoBo Gallery is located in downtown Asheville at 22 Lexington Ave.

Update: I don’t think this restaurant exists anymore, but they do still exist as a small art gallery and bar. The Green Light Cafe has opened up in it’s place though and it’s delicious. Check it out.

It’s time to cast your vote for the 2008 Veggie Awards and this year, Asheville’s Laughing Seed Cafe has been nominated for “Favorite Vegetarian Restaurant”! VegNews Magazine will publish the winners in its 2008 Holiday edition.

I’ve eaten at about half of the restaurants on the list of nominees and I can honestly say that Laughing Seed is the best of the bunch. The only one that makes it competitive is Millenium, in San Francisco. The food at Millenium is absolutely amazing but it costs about 3 times as much to eat there and the food definitely isn’t 3 times as good as Laughing Seed. If you agree that Laughing Seed is the best vegetarian restaurant around, make sure you vote!

While you’re there, I’d like to plug some absolute favorites of mine, also up for awards:

• Pigs Peace Sanctuary – “Favorite Animal Sanctuary”
• Sidecar for Pigs Peace – “Favorite Vegan Storefront”
• Flying Apron Bakery – “Favorite Bakery”

Sidecar is a volunteer-run store and all its profits are used to support Pigs Peace Sanctuary. They need the publicity and deserve all the support you can give them. Their prices also tend to be lower than the nearby Whole Foods and PCC natural foods stores.

There are many restaurants in Asheville that have vegan or raw food options. Some are fantastic while others are quite disappointing. I’m listing all the restaurants I’ve tried, whether they are worth eating at or not, so don’t assume a place has good vegan or raw food just because it’s on this list. Read the review.

• Laughing Seed Cafe (All vegetarian)
  40 Wall St.
  Asheville, NC
  (828)252-3445
  Laughing Seed is a vegetarian restaurant with many vegan and gluten-free options. The food is healthy and very delicious. I’ve enjoyed the sea vegetable salad, shitake corn cakes, a few smoothies, the Harmony Bowl, and all the raw dishes on the menu, and all have been very good. They used to have a great raw tapas special on the menu every day that came with dessert, but now it’s just available randomly. Call to make sure they are serving it. There are some raw sprouted salads that are a part of their regular menu. Laughing Seed is definitely my favorite restaurant in town and the prices are not much worse than any other restaurant, depending on what you order.
• Firestorm Cafe & Books (All vegetarian. Mostly vegan.)
  48 Commerce St (downtown)
  Asheville, NC
  (828)255-8115
  For a gluten-intolerant vegan, this cafe has much more to offer than their menu lets on. They bill themselves as a vegetarian restaurant, but actually all of their food is vegan. The only non-vegan item in the restaurant is a milk option for your coffee. I also found out, from talking with staff, that they have gluten-free bread available for sandwiches. It isn’t listed on the menu – you just have to ask. The ginger sesame wrap is fantastic. In addition to food, this shop operates as a community space for movies, discussions, speakers, and all sorts of interesting events.
• Rosetta’s Kitchen (All vegetarian. Mostly vegan.)
  111 Broadway
  Asheville, NC
  (828)232-0738
  Rosetta’s Kitchen is easily the most vegan-friendly restaurant in town. The vast majority of their menu is vegan, although they do have a few vegetarian items. Rosetta’s Kitchen specializes in comfort foods. Since I prefer healthier meals, I haven’t loved everything I’ve ever ordered. I find some meals, such as the hot wings, to be lacking in vegetables. But they do a fantastic job with tofu, tempe, mashed potatoes, southern greens, biscuits, and plenty of other dishes. And their desserts are out of this world.
• BoBo Gallery (Not sure if they still serve food.)
  22 Lexington Ave.
  Asheville, NC
  (828)254-3426
  What a little gem this cafe is! BoBo Gallery is also a vegetarian restaurant that is mostly vegan and has an extensive raw menu with many appetizers, entrees, and desserts. A substantial portion of their menu is also gluten-free. The best part is that all of the menu items are very clearly labeled as vegan, gluten-free, and/or raw. I enjoyed their Thanksgiving raw dinner which featured mock turkey, dressing, mashed “potatoes”, corn pudding, pumpkin pie, and a heavenly glass of almond nogg. This is a new favorite of mine. I hope the community supports BoBo Gallery so that I can continue to enjoy this amazing menu.
• Green Sage Coffeehouse & Cafe
  5 Broadway St.
  Asheville, NC
  (828)252-4757
  How did I miss this place for so long? I’ve walked by it a hundred times and never bothered to look at the menu until I happened upon it today (8/23/2009). Breakfast all day, sandwiches and wraps, soups, salads, smoothies, and fresh juices. They also have mate lattes which are not easy to find around town. Almost everything on the menu can be made vegan and/or gluten-free. Their tofu scramble is amazing, and I don’t usually care much for tofu scramble. This is worth trying. I wasn’t crazy about the sweet potato home fries – very bland. But the scramble and the rice biscuit more than made up for it. This will absolutely be a regular place for me. Also be sure to check out their mission and “food and beverage goals” on their website. They are a model local business supporting best practices and the local economy. Eat here!
• Chai Pani
  22 Battery Park Ave.
  Asheville, NC
  (828)254-4003
  Chai Pani serves Indian street food and comfort food. What I love about this restaurant is that their vegan and gluten-free options are very clearly labeled on their menu. And sometimes they even overlap! The food is delicious and is a fun alternative to the standard American hippie food served at most restaurants that cater to vegan and gluten-free diets. The staff is very friendly and the restaurant has a happy feel to it. I have heard that the wait can be long and service can be slow, but I didn’t experience that when I went there.
• Ophelia’s Restaurant & Bar
  15 Eagle St.
  Asheville, NC
  (828)255-8154
  Ophelia’s isn’t a vegetarian restaurant but they do specialize in vegan and vegetarian options. They have a multi-course organic raw dinner special every weekend – starting Friday at 5 PM and continuing through the weekend for as long as the food lasts. I enjoy their raw soups very much and the salad and entrees have been good, but not spectacular. Their pumpkin pie is phenomenal. Call for price and menu. I’ve heard that they have an inexpensive lunch buffet with many vegan options, but I haven’t tried it for myself.
• Heiwa Shokudo
  87 N. Lexington Ave
  Asheville, NC
  (828)254-7761
  This little Japanese restaurant is a big favorite among a few vegans in town, which means that the staff is very knowledgeable about what is vegan on the menu. There are plenty of dishes to choose from if you’re vegan. The gluten-free options are not so plentiful, but there are a couple of good choices. Don’t be fooled by the buckwheat noodles – they have some regular wheat flour in them. The only item that approaches raw food is the seaweed salad, which is quite good. The entrees are rather pricey but you get a lot of food in each dish. Heiwa would be a great restaurant to visit for a mixed crowd with varying diets.
• Early Girl Eatery
  8 Wall St.
  Asheville, NC
  (828)259-9292
  I doubt if I’ll ever eat here again. Early Girl Eatery is a well-known restaurant in Asheville, and they have several vegan items on their menu. I ordered a tofu scramble with some mixed vegetables and it was not good. It wasn’t inedible or anything, but I could have done better at home. The vegetables tasted like they came out of a can.
• Mellow Mushroom Pizzeria
  50 Broadway St.
  Asheville, NC
  (828)236-9800
  If you really need a pizza, this is as good of a place as any to go. You can order the veggie and tofu pizza with no cheese. But that’s pretty much all they have. Their fake cheese isn’t vegan and they don’t have any interesting fake meats. The staff is very helpful and they have some nice outdoor seating right downtown. I’ve heard that service can be painfully slow there, but I didn’t experience that.
• Mela Indian Restaurant
  70 Lexington Ave.
  Asheville, NC
  (828)225-8880
  I tried Mela’s lunch buffet at the insistence of some omnivore coworkers. The upside is that Mela’s labels all of their vegan options, which I love. The downside is that they really don’t have very many vegan options. Even their rice isn’t vegan. It filled me up and I enjoyed the company, but I wouldn’t every bother going their on my own.
• Asheville Pizza & Brewing Co.
  675 Merrimon Ave.
  Asheville, NC
  (828)254-1281
  I got talked into going here with coworkers and was already committed to my gluten-free diet at the time, so I didn’t pay too close attention to the pizza selection. I do remember there were a couple of vegetarian pizzas that I’m sure could be ordered without cheese. I ordered a big salad that was pretty good…. for a salad.

I’ve been immensely impressed with the raw and vegan selections at grocery stores in Asheville. None of them have everything, but a few of them have an awful lot. Around here, just about any grocery store will have plenty of vegan options and good organic local produce to take home. I’m listing here only those grocery stores that seem to go above and beyond in their raw and vegan offerings.

• Earth Fare
  675 Merrimon Ave.
  Asheville, NC
  (828)254-1281
  Vegan: The first time I saw Earth Fare’s refrigerated section, I nearly wept tears of joy. They have the widest selection of prepared vegan meals and snacks I’ve ever seen. I’ve tried most of them, even the gluten-licious ones I’m not supposed to eat. Chicken nuggets, dumplings, chickpea “tuna” salad, quinoa salad, mushroom cakes, BBQ tofu, and a seaweed salad that I am addicted to. I regret that I never tried their delicious-looking tiramasu and other amazing pies, cakes, and cookies and have sinse sworn off sugar – for real this time. I don’t especially recommend their hot and cold food bar. It’s an ok place to eat if you’re hungry and always has a lot of vegan options, but the food tends to be mediocre.
  Raw: Earth Fare often has one or two raw entrees in its refrigerated isle. The raw lasagna is worth trying once but it’s too hard to eat and isn’t earth-shattering. Their collard wraps are a nice treat. Sometimes they have really good flax seed crackers, but they are very expensive. They have a good selection of raw nut butters, agave, snack bars, and other pre-packaged raw foods and also carry the incredibly delicious but expensive containers of raw chocolate truffles.
• Greenlife Grocery
  70 Merrimon Ave.
  Asheville, NC
  (828)254-1281
  Vegan: Greenlife has a small hot and cold food bar, but it is much smaller than Earth Fare’s. Still, it always has hot vegan options in addition to salad. Their deli case and refrigerated section has a decent selection of vegan food. It may sound dull, but they really have a way with tofu. Try the Green Gorilla smoothie. I think it’s even raw, but I’m not 100% sure.
  Raw: Greenlife has the best raw food selection in town. They have very little in the way of raw prepared meals or deli items, but they have an entire section of the store devoted to hard-to-find raw snacks and ingredients. For items that you can find at Earth Fare, Greenlife has them cheaper, such as those little heavenly chocolate truffles. Their produce usually (not always) seems to be fresher and less expensive than Earth Fare. They often have organic produce items that Earth Fare does not.

I am relatively new to town, so if you know of other raw and vegan organizations in Asheville, or if you have more information about those listed here, please let me know and I’ll update this list.

• Asheville Vegetarians
  The Asheville Vegetarians get together for monthly vegan potlucks and other fun social and educational events.
• Asheville Raw Food Meetup
  The Asheville raw food meetup gets together about once or twice a month for potlucks and interesting speaker events. It is a warm and inviting community of people who are at various levels of transition to a raw foods diet. Everyone is welcome.
• Mercy For Animals – no website found
• Carolina Animal Action – no website found