JournalNow.com: Veggin' Out

Contrary to a popular stereotype, vegetarians are not all champions of self-denial, pathetically munching a sprout on the sidelines while watching the omnivores have all the culinary fun. Instead, the vegetarians we know love good food and know where to get it. They aren't about to settle for a bland meal, either at home or at a restaurant.

Dining in the raw

Raw food seems to be a trend within the vegetarian community. Books and magazine articles are being published to explain the whys and hows of raw dining. And restaurants are springing up to feed the trend. So it was exciting on a recent vacation in St. Augustine, Fl., to visit The Present Moment Cafe, a raw-food, vegan restaurant.

The restaurant is a quiet little oasis, where a stained-glass mural in shades of green screens the view of the busy street outside. Tables come with carafes of water dressed up with slices of lemon and cucumber. And the menu comes with enough tempting choices to make ordering just one meal a challenge.

I finally settled on the Viva Burrito - a “dehydrated tortilla filled with pine nut-chili and walnut pate, guacamole, coconut sour cream and Jalapeno vinaigrette.” Tim tried the Tacos of Life, a similar dish featuring “Pine nut-chili and walnut puree, fresh salsa, guacamole in 2 romaine shells with Coconut Sour Cream and Jalapeno vinaigrette.”

Cassandra had perhaps the best meal, a daily special with zucchini pasta, pesto, sun-dried tomatoes and a yummy nut-loaf kabob. We finished by sharing a parfait of “Vanilla-coconut creme, layered with buckwheat crisp, blueberry compote and sweet hemp praline.” (The photos, taken by Cassandra, show her meal and the dessert.)

The meal left me feeling light but satisfied, and kept me going until supper. I’m not ready to become a complete raw-foodist, but I am ready to eat more of this kind of food!