My Raw Food Diet: A Hot Date with Myself on a Thursday Night

by Ritamarie Loscalzo | 1 comment

I'm at a conference in Boston for the weekend and stuck at the airport hotel without a decent raw vegan meal in sight. Of course I have my staples…seeds, fruits, dehydrated crackers and green powder. I even have a few celery and carrot sticks and a refrigerator to store it all in. But as I looked at the 3 days ahead and the dwindling food stash, I decided to venture out and see what's hot in the Boston raw food scene.

Unfortunately the two restaurants I managed to find were a $50 cab ride or 2 trains, a bus and a shuttle away so I moved to plan B…I rented a car for the evening! I found a $23 economy car and off I went.

I took myself to an incredibly charming place called Prana Cafe, In Newton, a couple of towns away just west of Boston.

My meal was delicious, the staff was charming and super friendly, and I met a very nice couple who had just discovered raw food in April and were enjoying a date.

I'll let my photos speak for themselves.

I started with a Creamy Blueberry smoothie made with fresh coconut and dates. I had them add kale!

Next I had a red pepper soup, deliciously seasoned and loaded with sprouts.

For an appetizer, I had nori rolls. The “rice” filling was turnip and coocnut and they were filled with fermented wax beans, avocado and watercress.

My entree was a buckwheat crust pizza, topped with pesto, cashew ricotta, mushrooms and a variety of veggies. It came with a house salad with a light vinegrette dressing.

Finally, I splurged and tried a sundae with vanilla and cinnamon pecan “ice-cream” . The “ice-cream” was made with cashew and coconut, sweetened with dates and used irish moss as a thickener…which also cut down on the fat and added the nutritional benefits of sea vegetables.

Woops…i got so excited about eating the sundae that I forgot to take a picture. Take my word for it…it was beautiful.

There was far too much food for me to eat, so I took some back for lunch.

I stocked up from their take-out area and my refrigerator is now filled with yummy meals.