Crispy Vegetable Rolls - $13

So my vegan girlfriend wanted to get some raw organic vegan food…oh brother.

What are Raw Organics?

Raw organics are foods that are free of animal by product and processed/refined sugars.  These foods are heated below 118 degrees (hence the name of Cafe 118), presumably in order to preserve as much of the food’s natural vitamins, enzymes, nutrients and fiber as possible.   By definition, they’re dairy-free…we’re talking freshly prepared, organically grown fruits, vegetables and nuts.

Lasagna - $18

We visited Cafe 118 in Winter Park which serves only raw organics.   As it was our first visit, our server, Danielle, was super helpful in explaining the menu.   While not inexpensive, it was one of the best dining experiences I’ve had in a long time.

We started with some $8 dairy free “milk” shakes, made with almond milk.  Mine was called “Sundae Drive”, which is basically a chocolate banana sundae in a shake with some hemp protein added.   She had the Divine Cherry, made with cherries, cacao and banana.

Beet Ravioli

Next came the Crispy Vegetable Rolls  ($13).   Carrot, Cabbage in almond dressing with a sweet & sour dipping sauce.  They were delicious and the sauce is fantastic.

For a main entree, I had the Lasagna ($18), which really was quite like real lasagna…minus the noodles.   Sun dried tomatoes, herb pesto with a macadamia ricotta.   She had the Beet Ravioli ($14) made with the macadamia ricotta, arugula and a pear wine sauce.

Smores $8 and Chocolate Hazelnut Tart $8

It’s hard to believe you can feel full from this stuff…but trust me…it’s quite filling.  Especially when you add the delicious dessert.  Danielle was pushing the dairy-free ice cream, but we ordered the Smores (amazing!) and the Chocolate Hazelnut Tart (so rich!).

Cafe 188 is located at 153 East Morse Blvd, Winter Park Florida (1 block off Park Avenue).

You can check out their website here:  www.cafe118.com

I’ll be back for some ice cream next time. 

People will need to consider turning vegetarian if the world is to conquer climate change, according to Lord Stern, a former chief economist of the World Bank and now I. G. Patel Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics.

He predicts that people’s attitudes will evolve until meat eating became unacceptable. “I think it’s important that people think about what they are doing and that includes what they are eating,” he said. “I am 61 now and attitudes towards drinking and driving have changed radically since I was a student. People change their notion of what is responsible. They will increasingly ask about the carbon content of their food.”

Lord Stern is deeply concerned that popular opinion had so far failed to grasp the scale of the changes needed to address climate change, or of the importance of the UN meeting in Copenhagen from December 7 to December 18. “I am not sure that people fully understand what we are talking about or the kind of changes that will be necessary,” he added.

Silly Brit.

Climate chief Lord Stern: give up meat to save the planet – Times Online.