Casa De Luz

Today Josh and I ventured out to Casa de Luz to do a bit of early morning yoga.  Okay, so it was at 9 a.m. -  but when you get up at 5:30 every morning, 9 on a Sunday does seem early!  The month of September is National Yoga Awareness Month, and one of the members of the Austin Progressive Vegetarians offered to teach a class for us.  The class was awesome!  I was somehow simultaneously both relaxed and energized, and I was able to make it all the way through the class despite my extreme inexperience.  Thank goodness for modifications!

Casa de Luz

I had this image of flexible elegance in my head, but I had managed to set my yoga mat up under a low-branching tree and every upward sweep of my arm sent a shower of dewy droplets onto my face.  Regardless, it was an hour well-spent and I definately felt like I deserved a treat afterwards!

Luckily, Casa de Luz is a community center that offers classes in everything from yoga to meditation to tai chi.  They also have a 100% vegan, deliciously macrobiotic restaurant located on the premisis.

What are macrobiotics you ask?  I’ll show you the definition I swiped straight from the Macrobiotic Guide: “Macrobiotics is an approach to physical and emotional wellness through consuming foods that are balanced energetically (between yin and yang) and nutritionally. It is typically a well-balanced diet with high fibre, low fat, lots of vegetables and grains, vegetable protein, and limited meat, with an emphasis on eating seasonal organic food.”

Open kitchen at Casa de Luz

Dining at Casa de Luz is a one-of-a-kind experience.  It is different from a traditional restaurant in that you don’t order food off a menu.  At lunch for example, you receive a token that you place on the table.  You can then help yourself to salad and soup while you wait and a server will bring out a plate with that day’s offering.  So do you get to pick the food?  No.  But is it awesome?  Yes!

For those who really want to know what’s on the menu in advance, you can check out their daily menus on the Dining page of their website.  I enjoyed being surprised, myself.

Casa de Luz was beautiful and peaceful.  For those of you living in the Austin area, I highly recomming visiting this enchanting community center.

Josh and I are the two vegetarians in our little monkey troop and we are always looking for new places we can eat and like-minded people to eat with!  Recently, we discovered the Austin Progressive Vegetarian group on Meetup.com and found that their next Meetup was at a vegan/raw food spot named Counter Culture.  I had seen a review of this place a few weeks earlier (it opened up July 16, 2009) and thought this was a great opportunity to do two things at once: meet some fellow vegetarians and try out a new food spot!

Counter Culture is a food trailer, so the all the seating is outdoors and we were able to bring Chloe, my bassett hound, along with us.  She usually ends up being the star of the show and this trip was no exception.  When we arrived at Counter Culture, we saw a small group of people gathered around the trailer.  Right away they asked us if we were there for the Meetup and began introducing themselves.  Everybody was kind, friendly, and fun and didn’t seem to mind it when Chloe ran around licking all their toes.

The menu at Counter Culture is varied and extremely affordable, though make sure to bring cash as they do not accept credit cards.  I had a sandwich with cashew cheese, apple slices, and lettuce with a side of curry pasta with zucchini and pumpkin seeds.  Plenty of food, delicious, and only $7 all told.  Josh went for the Philly Seitan and a side of quinoa with mangoes and red peppers.

Behind the trailer two picnic tables were set up and the 20 or so of us that had come out for the meetup squished together and talked about our lives, jobs, etc.  while eating some really tasty food!  Josh and I waited until everybody had ordered and then we went back to talk to the owner, Sue Davis, and asked her if we could take some pictures.

Sue was very friendly and forthcoming about her business.  Counter Culture uses local food whenever possible in order to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels used for transportation.  She is also dedicated to making delicious food that is cruelty free and has over 5 years experience managing kitchens and cooking in Los Angeles, California.

Sue Davis, Chloe, and Josh

As we were getting ready to leave, Josh and I decided to try one of Sue’s raw desserts.  She offers both raw donut holes (for $1 each) or a raw lemon bar ($2).  We asked her which one she reccomended and she suggested that we try them both!  You don’t have to tell me twice.  Both were fresh and delicious, and very refreshing on a somewhat muggy day.

It was fun to be able to go and get a good, healthy, inexpensive meal and then to be able to sit outside and enjoy it.  Even if you are not a vegetarian and get scared off by words like “seitan”, there are plenty of comfort foods there for the squeamish like delicious quesadillas.

For you Austinites, look for the pretty blue trailer located at the corner of 120 East North Loop and Avenue F.  We promise, you won’t be disappointed!