Healthy Eating in New Orleans
A round-up of some favourite places to savour safely in New Orleans, LA—accommodating anything + anyone from allergies to vegan enthusiasts to paleo noshers . . .
Seaworthy
This was where we moseyed on over to after our eight our road trip from Austin. Empty pit of stomachs abound gnawed by car ride food and knockin' on near 10 o'clock at night, we were thankful that this place was right next door to where we were staying at the Ace Hotel. We ordered a (insert cheeto Trump voice) hoooge plate of RAW OYSTERS doused and slurped in lemon juice (we're partial to East then Gulf Coast); PEEL 'N EAT SHRIMP salt-cured with hijiki seasoning blend; and my husband and I shared the night's special of GRILLED TROUT lemony vegetables while his brother and friends shared GRAND BANKS LOBSTER ROLL herb, fennel, lemon, dulse emulsion, short-pickled cucumber & french fries and SHEEPSHEAD butter-poaced sheepshead, red chilli-spiced nantua, crawfish tails, & braised alliums. I could have shed a salty tear for not having been able to try the latter two dishes, but I was satisfied with the tastiness of the amount of seafood we ate that could have sunk a ship or two . . .
Seed
Seed was the spot we happened upon accidentally when the wait for a different restaurant was too long. They have a variety of vegan, raw, and gluten-free options including RAW ONION FLAX BREAD to spread and slather nut-based cheeses like creole cashew cheese on. I opted for creating my own salad, which was delicious but I definitely would have ordered a side of the flax bread had there been an available since, for a big green salad lover, the salad was slightly on the skimpier side but maybe that was my post-run hanger speaking. My husband got the NUVEOS RANCHEROS and thoroughly dipped himself clean in the comfort of it.
Chais delachaise
This is where we had our New Year's Eve dinner and I was blown away by their careful service. They are extremely thoughtful about catering to any allergies and cross-contamination, to the point that on a busy dinner night, the chef took the time to circle every single dish on the menu that I could safely eat or he could modify. We ordered PEEL 'N EAT SHRIMP that was so perfectly-spiced that I scooped that shit out of the bowl with my shrimp-spoon; Cameron had MOULES Tlemongrass, kaffir, ginger, coconut milk, avec les frites; we then shared the night's special of ROASTED RED SNAPPER on braised greens. Licked the clean plate for the new year's slate.
Raw Republic
Raw Republic is another little juice and smoothie shop for a quick slurp or nosh, they also offer nut mylks made in-house blended with low-glycemic coconut sugar. Stop by the store for their rotating food offerings.
Green Fork
This is just across the street from the aforementioned Seed café. We only peeked inside from the door as it was closed by two o'clock that day, which I'm assuming was their Holiday schedule. In addition to their menu of juices that include spikes of spirulina and cayenne, they also have snacks like Simple Mills CRACKers to boot!
Superfood Bar
This is a juice and smoothie joint that blends in lesser-used ingredients like coconut kefir and coconut enzymes for higher digestibility and, subsequently, bioavailability of nutrients. As with most places, I usually opt to create my own juice. If I want a thicker consistency, my hack is to ask for my DIY juice then have it blended with avocado. It gives it a light creamy texture for the palate and the extra fats allow for a higher uptake of fat-soluble vitamins & minerals. There are salads available as well for a lunch option. They even serve a CUPUAÇU SHOT, which is a rainforest plant native and under the branch of cacao (theobroma).
