Vegan day 135: Caravan of Dreams NYC (2)

I sometimes refer to certain streets in the East Village as vegan row. If one is closed or super packed, there is always another down the block. I wanted to try Bhataki Cafe but they had a cooking class going on which is also something I would like to do there! Next time!


Lately, I have been craving Caravan of Dreams which was a quick walk over to East 6th Street by 1st Avenue. My first visit there was a tease- I mean really.. I wanted everything on the menu and the menu is EXTENSIVE! How do they do it? I wanted teas, tonics, elixirs, smoothies etc… and then add to that the appetizers, entrees and desserts- it’s like 10 meals in one! I can’t or I’ll end up back to my old ways of eating. I would no longer be a skinny bitch lol. So now I had to go back and try a few more things and hope to take left overs home instead of overstuffing myself WHICH IS NOT THE POINT IN BECOMING HEALTHY!


Interestingly enough… I said NO twice today to vegan desserts- hello.. that’s a vegan miracle!


How do you say KEFIR? This is where this amazing experience of food began tonight. First off actually, I’d like to say for the record that this is my type of atmosphere – down to earth, comfortable yet spacious with more than the usual tiny ten tables squished. It also reminds me of many late nights dining at the Yaffa Cafe, which I will have to visit for the sake of the blog- they served vegetarian and whole grains all through out the hours of the late night early morning. This was my savior back when I was a drinker after hours– and vegetarian! Go Yaffa Cafe!


KEFIR- watch the YouTube to pronounce it! I had to! I think I said it every which way but the correct way! Kefir is a fermented beverage, generally made from milk. It’s a natural probiotic- similar to yogurt (and even more beneficial). I learned about it during a culinary herbalism class I took online. I always wanted to make it but didn’t get around to it. I have mentioned before that one of the most difficult things for me to release in going vegan was yogurt- for the taste, convenience, nutrition and probiotics. When it came right down to it, it wasn’t worth my support of the dairy industry- at all- so no more KEFIR. Until… I saw it on the menu at Caravan of Dreams. In that moment, I began to think that the restaurant was vegetarian and not vegan. The waiter restated to me that everything was vegan.. even the kefir which is made from nut milk or coconut; so of course I had to get one. I wish I had something to compare it to but I had never even had the dairy milk version of it. In any case, I had a coconut kefir made from creamy cultured fresh coconut. It was very good and.. interesting! I love this place.


I just googled how to make this from scratch and I found the “how to” by EcoVeganGal who I have followed for other recipes. She has great videos for making VEGAN easy!  

Tonight I ordered beet ravioli made from beets with a walnut and sun-dried filling and a hemp mint cilantro pesto. This was so incredible. It’s a raw food item so some may have to get used to that cuisine first. Next I had pizza… well.. raw pizza. The pizza was made with a pumpkin seed crust, sun-dried tomato marinara, pesto, house-cultured kefir cashew cheese, arugula, avocado, heirloom cherry tomatoes, olives and cremini mushrooms. Wow- sounds like a lot doesn’t it? It was! It was a bit bulky for me.. more like a big salad on a vegan crust! It was however, very good! 


No to desserts it was! Was I exercising self-control? Not exactly.. I had to get to work for a late night party and I was already late! Love my Caravan of Dreams.. I’ll be back! 




Disclaimer: The information given here is for educational purposes only. You should not use this to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified health care provider.