If you’ve spent time in the Boston area, it’s likely that you’ve heard of Life Alive Urban Oasis and Organic Café. This casual café is focused on nourishing food and holistic health. Their website even features a wisdom board with quotes from the likes of Hippocrates, Walt Whitman, and Buddha.
The menu is full of dishes with ethereal names such as The Seeker Salad, The Adventurer Grain Bowl, and Mystic Mountain Salad. It’s almost comical how much Life Alive fits the hippie-dippy stereotype.
The food at this café is delicious and leaves you feeling great post meal but sometimes you don’t have time to traipse down Mass Ave, or you’re trying to save some money by cooking at home.
While I’m not advocating against buying food from Life Alive, it is easy to recreate some of their menu items in your own kitchen.
To start, pull up a PDF of the menu on your phone or computer and peruse through to get an idea of the flavor profiles and food combinations that appeal to you. Once a menu item catches your eye, you can improvise from there by trying to incorporate some of the same ingredients and flavors and adding your own twists.
Ingredients You’ll Want to Have on Hand
– Flavorful salad dressing like lemon vinaigrette, sesame soy ginger, or olive oil and balsamic vinegar
– Hummus
– Raw nuts and seeds like cashews, almonds, sunflower seeds
– Veggies like carrots, cucumber, corn, beets, broccoli
– Apples
– Sprouts
– “Decorative” / flavorful add-ins like sun-dried tomatoes or artichoke hearts
– Greens
– Brown rice
– Quinoa
– Protein like egg tofu or tempeh
– Cheese (I’d recommend cheddar or goat cheese but that’s my personal preference)
Get Creative
Let’s say you want to make a grain bowl. Start by making enough rice or quinoa to form a bed for all of your other food. Then pick out which vegetables you want to include. I recommend raw spinach, beets, corn, and broccoli piled on top of brown rice.
#SpoonTip: Cook about 1/2 or 1/3 of the vegetables that you’re including and leave the rest raw so that you have a variety of textures.
If you want more protein in your meal, now’s a good time to add a fried or hard-boiled egg, tofu, or tempeh. Next, add some “decorative” add-ins like sun-dried tomatoes. Then sprinkle some nuts, seeds, or cheese over the top to add crunch and a savory element.
Plop a dollop of hummus on the side and pour a small amount of salad dressing or olive oil and vinegar into the bowl.
#SpoonTip: Try drizzling the hummus or dressing in an artful pattern over your bowl if you want it to look as good as it tastes.
Admire the beauty that you just created then promptly stir it all together into a hodge-podge of deliciousness. Try to slow down and experience all of the natural flavors playing off of one another.