Are you in a fast food lunch rut? Have you eaten the same burger and fries every day for a week? Getting that same old Caesar salad again today?
You know why you do it. It’s quick and it’s cheap. But did you know that you can get a fast, cheap, great tasting lunch that’s also good for you at an organic restaurant?
Organic restaurant choices in the East Village area abound. Long known to be vegetarian friendly, many East Village restaurants have embraced new organic food options with relish. Armed with fresh, chemical free ingredients, chefs have created lunch menus to appeal to even the most dedicated burger-addict.
Organic lunches taste better than fast food
The food has no choice but to be better at organic restaurants. Without all those nasty preservatives to extend shelf life, produce and dairy products have to be fresh. Some even have delivery contracts with local producers, meaning that the egg on your plate just arrived this morning, straight from the chicken. It doesn’t get any fresher than that.
Organic chefs are experts at creating great tasting meals from natural ingredients. You don’t have to eat just another fast food lettuce-cheese-egg-chicken chef salad at an organic restaurant. You could have a mesclun salad, filled with tender baby greens, julienned vegetables, crispy sprouts and hand-mixed dressing. Feeling adventurous? Try a salad made with arame, a type of seaweed that is both delicious and packed with nutrients. You’ll have no more blah salads when you eat your lunch at an organic restaurant.
Even if you can’t imagine lunch without a piece of meat, organic restaurants that focus on vegetarian dishes can still tickle your taste buds. Meat-replacement products, those “pretend meat” options that vegetarians use when they want BLTs and cheeseburgers, have come a long way since their introduction in the 1980s. Seitan, made from wheat and used by monks in India as a meat replacement, is so like real meat that some vegetarians won’t eat it. Black bean veggie burgers are so tasty that rib-lovers have been known to forgo the beef and chow down on a salsa-covered black bean burger instead.
Organic lunches cost the same as or less than fast food
“All right,” you say. “It’s healthy. It tastes good. But I’m not spending $20 on lunch.”
You don’t have to! Lunch menus at quality organic restaurants have prices comparable to other popular lunch spots. Typical lunch fare at an organic restaurant costs under $10.00 for a wrap and soup or a veggie burger with fries. Similar fare at a fast food restaurant runs from $7.50 to $11.00, but you won’t get as much food and you can guarantee that it won’t be good for you. Cost is definitely not a reason to avoid having a fast, healthy lunch at an organic restaurant.
Before you grab another greasy fast food cheeseburger, check your neighborhood for a great organic restaurant instead. You arteries – and your taste buds – will thank you.
