Video: Green Lady Café Serves Up Fresh, Vegan Food with a Touch of Magic

Wanda Abioto knew it would be a struggle when she decided to move herself and her five daughters to a strange city to open a vegan restaurant, but she wanted her daughters to experience a different way of life. An attorney from Mississippi, Abioto knew that she would need to open her restaurant in a place with an enthusiastic fanbase for vegan cooking. That wasn't Mississippi, so the family headed west.  The Skanner News Video: Kalimah Abioto

"We tried San Diego, but the ground moved under my feet, and I said 'Hell no'," she says. "But we knew that Portland held a large vegan population, and the ground doesn't move, so we headed here to start spreading the word—that greens have magical properties for your cells, and once you hear the call of the greens, you will move towards a more healthy lifestyle." Abioto and her daughters, Kalimah, Intisar and Amenta, envision themselves spreading this word across the entire country.

"Ideas of magic, possibilities of health, and abundance, are just a few of the things we want to share with Portland," says Kalimah.

Benefiting from a vegan diet themselves, they decided to share what they have learned by opening a business that not only serves vegan foods and green smoothies, but also offers a place to come and learn about the importance of living foods, and how to eat a healthier diet. My smoothie was packed with arugula, Napa cabbage, spinach, bananas – and was incredible!

Green Lady Cafe, which opened on Jan. 1, offers lunch items combining both raw and cooked vegan foods that change daily. "We all cook," Intisar said. "The main creator of the food items is Wanda, our mom. Many of the food items are her original creations. Yet, we've all had a hand in the development of those items. My Sister Amenta's focus is desserts. As for the green smoothies and drinks we've all come up with different recipes daily to keep it interesting.

The cafe offers just a couple of staples at the moment. They have a barbecued burger made of oyster and hedgehog mushrooms, marinated in house- made barbecue sauce, and topped with avocado special sauce. That comes sandwiched between crisp romaine and napa cabbage leaves.

Also on the menu is Balewa's live burger, made from a variety of vegetables including yams, and a minimal amount of oats: all slightly dehydrated. The live burger is not cooked. It's designed to be low-allergen, so it's wheat free, gluten free, and soy free.

I had one, and I must say it was delicious. I really expected my first living food experience to be bland, but it this burger was anything but bland. It was slightly spicy, with a well-developed layer of flavors… I loved it.

"We do serve some food, but what we are really seeking to introduce to the Portland community is the variety of green smoothies that are available and how they can be used for healing and overall well-being and health," said Intisar.

Green Lady Café is a comfortable place for people from all walks of life to come together, learn and share about what a vegan and living food diet has to offer. With family pictures pinned-up, and collages of African inspired fabrics adorning the walls, even a non-vegan like me felt instantly comfortable.

Soon they plan to offer workshops, and a "chocolate oarty" is in the works.

Visit Green Lady Café at 1016 SW Washington St., Portland, OR 97211 503-227-8686 or check them out online. greenladyfoods.com

PHOTO:Kalimah Abioto