On Route 66

Though we’d left TX behind spent the evening just west of Oklahoma City, we needed to drive through the panhandle to reach our next destination, Santa Fe, New Mexico. A good 7 to 8 hours drive from where we had woken up, we pit-stopped in Amarillo, Texas at Eat-Rite, a 19,000 square feet “health promotion center” which housed a natural food grocer, vitamin shop, cage and juice bar. In need of some fresh and healthy fare and not wanting to spoil our appetites too much, we entered the huge health center in its strip mall home with high hopes. The cafe had a limited selection of sandwiches and other uninspired vegan choices (hummus and veggies, veggie chili, etc). We stuck to the salad bar buffet, which was a bit costly at $7.99 per pound but included a great selection of seasonal fresh veggies, some fruit, Anne‘s natural dressings and some great salad texturizers (rice and sesame sticks, nuts, cranberries, seeds, etc).

The decor at Eat Rite was like a lot of Texas, murals everywhere. It was charming. Though I would have preferred to pay half of what I did for my salad and apple-ginger juice, it was a great find for a wayward traveler passing through Texas with a craving for fresh.
So it was onward to New Mexico. The change of topography and weather was a welcome change. We had been escaping from the rain of Texas who was under the pressure of Hurricane Alex. We paused for a picture because, thus far, most of our shots were of… food. 

Traveling on the historic Route 66 was a lot of fun. The dive rest stops, which were far and few between, had a lot of local color and catered to the roadtripper. But we soon were in Sante Fe’s city limits tracking down Body Cafe, part of a fancy-pants new-age health conglomerate that included a yoga studio, raw dessert bar/truffle shoppe, a boutique of organic, fair-trade and sustainable clothing, accessories, books and home goods and childcare center. Their cafe looked very promising and its menu had been lingering in my mind through the many hours of driving. Admittedly after 7-8 hours of being built up in my mind the chances of the cafe meeting my fantasies were slim. But Body Cafe impressed and satiated.  Below, my dunch: vegan quesadilla, veggies and nut cheese cooked between two whole wheat tortillas with a side of black beans, brown rice and salsa fresco.

For an appetizer, fresh spring rolls: shredded cucumber, carrot, cabbage and vermicelli wrapped in rice paper.

For dessert, a raw vanilla cheesecake with raspberry compote and a dusting of cocoa. Very, very good. I also ordered a raw chocolate heart which the waiter for got. That worked out because I couldn’t eat one more bite of food!

Below is the truffle showcase, a good amount of which were vegan, including almond coconut, peanut butter and almond better truffles.

Rest came finally… after the terrible rain storm (below) and passing through countless towns with less than satisfactory motels we found an adorable little motor inn with petite retro rooms and Jetsream trailers. Perfect for a night of restorative yoga and shut eye.