Prasad, Portland

After three days of non-stop eating in Portland, we thought it would be nice to take a local yoga class, then enjoy a nice healthy meal. So, my friend, Corey, and I took a class at Yoga Pearl, then dined in their inhouse cafe, Prasad, in the Pearl District of Portland.

Prasad is "an offering of sustainable organic cuisine to nourish and heal the mind, body, and soul." As an almost vegan, organic cafe, Prasad serves some of the healthiest food in Portland, in my opinion, and I was delighted to discover it.

Prasad serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. For lunch, they serve salads, soups, and bowls along with juices and smoothies. The menu sounds simple, but is actually pretty complex as there are a lot of options. We stood at the front counter for quite a bit of time trying to decide what to order. I ultimately chose a bowl and a smoothie.

The cafe is actually in the same building that houses the yoga studios so it is pretty low-key. Most people were reading a book or working on laptops as they ate their food. We found a seat at one of the many tables near the window.

I ordered the Melody juice made with kale, cucumber, spinach, apple, lemon, and ginger. It was a sweet juice that finished with a kick of ginger.

For my meal, I ordered the El Dorado Salad. This huge raw bowl was filled with spinach and mixed greens, yam rice, walnut taco crumbles, avocado, sun dried tomato, scallions and cilantro. It also came with two sauces -- a jalapeno cashew cream and a red chili vinaigrette.  I can honestly say this is one of the best salads I've ever had. The jalapeno cashew cream made this dish as it brought creaminess and spice to a healthful bowl of greens. The walnut taco crumbles were oh-so-tasty and the yam rice was great too. I was so pleased with this dish.

Corey got the Dragon Bowl filled with greens, quinoa, beans, sea vegetables, avocado, sesame seeds, scallions, and red cabbage. It was great as well.

I liked it so much that I decided to return to Prasad five days later. On this trip, I wasn't feeling so great so I started with the Wellness Shot -- a blend of ginger juice, lemon, cayenne, and echinacea.

I also ordered the juice special that had turmeric root, carrot, apple, and beet. So good.

For my entree, I ordered the Chili Bowl. It was filled with quinoa, their housemade roasted garlic chili, steamed greens, avocado, cilantro, scallions, and garlic tahini sauce. It was healthy and delicious.

After 6 days in Portland, I have to say that Prasad was my favorite lunch spot while Blossoming Lotus was my favorite dinner spot.  At $9 per bowl, the price is great for all organic, healthy fare. I'd highly recommend putting this at the top of your list of places to eat in Portland...oh, and do a little yoga while you're there too.

Prasad (inside Yoga Pearl)
925 NW Davis
Portland, OR 97209
(503) 224-3993