Luna's Living Kitchen In Charlotte

John and I spent a couple of days in Charlotte around Christmas before heading to New York to see my family. While our visit in Charlotte was quick, we were able to have a meal from Luna's Living Kitchen. John and his Dad headed to South Boulevard one evening to pick us up a healthy and delicious dinner. They arrived back home with three compostable boxes filled with vegan and raw goods.

Luna's is an all raw and vegan restaurant that uses local and organic food. Since hearing of this restaurant, I have been enticed. We do not have a place like this in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area and I am envious of the Charlotteans that have access to this place on a daily basis. Having lived in Charlotte, I never expected that they would get a raw vegan restaurant. Especially not before this area.

The three gluten free meals that we tried exceeded my expectations. We shared the meal with John's parents, who also enjoyed the fare. Each dish had a depth of richness that you might not believe it possible from raw food. I am always amazed when I consume well-made raw meals because such care is put into the layers of flavors, presentation, color, and richness. The time and attention to each detail of Luna's meals was impressive and kept me wanting more of the heavenly flavors. The food was so rich in vitamins, nutrients, fiber, and protein that I felt an appropriate level of fullness and satisfaction when we finished. I have found that it is hard to overeat when dinning on raw foods. Even if one were to overeat, it would be on healthful foods that power your body instead of those that are filled with saturated fats, sugar, oils, and animal proteins that take away from your body.

Pictured in the order they appear in the bullet list below.

The three dishes on the menu that we tried were:

• Lunasagna- Layers of zucchini noodles served with sun dried tomato sauce, spinach, crimini mushrooms, and a green cashew cheese.
  
• Freestyle Wrap- Vegetables , sheered cabbage with almond sauce and a cashew crumbs wrapped in collard leaves
  
• Nasturtium Heaven- Local greens served with salsa verde, sunflower pate, and veggie rice on nasturtium leaves.

While I loved all three of the dishes, my favorite was the Lunasagna. The green cashew cheese against the sun dried tomato sauce worked perfectly together. While I love vegan lasagna that is cooked, this lasagna was even better. It was pleasing both to my eye and mouth. Each bite was a burst of layered flavor. The thought of this dish makes my mouth water.

In addition to being impressed by the taste and presentation, I was delighted that many dishes on the menu are gluten free. The staff had an impressive knowledge of their menu and the items that did and did not contain gluten. It felt good to partake in a meal from a restuarant where I didn't have to worry about accidentally eating gluten.

Next time we visit Charlotte, we are sure to visit Luna's Living Kitchen. I am excited to try all of the gluten free options on the menu as well as the teas, juices, smoothies, and treats that they have to offer. I was impressed that this dinner was able to satisfy the palates of two vegans and two omnivores. If you are ever in Charlotte, I recommend stopping in for a meal!