Dandelions Potluck Mondays

By Tanisha Gabriel
Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009

If you are looking for great organic vegetarian cuisine in Orlando, Dandelion Communitea Cafe is just the place for you. At first glance, I was taken back by its vivid green exterior, but as I made my way up the stairs and through the door, I was instantly put at ease by the cozy, comfortable, at home feeling the interior has to offer. The restaurant was a house -- but has been renovated to a cool community restaurant.

There's a lot to choose from on the menu: organic teas, soups, sandwiches, salads and dessert. When looking at the names of dishes, you may giggle at the fun creative titles: "Eve's Revenge," "Bean There, Done That," "The Giddyup" and much more. Co-owner Julie Norris tells me "The Giddyup" consists of Dandelion's famous chili.

Every Monday between 7-9PM the restaurant closes its kitchen to accommodate the "CommuniTea Potluck."

"I basically wanted to get people together in a community setting that would introduce people to the different levels of vegetarianism. I call it bringing people into the flexitarian fold," Norris says about the concept behind the potluck.

For those who are not familiar with flexitarianism, Norris describes it as those who sometimes can't afford meat, those who are learning more about the mass production of food, and those who are doing it for health reasons: health care crisis and the desire to be healthier. They are becoming more flexible with their eating habits and that is how a flexitarian is born.

Every week a different company sponsors the potluck and the members bring a vegetarian dish and small donation. If you don't prepare a dish, a donation of $10 allows you to savor some of the vegetarian delights.

Going from dish to dish, I noticed little ingredient cards that tell you what is inside the entree. The dishes include everything from vegetarian lasagna, one of my personal favorites, because of the familiar look taste, and aroma the lasagna had to the chocolate cupcakes which were hard to come by the end of the night.

As I talked to different people in the room, I noticed everyone was keen on the "Marble Tofu" created by expectant mother, Yuki Smith. It consists of rice, tofu, cabbage, onion, mushroom, green onions, soy sauce, miso, corn starch, and sugar.

When I approached the most talked about dish at the potluck, it was half-finished. Hearing so many compliments on it, I was actually hesitant because of the unfamiliar food that glared up at me -- tofu. As I grabbed the spoon and scooped some from the bowl to my plate, Yuki smiled at me. I pushed the tofu and rice around, definitely staling. I had to try it since the expectant mother was eager for my reaction. I put a fork full in my mouth and chewed it for a while. I swallowed then looked up at Yuki's eager face. The fans were right, the "Marble Tofu" was delicious. The dominant favors that stood out in the dish were the tofu, rice, onions, and mushrooms and they made this vegetarian dish something to savor.

This night and every second Monday from 7-9PM the Central Florida Birth Network hosts the potluck. Other hosts include:

• Every 1st Monday is Vegan: the Vegetarians of Central Florida
• Every 2nd Monday is Vegetarian & Families: Central Florida Birth Network
• Every 3rd Monday is Vegetarian & Local Food: Orlando's Local Food Alliance
• Every 4th Monday is Raw & Vegan: Olive Mackey's Raw Foodist's

And Joey Fisher, a fan of the potluck, loves it so much he invited his friend to experience the cuisine. He expressed to me that he has his own unique way of creating a vegetarian dish, "I am more of like the lazy vegan. I do a lot of quick dishes, microwaveable dishes things you can throw together real quick. I call it like a microwave stir-fry. You get all the things you put in a stir-fry," he says sarcastically "and you just microwave it. You put a sauce on it, sometimes you could make some brown rice with it, just put it over rice, and you got a meal there."

Whether you are a "lazy vegan" or not, the potluck has a variety of vegetarian dishes that can wake up your taste buds.

It was mind-boggling how many different vegetarian dishes one can prepare. If you're looking for a little variety and a lot of delicious organic vegetarian fare, Dandelion's Communitea Potluck is definitely a delightful event you should add to your calendar.

(Photo Source: http://dandelioncommunitea.com/)