Raw Food Fun!

Yesterday, I did my monthly raw food cleanse, and for the first time in the year or so I've been doing this one-day, all-raw cleanse, I didn't crave cooked food all day! I'm attributing this to the super hot summer temps, as well as the tasty eats I noshed on throughout the day. Breakfast was a Green Machine Juice:

Inspired by Jessy's ACT green juices at happyveganface, I juiced half a bunch of kale, half a pound of carrots, two stalks of celery, half a red bell pepper, a handful of parsley, and a bit of fresh ginger. All that stuff made this little jar of juice! And it was quite tasty, but not so filling.

Luckily, I brought plenty of snacks to the office, like these bell peppers and Raw Satay Sauce from Alive in 5: Raw Gourmet Meals in Five Minutes:

This peanut-free satay gets its tastiness from miso and tahini. It was so good with these pepper strips. I ate a whole bell pepper with the dip at around 10 a.m. And of course, I was starving again by lunch, so I ate this yummy-nummy Live Gazpacho from Vegan Fusion:

The recipe was a raw variation on an otherwise cooked recipe (the original called for fire-roasted tomatoes and roasted jalepenos). I believe this may be my favorite raw meal to date. All the summer goodness is combined into one awesome bowl and spiced with cumin and chili powder!

I ate this Cucumber Salad with Mustard Seed Dressing alongside my soup:

The dressing recipe is from Ani's Raw Food Kitchen. I've made it several times, and I think it's my favorite uncooked salad dressing — just olive oil, apple cidar vinegar, agave, and mustard seeds.

Due to the lack of carbs, I was hungry again by 2 p.m. So I snacked on fresh strawberries, blueberries, and some O.N.E. Coconut Water at my desk:

The coconut water was kinda weird. It was just straight, unsweetened coconut water, but I guess I'm used to the creamy coconut milk. That was what I was expecting. It was fun drinking out of a juice box though.

Before my afternoon workout, I hungrily downed this Peanut Butter Cookie Larabar:

Now, I know this isn't technically raw, but the label says it's 60% raw and that's enough for me. I'd been dying to try this flavor since I'm not able to find it in Memphis for some weird reason. I bought this one in Nashville a few weeks ago. And I gotta say, this is the BEST Larabar flavor ever! Even better than my previous fave, Coconut Cream Pie.

Dinner was the Save the Tuna Pate Wrap with Garlic Cashew Aioli from Ani's Raw Food Kitchen:

It was just okay. I never liked real tuna, so I'm not sure why I made this. I think I just wanted an excuse to use the dulse flakes in my spice rack. The "tuna" is made with sunflower seeds, carrot pulp (from my morning juice), celery, dulse, and some other stuff. I subbed romaine hearts for the collard leaves because I'm not crazy about raw collards.

Finally, I snacked on these Mini-Pecan Pie Date Wraps for dessert throughout the day:

My raw friend Judith made these for her Summer Solstice party a few weeks ago, and they were so yummy I had to make my own. It's simply a date, pitted and sliced on one side, and then stuffed with a raw pecan. Since I rarely finish an entire raw pie or other dessert, these bite-sized treats were perfect!