Mornin' Fruit Bowl

For some reason, when I get new cookbooks, I always make the ridiculously easy recipes first. You know, the recipes that are so simple, you kinda wonder why you even need a recipe. Even though those sorts of easy meals are common sense, I'm always intrigued by simple recipe ideas that I couldn't have thought up on my own. Take for example, this Walnut Fruit Bowl from 30 Minute Vegan:

It's just mango, banana, a few frozen blackberries, walnuts, and soymilk. That's it. The recipe actually called for fresh figs, but I subbed blackberries when I couldn't find any figs. The thing is, I would never think to throw fruit in a bowl with milk unless that bowl also contained cereal. But this bowl was pretty filling without carbs. And I felt super-healthy starting my day with lots of fruit, a food group I don't really eat from often enough.

The book, 30 Minute Vegan, was a birthday gift from my boyfriend. It's by Mark Reinfeld and Jennifer Murray (also the authors of the awesome full-color book Vegan Fusion). Though most of the meals — like this fruit bowl — take far less than 30 minutes, a few are more complicated and take longer than a half hour to prepare. The book features a great mix of healthy cooked and raw meals, which is perfect for an occasional raw foodie like me. In fact, I'm making another recipe from the book for Raw Food Day tomorrow. But you'll have to wait and see what it is...