Crazy Sexy Weekend: Potluck!

I just finished my second Sunday juice fast on the 21-day Crazy Sexy Diet cleanse, but since I blogged about fasting last weekend, I won't bore you with those details. Instead, I want to show you all the deliciousness I ate on Saturday during our monthly vegan potluck. Yes, you can eat potluck food on the Crazy Sexy diet! At least, you can if you're at a potluck with my awesome veg friends ...

But before I get to the potluck food, I want tell y'all about my awesome morning meal. I woke up early on Saturday, and instead of juicing at home, I drove out to Cosmic Coconut, a totally vegan juice and smoothie shop in East Memphis. I ordered the Beetnik, a juice made from beets, wheatgrass, carrots, kale, and apples:

I also ordered a Good Vibrations Smoothie to hold me over for a few hours. This is made with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, goji berries, coconut meat, and stevia. Both were so delicious. Somehow, juices and smoothies taste better when someone else makes them for you!

Lunch was the last of my leftover Tofu Eggless Salad and a Green Salad. That kept me satisfied until dinnertime, when I headed to my friend Shay's house for our monthly vegan potluck. My friends and I have been hosting potlucks each month, each at a different house. The last two were sinful gorge fests, so I figured I wouldn't be able to eat much of what people brought and stay within my cleanse rules of no sugar, no processed food, and no gluten.

I also knew everyone would be drinking wine and beer, and since I'm alcohol-free until the 23rd, I brought my special drinky treat — KeVita Sparkling Probiotic Drink in coconut:

For my savory item, I brought along some raw Tomato-Basil Flatbread from Natalia KW's Pure Pleasures. I met Natalia at Vida Vegan Con and bought both of her raw books, but this was the first time I'd made anything from them. These dehydrated flatbreads were made with flaxseed, hemp seed, fresh tomato and basil, and sunflower seeds. They were delicious, and I have a ton left since the recipe makes lots:

I was afraid I'd only be able to eat what I brought and maybe a few crudites. But I was shocked to find so many cleanse-friendly foods. Lara made Roasted Asparagus:

Vaughan and Barbara brought a Quinoa Salad with raisins, celery, cilantro, and some other yummies:

Greg made his Famous Pinto Bean Dip. I can have beans on the cleanse, but I couldn't have the chips he brought for dipping. So I used the dip to top my raw flatbread:

Shay made a Roasted Red Pepper Dip that also had a bean base, and it was perfect atop my flatbread too!

Another girl at the potluck was totally raw, and she brought this amazing Raw Pepper Jack Cheese from Journey to Bliss, a regional company that makes raw cheeses and desserts to sell at our local Whole Foods:

Leslie brought a creamy Butternut Squash Soup that was perfect for the cold weather:

Look how packed my plate is!! And to think I thought I'd only be able to eat what I brought. Also pictured on my plate is a small scoop of Lara's Laotion Rice. It's one of my favorite things she makes, so I had to have a little even though it contains faux chicken (I'm supposed to be avoiding processed foods):

I knew I'd surely be tempted by all the sugary desserts, so I had to bring some sort of Crazy Sexy Diet-approved raw dessert. I've always wanted to make a raw cheesecake, so I picked Natalia's Chai Cheesecake from Pure Pleasures. It's topped with her CinnaVanilla Syrup:

Here's my little slice. This stuff is made with raw cashews, coconut butter, agave, and chai spices, and it has a pecan crust. It was so decadent and yet way healthy! Plus, after eating a slice of this, I was no longer tempted by the delicious cakes and cupcakes on the dessert table: