Raw, Raw & Mo' Raw Food

Breakfast: Strawberry Watermelon Smoothie

• half a small watermelon, cut up into chunks
• two handfuls of strawberries, hulled
• raw sweetener (to taste)

Toss everything in the blender and enjoy!

Lunch: Simple Salad with Raw Sun-Dried Tomato DressingMy salad contained: broccoli, orange bell pepper, daikon, carrots, sugar snap peas, celery and lettuce (pretty much all the veggies in the fridge that I needed to use up).

DRESSING (recipe from gone raw) -

• 1/2 cup cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup raw apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup Nama Shoyu (or Bragg's)
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes

Combine everything in a blender until smooth. Pour the dressing over the salad. Garnish with sliced sun-dried tomatoes.

Dinner: Raw Cuke Soup (again)

Dessert: Raw Pecan Pie Cookies (recipe from Ani Phyo's new book Ani's Raw Food Desserts)
Makes eight 2 1/2 -inch cookies

• 1 cup pecan halves or pieces
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed orange juice
• 8 ounces plump, whole dates, pitted, then chopped into chunks

Combine the pecans, cinnamon and juice in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the nuts are finely chopped. Add the dates and pulse to form a mixture that can stay pressed together.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions. Roll each one into a smooth, golf ball-size ball, then flatten to form a 2 1/2-inch-round cookie. Place on the lined baking sheet. Repeat to use all of the mixture. Cover and refrigerate or freeze until ready to serve.

The cookies don't really photograph well (looks like falafel), but they taste heavenly! I love how simple the ingredients and the preparation are. If you don't have a food processor (like me), buy the pecans already ground. Add the cinnamon. Pit and chop the dates as finely as you can, then mash with a fork. Add the mash to the ground pecans and mix with your hands (so much more fun than a food processor). Add enough OJ to make the whole thing stick together to form a ball. Make 8 balls and then flatten into cookies. Chill in the fridge.

Snacks: Raw hummus (will post recipe soon ...) with carrots

Snacks really are key for me to get through my day. It keeps my blood sugar even throughout the day and gives me energy. If I don't have a snack between lunch and dinner, I start to feel sluggish at 3:30 - 4:00 PM.  Before going raw I always carried a stash of granola bars with me.  Luckily I have found some raw versions too!  My fav these days is the Cocoa Môlé LÄRABAR.