B7DRC Day 4 - the July Edition

It’s Day 4 and as you may notice, as much as I like to make my own recipes, I also love to test other recipes as well. I enjoy taking different recipes of the same type of food (e.g. chili) and test them to discover which one is the best in terms of taste, texture and similarity to the “cooked” version. So it’s probably no surprise to find me testing recipes this summer for a couple of well-known chefs/bloggers as they work on their new cookbooks. I’ve been having a blast, with tons of recipes to still test and all I can do is share pics. So expect more mystery food porn pics to come…and not all of them are raw, but all of them ARE vegan and insanely mouthwatering!

Early Morning:

Today my jar holds water, lemon and mint!

Breakfast:

I love apples, especially when smothered in Nutiva’s coconut manna or some type of nut butter or baked into a delicious, homemade pie. They’re usually at their best during the fall when they are in season, but I love the cold, crisp, juiciness of an apple during the summer as well.  Plus, it’s loaded with fiber, a nutrient most people do not get enough of. So eat an apple! Eat lots of apples!

Snack:

Another simple, yet delicious salad! My favorite type of food is Mexican food. Tacos, enchilada, chips and guacamole, I love it all and I can eat it almost every day! So it doesn’t shock me that I end up making at least one, if not two, Mexican-style salads or meals a week. 

As I was making last night’s dinner, the sight of corn, tomatoes, green onions and avocados automatically made me think a simple Mexican salad is a must make for a next day meal. The only problem was I was craving for guac as a dressing and didn’t feel like putting all the effort into making guac out of ¼ of an avocado. So I took the ingredients, blended them together and made a guacamole salad dressing! It’s not as perfect as guacamole, but it served its purpose of tasting gosh darn similar.

Simple Mexican Salad with Guacamole Dressing

Recipe by Beth Mickens

Serves 1

For the salad:

• 2 cups of romaine lettuce, shredded
• ½ corn cob
• 3 Tbsp of red bell pepper, chopped
• ¼ cup grape tomatoes, halved
• ½ green onion, sliced
• Chopped cilantro, to garnish
• Sprouts, as a garnish (optional)
• Raw pumpkin seeds, as a garnish (optional)

For the dressing:

• ¼ avocado, chopped
• 2-3 Tbsp of red onion
• 1/8 tsp of garlic
• ½-1 lime, juiced
• Handful of cilantro (about 2-3 Tbsp)
• Salt, to taste
• 2-4Tbsp of water, to blend

1. Place all of the ingredients in a blender, starting with the lowest amounts and blend until smooth.
2. Adjust amounts according to taste and consistency preferences. I preferred mine a bit thick.

To Assemble:

1. Uniquely plate the lettuce, corn, tomatoes, bell peppers and green onions.
2. Add a dollop or three of the dressing into the middle of your salad
3. Top with chopped cilantro, sprouts and/or pumpkin seeds
4. Serve immediately or make the night before for a yummy salad for the following day.

Lunch:

I’m having dessert for lunch today! It’s Blueberry Cobbler…in smoothie form! It’s sweet, creamy and nutty with a lovely berrylicious base and loaded with greens! It’s perfect if you’re craving for something sweet yet healthy. 

Blueberry Cobbler

Recipe adapted from Simple Green Smoothies

 Makes 16 ounces

• 1 cup spinach
• 1 cup raw almond milk (the original recipe calls for coconut milk)
• 1 Tbsp shredded coconut or coconut oil (depending on how much coconut flavor you want)
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 banana
• 1 Tbsp flax
• Sprinkle of cinnamon

1. Blend and enjoy!

Snack:

Mmmmmm! Remember I mentioned previously that I have been doing some awesome recipe testing? Well this is one of them which comes from Jonie Marie Newman, author of several cookbooks including  “Home-Cooked Vegan Comfort Food” and “The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet” and owner of the blog, "Just the Food".  She’s in the process of writing a new book and asked for volunteers to test some of the recipes that may be featured in the book. Of course, I jumped on board and was thrilled when she accepted my  offer to assist. The recipes I have tested so far have been amazingly delish, I cannot wait to make more! 

This simple dessert is loaded with flavor. It’s obvious that this sweet treat is a chia pudding, but what makes it the best chia pudding I have ever had must remain a mystery. All I have to say is I am going to BEG to share this recipe once her book is released because it is a must try. I rarely make the same dish twice and this I have made 4 times already! It’s THAT good.

Dinner:

I debated long and hard on what to make. Everything I wanted to make required the soaked nuts that I accidentally forgot to soak the night before (dope!). I tried to remember what was in my fridge and to no avail, I came up with little to nothing..at least nothing NEW. And then I saw this Summer Reboot Salad posted today by Kathy from the Healthy. Happy. Life. blog and praised her for saving me from an evening of contemplation.

It was simple to make and even easier to devour. The salad is not only loaded with veggies, but it's also loaded with tons of protein. The dressing was strong enough in flavor to compliment the earthiness of the kale with just a dollop.

Sweet, savory, earthy....just what I needed for dinner! It was also a great energy booster! I took a run with my family right afterwards with no cramps and tons of energy to spare afterwards! Woot woot!

I used the exact same recipe, using all raw ingredients for the salad and dressing. For the salad I used broccoli instead of cabbage and for the dressing, hemp oil instead of olive oil, lemon instead of rice vinegar, and raw honey instead of maple syrup. The results, I'm sure, were just as scrumptious!

Dessert:

Well I HAD intended to make raw chocolate banana ice cream BUT my plans changed as I went running with my family instead. Not a huge loss of course :) Instead I devoured the remaining two pieces of my almond butter cups! 

And there slips by another day!

Curious, what's your favorite dessert? I need to make something new :)

*Beth*