But I can still find Champagne mangoes! And no one can stop me from eating them. 
This salad has spinach, frisee, spring mix, thyme, papaya, mango, and strawberries. I love thyme in salads! The smell stays with me for a while and is very calming.
It’s massaged dino kale, red leaf lettuce, spinach, cilantro, cherry tomatoes, lemon juice, and a few sundried olives I still have from a long time ago. Delicious.
The new camera works great. I just haven’t had many noteworthy meals as of late. And the lighting in my kitchen in the new place is awesome for photos (except with white bowls, note to self). Thanks again for the early birthday gift, Tracy!
I groan when I see some of my older photos, or photos I chose to put up, but I’m not a professional here. The point of my search being Urban Vegan’s cookbook is out in case you missed it.
And pics of some of the recipes I tested (although other people tested FAR, far more): http://utopiankitchen.wordpress.com/?s=urban%2Bvegan
I feel this article clears up some confusion that exists with regard to raw foods, so I am going to link to it: http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/blog/?p=210
(Disclaimer: I am not saying 5-10% of calories from fat is for everyone; some people have severe emotional issues with food; others simply feel better at 15-20% calories from fat; anything higher on a regular basis, I feel, is going to result in 1) digestive issues 2) the dehydration, acidosis, and inflammation [three major causes of disease and wear-and-tear on the body] that exist in an animal-based and ALSO predominantly cooked and grain-and-legume-based non-animal-centered diet)
This is the beginning of the article. Click on the link to read the rest of the article, along with many supportive readers’ comments who also feel better the more fresh/raw/ripe fruit and vegetables their diet contains!
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Last week I met someone whose story really moved me in a deep way.About two weeks ago, I was visiting Dr. Graham at his fasting retreat in Costa Rica, along with my girlfriend and my friend Roger Haeske.
Dr. Graham had generously invited us for dinner and also to spend the day visiting his retreat near the Chirripo Mountain in Costa Rica.
The place is absolutely gorgeous! It’s about 4000 feet in elevation, so the air is a little cool at night and in the evening, but it’s was superbly sunny during the day.
It’s right next to the Chirripo River, with amazingly beautiful water and big rocks, with a ton of little pools to jump into.
In fact, I couldn’t help myself but jumping in — and found the water to be surprisingly “refreshing”.
Let’s say that it got the blood flowing, like the cold water I’m used to in Canadian rivers and lakes.
Fortunately, there’s a pool with warmer water as well.But let’s get back to my story.
For lunch, we had a delicious smoothie made with bananas and papaya. It was of a beautiful bright orange color. We ate it with a variety of greens such as lettuce and celery.
Well, just as I got out the camera and turned it on to take a pic of my salad, I realized the camera’s done. The screen doesn’t function anymore, and while I can take photos, I can’t SEE what I’m taking a photo of. I don’t know if I dropped it or someone stepped on it. Doesn’t matter. It’s good to know before something important came up, like a trip to see family!
My post was simply going to be a recommendation on a way to prepare a salad differently, to chop it up finely. I use plum tomatoes, jalapeno, minced by hand, add some garlic and lemon juice; then I let the food processor do some magic! I throw in spinach, basil, cilantro, parsley, collards, red leaf lettuce, chives. Put in a little at a time and pulse it until it’s finely chopped. VERY easy and fast! I believe the flavors can incorporate well this way, too, after you mix everything together. Your salad will look like tabouli, and you may “trick” (oh, what a negative connotation for giving a person some amino acids!) someone you love into eating collard greens raw.
This, of course, is ONLY if I’m taking a break from my Champagne mango feast.
Hello, everyone! Thanks for the comments on last week’s frequent postings.
I have been making a dressing similar to the mustard-chive-date one that I posted, but I put in about 3/4 c. water, 2-3 dates, optional clove of garlic, pinch of pink salt, 1 T. mustard (dijon or stoneground), 6-7 spinach leaves or collard leaf, 2 T. basil, 1/2 c. cilantro, and 1/2 c. parsley, and just whirl it together in the Vita-Mix. It turns out a beautiful green color and tastes delicious and rich, even with no added fat. I commonly have cilantro, parsley, and basil on hand, but if you don’t, it’s fine to use just one or two of those.
Enjoy the beautiful weather!
From Professional Vegetarian Cooking
Asparagus with mango, black sesame seeds, and a strawberry-basil dressing.
Kale, red & green cabbage, and carrots in a creamy nut-based dressing and topped with basil.
So I wanted my zucchini noodles with a basil sauce, but the store nearby didn’t have fresh, so I chose Italian, flat-leaf parsley instead. I did find local grape tomatoes, which was nice!
The sauce has parsley, tomato, and a little mango juice; whole parsley; garlic; a date; and pink salt. Very easy, very spunky! It’s not rich, as there is no oil. You can add sun-dried tomatoes, too, if you like.
FYI, zucchini noodles do get watery as they sit, and combined with a sauce even more. I’ll take that hydration, though.
You can make the noodles by using a mandoline, spiralizer, peeler, or knife.
I feel as if I made the best no-fat-added dressing I’ve ever had….so I measured tonight to post the recipe! This dressing is sweet and tangy, mostly raw except for the prepared mustard (which has negligible calories). I made a dressing with whole mustard seeds and didn’t like it as much; I don’t find any ill effects on my health from consuming prepared organic mustard. This keeps well when blended in a Vita-Mix; mine didn’t even separate after 2 days in the refrigerator!
Makes about 1.25 to 1.5 cups.
1.25 c. water
8 pitted dates (I used Medjool)
1 c. fresh chives
3 cloves garlic (or to taste)
1.5 T. mustard (Dijon or regular, whatever you prefer; I used Dijon)
1/2 tsp. Himalayan pink salt, or to taste
(Note: I’m also not a huge vinegar fan, and it’s actually a skin irritant for me when the vinegar contacts my skin, so ingestion may not be ideal, either…..another reason I probably love this dressing!)
Blend in your blender or Vita-Mix until smooth. That’s it!
I am LOVING these organic microgreens from Trader Joe’s.
A tip I thought I’d post on raw eating: It’s important to have food available for when hunger strikes, because if you are addicted to the cooked food and have no raw food around, well, you know what will probably happen.
I almost always have at least these items in my kitchen: fresh collards, kale, spinach, apples, pears, oranges, sprouts, carrots, celery, cucumber, parsley, cilantro, and romaine; frozen bananas. I keep the vegetables stored in a way that I can open the fridge and see what I have, grab it quickly, rinse it, and eat or juice/blend it. I also like to have some type of berry within my reach. If it helps you to rinse vegetables and fruits prior to storing, do that. Do whatever it takes to have fresh food around…..and no excuses on going to the grocer! Find one nearby, on your way to or from work, and visit the produce section only, picking up the above items. Spend 5-10 min. 5-10 min. if you do it fast! 
Pretend you’re a vegan ninja.
These kelp noodles seemed to be popular among raw-food circles, so I decided to give them a try. I found it amazing that they only have 6 calories per 4 oz. It seems other noodles, whether they be wheat-based, rice-based, or even mung-bean-based, have about 200 calories per 4 oz. And they have the minerals from the seaweed! Win-win. :)
I don’t count calories on a raw-food diet – I eat whatever I want — but it seems that with a noodle, a nut-based sauce would go best, so it’s nice that this is a light meal, not heavy like a cooked pasta dish would be. Yes, you can leave your buttons fastened after this one. :D
I made the sauce from sprouted almonds, garlic, pink salt, and a fresh juice (apple, parsley, cilantro, chard, and carrot – sweet and flavorful) blended in the Vita-Mix. The noodles have cucumbers mixed in and are topped with spinach and more sprouted sliced almonds. I feel like the raw sauces that I make nowadays are a drastic improvement on the salty, less-fresh ones I used to mix up. This was fabulous.
