by Vegalicious Elena on February 7, 2012
High on Raw e-book is now done and is available for immediate download! There is still time to get it for its pre-sale price!
One of the last recipes I whipped up for the ebook was fat free Blueberry Dressing. It turned out so delightfully good that I decided to share it with all of my readers.
Blueberry Goodness
yields 1/3 cup
by Vegalicious Elena on August 28, 2011
Hi ya, Cadets! Ready to rumble? A few of you responded to my call to arms to do a cleanse together; some even suggested that we should go longer than three days… and I might be up for it. Our diet will be diverse, not confined to green smoothies only, so it will be hard for most of you to say no to that 
; however, I will still shoot to blog for three [3] days about the cleanse, and then we will see.
So, have you shopped and gotten your greens, veggies and fruit ready? To give you an idea of our daily meal plans I am adding a few links to this post with recipes that you can use for tomorrow meals, along with a meal plan. So, let’s start. But let’s start with a few DOs and DON’Ts first.
DO
- Eat when you are hungry
- Drink when you are thirsty
- If you are on medication, stay on it–consult your doctor about any changes you want to make
- If you are taking supplements, keep taking them… if you really need them, especially B12
- Get plenty of rest
- Journal your food intake, your emotional response to what you are going through and any physical changes you are experiencing
- Recruit family and friends to do this cleanse with you
- Check in daily with me, by reporting in under Cleanse posts
- Only if you want to: weigh yourself BEFORE and AFTER the cleanse
DON’T
- Starve yourself
- Use oils/fats
- Eat anything cooked
- Count calories
- Quit
- Use scales daily
- Drink anything with caffeine in it, which includes any sodas/pops, energy/sports drinks, etc.
Enough said?!
Expect
- To feel better when you are done
- Be lighter
- The first day or two you might feel some detox symptoms: headache, nausea, grogginess–stick with it, it will get better!
- Expect cravings! Your body WILL trip on you and try to manipulate you to quit, but DON’T!
Day 1 of Raw Food Cleanse Meal Planner
Breakfast
Snacks
- Carrot and Celery Sticks or fruit
Lunch
Snacks
Dinner
- Carrot/Apple/Pear Juice [same as in the recipe below, but add one ripe pear to the mix]
- Veggie Wrap [instead of hummus use blended avocados for a spread]
This should keep you going one full day. Remember that our goal is NOT to starve you, but to keep you nourished, while allowing your body to detox.
Carrot/Apple Juice
image source
- 1 cup of water, coconut water, or kombucha*
- 1 large apple, cored
- 3 large carrots, washed and chopped [if you are using organic produce you don't have to peel them]
*If you are using kombucha or coconut water you won’t need to sweeten your juice, if you use water you can use a teaspoon or two of honey, agave or maple syrup
- If you have a juicer, juice your carrots and fruit–you might not even have to use liquids; if you do not, place your liquid into a high speed blender [I will be using Vitamix 5200], add the apple and start blending,
- Through the opening in the lid, add chopped carrot, and blend on high speed until VERY smooth consistency is achieved
- Place into a milk bag and strain juice
Enjoy your drink!
JUICES OXIDIZE VERY QUICKLY, SO ONCE THE JUICE IS MADE DRINK IT, AND MAKE A NEW BATCH FOR THE NEXT SERVING!
Ready! Set! Let’s Start!
Now that you have your first day’s menu, get ready. It will be exciting! You will experience a whole new world of foods that will love you. You will also feel better about yourself, having a sense of accomplishment, and you might fit into that pair of jeans that has been hanging in your closet for the last few month when you are done!
Your Drill Sargent,
by Vegalicious Elena on April 5, 2011
Hi, ya, Troops! How is the challenge coming along?
I have not been hearing much feedback about the Meal Planners, so I decided to suspend posting them until I know whether they are really helpful or not to more than one person. So, it’s in your hands now–if you use them, speak now or forever hold your peace!
Meanwhile I wanted to share my new favorite recipe. Hubby is simply in love with it and cannot get enough. It must be really good then .
Sun Dried Tomato Hummus
Makes 1.5 quart
this kind of appetizer will wow your vegan and non-vegan friends alike!
Ingredients
- 5 cups cooked chickpeas* [aka garbanzo beans]
- 5-7 cloves of garlic
- 2.5 cups chickpea water* [water that you cooked chickpeas in]
- 5 tbsp tahini paste
- juice of 1/2 lemon, freshly squeezed
- 1 cup sun dried tomatoes**
- 1.5 tsp Himalayan or sea salt [or to taste]
Preparation
- Soak 3 cups of dried chickpeas [garbanzo beans] in water for several hours or overnight;
- *Drain water, rinse beans, then fill a pot with water, covering chickpeas by double their mass, and cook until tender;
- Drain chickpeas, but keep the water;
- **I used marinated sun dried tomatoes, so make sure to squeeze as much oil out of them as possible; if you use dry tomatoes, rehydrate them by placing in some water for at least an hour;
- Place ingredients 1-7 in a food processor or high speed blender, starting with water;
- If using food processor, process 4-5 mins or until homogeneous mass is achieved;
- If using high speed blender add ingredients slowly to avoid burning your motor; if using Vita-Mix, use temper to keep ingredients moving at all times;
- Refrigerate or use immediately. Hummus should keep for up to 1.5 weeks easily.
- Use as dip for veggies, with crackers, or instead of “sour cream” [I mean the vegan kind
], or as a spread.
Enjoy!
