Eat More Good Stuff

I have several friends who are vegetarian or vegan, one who is raw vegan and another who eats all raw food (including raw meat and fish).

The whole raw food thing intrigues me; consuming all fresh healthy organic low calorie fruit & vegetables fresh from Mother Earth… yet I like meat. And hot soup on a cold day. And pasta, who could live without pasta? And I love to cook.

With all those ands the chance of me eating a totally fresh raw diet is pretty slim. But I have tried to ad more fresh produce to my diet. Even so, I don’t like boring, so here are a few of my favs, concocted to provide fresh healthy foods while still be yummy –and pretty, too.

Spinach Salad
A plate full of fresh baby spinach
Fresh mozzarella cheese cubes
Sliced black olives (drizzle w/ olive juice for dressing)

Vegetable Salad
1 peeled and sliced cucumber
1 sliced or diced tomato
½ sliced onion

Dress with fresh garden herbs, a tablespoon of olive oil and some balsamic vinegar, stir, serve, or make beforehand and chill.

Tropical Blender Smoothie (serves 2-3)
1 Banana
1 lg. can pineapple w/ juice
1 sm. can mandarin oranges

Blend on high, pour, drink.

Fruit Smoothie
1 Banana
1 cup strawberries
1 sliced apple
1 cup water

Blend on high, pour, drink.

Yummy!!!!!!!!!

The summers first salad

What could be more beautiful than the years first salad? Fresh picked from the garden, the variety of lettuces can be picked and laid out in the most wonderful arrangement.

The purple romaine has a bit of a spicy bite to it and is said to be an excellent cancer fighting food. The top layer are baby spinach leaves. Sandwiched in between the two are a variety of other lettuces.

I choose lettuces that look interesting from the seed packets or at the garden store. I often don't even remember their names. I sprinkle them in the lettuce plot together and let them do what they will. I have never been disappointed in the end result. And planting much close than the packets recommend, I prefer my 'don't follow the planting rules' result. The lettuce grows tight, like a little edible lawn. Because it's grown tight it rarely gets dirty even when it rains.

Most would recommend you wash your lettuce first, but we usually just eat it. I know what's in my garden, and anyway, a little dirt is good for you :-) Keeps the swine flu away.

Mixed Lettuce

The spring lettuce mix is coming up nicely. Soon, it will cover the raised bed it's planted in like carpet, assuring not a single weed can plant itself among the tender roots.

I am not sure what the seed packages say about recommended seed width, but I always chose a mixed variety and sprinkle it about and it sorts itself out just fine. Being planted in such a tight patch, not only do the weeds stay out, but it doesn't seem to get dirty during rains either. If there is space in between the leaves (like with Romaine) when we have summer downpours the lettuce gets coated with mud sprinkles. This tight planting keeps the lettuce nice and clean all season.

When the lettuce matures, I just snip what I need with scissors and a few days later, new lettuce appears. It's almost magic.