summer

avocado, strawberry, and grape tomato salad

• Makes 2 to 4 servings

Strawberries are the most popular berry in the world. They go great in salads and are a complement to a savory vinaigrette dressing—like the balsamic vinaigrette, on page 102, in this recipe.

1 avocado, cubed

1 small carrot, thin matchsticks

7 grape tomatoes, halved

4 strawberries, thick slices

¹⁄₂ cup yellow pepper, thinly sliced

6 butter lettuce leaves, washed and torn

Pinch black pepper and sea salt

Balsamic vinaigrette, page 102

Toss salad ingredients together in a medium bowl with the amount of vinaigrette you prefer. Serve immediately.

summer fruity kale salad

• Makes 3 to 5 servings

In case you can’t get enough raw kale variations, this one is perfect for summer, when strawberries are at their peak. Jicama is a Mexican root vegetable that is light, crispy, and perfect for summer, too.

4 cups packed kale, off the stem and torn into small pieces

1 tablespoon walnut oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

¹⁄₂ teaspoon sea salt

2 cups jicama, peeled and cut into matchsticks

1 cup strawberries, sliced

1 tablespoon maple syrup

2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped

3 tablespoons dried coconut flakes

1 tablespoon lime juice

¹⁄₂ cup raisins

Place the first four ingredients in a large bowl and massage the kale with your hands for about five minutes. Stir in the rest of the ingredients until well combined. Let sit for 15 minutes to let flavors meld.

blissful tip: diversify

The most important thing you can do is have a varied diet rich in natural, whole foods. Eat foods in all the colors of the rainbow. Kale, lettuce, and celery for green; carrots, yams, and oranges for orange; eggplant for purple; cabbage, strawberries, and apples for red; pineapple, squash, and grains for yellow; grapefruit for pink; beans for brown; cauliflower, daikon, and tofu for white. You get the picture. Fruits and vegetables that are beautifully colored are rich in antioxidant elements that protect us from free radicals. Start by adding things like whole grains and more vegetables. Then you can start slowly taking things away that aren’t serving your greater good. This book shows you how to do this, and you know what? You might just find a fountain of youth. A balanced, whole food, plant-based diet can give you the energy and nutritional support to make your body, mind, and spirit happy.

zucchini “pasta” with mint-cashew pesto sauce

zucchini “pasta” with mint-cashew pesto sauce

• Makes 3 to 5 servings • Chef Fave

This is one of my favorite raw vegan dishes and one that friends always love. You can make “noodles” out of carrots, cabbage, daikon, and summer squash with a gadget called a Spiralizer, or try the method described below. Give them all a try with this delicious mint pesto.

2 medium zucchini, washed and made into pasta

mint-cashew pesto sauce

makes about 1¹⁄₂ cups

1 cup fresh mint

1 cup fresh parsley

1 cup cashews, soaked 2 to 4 hours, then drained

¹⁄₂ cup nutritional yeast

2 tablespoons tamari

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon maple or brown rice syrup

Pinch sea salt and black pepper

2 tablespoons or more filtered water, as necessary to get creamy texture

Combine all pesto ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Be sure to scrape the edges of the bowl a few times to incorporate all the ingredients.

To make zucchini noodles without a Spiralizer, take a peeler and run it across the zucchini length-wise. Continue to do this, moving around the zucchini so one piece of noodle isn’t wider than the others. Keep going until you reach the very seedy part of the zucchini. Discard.

Toss zucchini pasta with a dollop of pesto. Add as much pesto as you’d like to pasta. Serve cold.

raw pasta with almond sauce

• Makes 4 to 6 servings

Kelp noodles are one of my favorite products in the world. Raw, light, cooling, and delicious, when they’re paired with a rich almond sauce, you get a heavenly pasta dish without the guilt of eating high-carb pasta.

1 package kelp noodles, drained

1 cup carrot, thin matchsticks

1 cup cucumber, halved, seeded, and thinly sliced

¹⁄₂ lime, squeezed on top at the end of preparation

Cilantro, for garnish

almond sauce

1 cup almonds and ¹⁄₄ cup sunflower seeds, washed and soaked 3 hours

2 tablespoons tamari

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil (optional)

2 tablespoons miso

1 tablespoon dulse flakes

Filtered water, as needed

Drain nuts and seeds. In food processor, combine all the sauce ingredients except the filtered water and blend until well combined. Be sure to scrape the edges of the bowl a few times to incorporate all the ingredients. Add water as needed to get the consistency you prefer. Toss desired amount of sauce with the rest of pasta ingredients; garnish with cilantro and a squeeze of lime.
 

blissful definition

Dulse is a red-colored sea vegetable that is high in trace minerals. It often comes in flakes, either in a bag or in a spice shaker.

cilantro-lime dressing

• Makes about 1 cup

If you want an oil-free dressing that is still rich and satisfying, try this one. The pumpkin seeds give it a rich flavor, while the cucumbers make it light and fluffy.

2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds, washed and drained

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 cup cilantro, tightly packed

1 lime, zested and juiced

2 tablespoons tamari

1 garlic clove (optional)

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 cup cucumber, chopped

Blend in a blender until well combined and no chunks remain. Refrigerate for three to five days.