Raw Vegan Diet Extravaganza #1: Stuffed Pepper Boats

I recently did a raw, vegan, no salt, no oil, no acid, (and not a bunch of others things) diet for 5 days, and it has pretty much changed my life. It was kind of like self-inflicted torture, and I would love to say that it wasn’t that bad (it wasn’t really, and it could have been worse), but my body responded so positively to this diet, I honestly couldn’t believe it. And now, I’ve thrown away all the salt, acids and oils in my apartment. Just kidding. But what I have done is implemented a predominately raw vegan diet*, with low salt and low oil.

It’s amazing how much water retention we hold on to from consuming so much salt. It’s important to appreciate vegetables in their original form and appreciating the natural flavor of vegetables without having to manipulate them to taste good, or ‘better’ than they already are. I’m not trying to promote a raw vegan diet or paleo diet, (I love grains and legumes in my life) but I think implementing raw vegetables into the diet, as they are, will help to improve the general wellbeing of our bodies. Vegetables cooked above 118 degrees Fahrenheit destroys pretty much all of the enzymes, and some of the nutritional values in vegetables, and then there’s the whole pesticide situation, that I’m not getting into. I love roasted veggies, and sautéed kale, but I notice a huge difference in the way my body responds to the same vegetables if they were eaten raw. It’s a life style choice.

This diet was introduced to me by my Aunt, who lost a ton of weight and has successfully kept it off by doing this diet at a health retreat in Ojai (she and her daughter did it for 3 weeks!!!). This diet promotes cleansing and detoxification of the organs, lymph nodes, the digestive tract, etc through raw food. I didn’t do it mainly to lose weight but I was very intrigued and followed the basic guidelines and requirements of the diet (raw vegetables, fruits, sprouted seeds, vegetable juices, 3 meals a day, cleaning out the colon. No nuts ) :  etc,). My main purpose was to essentially ‘reset’ my body and ‘reset’ my digestion, and implement a realistic diet I can maintain. No salt!!! Once you get over that it’s not so bad. At the end of the 5 days, I lost 6 pounds and during the 5 days I had so much energy! This impressed me because during this time I didn’t drink caffeinated coffee or tea. At the end of the 5 days, my skin issue (scalp psoriasis) also improved significantly! I have been struggling with this since I was a child and within 5 days it cleared up quicker than any medicine I have ever taken for it. That’s what really sold me on this diet. My whole purpose for wanting to cook and even starting this blog was because I truly believe you can heal yourself with food and the proper lifestyle to accommodate and maintain a healthy diet.

I documented a few of the meals I ate during these five days. In these recipes I added salt and acid, but if you’re feeling adventurous, try it without the ingredients that make everything taste good! Or not. Either way, eating raw, vegan is a big step.

*If I’m on vacation, this diet doesn’t exist. I’m not eating whole cows and cakes by myself, but you gotta live a little, a lot. But when I am home and go out to eat, I am significantly more conscious of my eating choices.

Stuffed Pepper Boats

1 cup cauliflower, shredded

1/3 cup carrots, shredded

1/2 cup zucchini, medium diced

1/4 cup red onion, small diced

3 tablespoons Mixed Seed and Spinach Sauce* (see recipe)

6-8 mini bell peppers, seeded and cut in half

In a medium bowl, shred the cauliflower and carrots on a box grater. Add the chopped zucchini, chopped onions and the mixed seed and spinach sauce and mix well. Put 2-3 tablespoons of the vegetable mix into the red pepper boats. Drizzle more sauce when ready to eat.

If there is leftover shredded carrot and cauliflower mix, its great in a salad!