Leftover Inspiration: Shredded Veggies Turn into a Delightful Burrito!

Here's a really quick and easy dinner I threw together with some leftovers Friday night. It shows that just simply taking leftover ingredients, switching up the seasonings and the way you sere it can turn into a whole new din din.
I had some veggies leftover from the raw food dinner at Fresh Thymes on Wednesday night. These were the dregs, really...a stump of a red cabbage, a little hunk of jicama, maybe half a cup of shredded carrots. Really, not much, but I don't like to throw veggies away. For the dinner, they had been part of a beautiful spicy Thai-inspired veggie dish, with a fantastic coconut sauce that everyone really enjoyed. Now, they weren't much to look at.
So I shredded up the cabbage and the jicama, tossed it with some yummy stuff, and wrapped it up with collard leaves (I try to always have some in the fridge for quick wraps!) and threw in some nice ripe avocado - another staple - and voila! Cabbage and jicama burritos!
Here's a rough recipe, more intended to inspire you to make magic with your leftovers than to follow exactly, although if you do follow it exactly, it is tasty:
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup shredded jicama
1/2 cup or so shredded carrots
2-3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2-3 tablespoons chopped green onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (lime juice would work great, too)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon or so chili powder
Cayenne pepper and salt to taste

Toss the ingredients above throughly, letting stand for a half hour or so to soften before serving, if desired. Serve with halves of collard leaves for rolling, burrito style, adding avocado slices, or anything else you have on hand!

Raw Food Thursday, February 10, SPAGHETTI and MEATBALLS!

Head to Fresh Thymes Cafe tomorrow in Wilmington for some raw food created by yours truly! On the menu: Spaghetti and meatballs! Zucchini spaghetti with delicious walnut meatballs, that is! Forget about starchy spaghetti and heavy meatballs that would normally put you in a food coma...this meal will delight and energize you!

The details:
Fresh Thymes Cafe
1836 Lovering Avenue in Wilmington
The raw option will be available from 10am-2pm.

When Life Gives you Meyer Lemons...Make Raw Lemon Pudding!

Have you noticed the Meyer lemons in the grocery store lately? I've seen them a couple places, and having NEVER actually used them, I was curious. I had heard they were sweeter and a little more interesting in flavor than a regular lemon (which I love - don't get me wrong!), so when my hubby and I were at Costco the other night, I picked up a dozen or so (non-organic, alas)...I don't know what I'll do with ALL of them yet, but last night I whipped up (literally) a yummy yummy lemon pudding! The Meyers are pleasantly tart and lemony without knocking you out or reminding you too too much that you haven't polished the furniture in ages...

Here's my easy peasy raw lemon pudding:

Juice of 3-4 Meyer (or regular!) lemons (depending on how lemony you like it...if you go for just 3, throw in an extra tablespoon of water to compensate for less liquid)
1 large avocado, pitted, peeled and cubed
4 nice, soft medjool dates, pitted (if yours are dry, pit and soak them for like 15 minutes, drain, and use in the recipe)
1-2 tablespoons agave nectar (to adjust sweetness...use additional dates if you prefer)

Blend everything in a blender or food processor until silky smooth. I chilled my before serving, and threw a few blueberries on top! Honest-to-goodness, you cannot detect the avocado in this recipe (except for the slightly green color...). My husband, who is used to being slipped an avocado or two in strange ways, did NOT guess what was in the pudding! Raw appétit!