Raw vegan sushi is too pretty not to post for the 292,038,727th time.  I made it with some of the usual ingredients: cucumber, broccoli shreds, avocado and carrot.

When I’m eating raw I often find myself missing one of my favorite meals: the sandwich. My raw vegan lettuce wraps do a great job putting an end to my sandwich hunger!

I made a lettuce wrap station on the table featuring shredded carrots, shredded broccoli, raw sun dried tomatoes, basil leaves (from the garden), avocado, green pepper slices, red onion, diced tomatoes, Tofurkey sliced in strips, raw asparagus and a variety of condiments: yellow mustard, grape seed oil Vegenaise, spicy brown mustard and Sriracha. We used romaine lettuce for the wrap (much like the raw-co).

I could put away like 6 of these bad boys.

Using left over raw ‘refried beans’ as well as the leftover vegetables that were prepared for raw-co night, I made myself a taco salad! When we make raw-cos, we use romaine lettuce and then wrap vegetables and ‘beans’ inside them.  I cut up the leftover romaine for the base and then added all of the leftover vegetables (carrots, broccoli shreds, grape tomatoes, red onion and green pepper) and then added an avocado half and a scoop of ‘beans’.  I used some organic, raw tomatillo salsa for dressing.

It was extremely filling and I only got through 2/3 of it. Loren had to come to my aid to finish it up.

HMoC!! My new favorite thing in the world is Avocado Gazpacho! It’s like eating guacamole with a spoon! This recipe is 100% raw and 200% delicious.

To start this trip to delicious city, you will need to cut up 1 zucchini and 2 small yellow squash in about 3/4 inch circles. Slice 1 ring of onion about the same thickness (and then into fourths) and 1/2 a red bell pepper into chunks.  Put these ingredients into the bowl of your food processor and pulse so its choppy but not too small or in a paste.  These veggies will be filler in your gazpacho.  Transfer this mixture to a medium size bowl.

Cut the corn off of 2 cobs and add to the vegetable mixture in the bowl.

Put 1 avocado in the bowl of the food processor along with 1 medium size tomato (already pre-chopped) and pulse this so its chunky (but watch out! the avocado will turn to guac if pulsed too much). Add this mixture to the veggie bowl and add the juice of 1 lime and a pinch of sea salt.

Next, put 2 avocados in the food processor along with 1/2 of a small jalapeno (seeded), 1 clove of garlic and the juice of 1 lemon.  Turn the food processor to ‘On’ (instead of pulse) and let these ingredients turn into a paste (or sauce).  Pour this  sauce into the gazpacho bowl along with some some water and whisk together.  The amount of water is up to you…I added it twice making sure that each time I did it wasn’t too much.  I left it kinda of thick but you can add more water if you’d like it more soupy.

Once plated, I topped my gazpacho with some raw sunflower seeds and red pepper flakes. This recipe will serve 3-4 depending on how much you like it. I had 2 helpings and so did Loren and we had some left over.  Its kept in the fridge since last night so I may snack on it today (hehe). Loren ate his as gazpacho and with chips (like guac).  It tastes like fancy guacamole; every bite you take you can taste the corn, the spice of the jalapeno, the zucchini and squash.

Delicious!

*update: im eating the leftover gazpacho now for lunch and its even better after it sits overnight! i know most gazpachos you let sit but I was weary because this one had so much avocado in it and it oxidizes quickly.

I’ve been meaning to try to make an avocado soup for awhile now.  Tonight was the night! It’s super easy and super delicious.

In the bowl of a high speed blender combine: 2 ripe avocados, 2 1/2 cups filtered water, 2 T organic unpasteurized brown miso, one 6 inch stem of rosemary leaves (about 1 t…its from my garden!), 2 T raw olive oil, the juice of 1 lime, 1/3 t cumin, 1/3 t cayenne pepper and 1/4 t chipotle chili seasoning.  Puree until all the ingredients are mixed and its a smooth, thick consistency.  Once plated, I topped the soup with freshly diced tomatoes and some fresh cilantro (right out of my garden!).

I served the soup along side a salad: spinach, cucs, carrot, grape tomoatoes, green pepper and red onion.

At first I found it quite hard to break my eating 100% raw habit but then I was forced into a situation where it was very difficult for me to eat only raw. Now I find that it’s hard to get back into it.  At my best, I was eating 2 pieces of fruit, a salad and some nuts every day and running 2 miles.  I felt amazing.  Then I started slowly eating more and more cooked foods and most days I can’t find the energy to get into the gym.  When I do, I run a mile, speed walk at an incline for 10 minutes and then do some time on the elliptical.  Every day my brain beats me up for not being as good as I was and the only thing I can do is get back into the swing of things.  This morning I ate an apple and I imagine I’ll have a salad for dinner.  The only way you can change what you’re doing is to actually do it.  You have to make up your mind, choose to be better and then do it.

This meal was when I was getting back into raw a couple weeks ago.  After I went to the gym, I prepared a salad and a smoothie.  The smoothie consists of 3 small ripe bananas, a handful of raw walnuts, little bit of water and some ice.  The salad is a typical Rustin dish: spinach, carrots, grape tomatoes, avocado and green pepper.

Kids, the moral of this story is, if you’re unhappy with yourself or with something that you aren’t or are doing, then all you need to do is change it. Don’t give yourself the option to quit or to stop doing it. Just do it.

Could you be, the most beautiful salad in the world? Its plain to see, you’re the reason why I make salads.

I recently purchased some organic shelled hemp seeds and I’m officially addicted.  I’m putting them on everything from salads to mixing them in with granola, nuts and dried fruit for snack time. Hemp seeds are very good and very good for you. They contain all the essential amino acids and essential fatty acids necessary to maintain healthy human life.  No other single plant source has the EAA in such an easily digestible form, nor has the EFA in as perfect a ratio to meet human nutritional needs. So eat them up, yum!

This salad starts with a spinach base and is topped with chopped raw asparagus, chopped red and green peppers, shredded carrots, chopped red onion, grape and raw sun dried tomatoes, avocado, red pepper flakes and hemp seeds. De-freaking-licious!

Intentional Foods has done it again!! Their raw carrot cake is out of this world!!! I also picked up some broccoli salad.

Mmm…chocolate.  Here’s a super easy, raw recipe that is sure to cure your chocolate cravings!

In the bowl of a blender mix: one ripe avocado, one ripe banana, 2 Tablespoons raw cacao powder, 1 Tablespoon agave nectar, a pinch of cayenne pepper, a pinch of sea salt and a few drops of vanilla extract. Hit go and let it blend until it’s a smooth pudding consistency.

Who could have guessed that I would find another way to incorporate Mexican into my raw diet? Submitted for the approval of the Rustin followers, I call this recipe, “Bur-RAW-to”.

Despite what you may have heard, collards (when raw) are not bitter. They taste and act like any other green leaf vegetable and serve their tortilla-like purpose well. For this dish, the collards serve as the wrap and inside is a healthy dose of raw “refried beans”, corn off the cob, diced white onion, diced tomato, chopped cilantro and avocado slices.

To start this amazing meal, grab your food processor, cutting board, favorite knife and clear some room on the counter! I would like to add that you also need a paring knife or something equally as small and sharp so you can cut the stem out of the collards.

To prepare the collards, cut the leaves from the stalk and wash thoroughly. You need to make two piles of leaves: one for big leaves and another for smaller ones. You want two small leaves per big leaf for each burrito. To cut the stems out simply glide your knife along the leaf following the stem. You don’t have to follow the stem all the way up, just far enough so that the collard is flexible and easy to roll (instead of snapping with a fold). To arrange them in preparation to roll, put one small leaf on each bottom corner of the big leaf (see below photo).

To make the raw “refried beans” you will need: 2  1/2 cups raw sunflower seeds, 1 Tablespoon agave nectar, 1 Tablespoon cumin, 1/2 Tablespoon chili powder, 1/2 Tablespoon chipotle chile powder, 1 cup water, 1/3 jalapeño (washed and seeded), 1/4 cup onion and a handful of chopped cilantro. Put all of the above ingredients into the bowl of the food processor EXCEPT for the water and hit go! Once the seeds, veggies and spices have ground and combined together, add the water (never stopping the food processor). Taste and make sure the “beans” are to your liking and set aside while you cut up the rest of the veggies.

Once you have everything ready to go, position the leaves like I taught you and scoop two big ole spoonfuls of the “beans” onto the bottom of the leaves leaving enough room for you to grab hold of the bottom and roll. Spoon the other veggies on top of and in front of the beans. When it’s time to roll, you need to roll upwards tucking in the sides as you do. With every roll upward tuck in each side…it’s one roll at a time, never a continuous roll. Before you make the first roll upward, tuck in the sides at the bottom.

Booya!