RAW STEW!!

I am waaaay stoked on how awesome this is!! First, I have to admit that this incredible recipe is not mine. I got it from one of Chris Kendall’s video blogs (though I changed a couple ingredients). Chris is a lowfat raw vegan who embraces his lifestyle with an inspiring passion. Lately, I have been focusing more on lowfat foods; when I first dove into the raw food lifestyle, most of my diet was fats, & I didn’t feel very well. I was tired often, & had to sit for awhile after eating in order to ‘digest.’ Now, most of my diet is fruits & veggies (though I’m still eating some cooked grains & beans in small amounts. Because they are lowfat, I find them to be less trouble than a lot of raw nuts).

You know by now how much I love garlic. You have no idea how tempted I was to add garlic & sea salt to this dish! BUT, many lowfat raw vegans (including Chris), talk about spices & seasonings being toxic irritants to the body…while I haven’t “given up” garlic & seasonings, I decided to try this beautiful dish as Chris would make it.
….My advice? When you make this (& you will!), DO NOT ruin it with garlic & seasonings!! It was so fresh, crisp & beautiful just the way it was. The only things I changed were adding crimini mushrooms, & using fresh chives & oregano as opposed to dill or cilantro. AMAZINGAMAZINGAMAZING!! I highly recommend adding the crimini mushies…they taste sooooooo yummy with the tomatoes! :D (sowwie, Chris, if I broke any food combining rules :P hehe) Enjoy!

**Chris Kendall is the mind behind The Raw Advantage. He is diligent about answering questions/ comments, & holds a vast amount of knowledge. If you're looking for a live-in lifestyle coach, he is available by donation. Cheers to health! :)**

Ingredients:
5 tomatoes, diced
½ cucumber, diced
½ zucchini, diced
7 stalks celery, diced
15 baby crimini mushrooms, diced
1 head of romaine lettuce, chopped
1 mango, peeled & pitted
½ bunch fresh oregano
½ bunch fresh chives

Directions:
1) Take half the tomatoes, half the zucchini, half the cucumber, half the celery & all of the mushrooms; put them into a large bowl & set aside.
2) Blend together the other half of the tomatoes, zucchini, cucumber & celery until smooth.
3) Add remaining ingredients to the blender, & blend until smooth.
4) Pour pureed mixture into the bowl with diced veggies. Stir well & serve.

Peace, love, food <3
Char, xo