Rachael Raw

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you probably know that I still occasionally watch Rachael Ray. This may seem odd, since she rarely makes anything vegan or raw. I guess I'm just waiting for her to explore this lifestyle (maybe I should write to her about it).

I also still get her e-newsletter, packed with tons of recipes for SAD-eaters. However, if you are willing to read through these supermarket suppers, you can sometimes find something suitable for those following a raw diet.

For instance, today's e-mail led me to a section of her website dedicated to no-bake recipes. Although most of them weren't really raw, there was one for cantaloupe soup, made from cantaloupe (duh), orange juice (please use fresh squeezed), lime juice and honey (you could also use agave, but if your cantaloupe is flavorful enough, you could eliminate it altogether).

Speaking of cantaloupe, they are in season right now, so if you are following a local diet, here's another recipe from the e-mail you might like. It's a cantaloupe and cucumber (also local) salad. I had to adjust the ingredients a bit (I got rid of the Greek yogurt, which I didn't miss at all, and used agave instead of the honey), but the end result was still very refreshing on this hot, humid day.

As for a refreshment, Rachael also gave me this idea, which I tweaked a bit again. I used agave in place of the refined sugar and added some lime and lemon slices (not from the farmers market, but I did purchase them from a little mom and pop kind of grocery store). Delish!

On a side note, I had hoped to make it to the NaturalZing potluck over the weekend, but opted to go out to dinner with my hubby instead (I wonder why I did that? Could it have been our anniversary?) There was going to be a Sproutman demonstration, so not to feel left out, I picked these up at Whole Foods. Yum-O!