Raw Thanksgiving Demo and the Fly Trap Restaurant Review

A few weeks ago I attended my second raw vegan cooking demo. The food did not disappoint! When I arrived there was a delicious salad waiting for us with nuts, dried cranberries, and a maple balsamic dressing (recipe here). So delicious! The cooking demo was put on by an undergraduate named Katie. You should check out her blog here, she does excellent work! She is an upbeat ambassador to the raw and vegan food lifestyle.

We ate cauliflower mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy, cranberry relish (so good), squash soup, and sweet potato casserole. All RAW!

Sweet potato casserole and cranberry relish

By far my favorite part was dessert. Pumpkin Pie! Check out this beauty (well maybe the beauty is really in the taste...):

Click here for her "Fully Raw Pumpkin Pie" recipe. 

Even more important than the food - after the demo was done and we were enjoying the pie, Katie asked us to each share how we were going to stay healthy this holiday season. When it was Katie's turn she said she was going to suggest doing active activities with family members when they spend time together. Rather than watching a movie - take a walk! I love that idea. Plus, walking and talking is much better bonding time than watching TV!

I put her advice to work when I visited Detroit recently. I asked the friend I was visiting there to walk with me to breakfast and she was game! We went to the Fly Trap in Ferndale, MI. The place is small but we did not have to wait long. I ordered the vegan Veggie Rumble (sub tofu and no eggs) and the mini muffin of the day.

Unfortunately I did not take a picture of my breakfast but it was very good! I would recommend it. Next time I would order no mushrooms. Why are mushrooms considered "seasonal vegetables" to most people?? The Reeses inspired muffin was extra good. And you can't beat the totally hipster-chic salt and pepper shakers on each table. Ours were a pair of dogs (cats?) in sailor outfits!

How are you planning to stay healthy this holiday season?

Raw Italian Demo

This week I experienced my first ever raw vegan food. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. The university I work at offers cooking demos in their new rec facility and when I found out they had vegan cooking demos I was psyched! Then I found out they were raw... which made me a little nervous.

I thought I'd give it a try anyway and am so glad I did. The young woman who did the cooking demo is a certified raw vegan chef from Boston and was energetic and very enthusiastic about raw foods! She worked in a raw vegan restaurant before coming to college (or during summers, I'm not sure) and definitely had the know how and really good recipes to share. She had prepared samples the night before so we were even well fed. We tried zucchini rolls that were stuffed with marinara, alfredo sauce, and pesto, as well as butternut squash stuffed beet ravioli and spiralized zucchini alfredo. To top it all off, she made raw tiramisu! It was pretty amazing. My eyes have been opened. I even ordered a spiralizer this morning.... raw recipe reviews coming soon!

The chef happens to also have a blog and posted all the delicious recipes here. Seriously check them out. There are some pictures of the raw foods I tried too.