Day 3: Raw Food Blogathon

I thought I’d go out for lunch today and wanted to try some place new, so I hopped on the train over to 23rd Street to Bonobo’s, a raw vegetarian restaurant across the street from Madison Square Park in NYC.

First off, I was very impressed with how clean it was—the place was spotless. It was very busy at lunch, but they had plenty of staff on hand. Plus, they happily offered samples of all their foods so you can try before you buy. I ordered a salad with spring greens, cucumber, red onion, red bell pepper, sprouts, a scoop of curried almond pate, and mustard agave dressing. Man, was it delicious, and I really enjoyed the healthy scoop of curried almond pate. It made the salad feel like a meal. For the ride home I ordered a small coconut water and a banana pineapple frozen fruit pudding. The pudding was so fresh and perfect for a hot summer day and I loved that there were a few pieces of banana and pineapple still left intact. Ugh, I want some more!

Later this afternoon I made a nice big batch of raw coleslaw with purple cabbage. It was actually very easy to make thanks to my food processor slicing blade. Check it out. I’ll be munching on these leftovers all week long.

Raw Coleslaw w/ Purple Cabbage

1/2 head of purple cabbage

2 medium carrots

1 large cucumber

1/2 medium yellow onion

1 clove garlic

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp. celery seeds

1 tsp. sea salt

2 tsp. dry mustard

1/4 cup raw olive oil

Using your food processor, thinly slice or shred the cabbage, carrot, cucumber, and onion. Add the vegetables to a big bowl. Finely chop the garlic clove and add it to the bowl. Mix well with tongs or a spoon. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, celery seeds, salt, dry mustard, and olive oil. Pour on top of the vegetables and mix well. Serve chilled and store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Tip 1: This recipe makes a nice big bowl of coleslaw that would be perfect to bring as a side dish to a small party. Or, you can make this on the weekend and bring it for lunch all week long. Tip 2: If you don’t have a food processor, just thinly slice up the veggies with your knife and cutting board and use a cheese grater to help you out with the carrot and onion.

See also: Day 1 and Day 2 of this blogathon.