A lovely weekend!

What a great weekend this was.

Friday night we had dinner at Cafe Samana with Brian and Megan. I think Megan and I will be great foodie friends! Then Megan and I headed to Whole Foods for a raw food class with Denise of Raw Intentions. Great tasting do-able recipes and always a new tidbit to learn.

Saturday morning we headed to the Farmer's Market and to Natural Farms to pick up our co-op share.  I love pictures of fruit and vegetables. The colors are amazing. This is a picture of my "pharmacy!"

I picked up Mom and we headed out for a delightful afternoon. We went to lunch at Dilly Deli and Mom loved the activity of the area, checked out the Gadget Company, a stop at Mecca Coffee for gadgets, and then Stitches for buttons and a new pattern.

Then . . . yes! time to play in the kitchen!

I love my new Matthew Kenney book, Everyday Raw Express, and picked his Zucchini and Avocado Tartar to be my first creation.

This is a nice combination of ingredients and makes a nice presentation when put in a tube so it is plated like a round column. And it tastes great. Thanks MK for another great recipe!

This basil is just beautiful and makes my kitchen smell great. Pretty as a picture!

Next, Watermelon Mango Soup.  This is one of my weekend favorites.

Great summer raw soup. Anything with watermelon in it is good to me! I just love watermelon any way I can get it! So this soup is already on my favorite list. Thanks Denise!

A red cabbage in the refrigerator was jumping out of it's skin just asking to become a slaw.  So how could I not??

Simple easy slaw with red cabbage, carrots, and red peppers. Slaw goes with anything!! Which brings me to the next picture, my dinner!

What a great meal to end a great day!!!

Of course the weekend wouldn't be complete without at least one dessert. But two. . . whewhooo! Both are courtesy of  Raw Intention classes at Whole Foods.

First up, Chocolate Mint Ice Cream. OMG . . . need I say more?

This is my second time to make this.  Last time I just left the whole batch in a bowl in the freezer.  It was so rock hard that I actually broke a knife trying to dish it out! So this time after making it in the ice cream maker, I put the remaining ice cream in a muffin pan, froze it, then removed the individual servings onto a plate to store in the freezer. This is very rich and a small serving is more than enough. I loved it with a fresh strawberry. This is a dessert worthy for company.

And lastly, I made a Chocolate Chia Pudding. It is like a chocolate tapioca. Chia gels when added to liquid and has a wonderful consistency. Chia seeds are amazing. They are a nutritional powerhouse with a lengthy list of benefits: Omega 3, fiber, antioxidant and rich in essential fatty acids. Click this link for the real scoop on chia seeds.  I love them. I put them in smoothies, make a "cereal" out of them, crackers, and now chocolate pudding!

Man I love raw food . . .

And, RAWking in the kitchen!