Once the warm weather hits I feel like my body starts craving a different type of food. It no longer wants heaviness or bold flavors and it definitely no longer craves hot foods that warm you from the inside out because the out is already warm!

I love the warm weather, I would much rather be too hot than too cold. My body also loves the warm weather, it feels at its healthiest when eating fresh vegetables, sweet fruits, light flavors and when it is able to go outside without looking like the abominable snowman.

That being said, I am a huge proponent of the raw food diet. When we cook food in any manner we lose some of its alkalinity for food is its most nutritious when left raw and I personally thrive off of all those vitamins and minerals coursing through my system.

Once summer starts I start incorporating innovative raw food meals into my diet and suddenly my hair gets softer, my skin starts glowing and any excess winter weight slides right off leaving me with my bikini body without even trying.

However, I am not sure about you but I often get stuck in a raw food rut and consume my favs over and over; zucchini noodles with tomatoes and sweet corn, dehydrated banana chips, sprouted lentils and green salads. Today, I wanted to do something a little more innovative so decided to go for some raw sweet potato. Firstly, sliced raw sweet potato is an amazing substitution for a cracker or chip, its firmness carries salsa or guacamole like a champ so if you are looking for something crunch and slightly sweet yet carby (yes I just made up that word) than slice up some sweet potatoes and go to town. You can also dehydrate them if you use a little forethought which makes them slightly crisp as well.

For this beautifully plated, but messy eaten dish, I utilized the slicer blade on my Kitchenaid Spiralizer (god I love that attachment) creating a beautiful tower of sweet potato and coated it with a delicious mango cilantro puree. On a side not, the mango puree was so delicious I ate a bunch of it with a spoon like a chilled soup, it was a simple blend of mango, cilantro, garlic, jalapeno, ginger, and lime juice and boy oh boy it was delicious. I hope that you enjoy!

Raw Sweet Potato Tower with Mango Cilantro Puree

Serves 2

2 large Sweet Potatoes, Spiralized into noodles or sliced into chips

1 Mango

1/2 lime, juiced

1 clove Garlic

1 handful of Cilantro

1in of fresh Ginger

1in of Jalapeno (more if you want more heat)

1 - 2 tbs of water to thin the puree

Pink HImalayan Sea Salt to taste

Spiralize the sweet potato or slice it into chips. Place the mango, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, ginger, and jalapeno in a blender or food processor. Pulse until broken down, add water if needed to thin to desired consistency and salt to taste. Coat noodles or chips with puree. Sprinkle with flax seeds for added omega -3's if desired. I stacked mine in a lovely spiral for picture worthiness but when I ate it I just tossed it with the puree and dug in!

Enjoy and Healthy Eating!

The other day I wandered into my local mom and pop farm market store and discovered some exciting new items! If anyone shops in this kind of store you know that the winter months can be pretty bare. Fruits and veggies are wilted and sad and the variety is often non-existent. After surviving on squash and root vegetables for most of the season I was looking for a little inspiration.

I was pleasantly surprised on this spring day, the store was filled with vibrant fruits and vegetables, many which I had never seen there before; bitter melons, long squash also called bottle gourd or opo squash, green mangos, fresh okra, and giant pods of fresh peas. The store has recently switched hands and the owners, who are Indian have started offering a variety of vegetables used in traditional Indian cooking and I could not be more excited to experiment!

The first thing on my list to try was a green mango salad, Thai style. The salad is simple with unripe mangos, pineapple, peas, chili pepper, cilantro, sesame seeds, cashews, and lime juice. It is crunchy, tart and tangy and gets even tastier with a little resting time.

I hope that you enjoy this delightfully simple salad!

Thai Green Mango and Spring Pea Salad

Serves 2

4 small Green Mango, peeled and sliced into matchsticks

1/2 cup Shelled Peas

1/2 cup Pineapple, cut into matchsticks

2 tbs Toasted Sesame Seeds

1/2 Lime, juiced

1 tsp Crushed Red pepper

1 tbs Olive Oil

1 in Ginger, grated

1 tsp Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

1/4 cup Raw Cashews for topping

Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Let the salad sit for 10-15 minutes before eating. Plate and top with cashews, Enjoy and Healthy Eating!