We all want to eat more vegetables, but often the effort gets boring. Eating more of the same old thing – salads, sautéed, steamed or roasted veggies – diminishes your enthusiasm and can derail your efforts. The secret is to keep things interesting and easy. 

Since starting a pescatarian diet in January (primarily vegetables and seafood), I’ve found two things that have made meals not only easy, but creative and fun. My husband and I have come to love cooking and significantly notice the enhanced health benefits.

The first is my Veggie Bullet which I picked up at Home Goods for $40. This simple-to-use unit not only slices and dices, but spiralizes, too. I can pull it out for a single meal or prep veggies for the week. It also comes in handy when veggies start to wilt at which point I dice and freeze them for sautés and shakes.

My second go-to is Mimi Kirk’s Raw-vitalize cookbook. I don’t standardly enjoy using recipes or cookbooks, but this one is different in that all dishes are for one or two servings and most take less than 20 minutes. Many recipes require simply placing ingredients in a blender and turning it on! Favorites include the street tacos, warm chili, jicama fries and “cheezy” noodles. 

One of the things often missing from a plant-based diet is texture – creamy, saucy, filling creations that satisfy your desire for comfort food. Mimi has this down with delicious dairy-free “sour cream,” “cheesy” pasta sauce and puddings easily made from nuts and avocados, and creamy Italian and Asian pasta dishes made with zucchini and sweet potatoes. 

While Raw-vitalize is actually a “21-day Raw Food Recharge” plan, we don’t follow a raw diet or the 21-day plan; we simply resource the comprehensive shopping lists and flavorful recipes to make eating more vegetables creative and fun.

The Veggie Bullet Electric Spiralizer & Food Processor is available at multiple retail and online locations. Mimi and Mia Kirk White’s Raw-vitalize: The Easy 21-Day Raw Food Recharge is available on her site YoungonRawFood.com or Amazon.com.

(Photos by Mike Mendell)

Read or write a comment