My new diet

So, July 1st I decided to start a new diet: eat healthy, non-processed foods as much as possible. For 31 days in the month of July I'm going to try to stay away from pre-packaged/frozen/ready to eat food. I recognize it's a journey and not easy but to the best of my ability I'm going to follow these rules:

1. Homemade
2. Organic
3. Local
4. If processed- less than 5 ingredients and hopefully #1 and/or #2

We'll see how I do... but I'm excited to try and day #3 in I'm happy :).

I'm relying heavily on my Moosewood Celebrations Cookbook, Whole Foods recipe App as well as the internet's various sources! I'll be sure to give credit where credit is due.

On July 1st I made a red cabbage slaw & avocado/cucumber gazpacho (recipes below).

Red Cabbage Slaw (from Moosewood's cookbook)
8 cups sliced cabbage

Cooked Mayonnaise dressing
1/4 c vegetable oil
1/4 c sugar
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 c cider vinegar
1 large egg beaten

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cored

In a small saucepan, combine the oil, sugar, mustard, salt & vinegar. Add the beaten egg and cook on medium low heat, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes, until the dressing thickens slightly and just begins to simmer. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Julienne the bell pepper into 2 1/2 x 1/8 inch strips. Place in a serving bowl and add the drained cabbage. Stir in the dressing and toss well. Refrigerate for 45-60 minutes, until cold- stirring once or twice.

Cucumber Avocado Gazpacho (from elena's pantry- www.elanaspantry.com)
1 small avocado
1 cucumber, peeled and de-seeded, plus additional cuke for garnish
1 tablespoon onion, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
¼ teaspoon chili powder
1 cup water
smoked paprika, to garnish

1. Throw avocado, cucumber, onion, oil, lemon juice, vinegar and water in Vitamix
2. Puree on high speed until smooth
3. Blend in salt and chili powder
4. Serve, garnishing with extra cucumber cubes and smoked paprika if desired

Serves 2