Infectious Green Mountain Smoothie

Yesterday, when out running an errand, my co-mountain explorer, Christy, called me on my cell phone to inform me that she had made her first Kale purchase. When I made green smoothies on the morning of our Rock Climbing adventure in the mountains, it was Kale and Bananas I used. Christy and her son really enjoyed the taste, and Christy was planning to experiment with a Green Smoothie of her own this morning before going to workout. She was also excited to inform me that she opted for a meatless salad yesterday when she met a friend for lunch. And, for dinner last night, she mentioned that she was making a veggie stir fry -- "with no meat," she added.

"Wow, something's happening," I said to Christy after she shared all of her healthy news. "You've got all this good news, and Caleb said he was in the mood for food at the raw-food restaurant today. Something's going on," I said.

"It's you! You're infectious, Penny," she said.

I chuckled and replied, "I just think the mountains has worked its magic."

Christy went on to say that while she's not claiming that she'll never eat meat again, she is conscious of cutting back, and she'll definitely be adding the Green Smoothie to her and her son's diet.

So, even though, like I said, not all members of Team Raw are 100 percent raw-vegan, every one is making strides at their own pace -- in their own way -- in their own time to healthier habits.

Who knows...maybe after next year's mountain trip we might really have a totally (or close to) all raw-vegan team! Go, Team Raw! It's all about the journey, right....with some tasty Green Smoothies along the way?

Happy July 4th!

Penny

Quenna's Raw & Vegan

Last week, I had to take an impromptu trip to Virginia. However, before I set off on my journey, I checked online for any raw-vegan restaurants in the area to which I was heading. I was excited to learn about Quenna's Raw & Vegan in the Ghent area of Norfolk, Virginia. I quickly jotted down the address and phone number in a pocket-size notebook. Then, two days later, there I was ordering take-out at Quenna's Raw & Vegan located on the second floor of Health Food Center at 1701 Colley Avenue.

Quenna's inviting menu of Appetizers, Sandwiches, Main Course, Salads and Desserts vary from week to week. Some of the sandwiches there are served "in a Pocket Book" (Wheat Pita Bread), but since I wanted a 100 percent raw-vegan sandwich, Quenna suggested I try a Cabbage-Patched one replacing the Tofu with Avocado. In the Cabbage, shaped somewhat like a canoe, Quenna placed the most delicious seasoned Avocado, Celery, Carrots, Beets, Lettuce, Onions, Tomatoes, Bell Pepper, Mushrooms, Alfalfa Sprouts and Sesame Seeds and topped it with a tantalizing Sesame Dressing. Oh my! Delicious! The meal was quite filling and ended up being lunch for me for two days which prevented me from returning to Quenna's the following day as planned.

I also ordered a cucumber/apple juice and Da' Maue Whip -- "whipped Avocado and Banana sprinkled with 'Sum Nutz'." The dessert was creamy and tasty but slightly too sweet for me to eat all at once, so I consumed a small portion at a time. But, that's okay, it lasted longer that way.

I thought I would eat my Cabbage-Patched meal literally in wrap-style, but once I scooped my fork inside of the cabbage and got a taste of what rested there, I couldn't help but continue to pierce my utensil into all of that goodness. The next day, during lunch, once all of the ingredients were cleared out of the remaining cabbage, I ended up scooping the remainder of the dessert into the cabbage and created a wrap of my own. The cabbage helped offset the sweetness of the dessert and was fun to eat.

During my visit to Quenna's, I had glanced a menu listing some Friday avocado specials. Unfortunately, since I didn't make it back there to try those selections that Friday, the choices inspired me to create a new, simple avocado dish at home: Mashed avocado seasoned with sea salt, black pepper and curry powder served on tomato.

I horizontally cut a tomato in half and smeared the avocado over the top of each side. It was absolutely delicious and has been dinner for me for the past two nights.

View additional pictures and learn more about Quenna and Quenna's Raw & Vegan in the July issue of Pear Magazine. Contact Quenna's at 757-714-2396 or e-mail QRV@cox.net. Catering is also available.