Tonight’s dinner was inspired by Tuesday’s lunch. On Tuesday, in unseasonably sweltering heat, I met my lovely friend Alina—a fellow raw foods coach—at Caravan of Dreams, which is a vegan lunch spot tucked away on 6th street.
I like Caravan because it has equally extensive raw and cooked menus; it’s all tasty, and it’s easy for me to bring friends or family who are ready to try vegan foods, but not quite prepared to dive into raw dining.
Alina and I quenched our thirst on young coconuts:
… and agreed that we barely had appetites for anything else in the heat. But I know my workday appetite well enough to know that I needed food! I ordered the Thai avocado salad (“a mixture of avocado, tomatoes, cucumbers, nori pieces, and carrots served over fresh onganic seasonal greens tossed in Thai spicy citrus dressing“). Of course, I forgot to take a photo (oops!). But fear not: I liked it so much that I decided to re-interpret it tonight.
The meal began with dressing. I played around and came up with the following, and it was absolutely delicious! Sweet, spicy, and infused with basil and cilantro, this dressing is thick enough to serve as a vegetable dip, and rich enough for a dinner salad. Best of all, it’s full of healthy fats and vitamin E.
Spicy Thai Dressing (yields almost two cups)
Ingredients:
1 Avocado
1 cup water
¼ cup cilantro
¼ cup basil
¼ tsp salt (or more)
2 dates, or 1 packet stevia
Sprinkle of cayenne pepper (I must have used 1/8 tsp) and 3/4 inch ginger for heat
Blend all ingredients on high and adjust seasoning to taste. Here’s what you get:
Then I assembled my salad. I started with a green base of spinach, cilantro, and basil. I piled it high with spirals of carrots, cucumber, red peppers, red cabbage, and pea shoots, and I garnished the whole thing with half of a sliced avocado. Here’s the final creation, pre-dressing:
And with the dressing:
It was absolutely delicious! Alongside some baked sweet potato (which I forgot to photograph), it made for a great meal. This one will definitely be a keeper for summer.
So are you wondering how I got the carrot and cucmber to look so lovely? The answer, my friends, is this:
A new spiralizer!!! The lovely people at Paderno World Cuisine were kind enough to send me two of their wonderful Spirooli spiralizers! I’m delighted. While my Joyce Chen spiralizer (a great value at less than $30) has served me very well, I must admit that it’s not quite as useful as this one will be: the Spirooli makes three different shapes (wide ribbons, thin spirals, and thick spirals) and it’s much easier to use, especially for hard veggies, like carrots and beets (which is great, since beet pasta with cashew alfredo is a personal favorite of mine).
So what do you think I’m doing with the other model? Giving it to one of you, of course!!! I’ve been overwhelmed by your collective enthusiasm for veggie pasta, and I’m thrilled to offer one of you a chance to start making it at home. So here we are: my very first giveaway!!
Here’s the deal. To enter, you have to:
1) Respond to this post with a comment naming the raw dish you’re most eager to try at home—with or without the Spirooli!
AND
2) Announce the giveaway on your blog, and send me an email at gena@choosingraw.com with a link to the post in which you do it.
If you don’t have a blog, simply send me an email saying so, and as a special bonus question, tell me what your favorite traditional pasta dish is, and you think you might be able to recreate it with the Spirooli.
I’ll announce the winner on May 11th. I hope many of you will participate, and I’m wishing you luck!
That’s it for now, all – have a great night 
I'm a Certified Clinical Nutritionist, a former book editor, and a post-baccalaureate pre-med student at Georgetown University. I'm passionate about helping people to discover and enjoy plant based foods in a simple and healthy way. My name is pronounced like "Jenna." 
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I just love your blog.. it’s so inspiring! I’ve never really experimented with going raw, but your story makes me want to!
I already eats lots of salads and raw fruits and such, but I’d really love to next try out some raw desserts (yay!), particularly the cocoa pudding-ish creations that I see a lot (like yours with avocado and carob powder).
I’m trying to move away from grains like pasta and bread and move toward more nutrient foods – this spiralizer would be a great way to start!
What a great giveaway!!! There are TONS of raw dishes I want to try. But most of all, I can’t wait to start making my own sprouts! It seems so easy for all the wonderful health benefits.
I would love a second try at the zucchini pasta I made during my raw month!!!! Awesome giveaway Gena!
I have been wanting to make a raw cheesecake! they look so delicious!
I would like to make a walnut pate to go on red pepper. YUM! I had it once at a potluck, but I haven’t made it on my own yet.
Oooh, I’ve never made anything offically raw before, but I would love to go at it!
I want the spiralizer to make THIS dish! Jeeze, I am avocado fiend and I want this SO bad! Mmm… that avocado dressing looks divine.
WOWZERS! THIS IS AWESOME! I want to try raw “pasta” with veggies! I have always wondered how to make those! Well I need that machine! lol
I think you just said it – beet pasta with cashew alfredo sounds to die for! The second I get the recipe, I’ll spiralizing up a storm.
-E
Hey Gena,
I am pretty sure that time I arrive in London a spiralizer and a dehydrator are going to be pretty high on my list of Important Things!
))
Lucky you ~ I shall in turn look forward to being inspired by your creations
I am eager to give that dressing a try this week also. It sounds scrumptious.
Have a great weekend,
Em
* I specifically missed answering your Q given my location
ohh, I want one of these! I got a crappy spiralizer at a thrift store, I can’t remember what brand but it didn’t work at ALL
I would spiralize an apple and serve it with a strawberry sauce and “meatballs” made of dates and nuts!
love your blog as always, the salad looks fabulous
Hope I win, Hope I win, Hope I win!
Gena! I want to start eating raw because I have so many health issues and was actually set out to find one of these today, but maybe now I will wait to see if i win :p I would want to create raw pad thaiw..nummy!!!!
What an amazing giveaway! Your blog is fantastic and encourages me to attempt to go raw…I have been experimenting!
All of the salads look wonderful as do the soups….but the raw recipe I want to try out most is Zucchini Spaghetti.
I would obviously shred the zucchini for spaghetti and blend tomatoes, ginger, garlic, basil, hemp oil, lemon, hemp seed nuts for the sauce!
I will include you in my next post and email you!
I would love to win this!!! I could create so many fantastic things
I really want to try raw alfredo!
I would love to try to make ribbon vegetables with sauce. You can view the link back to your post on my blog–it’s today’s post =)
I really would like to try the zucchini pasta that I’ve seen on blogs lately. Looks delicious!
I really want to try making raw tacos! I had some walnut-filling based tacos at a raw restaurant last month and they were amazing! I would love to recreate them at home.
i really want to try some raw macarrons! and now that you are giving away this, some raw pasta
I would love to try zucchini noodles at home with sun dried tomato sauce. YUM! I also would love to get a dehydrator for fruit leathers.
how fun that you are having a giveaway! i really wanna try zucchini pasta with those lovely spiralized zucchini “noodles” that ive seen in the raw blog world. ill def link to the giveaway on my next post, too!
I would love to try some zucchini noodles with nut cheese!
The one dish I am most excited to try? This one! Wow, that salad looks amazing. So colorful. This spiralizer looks like fun. New kitchen gadgets are so exciting.
Hi Gena, I probably don’t stand a chance of winning since I live abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark, but I still wanted you to know that I check your blog everyday, and it’s my absolute favorite of all the raw blogs out there!
I have tried spiralized zucchini and coconut in a restaurant a few months ago, and it was both more beautiful and appetizing than the sorry shreds I make with my ceramic peeler at home!
fun giveaway! I’d love to try raw pasta
I’d love to make raw pasta! Raw cookies too, although I’m not sure how a spiralizer would help with that. :]
I want to try to make raw pasta! It always looks so much better than regular pasta!
I would LOVE to make your zucchini alfredo recipe! I am drooling just looking at the photos! LOVE your blog and am SO excited to get back into raw foods!
I’ve always been a fan of juices & salads but have never really delved into raw “cooking” but I’m really motivated to try and your and Jenna’s May Challenge!
I think the zucchini noodles with pesto look amazing and would be the first thing I’d try to make with the spiralizer!
Oh my goodness!!! I have totally started reserching/looking into raw foods because of your blog! I would LOVE to try a raw pasta dish…..and would love to try the chia pudding i have seen over the blog world!!!!!
this looks cool! im sure i could come up with a lot of fun things to do with it, but raw pasta would be first on my list!
Hey Gena,
I do not have a website. But I really want to try my own cheezes and raw hummus. I am yet to find one recipe that I like but I saw a few on Ani\’s book oh and I would love to make sunburgers. I have already e mailed you before but I will do again in a few . Thanks!
What a great giveaway! I really love your blog. I just clicked over from Jenna’s. You guys have me excited to start experimenting with raw foods. I like the tacos in one of your latest posts. YUM!
I really want to try and bake something RAW!!!
oh wow! i have been dying for a spiralizer! i have all the ingredients to try your raw soup (the one you made with the beets and avacados..) it looks so yummy!!!
I want to try your Raw Zucchini Alfredo!! I now know it is totally possible to crave something you’ve never eaten before!
Ahhhh….I want a spiralizer! I’ve been “spiralizing” with a peeler and I know it would taste a million times better (and look way prettier) if the veggies were spiralized instead. I would like to find a recipe for or create a recipe for raw “baked” pasta…something with nut cheese and a raw, yummy sauce.
How exciting! I’ve been wanting to buy a spiralizer for a few weeks to add it to my new raw food tools, but haven’t got around to it yet!
I’m giving you some link love on my next blog post!
Thanks for the great giveaway! I’ve been reading your blog for a couple weeks now, and I’ve tried to start incorporating more raw foods into my diet. I would love to make zucchini pasta with the spiralizer! I’m so excited to join in yours and Jenna’s challenge! I’m going to make a post about this and email you asap!
this is awesome! I can’t wait to make raw zuchinni pasta someday like yours but I need to win first!!thank You Gina
mel h
Definitely zucchini pasta! I have always wanted to make it. I LOVE your blog, Gena!
What an awesome giveaway! I would want to try a 100% raw salad
the whole raw concept is relatively new to me but has definitely piqued my interest..
i came across this recipe and have had it bookmarked way before the spiralizer giveaway..but this would work out awsome..hahah
angel hair pasta with creamy spinach sauce..pasta is spiralized zucchini..and the sauce consists of blended avocado, spinach, cashews, thyme, nutmeg, olive oil and lemon juice..sounds fresh and delish..
This is too weird, for the past few days I’ve been researching on where to buy one of these awesome machines because I can’t seem to find one in my home town. Now, it’s not a question of what I’ll make, I’ll be trying to spiralize everything in my fridge. I’ll be making everything from pastas to salads. This is the best give away. I’ll be posting it on my blog tomorrow. I’ll send you the link.
Thanks.
Daneen
Hi Gena. My girlfriend (Ryan from Chase Daylight) has a food blog and she showed me yours a few weeks ago when we both became more interested in eating raw foods. Everything you make looks amazing and so delicious. The raw dish I am most eager to try at home is the “Zucchini Pasta with Sweet Pepper Marinara” that you made toward the end of April — it looked so good.
I love the idea of making zuchinni pasta, but I have to admit the raw dish I’m most excited to make is raw chocolate chip cookies!!!!!
Hi Gena! I’ve been reading your blog for a few weeks, and I love your meals! They always look so delicious. As for the vegan meals that I want to try, the zucchini pasta is at the top of my list. Also, the pumpkin soup looks delicious!
The Spicy Thai Salad you posted with the giveaway looks so good! I plan to make it sometime soon.
This beet pasta with cashew alfredo sauce of which you speak sounds like the very first dish I would make should I be so lucky to win this spiral slicer!!
That sounds divine…
looks so much fun.
it would make my food so pretty! i would love to try!
check me out:
http://lovejackson.blogspot.com
i would looove to try to make raw pesto w/ zucchini pasta.
Zucchini pasta!! Oh please, oh please…it would be so amazing to have this to make some of you
I loooooove zucchini spaghetti, it’d be great to make it at home!
I really, really want to tr the avocado salad dressing recipe from this post!
Ohh, I want to try your Slothful Single Girl’s Summertime Pesto. In fact, seeing it is why I entered this giveaway. I want to try it because 1) I also love the alliterative name 2) I love being slothful 3) It looks amazing.
i’d love to be able to make my own homemade zucchini spaghetti!
I would like to try all of the ‘pasta’ recipes you have shown so far…!
Believe it or not….. I have never had fresh young coconut meat!! I know, I know, such a disgrace to the name! I’ve never been able to find organic ones around here…. so I just haven’t had the chance. (Gena- do you know if the non-organic ones are safe? I am jealous you live where there are tons of raw restaurants! Not a single one here!)
Also– I am looking forward to trying your pumpkin ice cream!! Mmmm!
Thanks for the opportunity to win this cool tool, it would definitely make my food more interesting with the different options it has, and I love changing up the textures of veggies!
I’m so excited! I can almost taste the raw pasta right now! As for what raw dish I’m most eager to make…can I just list all of the recipes in Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen?
I don’t have a blog so I can’t link back to this, so onto the bonus question! I think I’m most excited about trying a raw summer squash pasta with raw alfredo. The reasons are two-fold:
1. I have Celiac’s disease so I can’t eat any traditional pasta, raw or not. And I sooo miss pasta. I would love to be able to spiral out some squash pasta and know I was making something truly good for myself.
2. The boyfriend is a super meat-and-potatoes kind of guy who also loves his fettucine alfredo. He gave me the challenge that if I could make a raw version of fettucine alfredo that he would try it. If you knew how veggie-phobic my boyfriend is, you’d understand that this is a BIG deal. So I went out looking for something to spiral veggie noodles and…nothing. Anywhere. I mean, I didn’t think Tucson was THAT small of a town. You’d think someone would have something to spiral my veggies with… somewhere.
I guess that’s why I’m so excited about this giveaway! Ok, I’m sorry for making this post so long. Gena, I’ll send you this inforin an email, too, as per your instructions about not having a web page to link to. Thanks so much! Good luck everyone!
I’d love to make zucchini spaghetti – spaghetti is one of my favorite dishes and I’d like to try it raw!
Love this blog, it’s full of great ideas and insights!
i would love to try making raw pad thai!
Mmmm I’d love to have some yummy “soba noodle” salad with sesame seeds and tahini!
If I had the spiralizer I would make lots of yummy raw pastas and salads with zucchini, carrots, parsnips and whatever else I could find. I have been wanting a spiralizer for sooooooo long I just cant find one around here anywhere.
I will post a link in my blog ASAP and email it to you.
I want to try making a raw hummus!
with the spiralizer id love to try a raw pasta dish. but there are also these raw cinnamon rolls id love to make too!!
I’m so glad I found your site – as a fellow admirer of Natalia Rose, it’s great to follow your words and photos
If I had a spiralizer… let me count the dishes! I’ve been wanting to make raw zucchini pasta with marinara for awhile now, but not having the equipement proves difficult.
Thanks for the opportunity to win!
OMG! I’d love to have one of those!!! I’d love to try some summer squash pasta with some yummy pesto sauce!!! YUM!!!!
I came across your blog a few weeks ago and I am addicted! I have only tried spaghetti squash as a pasta substitute but am dying for a spiralizer to try zucchini spaghetti. Your slothful single girl’s summertime pesto looks scrumptious…that will be first on my list if I win!
I love zucchini a hundred different ways so I would love to spiralize zucchini.
I am very very VERY eager to try making raw zucchini pasta. VERY eager, and seeing your post today makes me want to even more!
I want to try that cashew alfredo sauce… and of course I would love the spiralizer to make some delicious pasta for it to go on top!
I would love to try raw pasta!
Oooh, I’VE ALWAYS WANTED ONE OF THESE! Well, not always because I didn’t know what raw cuisine was a few years ago. But I want one so bad now that it feels like a lifetime. When I make raw pasta, I have to use a crappy veggie peeler and it always turns out more like fettucine…which is good, but not beautiful. I would make a beautiful spiral-sliced zucchini pasta with your tasty pesto recipe from today’s post if I had one of these.
I am just learning about the benefits of eating Raw and I would love to try and make pasta at home!
Honestly… I have a tie! I really want to try making Tabbouhli with sprouted quinoa and your Zucchini/Squash pasta with Slothful Single Girl’s Summertime Pesto! (I’m also going to link you in my next blog post. I’ll email you the link as soon as I do!) I REALLY REALLY REALLY HOPE I WIN THIS. So does my husband. That way I will stop begging him to BUY me a Spiralizer! HAHA!
I would LOVE to put together an spicy thai raw curry dish! I’ve experienced some amazing raw dishes in the past and they always excite me..the way the ingredients are used is breath taking..simply art!
Since I am the only vegetarian in my household..and I pretty much eat cook/eat alone…having a Spiralizer would not only be helpful but would excite me to make more creative veggie dishes!!
I hope I win!! I’ve never won anything before!
Thanks!!
I’m most excited to try your coconut salad recipe – it sounds delicious! Actually, I’m most excited to crack open a young coconut for my first time ever. I have only cracked the “traditional” coconuts in the past. My parents always have more zucchini than they know what to do with, raw pasta would be a great use!
I would love to try the delicious pasta you make with any of those gorgeous sauces! Bring It On!
I’m looking forward to trying to make my first raw pizza this weekend!
And I love the look of those noodles.
I’ve just started investigating going raw, and I’m very intrigued by your nut “cheese” recipes. They sound delicious!
I would like to enter the give away!
ps. I have no blog, so I sent in an email.
I would love to try your zucchini pasta dishes. Ever since the first time I saw you post it I’ve been curious. I’m not sure how I would make it without the spiralizer. I think the thin noodle-like texture is probably really important to the recipe. I’d love to try a pesto/tomato dish like you did above. I absolutely love this combo.
I do not have a blog, but if I did I would for sure advertise this giveaway. I hope I win!
P.S. Is there another easier way to make the “pasta” without having a spiralizer?
Oh please oh please oh random number generator, please pick me!!! I so desperately want one of these, but between my green powders and diet books and un cookbooks, I’ve spent all my little discretionary dollars of late.
I can’t wait to try the raw pesto recipe I’ve been seeing around!!
I really want to try ani’s hazelnut gelato.
i’d love to try to make any and all the varieties of vegetable pastas with the spiralizer
the yellow squash recipe you posted today looks delicious!
I would love to win the spiralizer – I want to feed my family more raw food. I would love to try the zucchini recipe w/pesto!
The Slothful Single Girls Summertime Pesto looks great as does the Thai Salad…I’m eager to try more. I’m moving towards more of a raw diet.
Love your blog!
Hi! Just discovered your site, thanks to Kris Carr! I’m excited to try your amazing-looking “Slothful Single Girl’s Summertime Pesto”…definitely need a spiralizer to do it right! Thanks for a lovely blog…
Kat
Spiralizer!!! Ever since I first laid eyes on you on one of Ani Phyo’s demos, I’ve wanted you. Zucchinis lie waiting for you in my crisper every week…but sadly I’ve only disgraced them with potato peelers…Vancouver, Canada does not seem to know anything about you, and I’ve checked every culinary shop I pass. Please, please be mine and I will make spirals out of everything oblong vegetable (or fruit) I encounter…. I would especially like to make a pesto zucchini fettucini!
Sadly my blog is dead…seems I have writer’s block for everything except summer squash!
Love your site!
I saw the photos of the Slothful Single Girl’s Summertime Pesto through the Crazy Sexy Life blog posting and was wowed by the beautiful presentation! I thought to myself that I must get a spiralizer to try that amazing recipe (although I am was past the delightful slothful single phase of my life) and then I saw the contest!!! Here I am, I’d love to try this recipe and I bet a bunch of others on your site!
Hi there! Would love to get the spirooli (fingers crossed!)and try a zucchini pasta with marinara….but would also love to try making a nut-free raw pie (seems like everything has cashews in it!)…would love to find a raw cheesecake recipe without cashews : )
Raw Strawberry Cheesecake!! Yum! but unfortunately im so incredibly lazy that i probably wont get around to making it anytime soon! LOL the prep work and recipe looks too much lol! http://theppk.com/blog/2009/05/05/raw-strawberry-cheesecake/?utm_source=Crazy+Sexy+Life+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=3029b78760-The+Daily+Juice&utm_medium=email
But for my second 1st most do-able choice,and soon to be eaten prob next week i cant wait to try is -that doesnt look like 2 days of work for my lazy butt, lol is your yummy recipe-”Summertime Pesto” that looks awesomely delicious!!
oh, wow, your zucchini noodles with pesto sound fabulous….that would be my first dish. thanks for doing the giveaway…it’s what i call a premeditated kindness and i’m always highlighting those on my blog.
enjoy the day….
I want to make the zucchini spaghetti with cashew alfredo! yum!!!
I had some raw zucchini “pasta” at the Chicago Diner and would definitely make some raw zucchini pasta with a new Spiralizer!
I also own a couple of raw “cookbooks” so I’d definitely try some recipes from there as well.
I would LOVE to try almost any raw recipe….I’m such a sponge for info these days and have no appliances (or budget) to do any of them!!! I dream of all the beautiful raw creations I could make with these things and yet…I can’t. I will difinately be bookmarking this blog….it gorgeous. Thanks for posting =)
I want to try a squash spaghetti with a raw pesto. thanks!
I am so eager to try the summertime pesto!
I have always wanted a spiralizer, but have never been able to afford one. I would be thrilled to make real “noodles” with zucchini and yellow squash! How exciting!!
Courtney
I would love to try a raw zuchini pasta dish. This spiralizer looks awesome!
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