Three days ago, I found a great little Mexican grocery store about 1 block from our condo. They have a full deli, all the traditional Mexican canned goods, spices, pastries, and a small produce section with tomatillos, jalepenos, salsa ingredients, and fresh cactus. I was especially excited about the cactus, so I bought a bag.
On Sunday, I made a sprouted lentil version of “refried beans” with Cafe Gratitude’s “I am Hot” sauce and some tomatillos. I served this alongside fresh guacamole and a salsa made with about 1/2 the cactus. Mmmmm! It was tasty and filling.
Fast forward to Wednesday morning. Since we live in Northern California, we sometimes encounter some mold issues. During the rainy season, our car’s vents have developed some kind of nasty mold smell. Our car’s under bumper to bumper warranty, so we decided to take it in for service. They assured us they could remove the smell and any mold spores for no charge. Yeah, warranty!
I’ve been extra hungry lately and not eating enough, so last night I soaked almonds to make almond milk as a smoothie base. I wanted those high calories! Before heading out to the dealership, I created a super delicious and dense smoothie:
3 bananas
1/2 bag of nopal cactus
4 leaves of Romaine lettuce
2 cups fresh almond milk
mesquite powder (1-2 TBSP)
2 TBSP Vita-Mineral Green
1/4 cup goji berries
1 TBSP cacao
handful of ice
3 drops vanilla stevia
I think that’s it! I blended, and it tasted amazingly creamy and dense, with a subtle sweetness. In short, I loved it. So, I chugged half at home and then brought the rest with me in a Mason jar. When we arrived at the dealership, a lady in service said to to me:
“Is that a drink [insert disgusted lift of the lip] or your car oil?”
I replied, “It’s a drink!”
My hubby cracked up.
You know you’re a raw foodist when your car service people think you’re drinking the oil change leftovers. Mmmmm … mmmm! Love those green smoothies. 🙂
Laura Bruno's Blog 
Posted by giacinta on January 16, 2009 at 5:14 pm
🙂 A great recipe and a great story!
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Posted by Diana Allen, MS, CNS on January 19, 2009 at 2:20 pm
Hi Laura – Love your blog and this story but sorry to hear about your car mold issues…hope that’s all cleared up. Your smoothie looks yummy! Do you ever add ginger or cayenne, too? Those fiery herbs help keep me warm in winter rawness. I’ve actually been putting cayenne on everything these days!
🙂 Diana
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Posted by laurabruno on January 20, 2009 at 4:48 pm
HI Giacinta, thanks for stopping by!
@Diana, thanks! I don’t usually add cayenne to smoothies, but cayenne and ginger do make soups taste “hot.”
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