LA JOLLA. Does anyone remember how cold it was last weekend? Gray sky, wind chill, and San Diegans bundled in layers. On Sunday morning, my boyfriend and I were coming off of a 48 hour juice cleanse (I will be adding a post about my cleanse experience later this week), and we were H-U-N-G-R-Y!!
We wanted something substantial, but healthy. We wanted something delicious, but did not want to burn the benefits of the cleanse. So we went to an old favorite – Lotus World Foods, a unique gem of the La Jolla Farmer’s Market.
Sarah Nee is the woman behind the creative parfaits, salads, and soups at the Lotus booth. Sarah talks passionately about preparing foods that makes can help people achieve better health. In fact, her personal story involves the dramatic reversal of serious ailments through the enjoyment of food that is raw, nut free, gluten free, and vegan.
On Sunday, we started with a vegan parfait. A bottom layer of raw, sprouted quinoa with blueberries and strawberries. The top layer, strawberry chia seed. (Superfoods, like chia seeds, are central to Sarah Nee’s creations.) Further, the parfait was smooth and creamy, with vibrant flavor from the fruit.
Sarah understands that people love sweets. To that end, she has created a delicious chia pudding with a raw chocolate topping. The chocolate is sublime. It is not the overwhelming “sugar sweet” found in candy bars, but a complex chocolate that reveals its flavor as you slowly savor it.
The salads are special. These are not the salads that commonly sit next to an entree as an after-thought. Rather, they stand center stage as the products of careful thought, experimentation, and focus. The salad pictured below features arugula and sprouts, topped with a homemade ginger dressing. This description, however, does not do it justice. The component ingredients are all fresh and crisp but the real treat is the way in which all of these greens combine with the homemade ginger dressing. The result is a salad that I can’t stop eating.
Sarah likes to experiment with food and frequently updates her offerings. One dish I can’t wait to try is the Raw Cactus Tostada. The cactus acts in place of a tortilla and cradles the seaweed salad, sprouts, and squash blossom filling.
I would also recommend that if you are ever at Lotus World Foods’ booth and there is soup available, buy it. Sarah’s coconut soup is literally the best soup I have ever had in my life.
Sarah can be found every Sunday at the La Jolla Farmer’s Market from 9am – 1pm, and the Lotus World Foods’ Facebook page can be found at:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lotus-World-Foods/411045545610272?fref=ts
If you are interested in learning more about raw food—and the potential health benefits—click on the following link:
http://vegetarian.about.com/od/vegetarianlifestyle/f/rawfoods.htm
