Vegan 21-Day Sugar Detox: Day 5

Breakfast: Cauliflower Apple Pecan Salad

Cauliflower Apple Pecan Salad: A little tart, a little sweet ... and oh so refreshing.

I have to say I’m pretty proud of myself because this was the most ‘adventurous’ I’ve been when it comes to experimenting with recipes. I made this salad last night so I could have it for breakfast this morning and break up the monotony of my meals. I devoured it—partly because I was starving by the time I got to work, and largely because it was delicious. I will definitely be making this again, even when I’m done with the detox!

Here are the ingredients:

Juice of 2 lemons
¾ green apple, sliced thinly into cubes
1 bag of cauliflower florets, chopped
1 generous handful of fresh parsley
1 cup pecans, chopped
Himalayan salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

Use a food processor (I used a Ninja) to chop up the cauliflower and parsley, and put them in a bowl. Cut up the 2 lemons (use more if you want it tarter), and squeeze the juice over the cauliflower parsley mix. Let it marinade for about 20 minutes. In the meantime, cut up the green apple into tiny cubes and chop up the pecans. Mix the remaining ingredients with the cauliflower and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Put in the refrigerator to chill before serving.

Snack: Hemp, Sunflower & Pumpkin Seed Mix

Lunch: Queen of Quinoa’s Detox Salad

Well, I finally polished off the remaining leftovers. Good thing too because I don’t think I could eat it for one more day. My taste buds need a change.

Snack: Green Banana & Almond Butter

By 5 pm, hunger was really starting to set in. I cut up a green banana, drizzled it with almond butter and sprinkled some cinnamon.

Dinner: Black Bean Veggie Fiesta with Quinoa

So far, nothing I've made on this detox has been as filling as the two black bean dishes. I ate it again tonight and was so full I barely finished one bowl. That's a first!

Dessert: Sunflower-Flax Seeds and Almond Mix

It's cookie butter, no it's a graham cracker crust ... no, it's a sunflower-flax seeds and almond mix! I thought almond butter was the only thing that would satisfy my "sweet tooth" on this sugar detox but I was so wrong. My boyfriend mixed roasted sunflower and flax seeds with raw sliced almonds, cinnamon and pumpkin spice mix, and put them in the Ninja. Instead of the usual creamy, buttery texture of cashew and almond butters, this mix turned out to taste most like cookie butter with the texture of granola.

This. Is. A. Game. Changer.

It's perfect as a dessert AND a snack, and one that I'll be eating A LOT of throughout this detox and beyond.