What Does a Healthy Potluck Look Like?

Last night, I hosted an "Almost Rawluck" for six of my friends. We started having these about 2 years ago, as raw food potlucks ("Rawlucks") and have since made the dish "requirements" more flexible by including some cooked food, hence the "Almost" part in the name :)

My friends and I take turns hosting and we've had anywhere from one to four of these each year.

All of the dishes in our "Almost Rawlucks" are vegan, most of which are 100% raw which means that the food has not been heated above 118 degrees (so the foods retain their beneficial enzymes which otherwise would be destroyed in the cooking process). Most of the dishes are also gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free...in other words, void of many of the common allergens.

Our "Almost Rawlucks" have been a great way to get together and catch-up, unwind from the week, have a healthy dinner, try different foods (the beauty of having everyone contribute something to the meal) and enjoy each others' company in an intimate setting without breaking the bank.

We enjoyed red wine and lemon water for beverages, all sorts of tasty veggies for appetizers, two salads (Caesar salad with Horseradish Dressing and Sesame Kale Romaine Salad), Pesto Pasta, Quinoa (I forget what was in it, but it was amazing!), Butternut Squash Curry and for dessert we had Cookie Dough Balls and 85% Dark Chocolate.

Have you ever been to a potluck with a healthy twist? If not, why not host one! Check out my recipes if you want some ideas to get you started.