More of Angela Elliot's Alive in 5

With some olive tapenade in the fridge and a luscious nut pâté at the ready, lunch was truly on the table in five minutes.

To the uninitiated, I'm sure looking at the image above will bring comments of "yeah, right!" when I declare that the delicious veggie combinations depicted are not only filling but flavor packed. Why even mention the nutritional value?

I followed Angela Elliot's directions for nut pâté using the pulp from a batch of almond milk as the base. I added a few soaked sun-dried tomatoes and a clove of garlic to her suggestions for a little added WOW.

The red pepper is stuffed with pâté, as well as the romaine leaves. Both are topped with spicy mixed sprouts grown on my kitchen counter. The cucumber slices sport a bit of zingy raw olive tapenade.

Making the pâté and the tapenade is neither difficult nor time consuming. Angela's directions are clear and easy. Planning ahead, and having these little extras on hand makes eating raw food fast, easy and satisfying. Did I mention — lots of fun, too?