Text and recipes by contributing writer Rita Grohowski

If you’ve been thinking about incorporating more raw food meals into your diet, now’s a great time to get busy with all the different varieties of dishes you can create. More and more people are starting to realize the benefits of a raw food diet and are making the complete switch over.

You don’t necessarily have to only adopt a raw food eating plan, but even if you can make two or three of your meals a week raw, you’ll notice benefits. Before long it’s very likely that you’ll find yourself wanting to add more and more of these types of meals to your day as you’ll note the difference in how you feel.

Here are some delicious ideas to get you started.

Pecan Pie Crust

Eating dessert doesn’t necessarily have to be unhealthy if you plan your ingredients properly. This raw food dessert treat will become a mainstay in your menu planning after you whip it up one afternoon.

Ingredients

Begin by soaking one cup of pecans in the filtered water and then set aside. Then, in a 9-inch glass pie pan arrange one layer of the sliced bananas using up about 3 of the bananas total. Next, lay these banana slices in a spiral pattern with one slice overlapping the other slightly until you have covered the entire pan. Be sure that you also line the edge of the pie pan as well so that it’s fully covered.

Once this has been done, cut the papaya into small sections and layer this over the banana so it’s completely covering the total surface. Finally, top with the remaining bananas you have left to finish off the ‘crust’ of the pie.

For the filling, you are to blend the cup of soaked pecans as well as the dates, water, and vanilla bean. This should form a fine cream that has a somewhat sweet taste to it. Proceed to pour this cream layer over the fruit crust and put the pan into your dehydrator for 3 hours at about 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

In another small bowl, blend up the honey with a tiny amount of water and then gently toss together with the unsoaked pecans to coat. Once the pan has come out of the dehydrator, place this layer of pecans over the pie and chill for about sixty minutes before serving.

Hearty Buckwheat Porridge

Ingredients

First soak the ¼ to ½ cup buckwheat in one cup of filtered water and then soak almonds and cranberries in another bowl separately. Let sit for at least six hours or overnight. Then strain the buckwheat until it begins to release a clear liquid. Also drain and rinse the almonds and then strain the raisins in a colander, reserving the water that comes out. Next you are to heat up ½ cup of the filtered water on the stone for a couple of minutes until it’s hot to the touch but not boiling. Pour this water into the blender and add the rest of the ingredients. Blend up until a creamy texture has formed and then stir some of the water in to thin if necessary.

Spinach Caesar Salad

Finally, if you’re a big salad fan, you’ll definitely love this treat. It’s simple to prepare and is a great accompaniment to any meal you’re looking for.

Ingredients

Begin by first rinsing the spinach under running water until all leaves have been thoroughly cleaned. Next, after making sure there is no sand near the bottom of the roots use a salad spinner to dry and then place in a large goal. Tear the leaves up into bite sized pieces and then begin to grind up the pumpkin seeds.

Add these ground seeds to the spinach and then begin to toss well. Next, in a small bowl combine the two cloves of pressed garlic, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Pour this over the spinach and then toss and serve.

So if you’re looking for some new recipes to try out, be sure to consider these. You’ll love the change of pace and be doing your health a very large favour in the process.

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There are those of us – the harried, overextended – who find the beginning of December to be life’s most trying time. The holidays are upon us and people are trying to cope with the endless tasks, list of things to do or buy, wrap, and take to the post office. This season I vow to dodge as much as the holiday madness as possible by keeping things simple and comforting as possible.

Speaking of comfort, comfort food is much sort after especially during this time of year [it seems to me]. When most of us think of comfort food, I seriously doubt if the first thing that comes to mind is “raw” food, yet raw food offers a variety wonderful fresh flavors and textures that can trigger those feel good memories. Take this recipe for example. I have been a big fan of pudding for as long as I can remember. I like to think of this recipe as one of my new comfort foods, raw vegan style. It’s simple to make and very flavorful.

The star ingredient is star fruit, a high water content fruit with a subtle citrusy and acidic flavor. Depending on the variety, star fruit can range from sweet to refreshingly tart. This pudding recipe has a nice thickness thanks to the natural pectin in the apple and pear. And the color, it’s like bringing a little sunshine into your home during the cold winter months.

Star Fruit Pudding

The exotic fragrance of star fruit and its succulent flavor will tantalize your taste buds. Star fruit is abundantly rich in vitamin C and fiber, as is the pear and apple in this recipe.

Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender [you can even use a food processor]. Blend until smooth and creamy.

Serves 2

Tips On Selecting And Storing Star Fruit

When purchasing look for firm fruit that has a bright yellow even color. Dark brown along the ribs is normal and an indication the fruit is ripe. Over-ripe star fruit will develop brown spots all over; similar to when a banana becomes over-ripe. Avoid fruits with shriveled brown ribs. Star fruit bruise easily, so handle with care.

Unripe star fruits are green or still have a green color on the ribs. To ripen leave out at room temperature, turning occasionally until the fruit has a fruity scent and the skin is yellow with light brown edges.

Use ripe star fruits within a few days of purchase or refrigerate unwashed in a plastic bag for up to one week.

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I haven’t made kebabs, or shish kebabs, of any sort for a while, so when I found my bamboo skewers [they had made their way to the back of the drawer temporarily lost in darkness], I got inspired to make fruit kebabs.

Any combination of fresh fruits would make a great kebab. I used blueberry, strawberry, blackberry, kiwi, papaya, pineapple, and banana. The colors are gorgeous. Speaking of color, you could go with a theme like red, white, and blue [strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, bananas], or an all berry kebab, or a tropical theme kebab sprinkled with shredded coconut.

Getting everyone involved in making their own kebabs is a fun idea; this way they can thread the skewer with chunks and pieces of the fruits they like the most. Prep an assortment of fruit and place each fruit in individual bowls. Arrange the bowls of fruit and dipping cream along with the bamboo skewers, plates, napkins, and serve it buffet style!

In the image above, the fruit kebabs are placed over a pool of creamy citrus flavored dip. The wonderful things about these fruit kebabs, besides being healthy and delicious, they are super easy to make, and are great served for breakfast, dessert, as an appetizer, or snack. If you don’t have bamboo skewer, you can certainly swap the skewers for bowls and present beautiful fruit bowls drizzled with citrus cream.

Fruit Kebabs with Citrus Cream Dip

Make ahead: this dip will hold just fine in the refrigerator for a day or two.

Fruit Kebabs

Rinse and prep fruit into bit-sized chucks and pieces.

Citrus Cream Dip

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth and creamy.

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Normally I don’t eat breakfast, I’ll have juice or a smoothie, or tea, but when I do, I like it to be healthy, flavorful and delicious. This particular morning I made one of my fruity Mediterranean inspired recipes that I’ve served as both a breakfast and dessert parfait.

I’ve made a few variations of this recipe with different fruits, but today I made my original version using Gala apples, red and black grapes and a very flavorful orange juice. The extra virgin olive oil is an unexpected ingredient adds a subtle richness to this recipe.

Apple and Grape Parfait with Mint Infused Orange Juice

Any type of apples would work great for this recipe. The same holds true with the grapes, and you can use grapefruit juice in place of the orange juice.

Pour the orange juice into a small mixing bowl or cup. Add the chopped mint leaves, olive oil, agave, vanilla extract, and cinnamon, mix well and set aside.

Make four layers by alternating in each glass the chopped apples, then the sliced grapes; repeat with the remaining chopped apples and sliced grapes.

Stir the mint infused orange juice and pour over the fruit in each glass. Garnish with mint sprigs and sprinkle with a dash of cinnamon.

Serves 2 – double this recipe to serve 4

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