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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I was eager to make this recipe again for two reason: 1) I haven’t made it in awhile, and 2) I was eager to serve this dish to two of my girlfriends. They planned to stop by and visit before continuing on to meet up with their significant others at a Superbowl party. Neither one of my dear friends really likes brussels sprouts, but they are open to try “raw” vegan food, so I thought this would be a great opportunity to introduce them to one of my raw vegan recipes.

Daring to serve my friends who aren’t fond of brussels sprouts a dish made of it and raw to boot, I ran out to buy 10 of the little beauties, and the other ingredients needed to make my recipe. As soon as I returned home I got busy preparing everything.

I love the rich hazelnuts pesto mixed with thinly sliced brussels sprouts, and it is quite filling. Shredding the raw brussel sprouts makes them palatable. I like using a mandoline to shred them by hand to get those even threads. You can also cut it very thin with a knife or use a food process. Another thing I like is fresh tomatoes with this dish. So far, every time I’ve eaten this dish I had fresh chopped tomatoes with it.

We eat with our eyes first and I had in mind how I wanted to present this dish to my friends, so I also thinly sliced Campari tomatoes to use as a layer around the brussels sprouts. I was hoping this would make a pretty camouflage so they wouldn’t figure out right away that they were about to eat a dish with raw brussels sprouts.

I gathered my ring molds, assembled everything, and then quickly took a picture of one plated before my friends arrived.

When I told them I made a raw vegan dish I wanted them to try, they both agreed. I brought one out for them to share. They commented on how pretty it looked, inspected it of course, and asked what it was, but I asked them to taste it first [assuring them there wasn't anything weird in the mix] and then I would tell them all the ingredients. They tossed around a couple jokes, the folks dug in, and…… they liked it! After their forks clearly exposed what was under the sliced tomatoes, there was no hiding the shredded brussels sprout. But they thought it was cabbage or some sort of greens. Well, brussels sprouts are basically miniature cabbages. They took another fork full. I confessed they were eating shredded brussel sprouts and they were pleasantly surprised. Maybe their ambivalence for it has changed. That’s one for the brussels sprouts.

Shredded Brussels Sprouts and Hazelnut Pesto with Fresh Tomatoes

When I shop for brussels sprouts, I always buy them loose and hand pick each, I never buy them pre-packaged. I choose the ones that are bright green, firm and compact with unblemished leaves. The tomatoes I used here are Campari tomatoes on the vine. They are smaller than the average size tomato and larger than cherry tomatoes.

Prepare the brussels sprouts: remove any yellow or damaged outer leaves and rinse. Use the stem end to hold each brussels sprout by hand and shred using a mandoline, or thinly slice each sprout with a knife, or use a food processor to shred. Place shredded sprouts in a bowl and toss with half of the fresh squeezed lemon juice and season with sea salt to taste; set aside.

Make the hazelnut pesto: Place all ingredients in food processor or blender; blend until the pesto mixture is thick and creamy.

Prepare Campari tomatoes: thinly slice

Garnish: chopped tomatoes and chiffonade fresh basil.

Assemble and Plate: Add the hazelnut pest to the bowl of shredded brussels sprouts; coat and mix well.

Take a ring mold and line in inside wall all the way around with slices of tomatoes, then place the ring mold on server plate. Carefully fill in the center of the ring mold with the shredded brussels sprouts and hazelnut pesto mixture just to the top of the mold. Cover the top with slices of tomatoes. Repeat steps for each ring mold. When ready to serve carefully lift the ring mold. Garnish the plate with chopped tomatoes, chiffonade basil, and a light sprinkle of sea salt and pepper.

Serves 4

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“I’m bored with salads!” What? Really?

I have heard boredom expressed at the mention of eating salads and being a huge salad lover [this might make me bias and blind to the possibility], I just can’t see how eating salads can be boring. Granted, if you eat the same type of salad over and over again then yes, I would have to agree that it can become boring. On the other hand and with the unlimited number of ways to make a salad, this doesn’t have to be the case.

Take this salad as one example, Peachy Berry Mixed Salad dressed with Herbs de Provence Vinaigrette, dip your folk into this salad and get ready for an array of flavor to dance on your tongue. Juicy peaches, blueberries, and raspberries provide different levels of natural sweetness, thin slices of radish and red onion add a soft pungent taste, dress it with a vinaigrette made with a mixture of incredible herbs, mix it all together with delicious bitter greens and top it off with yummy crunchy walnuts. It is as healthy as it is satisfying, and may I say certainly not boring.

Peachy Berry Mixed Green Salad dressed with Herbs de Provence Vinaigrette

Seeds like sunflower, pumpkins, and hemp are great alternatives in place of walnuts.

For the salad

For the Vinaigrette

Thoroughly wash all the produce. Place spring mix and spinach greens into a salad spinner and spin to remove excess water. Place the greens in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients peaches, blueberries, raspberries, red onion, and radishes; set aside.

To make the vinaigrette, whisk together well all the ingredients in a small bowl. Pour Herbs de Provence vinaigrette over the salad and toss to coat. serve in a salad bowl or on a salad plate and top with chopped walnuts.

Note: I used a mandoline to make then even slices of radish and red onion. Also I separated the red onion
Serves 6-8

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A recipe contributed by Minh from her award-winning DVD Going Raw.

The other evening I wanted to whip up something quick, light, and flavorful and Minh’s cucumber salad recipe sound like the perfect choice. I opened the refrigerator and pulled out the cucumbers and other ingredients needed. I love cucumbers. This refreshing crunchy tasting summer fruit is low in calories and full of mineral rich water. Generally I buy English cucumbers because I like that they contain fewer seeds.

All the other ingredients – the white corn cut fresh off the cob, the small juicy heirloom tomato, the crisp red pepper and celery – all got mixed in a big bowl and seasoned with the remaining ingredients. I didn’t have Turinado sugar so I used agave in its place.

Somehow I walked away from the finished dish to allow the flavors to mix and mingle. Fifteen minutes away was all I could bare before I had to return, mound some of this fresh salad into a bowl and dig in. Every bite was a melody of garden fresh flavors. This cool cucumber salad was a perfect choice and best of all, it’s quick and easy to make in no time at all.

Cucumber Salad

This recipe is Minh’s version of cucumber salad. Minh learned this recipe when she was a child from her mother, who was 100% raw. Cucumber Salad is a simple and easy recipe that is real refreshing on a spring or summer day. This recipe is from Minh’s first DVD, “Going Raw” which won the Green Apple award at the 2008 Raw Film Festival in Hollywood, California.

Mix the cucumbers, corn, tomatoes, bell peppers, and celery into a large bowl. Dissolve the Turbinado sugar with the lemon juice and then mix into the bowl with the cucumber and other ingredients. Add the olive oil, sea salt, and Italian seasoning and mix together. Garnish with fresh Basil or Cilantro.

This beautiful recipe can be served by itself or as a compliment to most any raw meal.

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Here is a refreshing salad that is a great starter for a summer dinner or a single serving. Whether you are entertaining for guests or making a meal for yourself, you can prepare all the components in advance. Then all you will have to do is assemble the layers of the dish minutes before serving.

The key to the pulled together look of this salad is the use of single serving ring molds, like what I recently purchased from Sur La Table store in Pasadena, CA. I checked the site and it appears they didn’t feature the ring molds, so the photo to the left serves as a visual example of the type used.

Shredded Beet Carrot Carousel Salad

Purple, red, white, and yellow carrots make gorgeous alternatives to standard orange carrots, and in place of red beets, pretty golden or Chioggia beets would make an eye-appealing stand-in. The ingredient quantities in this recipe can easily be doubled, or more, for larger servings.

Rinse and peel the beets and carrots. Set up a food processor with the grater blade attachment. Cut the beets into small wedges that can fit through the food processor for shredding. Shredded the beets. Add the shredded beet to a small mixing bowl and set aside.

Rinse the food processor bowl and attachments before proceeding to shred the carrots. Shred the carrots. Place the shredded carrots into a separate small mixing bowl and set aside.

Slice the cucumber into paper-thin slices or as thin as possible. Place the cucumber slices in a bowl and set aside. Mince the onions and add half to the beets; the other half to the carrots.

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Add 1/3 of the dressing to the bowl of beets, carrots, and cucumbers. Stir to coat and let marinate for 15 minutes or longer.

Assembly:

Place a 1 ¾ x 3 ½-inch ring mold in the center of a serving plate. Carefully fill the ring mold layering it with about ½ cup of the shredded beets, and then the sliced cucumbers. Press down firmly on the cucumber to pack down the two layers. Continue layering with the fresh dill sprigs, then the shredded carrots, and press down firmly. Let set for a minute or two, and then carefully lift to remove the ring mold. Garnish with sprigs of dill. Serve immediately.

Serves 2

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When the day is full, and time is short, the ideal of preparing a dish that is nearly effortless is rather appealing. Most of us have a bunch of carrots laying in wait at the bottom of the fridge, as I generally do, and one of the easiest ways to turn these humble staples into a delicious dish is to make a grated carrot salad.

When I look at a mound of shredded carrots, it’s like a vibrant orange blank canvas. The fun and flexibility of creating something delicious with it depends on your approach, …will you go simple, will you go exotic, or will you experiment with a number of ingredients, sweet, savory, spicy…, and what you have on hand.

This time around, I opted to experiment; yet keep it simple using only a few ingredients, literally. I choose to intermingle the juicy crunch of pomegranate and the anise-fennel flavor of tarragon with the natural sweetness of the carrots. Each bit yields a light and fresh mix of flavors, leaning more on the flavorful side than sweet.

I served this salad to my mother and husband, both gave it the thumbs up, though my mother prefers carrot salad on the sweeter side with pineapple chunks.

Regardless of the way you like your carrot salad, be sure to choose organically grown produce. Besides being a healthier choice, it really does make all the difference in the overall flavor.

When shopping for pomegranates, choose one that is heavy for its size and for those of you who aren’t familiar with working with pomegranates, read this post for a few helpful tips.

Grated Carrot Salad with Pomegranate and Tarragon

Besides bright orange, carrots come in a rainbow of colors – bold yellow, deep red, purple – the next time you see these colorful root veggies, I encourage you to try them.

Grate carrots in a food processor using the grater attachment, or a hand-held grater. Place the grated carrots in a large bowl. Add the lime juice, sea salt and pepper; toss well. Add the pomegranate seeds and fresh tarragon leaves, and gently toss to mix.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to come together.

Divide among individual plates and serve. Keeps stored in the refrigerator up to 2 days.

Serves 4

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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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This recipe is a slight adaption of Fajitas from The Best of Raw Freedom Community Ebook, page 85, contributed by Josephine Lee aka Joz.

It wasn’t easy choosing from the wonderful collection of recipes in Carmella’s ebook, but I managed to do so with a little help from a special date and my love of the flavors of Mexican food.

September 16th is Mexico’s Independence Day and Josephine Lee’s Fajitas is a fitting recipe to help celebrate the day, or make this recipe for a Tex-Mex themed party.

I decided to use Joz’s fajitas recipe atop crisp romaine lettuce greens. The marinade works beautifully as the dressing. This is a great raw vegan version of fajitas, and a refreshingly delicious and wonderfully flavorful salad.

Fajita Salad

Use this delicious fajita recipe to fill raw dehydrated tortillas and wraps, with raw sour cream, fresh salsa or guacamole, or sprinkle with chopped cilantro and green onion.

Combine ingredients together in bowl and marinate 2-4 hrs. Drain in a colander.

Note: Drain off the marinate if using to fill tortillas or wraps, otherwise, use the marinade as a sauce or dressing.

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