Raw food diet recipes for cool summer eating
A raw food diet - consuming uncooked, unprocessed, mostly organic foods is a health and lifestyle choice that many believe provides significant health benefits. If you're following the raw food diet, you don't heat food above 115 degrees F. Whether or not you agree with this kind of approach to eating, and whether it's appropriate for all members of your family, is something only you can determine with proper research. But on hot summer days, eating a raw food diet might just be the ticket to keeping your cool.
Here are some raw food recipes that take advantage of carefully selected ingredients and combine them in new and different ways and make cool eating on summer days (and any day of the year, really) more interesting.
Banana and chocolate granola recipe
Ingredients:
- 3 bananas
- 3 tablespoons ground cocoa
- 1/2 teaspoon oil
- Honey to taste (optional)
- 3 cups oats, soaked 6 hours to overnight
- 2 ounces nuts, chopped & soaked 6 hours to overnight
Directions:
- In a food processor, blend the bananas with the ground cocoa, oil and honey. When the mixture is smooth, transfer to a bowl with your oats, and nuts. Mix thoroughly.
- Place in your dehydrator at 110 degree for 12 to 20 hours. About 6 to 8 hours in, break up the granola.
- Store in an airtight container.
Carrot and asparagus soup recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 cups cut up asparagus, or more to taste
- 2 cups carrot juice
- Heaping 1/4 cup tahini (or almond butter)
- 2 teaspoons finely minced onion, or more to taste
- A pinch of sea salt
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Avocado and mango salad recipe 
Ingredients:
- 2 ripe mangoes, peeled, pitted and chopped
- 1 large avocado, peeled, pitted and chopped
- 1 tablespoon lime, juiced
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon cilantro leaves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
Directions:
- Gently toss all the ingredients together and serve.
Cabbage rolls recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 red apple
- 1 stalk celery
- 2 carrots
- Cumin, pepper and red pepper, to taste
- 2 scallions
- 2 cloves garlic
- Zest and juice of half a lime
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 8 cabbage leaves
Directions:
- Pulse apple, celery, carrots, spices, scallions, garlic, lime zest and juice and vinegar in a food processor until finely chopped.
- Remove the thickest part of cabbage stem by cutting a 'V' shape out of the bottom of each leaf. Place about 2 tablespoons of the mixture in the center of each leaf, squeezing lightly, and remove excess drips. Roll up each leaf like you would roll up a burrito.
- Serve with peanut sauce.
Peanut sauce recipe
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup raw peanut butter
- 1-2 teaspoons Chinese hot chili oil with red pepper flakes
- 2-3 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 clove minced garlic
- Peanut or canola oil as needed
Directions:
- In a food processor combine peanut butter, chili oil, soy sauce and garlic. Puree until smooth.
- With the motor running, drizzle in the peanut or canola oil until the sauce is the consistency you like.
Lemon refrigerator cookies recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 cups raw cashews
- 1/4 cup agave nectar
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Directions:
- Pulse the cashews in a food processor until a powdery meal forms.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and continue processing on low until the dough forms a large ball.
- Measure out generous tablespoon amounts of the dough and roll and flatten into cookie shapes.
- Refrigerate until firm.
- Store in a plastic bag in the freezer for longer term storage.
