Raw food diets are becoming increasingly popular, but to those of us on the outside, this approach to eating can seem a little odd. In my world, odd = fun = interesting = MUST TRY 🙂
The exact method eating “raw” varies from person to person, but in general, raw foodies focus largely on consuming unprocessed and uncooked foods. In some cases, food might be cooked but only to very low temperatures. This is usually done because it’s more “healthy”, although the exact definition of health in this case is debated heavily.
A lot of times, you’ll find that eating raw also means you’ll be gluten free, paleo, and vegan since you won’t be eating any baked bread or raw meat. But of course, everyone makes exceptions, or defines their own rules based on their beliefs or body-reactions to the style of eating.
That type of diet does seem very restrictive at first. But, like any diet, there is actually a lot of flexibility in there – and some people can make amazing food while still keeping within the raw food philosophy.
Not that we are trying to convert anyone with this post, but we do love to try new things and understand why some folks prefer eating a specialized diet. This list highlights some fantastic examples of raw food that would appeal to just about anyone, regardless of whether they are a raw foodie or not.
And who knows, you may just like it enough to start making some changes to what you eat! Either way, it can be a lot of fun trying to make these recipes and expanding your culinary prowess.
Raw Food Recipes
No-Bake Coconut Delights
These sweet treats come from wholenewmom.com and Adrienne has done a great job with how they look. The cute little treats have a lot of advantages, especially as they manage to be egg, grain, sugar and dairy free – which is quite a mouthful really. So, this would be a cool dessert for people who are sensitive about what they eat.
Raw Vegan Mac and Cheese
If you’re following a raw diet, macaroni and cheese is one of many foods that you can’t have any more. But, cooks (and bloggers) do tend to get very creative – so you can approximate dishes all your favorite and familiar foods like macaroni and cheese. This recipe, from naturallyashley.com, is also vegan, but don’t be put off. The end result might not actually be macaroni and cheese, but the recipe still replicates the flavor and the texture of that dish pretty well. You can also add some spices to dress it up and make it fancy.
Raw Vegan Mango Ice Cream
This ice cream recipe, from sweetsimplevegan.com, is quite fun, because there are actually three separate recipes to look at. One of these is for the pineapple flowers you see on top, another is for a crumble and the final one is for the mango ice cream itself. All of the recipes are vegan and raw, so you could choose to use all of them, or pick and choose the ones you want.
Chocolate Macaroons (raw)
The process of making desserts and sweet treats can often be complicated and a bit frustrating. In general, raw recipes tend to be simpler, which makes them much easier to put together in a hurry. I found this recipe over at thisfoxkitchen.com, and the recipe takes just 5 minutes from start to finish. Can’t go wrong with that.
Raw Vegan Lasagna
Lasagna is traditionally a hot and meaty dish, but it doesn’t actually have to be. This recipe comes from cleanfooddirtygirl.com and it’s a great example of how you can take a normal recipe and tweak it to produce something that is healthy. I love the different layers in this recipe and it looks so appealing on a plate.
Chocolate Cheesecake
This chocolate cheesecake looks simply amazing, and it seriously is something that you could easily serve at a party. The recipe is from honestlyhealthyfood.com, and it’s another great example of a dish that is vegan and raw. You wouldn’t know that from just looking at it though, because it really does look like a normal cheesecake.
Dairy Free Potato Salad
Raw potato salads are a rarity, because you can’t actually eat potatoes raw without making yourself sick. This recipe, from rockingrawchef.com, gets around that issue by using sweet potatoes. I love the way that the salad has a creamy sauce, even though it doesn’t use any dairy products.
Vegan Coconut Macaroons
Making these coconut macaroons is surprisingly easy, and this is one recipe that would take you much less than half an hour from start to finish. The recipe itself comes from divinehealthyfood.com, so you can find the full ingredients and instructions there. Personally, I love the way these macaroons look and they would work well as gifts.
Chocolate Truffles
Chocolate is a wonderful flavor. It tends to tempt people regardless of how healthy they are trying to be. This recipe is great because the truffles use much healthier ingredients than normal truffles, and they even manage to be vegan. But, as Claire points out at thekitchykitchen.com, they are still treats and average around 85 calories a piece.
Raw Ice Cream
Ice cream can be a great treat, but finding a healthy alternative can often be difficult. I love this recipe from lovingsuperfoods.com, partly because it can be made without using an ice cream maker. Plus, it is simple to make, which is pretty important.
Carrot, Coconut and Ginger Soup
My first thought with this soup from therawfoodkitchen.com.au is that it has brilliant. It actually looks a little bit like pumpkin soup, even though it isn’t. Like many other raw soup recipes, this soup isn’t cooked. But, it is slightly warmed. After all, eating cold soup is hardly an attractive idea.
Raw Lemon Berry Cheesecake
This cheesecake recipe comes from justglowingwithhealth.com and is the recipe of Heather Peterson. I love the idea of including citrus and berries in a dessert, because the flavors contrast each other nicely. The recipe also shows that even vegans and raw foodies can enjoy a type of cheesecake. The end result also looks appealing and would be great to serve to guests.
Gluten Free Mac and Cheese
Here’s another example of macaroni and cheese on a raw foods diet. This one comes from lindawagner.net, and the end result looks really cool on a plate. As this is a raw foods recipe, it doesn’t actually include macaroni or cheese, but it is still a good approximation of the dish. It’s also a good dish in its own right, and you might be surprised by just how appealing it is.
Raw Vegan Snickers Cups
These snickers cups come from oneingredientchef.com and they’re a great reminder that raw foodies don’t have to miss out on treats that the rest of the population enjoys. Even if you’re not particularly concerned about whether your food is raw or not, these cups are still much healthier and much less processed than anything you will find on store shelves.
Zucchini Caponata
This particular dish is a variation of the traditional Sicilian caponata, but the recipe from eatdrinkpaleo.com.au has created a raw version that works well as a salad or a side dish. Irena also notes a few possible variations on the recipe that might be good options for people who don’t eat raw or who like a little meat with their food.
Chocolate Avocado Pudding
This recipe is a great option for a chocolaty dessert that is still fairly healthy. The decision to use avocado is an interesting one, but it seems like it would work perfectly with the other flavors. You can find all of the information that you need to make the recipe at therawtarian.com and this site is actually a great resource for raw recipes in general.
Maca and Vanilla Porridge
Normally, porridge is a pretty bland and kind of boring dish, but this recipe from therawvision.com is quite a bit more interesting. It is a fairly simple recipe, but the flavor combination certainly makes it a recipe worth trying. The recipe is also a good option if you are looking for a breakfast that is just that little bit different.
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