Do you want a hearty salad that is delicious, good for you and jam packed with nutrients? Then you’ve got to try this Raw Power House Salad! It is a party for your tastebuds and very filling. Trust us, you will be getting so much green along with all of the other colors of the rainbow. You will glow with energy and wholeness. Give it a try.

Ingredients:

• 6-8 cups of baby spinach
• 1 cup of spring salad mix
• 1 cup of cabbage slaw (sliced raw cabbage & shredded carrots)
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 cucumber
• 1 avocado
• parsley flakes
• splash of olive oil and lemon juice

Equipment:
Really nothing is needed beyond a cutting board and knife, and a bowl with spoon for mixing

Directions:
1. Place the handfuls of baby spinach into your mixing bowl. Then add the cup of spring salad mix. Blend all of the leaves together.

2. Add in one cup of cabbage slaw and mix it with the leaves.

3. Slice your red onion in half and then slice it vertically and horizontally to get nice small chunks of onion. Toss those into your salad.

4. Peel the skin of the cucumber if it is not organic. Then slice it long ways down the middle. Turn each half so that the flat side is on your cutting board. Then cut nice chunky slices and add them into the salad.

5. Take your avocado and remove it from its skin (If you’re not sure how to do this, read our article on Avocados). Slice your avocado into small chunks and toss them into your salad.

6. Slice your red bell pepper in half. For the half you are using, cut both horizontally and vertically to create small squares (similar to the size of what you might find in a chunky salsa). Add these to the salad.

7. Sprinkle in the parsley flakes

8. Add a dash of lemon juice and olive oil and mix well.

9. Serve in a plate or bowl and enjoy!

This summer we are doing a series of light, refreshing, energizing salads! Perfect to entertain with and eat in warm weather. Our second salad, Grated Raw Beets, is sure to add some color to any menu! It’s modified from a recipe we found on Vegetarian Times and it serves 6 people. Raw beets taste similar to raw carrots in that they’re sweet, juicy, and crisp. Jicama, a Mexican root vegetable that looks like a large, pale, round potato, is crunchy and mild when peeled and eaten raw. If you can’t find jicama, simply substitute cubed cucumber in this salad.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups grated jicama
• 2 cups grated raw beets (3 medium beets)
• 1 avocado, thinly sliced
• 1 navel orange, peeled, sectioned, each section cut into thirds
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 3 Tbs. fresh orange juice
• 1 Tbs. lime juice
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
• 11/2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds (optional)

Directions:
1.Place beets in medium bowl along with jicama, avocado, orange, and cilantro.

2. Whisk together orange juice concentrate, lime juice, cumin, and coriander. Whisk in oil. Pour over beet mixture, and toss to mix. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Sprinkle each serving with rawpumpkin seeds.

Another fabulous recipe for you that we found on Vegan Raw Food. This is soo delicious, and it really allows you to customize your bowl with the various toppings you can add to garnish. We think you’ll really enjoy this recipe, especially if you love Mexican food.

Put all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth or even consistency. You can put your bowls in your dehydrator (optional) for a few hours to warm up before you top with your favorite toppings. Optional toppings include: tomato, avocado, onion, corn, shredded cabbage, dash of oregano, sprouts

Oh my goodness! One of the reasons we love raw foods so much is the colors! So bright! So bold! So full of life and energy! So I am sure you can see from the picture above why we were so excited about this recipe. It’s so beautiful! And amazingly delicious too so we think you should give it a try.

This recipe comes from a blog called The Kitchen Dispensary. Here’s what the author had to say:

Red cabbage is one of my favourite leaves to use as a wrap. It looks amazing, it’s crunchy and you can fit a lot into one leaf. It’s really one of the things we raw foodies use as a bread substitute. The ingredients below are pretty much what I had in the fridge today. You could just as easily use things like cucumbers, tomatoes, sprouts or leftover salad. Whatever takes your fancy.

Red Cabbage Tacos

Makes 5

Ingredients

5 smallish red cabbage leaves

2 medium sized carrots

1/4 avocado

1-2 tsp lemon juice

about 8 stalks of fresh chives

Greens of your choice  (I used a mix of spinach, chard and lettuces)

Dulse flakes (Karengo Seaweed) for saltiness

Preparation

Finely grate the carrot. If you have a fine grater like one usually used for parmesean you will get more juicy flavour from the carrot.

Mash in the avocado, lemon juice and finely chopped chives. Add a little himalayan or sea salt if you wish.

Take a red cabbage leaf and fill with a few green leaves of your choice and top with some of the carrot avocado mixture.

Top with some dulse (karengo) and a few chopped chives.

Craving something more than a salad? No worries, try these delicious, easy to make, raw tacos, and your tastebuds will be delightfully satisfied. The recipe below is to make 8 tacos so double up if you would like to make more.

Ingredients:

• 4 collard leaves (each leaf makes two taco wraps)
• 2 cups raw sunflower seeds*
• 1 cups raw slivered almonds*
• 2 avocados (or 1 1/2 cups fresh guacamole)
• 2 red bell peppers
• 2-3 tbsp extra virgin organic olive oil
• ground pepper, cumin
• 2 cups of your favorite salsa

*You can pre-soak the nuts and seeds for 12 hours before making this dish, but it is not required.

Kitchen Equipment:

• Cutting board & knives
• Food processor

Directions:

1. Pour the sliced almonds, raw sunflower seeds and olive oil into a food processor and pulse.

2. Add the seasonings of ground pepper and cumin to taste. We recommend a few dashes on top for eash seasoning. Then pulse your food processor a few more times to mix everything together.

3. Rinse and dry your collard leaves. Then on a cutting board, lay down one leaf. Cut the leaf in half as close to the spine as possible. Remove the spin (if you do not wish to discard it, set it aside for juicing/smoothie making later).

4. Also chop up your avocado and your red pepper, julienne style.

5. With the collard leaf half facing you horizontally, pick a spot to vertically place your ingredients. Use a spoon to scoop out the nutmeat you just made and lay it straight up and down. Remember, you’ll be wrapping these up, so a little goes a long way.

6. Top the nut meat with a couple slices of avocado (or guacamole if that’s what you chose) and red pepper.

7. Gently use your fingers to roll the taco up. If any ingredients slide out, just use your spoon to place them back inside. Then place the finished taco on a separate plate for serving.

8. Repeat steps 1 through 7 for the remaining ingredients.

9. Serve on a plate and garnish with your favorite salsa. Then serve with a smile!

BONUS: You can also place the salsa inside the taco wrap with the avocado, red peppers and nut meat for a unique flavor combination.

Now this is what’s for dinner! Yummy raw collard wraps. This recipe serves 2-3 and we recommend you use all organic ingredients.

• 8 large collard leaves
• 4 medium Avocados
• 6 carrots
• 1 Red bell Pepper
• 1 cucumber
• Dulse powder (comes from a sea vegetable that has a fine distinct taste of seaweed)

-First flatten the collard leaves and cut out the spine.
-Once spine is removed overlap leaf on itself a little so you can spread the avocado.
-Spread the ripe avocado across the leaf (Half of one medium sized avocado should cover one collard leaf)
-Next, slice the carrots, cucumber and red pepper into strips
-Place the veggies on top of the avocado and leaf perpendicular to the stem at one end of the leaf.
-Sprinkle with dulse and roll it up to create the wrap.

You can either eat as a wrap or cut it into pieces and eat them as raw sushi rolls.

This recipe was provided by Will T. Roundy, also known as Gorilla Greenz. Will resides in Paso Robles, California. His favorite thing about raw foods is that when eating them consistently for an extended period of time, he sleeps great, has endless energy, and always has a sense that everything is okay. Check out his website, http://www.gorillagreenzblog.com.

Introduction:

The avocado is known also as the alligator pear, because of its shape and the thick, leather-like appearance of its skin. The avocado is a very versatile fruit in that it can be added to everything from salads, to dips and salsas.  There is a common misconception that you shouldn’t eat avocados because of their high fat content. The fat oils in avocados are nature made, unsaturated and unhydrogenerated. In fact, it has been found that the oil of an avocado is one of the most valuable of the unsaturated fatty acids. Of the 30 grams of fat typically found in an average size avocado, 20 of those grams are health promoting monosaturated fats, especially oleic acid. So don’t fear, they are good for you, and yummy too!

Nutritional Info:

• Avocados contain oleic acid, a monosaturated fat that may help to lower cholesterol.
• Avocados are a good source of potassium, a mineral that helps regulate blood pressure.  They are actually higher in potassium than a medium sized banana. One avocado contains 24% of your daily value (DV) of potassium.
• This fruit is jammed packed with nutrients! Avocados are a good source of vitamin K (36% DV), dietary fiber (29% DV), vitamin B6 (20% DV), vitamin C (19% DV) and copper (19% DV).
• One cup of avocado has 23% of your DV for folate, a nutrient important for heart health.
• Avocados are sodium and cholesterol free.
• The avocado, pound for pound, has more energy than unprocessed meat. (aren’t you glad you’re going raw?!)

How To Select the Perfect Avocado:

So you are at the supermarket and you see a crate full of alligator pears. They all pretty much look the same, how do you know which one to choose. We hope the info in this section will have you selecting avocados like a pro! A ripe, ready to eat, avocado is slightly soft but should have no dark sunken spots or cracks. So pick up the avocado that catches your eye, hold it in the palm of your hands and use your fingers to gently press around it to get a feel for its softness. Then also give it a look over to check for dark spots and cracks.

Firm avocados will ripen in a paper bag or in your kitchen fruit basket at room temperature. If you are planning to eat the avocado later, you should consider buying them firm. As the fruit ripens (varies between 2-3 days), the skin will start to turn darker. Place your ripe avocado in the fridge.

How Do I Get Inside?

No worries, if you’re new to avocados and haven’t experienced them past guacamole, this section is for you. Here’s how to get to the wholesome goodness that’s inside the avocado:

• First, cut the ripe avocado lengthwise around the seed. Rotate the halves to separate.
• Remove the seed by sliding the tip of a spoon gently underneath and lifting it out.
• You can peel the fruit by placing the cut side down and removing the skin with a knife or your fingers starting at the narrow end. Or, you can simply scoop out the avocado flesh with a spoon.
• Sprinkle the avocado chunks with lemon or lime juice to preserve and prevent discoloration

Resources:

The Nutritional Value of the Avocado: http://www.avocadosource.com
Avocados: Hand Grown in California: http://www.avocado.org
The World’s Healthiest Foods – Avocados: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=5

Response:Yes, protein is essential for the structure and function of every cell in our body. It plays an important role in the functioning of our organs and muscle tissues, along with enzyme production. Amino acids are the building blocks for proteins. It is a common misconception that you can only get proteins (or enough proteins to function) from animal products. In fact, plant proteins are more than compatible with our bodies and provide the essentials that our cells need to perform daily tasks.

The World Health Organization states that humans need about 5% of their daily calorie intake to come from protein. This constitutes a healthy diet. Actually, by being a raw food enthusiast, you have the option to get your daily dose of protein from a variety of sources. So no longer do you have to think “gee, I should make sure I have chicken tonight so I get my protein.” Now you have multiple ways to get your protein, from your breakfast smoothie to your afternoon snack. On average, fruits have roughly 5% of their calories from protein and vegetables (especially green leafy ones) have 20-50% of their calories from protein.

Here are some great plant based foods that are packed with the proteins your body needs to make things happen:

• Dark leafy greens such as kale and spinach (great in salads, in juices and green smoothies)
• Fruits such as peaches, avocados (great in smoothies), and raisins (consider making a raw trail mix)
• Nuts such as Brazil nuts, pecans, pistachios (good for snacking)

So go forth and get your protein in more creative ways than ever before! Take that!!!!!