The sun is shining, the weather is getting warmer, and the local produce is in season! What a great time it is to be a raw foodie! Now is your time to glow and shine like the magnificent star you are! And we are here to support you. We stumbled upon this yummy, easy to make raw appetizer on Low Fat Raw Recipes. Perfect for a sunny day. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 nectarine, or more depending on how much you want.
• 2 medium bananas

Equipment:

• blender

Directions:
1. Cut nectarines in half and remove pit.
2. Scoop out a little of each half to make the indention where the pit was larger.
3. Blend up what you scooped out of nectarines with bananas
4. Fill nectarine halves with banana cream!

If you think that fresh fruit for breakfast might be a bit too light for you, or if you feel especially hungry one day, this raw food recipe is guaranteed to fill you up and it tastes delicious.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 banana, sliced into rings
• 1 apple, cubed
• ½ handful brazil nuts, sliced into small pieces
• 1 handful almonds or other type of nuts, whole or sliced
• 1 handful dates, fresh or dried, chopped into small pieces
• 1 handful of raisins (presoaked)
• 1 handful of prunes
• 1 handful of goji berries
• 1 handful of coconut chips
• Almond milk (How to make almond milk?)

Equipment:

All you need is a bowl and spoon for mixing!

Preparation:

1. Prepare all ingredients as above
2. Mix all ingredients well
3. Pour on milk
4. Top with prunes/strawberries/blueberries and coconut chips

Enjoy!

This recipe was provided by Marat, who resides in Leeds, UK. Marat is the raw enthusiast behind the website RawPublic, where he features daily raw food recipes and tips for a healthier lifestyle. Marat’s favorite thing about about raw foods is eating 100% raw; he says he is full of energy and passion for life!

Want a deliciously different dessert? Something that is fun for you to eat but also an excellent recipe for when you have friends and family over? Let’s take your raw dessert experience to the next level. Try this Raw Banana Split and after one bite, your tastebuds will be begging for more.

Ingredients:

• 1 Banana (fresh or frozen)
• ½ C Organic Frozen Cherries
• 2 T Coconut Crème
• 1 T Chia Seeds
• 1 T Honey/Agave Nectar
• ½ T Vanilla Powder
• 1 T Sundried Coconut
• 1 T Wild Jungle Peanuts or Mac Nuts
• 1 T Bee Pollen (optional depending on your dietary choices)

Equipment:
High-powered blender

Directions:
1. Slice banana in half long ways and place open on a plate.

2. In a high-powered blender, blend the cherries, Vanilla Coconut Crème, chia seeds, honey and vanilla powder.  Pour over banana.

3. Top with sundried coconut, chopped nuts and bee pollen.

This is a fast and easy desert that is a big hit with kids and unexpected company.  And it is great comfort food when you have a craving for something sweet.

Source: Vivapura’s Easy Recipes that include Superfoods

Kale, Carrot, and Flax Fruit Smoothie

This is a recipe for a delicious smoothie that anyone can enjoy (no matter how young or young at heart)

• 1 cup homemade almond milk*
• 1 cup water
• 2 medium Kale leaves
• A handful of carrots
• 8 fresh strawberries
• 1 cup frozen berries (blueberry, raspberry, and marionberry)
• 1/4 cranberries
• One half of a banana
• 2 tablespoons freshly ground flax seeds**

*If you don’t want to make the almond milk yourself, you can purchase it from your local health food store. It will not be 100% raw, but it will still be 100% delicious!

**Just in case you don’t have the equipment to ground your own flax seeds, you can also purchase them finely ground at your local health food store.

Mix up in a blender and it makes enough for the whole family (or for you to store in your fridge for the next 2-3 days and have on the go). The smoothie is a muddy orange color with flecks of green from the kale and flecks of red from the cranberries. You can sweeten if needed with agave nectar. Homemade almond milk is used to ensure that this recipe is completely raw but store bought almond milk will work too. Enjoy!

This recipe was provided by Tiffany Washko,  a mom trying to live a more natural family life, for health and for the planet. In addition to her website (click her name), you should also visit Nature Moms Blog.

This tropical yogurt is a raw-tastic treat for your taste buds!

1 Small Papaya
2 Bananas
1/2 Large Pineapple
2 cups Almond Milk*
Pinch Salt (Pink)
1 tsp alcohol free Vanilla Extract (or a 1/4 vanilla bean)

Blend on high until mixed well. Enjoy. Depending on the amount of milk you add you will get a smoothie/milk shake consistency or you will get yogurt. Either is delicious!

*You can make your own almond milk or purchase it from your local market (it won’t be 100% raw but it will still be delicious!)

This recipe was provided by Wysteria Jackson, who has a fabulous raw food blog. Wysteria resides in Odenton, Maryland and her favorite thing about raw foods is the power it has given her to reclaim her health.

For more info on how your recipe can be featured on our site, check out submissions.

You probably think that raw ice cream will never compare to the real thing. Well, this recipe is sure to prove you wrong!

Strawberry Banana Ice Cream

• 1 small frozen banana
• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1/3 cup cashew milk*

That is it my friends…it really couldn’t be more simple!! The natural sweetness from the fruits was more than adequate and the cashew milk gave the creaminess needed. Simply blend the frozen fruit up together in the high speed blender and then added the milk. It solidified into this sublime ice cream instantly. If you do not have a high speed blender you should add the milk in at the same time as the frozen fruit; this will allow the blades to mix all of the ingredients more efficiently. You may have to place it in the freezer for it to become completely solidified. Or, you can also try to put the ingredients into a food processor.

Serve this to friends and family and they’ll never guess that it was raw ice cream. It is simple to make and delicious in both taste and texture.

Best of all, since it was made with healthy ingredients, there’s no need to feel guilty for eating this sweet treat. This is truly a recipe for guilt free ice cream.

*Cashew milk: If you are not ready to make your own nut milk yet, you can swap this out for an almond milk that you would find at your local grocery store. Or, if you are feeling fabulous and up for the challenge, you can make the raw cashew milk by following the steps below.

Cashew Nut Milk:

• 1 cup cashews – leave to soak over night
• 1 T agave nectar  (or you can use dates instead)
• 1 1/2 cups of filtered water
• (you can also add vanilla seeds from pod for added flavoring)

1. Place the cashews in a small bowl and pour over some filtered water and leave to soak over night.
2. The next day, rinse the cashews thoroughly and drain well.
3. Place them into a high speed with 1/2 cup of filtered water and blend up until all the nuts become liquid form.
4. Add the agave nectar and the rest of the water to reach the sweetness and consistency you desire. It is all about getting it to the right taste and consistency for you.
5. Then store the milk in a glass bottle and keep it in the fridge. It will last a couple of days.

Note: If you do not have a high speed blender, you can always use a normal speed blender but simply strain the nut milk through a nut bag (or cheese clothe) before storing in the fridge.

This recipe was provided by Loulou; she is an English Las but presently lives in France, near Nice with her French Husband Stophy. Her favorite raw food is apples. Visit her blog at http://rawloulou.blogspot.com for additional recipes and adventures in raw food.