Simple Onion Salad with Avocado
Simple Onion Salad with Avocado - This Mexican dish recipe is very simple.
Raw Food Diet
Raw food is a culinary practice based on using ingredients without heat treatment. Personally, I don’t follow it constantly, but I often make raw dishes – especially in summer or when I want something truly fresh. This category includes recipes that don’t require a stove or oven: salads, sauces, snacks, desserts, smoothies, nut-based spreads, and fruit combinations. Everything I share is based on tried-and-tested experience. The meals are quick, light, texturally interesting, rich in flavor and vitamins. For me, raw food is not about restrictions but about diversifying my menu, focusing on natural products, and seeing familiar ingredients from a new perspective. It’s especially useful during vegetable and fruit season, when nature offers peak flavor without needing to change anything. I always focus on availability: nothing complicated – just what you can find at the market or store. With the right mindset, even simple carrots with lemon sauce can become a favorite snack.
Raw Food Recipes
When I Make Raw Dishes and Why I Love It
I most often prepare no-heat meals in the summer when it's too hot to stand over the stove and the market is full of fresh greens, vegetables, and fruits. These recipes are ideal for breakfasts, light lunches, snacks, or dinner without heaviness. Sometimes it’s a salad, sometimes a seed spread, or just nicely sliced vegetables with sauce. I have a few favorite combinations: zucchini “spaghetti” with nut sauce, beet slices with citrus dressing, green salad with cucumbers, apple, and flaxseed. These dishes take 10–15 minutes to make, require no complex techniques, and always pleasantly surprise. I love this kind of food for its “living” quality – ingredients keep their structure, vitamins, aroma, and most importantly – they need no long prep. Perfect for weekdays and those moments when I want to feel light and clear in my body.
My Go-To Ingredients for Raw Food Dishes
It all starts with vegetables and greens – cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, beets, cabbage, zucchini, avocado, spinach, lettuce, dill, parsley. To that, I add fruits: apples, pears, berries, citrus. Nuts are a must: almonds, walnuts, cashews, peanuts (raw or activated). Seeds – flax, sunflower, pumpkin – are in nearly every recipe. I also use sprouted grains or legumes – like green buckwheat, mung beans, lentils. For dressings and flavor – lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, olive or hemp oil, spices (turmeric, paprika, black pepper, coriander), as well as mustard, honey, garlic (raw – in small amounts). Thanks to these ingredients, dishes turn out complete even without cooking. They provide energy, are easy to digest, and combine well. I always keep a few basics on hand – shredded carrots, sliced beets, mixed greens – and from those, it’s easy to create something new every day.
What Makes Raw Food Dishes Truly Delicious: Textures and Accents
Flavor in raw dishes often depends on small details: crunch, creaminess, acidity, and spice. For example, a simple carrot and cucumber salad can be dull, but if you add seeds, a lemon-oil dressing, a little garlic, and fresh herbs – it comes to life. I often add crunchy elements – sprouted buckwheat, seeds, thinly sliced vegetables. Creamy textures come from nuts: cashew spread, avocado sauce, hummus made from sprouted chickpeas. I also use fermented elements – like sauerkraut or pickled onions. These add depth of flavor and balance the sweetness of vegetables and fruits. Even the simplest dish needs something bold – aroma, texture, or contrast. I love sharing these kinds of combinations – easy to recreate, but they truly deliver a new experience.
How I Plan Raw Meals for a Day or Several Days
I don’t stick to strict schedules, but I often plan ahead. For example, if I know lunch won’t involve cooking, I soak nuts or sprout grains in advance. In the morning, I prepare a fruit-based breakfast: smoothie, puree, or salad with seeds. For lunch – a more filling meal: beet slices with nut sauce, salad with avocado and sprouts, zucchini pasta with seed-based pesto. For dinner – a green mix with sauerkraut or hummus with sliced vegetables. I also often make snacks and spreads ahead of time: energy balls with dates and nuts, seed pastes, or nut cheeses with garlic or spices. Having key ingredients on hand is essential – that way, even without a recipe, I can quickly put together a new meal. Raw food doesn’t have to be complicated – my approach is based on accessibility, flavor, and a desire to keep it simple.
My Favorite Raw Food Recipes: Proven Everyday Combinations
Some of my favorites include grated beet salad with lemon dressing and seeds, avocado and basil spread on cucumber slices, cashew cream with turmeric, and smoothies with banana, berries, and spinach. I also love zucchini spaghetti with sunflower seed sauce, broccoli and apple salad, crunchy vegetables with nut paste, and sweet balls with raisins, cocoa, and seeds. These dishes are made without heating yet are flavorful and fully satisfying. I use them as part of my daily meals or as a full dinner. Sometimes I just mix what I have: shredded carrots, chopped apple, lemon, sesame – and it becomes a new snack. All of this is easy, fast, natural – and truly delicious.