Raw vegan dishes are always enjoyable. But when those “Brrr” months kick in, wouldn’t it be nice to have something warm on your plate? While some of you might scratch your heads wondering what I’m going on about, let me just say not all raw dishes are frozen or chilled. So there’s no need to despair about eating cold food in freezing temperatures. And no, you don’t have to cook and break your raw food streak at all. I’m talking about authentic raw food recipes for the cold weather. I’m going to share with you some clever ideas you can try, so grab your notepad and start listing down these favorites (or maybe you can just bookmark this page). 

Raw creamy carrot soup

Nice warm soups are perfect for cold days. And remember, there’s no cooking involved here.

To make your own raw creamy carrot soup recipe, place chopped carrots, cashews, water and sea salt together in a high-speed blender and blend until you reach a really nice and smooth consistency. And here comes the trick – continue blending for a little bit longer so that the heat from the friction and the blades warms up your soup. Once you’re satisfied, pour the carrot soup into a bowl and garnish with anything you want. You must consume the soup immediately to enjoy its warmth.

Raw cream of celery soup

Here’s another 5-star, yummy raw soup that you can make in your high-speed blender.

Simply blend celery, cashews, garlic clove, water and sea salt together, starting on low as you gradually pick up the speed all the way to high. As with the carrot soup above, blend for quite a while longer to warm it up nicely. Pour the concoction into a bowl with finely chopped celery and gently stir using a spoon. Garnish and enjoy this raw cream of celery soup while still warm!

Raw veggie burgers

Dehydrators are also a much appreciated piece of kitchen equipment in the cold months. It may take hours on end to before you can enjoy your delicious raw food but it’s definitely worth it.

This raw veggie burger recipe is pretty easy to make if you have a dehydrator. Just process all the ingredients in your food processor except for the hemp hearts and chopped vegetables. Transfer the mixture into a bowl, then add the hemp hearts and veggies and mix well with a spoon. Form patties using your hands and arrange on dehydrator trays lined with parchment paper. Dehydrate on high and reduce the temperature after an hour and a half. Continue dehydrating for five hours or more until you reach your desired consistency. These savory veggie burger patties make an awesome match with some crisp lettuce. A perfect winter meal!

Raw hearty walnut pate

This rather salty-flavored raw walnut pate is a delightful recipe to dig into during those cold weathers. It has only a few key ingredients, and it’s very easy to prepare.

Place pre-soaked walnuts, white onion, carrot, celery stalk and sea salt in a food processor and process into a nice and smooth cream-cheese-like consistency. Only add the soy sauce (do not omit it!) to the mixture near the end and continue processing. If you process a little longer, the mixture will warm up a bit. This pate is a perfect match with cucumber rounds. 

Raw chili

You can eat this chili on its own. Feel free to warm slightly in your dehydrator, although warming it is not necessary. (I don't bother warming it.)

This chili mixture also makes a nice salad topping. Plus, top with optional raw sour cream for yummy chili goodness! (In this picture I didn't take the time to make raw sour cream, but I did grind up cashews using a nut-grinder, which acts like parmesan cheese!)

To make this chili, first chop or shred the carrots and celery. Set aside. Then process the remaining ingredients. Combine and enjoy!

Raw recipes for cold weather

These are just a few ideas to get you going during a cold snap. And if you want to warm up some leftovers, you can also use a dehydrator for that. So don’t limit yourself to cold food, and don’t hesitate to try some of these  ideas. When you want some warm, cozy raw vegan meal, just take out your blender or pop your recipe in a dehydrator!

Desserts – most people’s (if not everyone’s) favorite course of meal. They’re usually the best kind of raw food you show off to entice your non-raw friends, too! A lot of my raw food recipes are desserts, and some of the top-rated raw desserts I’ve shared are loved by many. If you haven’t tried them yet, I’m positive you’ll also find them irresistible.

Raw lemon bars recipe

These lemony bars have a lovely lemony sweet flavor, and are perfect for an afternoon snack or quick dessert. The food processor is your best friend in this recipe, so be nice to yours! First to process are the almonds.

Process well until they turn into a fine powder. Then add dates, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest, and process again until well combined. Set the mixture aside. Meanwhile, mix dried coconut and salt in a large bowl. Add the lemon bar mixture into the bowl and mix once again using your clean hands. Finally, press the lemon bar dough into a glass dish and pop it in the fridge for about an hour. You can cut your scrumptious raw lemon bars into small slices before serving.

Raw cheesecake recipe

This is one of my top raw dessert recipes of all time. Time for a fancy raw dessert! For something as fancy looking as this raw cheesecake recipe, it’s surprisingly easy to make.

Just process macadamia nuts, salt and dates in a food processor until well processed but still airy. Press this crust mixture down into pan sprinkled with dried coconut on the bottom. To make the raw cream-cheese filling, blend all the filling ingredients in a powerful blender, adding only as little water as needed. Pour the filling on top of the crust mixture and freeze for at least an hour. While the crust/cream-cheese is firming up in the freezer, blend strawberries and dates until nice and smooth, and pour it on top of the firm cheesecake that’s been in the freezer for about an hour. Place it again in the freezer for about five more hours. Serve chilled, straight out of the freezer.

Raw brownie recipe

Here’s the most popular of my top-rated raw desserts. This yummy raw brownie recipe tastes so much like traditional brownies it’s simply “brownie-licious”! One great thing about it is it doesn’t require too many ingredients, and there’s none of those laborious steps either. You will need a food processor for this one.

Step one is to process pecans into small and crumbly bits. Then add your dates and process again until it combines before adding the rest of the ingredients to the mixture. Continue processing until it turns into a chocolatey brown. Don’t over-process, otherwise, it will get too buttery. Firmly press down the mixture into a brownie dish using your hands and chill for a couple of hours.

This raw brownie goes perfectly well raw chocolate icing, too.

Raw chocolate chia pudding recipe

You can never go wrong with chocolatey desserts. Here’s another one you can add to your growing list. You’d be amazed at how this lovely raw chocolate chia pudding recipe tastes just like melted chocolate ice cream!

To make this chia pudding, place cashews and water in your blender and blend until nice and smooth. Add cacao powder, honey/other liquid sweetener, vanilla extract and sea salt and blend again. Pour the mixture into a bowl with chia seeds and mix well. Cover it and place inside the fridge for an hour or so to allow the chia seeds to plump up and thicken the pudding.

This raw dessert gets even better and thicker the longer its refrigerated. 

Raw chocolate shortbread bars

These freezer bars are a killer. (I mean that in a good way.) The zingy chocolatey flavor of these raw chocolate shortbread bars makes for a perfect (more adult) dessert.

For the shortbread procedure, process all shortbread ingredients in a food processor until well combined. Press down the mixture firmly into a pan to make your shortbread base. Next, blend all your chocolate mixture ingredients in a high-speed blender until very nice and smooth, and pour it on top of the shortbread base. Smooth the chocolate evenly with a spoon, and finally, freeze for an hour or so.

Let the bars defrost for about fifteen minutes before eating, but remember to always store them in the freezer.

Which top raw dessert will you try?

Talk about excellent healthy substitutes. With these top raw desserts, there’s no need to hold back when your sweet tooth cravings kick in. These top-rated raw desserts can absolutely satisfy them. Which divine raw dessert do you love best?

When people find out that you're a vegetarian or a vegan or raw vegan, the subject of protein is always a huge concern to friends and family.

I bet every raw vegan has been asked the question, "But where you get your protein from?" Maybe some of you know a lot  about how to get protein on the raw food diet already. And maybe there are those who have an idea, but just don’t know how to make other non-raw friends understand. Why is it such a big deal to have enough protein, anyway? What makes it so special? And what are the best and most common sources of protein for raw fooders? Lemme tell ya!

But before we get into the details, I want to start with a few soundbytes:

It’s handy to arm yourself with a little useful information about the protein question so that you understand it and can answer the question with quick confidence. Don't go down the rabbit hole of stammering and ums! So in the future, when you come across the question on where you get your protein from, you’ll know exactly what to say. So here's a bit more detail for you detail-oriented folk!

Protein defined

Don’t be daunted by that headline. This is just a little bit of science and nothing too intense, I promise. Let’s just start from the beginning. And so the question: What is protein?

Proteins are basically one of the most vital building blocks of your body. They are the second most abundant substance in our bodies next to water, and they are very important nutrients made of a combination of amino acids.

Think of protein as the alphabet and amino acids as the letters in the alphabet. Just like letters forming a number of possible words, different combinations of various amino acids make up different kinds of proteins, which serve their own purposes.

Simply put, protein is a word used to call different combinations of many amino acids. There are amino acids that can only be gained from the food we eat (essential amino acids) and those that our bodies produce (non-essential amino acids). Complete protein just refers to a combination of all nine essential amino acids proportional to the needs of the body.

What does protein do? Why do you need it?

But before we go into the sources of proteins, let's first get to know what these proteins do in our bodies and what we need them for. Proteins actually provide structure to every single cell in our bodies. There are proteins that serve as enzymes, hormones, antibodies and more.

Some proteins are involved in transporting oxygen and other molecules, and some are involved in contracting our muscles. The list of tasks proteins are responsible for goes on. They're busy guys!

But the most notable functions of proteins are to build, maintain, and replace tissues in our bodies (e.g. nails, hair, skin, muscles, bones, red blood cells, etc.), as well as to keep our cells in good condition for them to be able to work properly.

How much protein do you need?

On average, an adult female vegan’s protein recommendation is around 46-58 grams per day. Whereas an adult male vegan’s is around 56-70 grams per day.

According to numerous studies and research, the amount of required daily protein intake varies depending on several factors like age, gender, body condition, lifestyle, etc. For instance, an inactive female adult’s protein needs may be much lower than that of an athlete’s or a bodybuilder’s.

Here are some common raw foods and their protein levels:

• 1/4 cup almonds = 15 grams protein
• 1/4 cup walnuts = 7.5 grams protein
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds = 7 grams protein
• 1/4 cup cashews = 5 grams protein
• 1/4 cup pecans = 2.5 grams protein
• 1/4 cup medjool dates = 2 grams protein
• 4 tablespoons of hempseed hearts = 15 grams protein
• 3 tablespoons of chia seeds = 4 grams protein
• 1 cup raw kale = 2 grams protein
• 1 cup raw broccoli = 2 grams protein
• 1 cup raw spinach = 1 gram protein (1 cup cooked spinach = 7.6 grams protein)
• 1 cup alfalfa sprouts = 1 gram protein
• 1 large avocado = 2 grams protein

Best plant-based raw food sources

Contrary to popular belief, animal products are not the only and more superior source of (complete) proteins.

It’s traditionally believed that proteins from animals are the best source of proteins are already complete. And this is because their bodies already exerted the effort to combine the amino acids from the many different plants they’ve consumed. However, true as it may be, that could also be just what it is – a traditional belief.

Green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds are some of the richest sources of proteins in a plant-based raw food diet. There are various plant-based foods that are high in certain amino acids. But incomplete protein doesn’t mean it’s inferior compared to complete proteins. It just tells us that it’s important to get the right balance of these nutritional values in order to meet the required amount of amino acids our bodies need to make complete proteins.

There are also even studies that show a human body actually prefers incomplete protein or as individual amino acids. This is so that it can combine them in the best possible way to serve their many different purposes, because when our body takes in complete proteins, it has to break down and tear the amino acids apart to reassemble them in a way that our body needs them to be. In saying so, amino acids from plant-based food therefore allow the body to skip that process entirely and get right down to business.

Protein recap

And that’s basically what protein is about and how to get protein as a raw vegan By learning this tidbit of information, we get to understand the importance of knowing what a raw vegan lifestyle entails and how we can better improve our raw food diet. Not because we have to prove something but to share a better understanding and hopefully eliminate misconceptions.

If you'd like to find out more about the intersection of protein and raw food, check out my podcast about raw protein sources.

Easy raw desserts don't have to involve soaking, sprouting, dehydrating or thinking much in advance at all. Just make sure to keep the basic easy raw dessert ingredients on hand, like  dried coconut, some nuts (pecans, almonds, etc), a sweetener (agave nectar, dates, etc) and raw cocoa powder and you can whip up easy raw desserts in no time!

When I am craving a simple raw food dessert here are a few of my go-to easy raw dessert recipes.

Easy raw desserts - 3 best ideas

Raw brownies (with optional raw chocolate icing) - This is a perfect raw dessert to feed to your family as a simple raw dessert that satisfies. Even teenage boys like this one, I am told!

Raw chocolate fudge in 1-minute - This easy raw dessert is awesome because you can make it in just a few minutes, and no special equipment is required. This is a small chocolate fix perfect for one person.

Raw sesame seed bars -Try this recipe as one that you keep on hand in the freezer for when you're looking for an easy raw dessert that keeps well in the freezer so that you always have something sweet on hand. No equipment required!

What are some of your favourite easy raw dessert recipes?

How to sprout seeds, you wonder? It's so easy! In this post I've explained how to sprout seeds in a simple, step-by-step format.

Follow me and you'll no longer be wondering how to sprout seeds ever again! It's really so easy. Once you've got the hang of it you'll find it easy to keep a jar of seeds on your windowsill 24/7.

My favourite sprouted seeds are the good ol' standby, alfalfa sprouts, but there are many types of seeds that can be sprouted in a similar fashion. The only difference is the time they take to sprout. The process remains the same.

How to sprout seeds:

• 1. Choose your seeds! Most health food stores offer a variety of seeds that can be sprouted in their bulk section. Some common seeds are alfalfa, mung, broccoli, radish, and adzuki seeds. When in doubt, just ask for some "sprouting seeds" at your local health food store.
• 2. Get ready! You'll need a jar that can "breathe." For example, try taking a canning jar. Cover the top with some cheesecloth (cloth with tiny holes in it) and secure it with a rubber band. The cheesecloth doubles as a strainer.
• 3. Seeds in. Throw a small amount (for example, a tablespoon of alfalfa seeds or 1/4 cup of adzuki beans because they're bigger) of seeds into a jar.
• 4. Soak for 6-8 hours (or overnight). Add a couple of cups of water so that the seeds are totally underwater. Leave the jar upright.

Part II

• 5. Drain. Dump out all the water. You should be able to just leave the cheesecloth on and tip the jar into the sink. Water will come out but the seeds will stay in.
• 6. Rinse and drain again right away. This is important because seeds have a layer of "do not grow" protection on them. You want to make sure this layer is rinsed off because it can inhibit their growth.
• 6. Tip jar on angle and leave alone for 24 hours. Place the jar in a bright spot, like on a windowsill. Leave it alone for 24 hours.
• 7. Keep watered. Every day, sometimes twice a day, give them a good rinse so that everything gets wet, but then drain them again right away. Always leave the jar on an angle so that water can get out and air can get in.
• 8. Eat! Once the sprouts look good enough to eat, just start eating! I keep my jar in the fridge once they look ready to eat. I love to eat sprouts on veggie burgers!

All types of seeds look different when they're ready to eat.

Fresh sprouts are a cost-effective and fun way to keep fresh, organic greens in your diet all year long. Know you know how to sprout seeds!

Did you know that The Rawtarian offers a wonderful variety of raw food courses? Newbies and experts and everyone in-between will enjoy these fun & informative courses. Each is broken up into easy-to-follow steps & modules. And each course (naturally!) is filled with mega tips and advice from The Rawtarian!

Better yet, all of these courses are free with your membership in The Rawtarian's Kitchen! Not only will you have access to all of these awesome courses, you will also have access to special members-only recipes, ebooks and videos!

Ready? Here we go... !

For starters:

Baby Steps: Go Raw Today!

Are you just dabbling in raw? Or are you trying to encourage a spouse, mother, daughter or friend to incorporate more raw foods into their life?

Join me on the Raw Baby Steps Program, a gentle course that shows you the ins and outs of raw - the easy way.

Raw Food Diet Plan: Full Course

The Raw Food Diet Plan is a comprehensive, day-by-day and meal-by-meal plan that you can implement right away in order for your body and energy to see the quickest and most profound results. It is structured to guide you through your first 30 days as a 100%, returning, or very high raw foodist.

The Raw Food Diet Plan Contains:

Raw Food Diet Plan: Abridged

The Raw Food Diet Plan: Abridged is the shortened version of the Raw Food Diet Plan.  This plan guides you through a 30 day journey into raw foods and provides you with detailed meal plans and raw food recipes for every meal of the day for 30 days.

It skips the first ten introductory modules of The Raw Food Diet Plan: Full Course, and gets you right into the meal plan.

Raw Food from A to Z

"Raw Food from A to Z" takes you through everything you need to know about going and staying raw. First, you'll go through The Rawtarian's 30-Day raw food program The Raw Food Diet Plan.

Then, when you're ready, she'll guide you through Raw Dehydrating 101.

How-to:

Raw Dehydrating 101

Raw Dehydrating 101 contains everything you need to make no-fail raw food dehydrator recipes that satisfy so that you can get the raw glow and stay that way.

This course includes the following:

Target your health:

Low-fat Raw Cleanse

Do you feel your eating habits need a little tweak? Have you been sliding a bit, and want to get back on track? This no fuss low-fat raw cleanse takes you through 7 days of easy, low-fat raw food meals. 

This course includes the meal plans, recipes and shopping lists for your 7-day cleanse.

Raw Food Summer Challenge

Whether you're experienced with raw food and are looking to reset, or you want experience the benefits of raw for the first time, you're going to love this 7-Day Raw Summer Challenge. This challenge is a crash course to guide you through eating raw - the easy way. And with a focus on lighter meals, these recipes will get you beach-ready in no time.

The plan includes recipes, meal plans and shopping lists.

Seasonal:

Christmas Raw Feast

When it comes to your holiday meal on Christmas, this mini course takes you through all the steps to make a delicious and robust traditional Christmas meal for yourself and your family, complete with your shopping list.

Let The Rawtarian walk you through your all raw Christmas!  

New Year 19: Raw Food Challenge

I hope you've had a lovely holiday season. But now that the holidays are behind us, it's time to refocus and refresh--and what better time than at the beginning of a new year? Whether you're experienced with raw food and are looking to reset, or you want experience the benefits of raw for the first time, you're going to love the New Year Nineteen Challenge.

The New Year Nineteen takes you through 19 days of easy, simple, satisfying raw food meals. But, like any good challenge, I've got some mini-challenges for you to begin before your 19 days start.

Take one, take them all!

Join The Rawtarian's Kitchen and you can start your courses right away! That's the easy part: the hard part is deciding which one you want to take first!

Join Now!

There are times when even raw vegans just miss eating meat, especially when you’re still a newbie transitioning from a non-raw diet. You feel the craving for that meat texture your palate had been used to for so many years.

But don’t despair just yet because these raw vegan meatless recipes will help you forget about eating animal products and think about raw food the next time a craving crosses your mind. And by mock meat, I mean all natural and no processed food involved. Completely vegan and meatless, of course!

Raw mock "tuna" salad

This raw tuna salad recipe’s flavor comes from its vital ingredient – seaweed. Before making this recipe, presoak the seeds in lukewarm water for an hour or so and rinse them well. Get rid of all the water and place all the tuna pate ingredients in a food processor.

Process on high until the pate mixture becomes very smooth. You may serve this raw tuna pate with some chopped onions, parsley, crackers or even an apple. Be creative and find the perfect combination that suits your taste.

Raw walnut pate

This is one savory raw vegan dish you’ll surely love. It’s quick to make and tastes so good it won’t last for too long.

Set aside the soy sauce first and then process the rest of your raw walnut pate ingredients in a food processor until smooth and cream-cheese-like. Add the soy sauce (important!) to the mixture and process again for a bit more. Scoop the pate on cucumber rounds (cracker-style) and they're ready to eat!

Raw taco filling

If you’re still having a hard time transitioning to raw food, it’s great to have flavorful vegan “meat” like the raw taco meat recipe once in a while. It really helps satisfy that sudden craving. This recipe’s ingredients are sundried tomatoes soaked in oil, walnuts, olive oil, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and sea salt.

Simply mix all the ingredients in a food processor until you reach a nice taco filling consistency. I like serving mine on romaine lettuce topped with tomatoes and fresh sprouts.

Raw vegan mock "chicken" salad

So maybe this raw mock meat vegan recipe doesn’t taste chicken-like, but I tell you, the texture is so much like chicken salad! And it’s really comparably tasty in its own raw vegan food right. You’ll need a food processor for this raw vegan chicken salad recipe.

Dump all the ingredients into your food processor and process for only a few seconds. It should still be chunky and not over-processed. Transfer the chicken salad onto a plate and eat up! It’s best to eat it right away because it doesn’t keep well for long. However, you may let it sit for about 30 minutes after processing to allow the flavors to combine. You may also serve it in lettuce wraps and top with optional slices of avocado.

Raw fake "bacon" lettuce tomato sandwich

Do you miss the texture of bacon? Thought so! But you don’t have to go back to eating the typical fatty and oily bacon. This raw bacon lettuce tomato sandwich may not have anything that looks remotely like bacon, but you will be astounded at just how much dulse seaweed can parade as bacon!

To make you very own vegan BLT sandwich raw style, just spread raw mayonnaise or raw ranch on a piece of romaine lettuce, add sliced tomatoes, and finally the dulse seaweed. Put together only when you’re ready to eat for the best raw fake “bacon” experience.

Raw vegan mock meat recipes

Now that you have a list of raw mock meat vegan recipes in your arsenal, whenever you’re having a difficult time during your transition or if you simply want to spice up a recipe with a traditional texture sometimes, you can make one of these standby raw mock meat recipes instead. Before you know it, you’ll probably never even entertain thoughts about meat anymore. Seriously!

Getting started on a raw food diet may sound like too much work with all these tasty-looking photos of raw food that look like they went through a complicated and time-consuming process. Out of all the raw food recipes out there, it may seem quite hard to pick out which recipe you should start on. But you don’t have to end up settling for a typical raw salad! You may be surprised to discover there are actually really easy raw food recipes to prepare. And easy raw recipes are exactly what you need if you’re new to eating raw food.

Here’s my list of the top 5 easy raw food recipes that I bet would make you proud of yourself after making and succeeding on your first attempt. 

Rawtarian's silky green smoothie recipe 

A yummy green smoothie is always such a treat. You just put in bananas, oranges, and an apple in a blender together with water, lemon juice, cinnamon, and chia seeds. But wait! Don’t forget the spinach (especially the spinach) since that’s what makes it green.

Spinach may seem like a strange ingredient to add to a smoothie, that’s why it’s essential you have a high-speed blender like a Vitamix or a Blendtec for making tasty green smoothies with a silky texture.

Raw banana cream pie recipe

A conventional pie would be baked in an oven. However, since this is a raw food recipe, there is no such thing as baking involved in making this delicious raw banana cream pie. What you will need is a freezer.

But before that, you have to start with the crust. Just mix all the crust ingredients in a food processor or blender until it sticks together. Press down the mixture in a glass dish to make the crust. After blending all the banana filling ingredients to a smooth and creamy mixture, pour it onto the crust, cover it, and let it freeze. Now you just have to wait for it to actually freeze, and then you can indulge yourself in a healthy banana cream pie.

Raw walnut pate 

Successful raw food recipes don’t have to always be sweet. You can let your tastebuds enjoy the smooth and salty flavor of a very easy and quick to prepare raw walnut pate.

In this recipe, you will need to soak the walnuts first for at least half an hour and then rinse. Process all the ingredients in a food processor, making sure to only add the soy sauce near the end of the processing, and serve it on cucumber rounds. The soy sauce is a vital ingredient that brings out the flavor in this dish. So never prepare this easy raw food recipe without it.

Raw chocolate fudge in 1 minute 

This raw chocolate fudge recipe is probably the easiest and quickest raw food to make among the five in this easy raw food recipes list. You just need cocoa powder, coconut oil and honey together in a bowl. Yes, seriously, those are all the ingredients you need. You don’t even have to stay in the kitchen to mix them! Just be careful with the measurements though, as you don’t want to add a little too much of any ingredient. This simple raw chocolate fudge is a sweet treat you can enjoy anytime.

Raw brownie recipe

Here’s another chocolatey yet healthy delight for your tastebuds. In this raw brownie recipe, you need to crush the pecans first in a food processor before adding the dates. Blend them together to form a sticky mixture and then add the rest of the ingredients to be processed. Remember, it’s important that the mixture not get too buttery by over-processing. After processing, you can chill it in the fridge or serve it right away. My raw brownie treat tastes so good you wouldn’t even know it was made of only raw ingredients unless you made it yourself.

Which recipe will you choose?

Alright, there you have it: my top 5 easy raw recipes. Now that wasn’t so hard, was it? One great thing about preparing raw food is that you don’t really need many kitchen tools. Most of the work is done by your food processor or your blender---or sometimes just your hands and a spoon. And you don’t have to wait too long either. You can whip up a delectable and healthy raw dish in just a matter of minutes.

Getting into the raw food diet isn’t as daunting now, is it? Not only is this easy to prepare raw food recipes list good for raw food newbies, but also for everyone who’s too busy to bother with staying too long in the kitchen. So go ahead and try making these easy raw goodies and enjoy the surprise of making healthy dishes that taste delicious and don't take too long to whip up.

We all know the health benefits of peanuts (and most of us love the taste!), but what about the down-side?

How could raw peanuts possibly be unhealthy for you?

And should you eat raw peanuts?

The good thing about peanuts...

Peanuts are good for you, right?. As far as nuts go (and peanuts are actually a legume!), peanuts are an excellent source of protein. They are also provide fiber, certain vitamins/minerals, and fat. And they make really good peanut butter! But should you eat them raw?

Raw peanuts are not poisonous

Raw peanuts are not poisonous to eat. They are a crop that have to be dried, and the drying process is where contamination can occur. If peanuts are not dried correctly, they are prone to growing molds, particularly one called aflatoxin. Aflatoxin primarily affects the liver: chronic exposure can lead to cancer, hepatitis, or cirrhosis.

What does the government say?

The U.S. FDA does provide guidelines for its own peanut crops. However, Canada has stricter guidelines, and has been known to return shipments of U.S. peanuts that exceed their own safety requirements. Raw peanuts and raw peanut products from other countries may not be subject to such standards. Even if your favorite raw peanut butter is made in the U.S.A., the peanuts themselves may have come from another country.

So you still want to eat raw peanuts…

If you choose to eat raw peanuts or raw peanut products, ask a few questions: what country do the peanuts originate from? How fresh are they? Make sure to toss peanuts that are old, or look moldy, shriveled, or discolored.  Don’t over-indulge in them. Long-term exposure increases the risk of ingesting toxic levels of aflatoxin. Keep in mind that children are more susceptible to aflatoxin than adults. Jungle and Valencia peanuts are apparently safer to eat than ‘regular’ peanuts, though I’ve not researched this. Also, stick with well-known, name brands.

Do I eat raw peanuts?

I do not advocate eating raw peanuts, and I don't eat them. The risks outweighs the benefits, especially when there are other raw nuts you could substitute for peanuts. Do your own research - you will read many articles that say raw peanuts are safe to eat, and other articles that say they are not. It’s up to you to make the right decision for yourself.

For more information:

• Cornell University
• Food Safety Watch 
• Nut & Seed Comparison Chart

The Raw Food Podcast is a free radio show hosted by Laura-Jane The Rawtarian. You'll find tons of raw food info and healthy inspiration in Laura-Jane's podcasts... and they are free to listen to.

There are several ways to listen to a podcast:

• You can play the podcast directly from within the episode.
• You can download the MP3 (link provided in the episode).
• You can also "subscribe" to The Raw Food Podcast in iTunes using your Apple smartphone, iPad, etc.
• If you have an Android device, you can also use a podcast app - Laura-Jane uses the free "podkicker" app - where you then search for "raw food podcast."

Raw Food Podcast Episode Guide

Raw Recipes:

RFP06: Raw alfredo sauce - In this podcast, Laura-Jane describes how to make a scrumptious cashew-based raw alfredo sauce.

RFP14: Raw Pizza - In this episode, Laura-Jane explains how to make delicious raw pizza!

RFP10: Raw cheese - Laura-Jane explains how to make raw cheese in your blender. She also dispels the myth of 5-day cheese.

RFP11: Raw veggie burgers - In this episode, Laura-Jane tells you how make delicious raw veggie burgers in your dehydrator! 

RFP03: Green Smoothies, Oh Yeah! - Laura-Jane dishes all the dirt on green smoothies! What's in them, what do they taste like, why cleaning your blender immediately is so important, and much more.

RFP27: Nut milks - Laura-Jane the Rawtarian talks about making nut milk. Topics covered: nut milk bags, cashew and almond milk, &  making recipes with leftover almond pulp. 

RFP20: Raw Soup - Don't shy away! - In this episode, Laura-Jane debunks the myths about why some people shy away from raw soups. She also shares the simple trick that ensures your raw soups are delicious every time straight out of the blender!

Raw Sweets:

RFP01: Raw Brownies - Laura-Jane shares her wonderful raw brownie recipe in this sweet episode!

RFP19: Raw Cakes - How to make 'em! - Laura-Jane offers very practical advice about how to make raw cake. She discusses a variety of options, including raw refrigerator cakes, raw freezer cakes and dehydrator cakes.

RFP12: Top Desserts in the Raw - In this episode, Laura-Jane shares the inside scoop on making raw desserts, five different types of raw desserts, and talks a bit about her raw dessert book.

RFP26: Frozen Raw Desserts - Laura-Jane The Rawtarian explains how to make raw frozen desserts such as raw fudge, raw chocolates, raw pies, raw cheesecakes and raw ice cream!

Raw Discussions:

RFP08: Finding Balance - Vegetarian, Vegan, Raw - Laura-Jane's husband, Cameron, shares how he started out as a vegetarian, and then moved to vegan and now to high raw. He brings a practical perspective to healthy eating and shares some great tips on how to find balance in your life. 

RFP09: Get off the bus! - Laura-Jane shares a powerful story about "riding a bus" as a metaphor for healthy eating. Lots of inspiration for helping you deal with people in your life who are not supportive of your way of eating.

RFP33: Raw or Not! - In this episode, Laura-Jane shares general principles shared by the raw food community regarding which ingredients are raw or not. She also answers FAQs regarding raw food.

RFP32: Decision-Free Living - Laura-Jane shares the concept of "decision-free living" and how implementing a simple rule can help you make better food decisions every single day with way less mental effort.

RFP24: How raw food changed my life - In this episode, Laura-Jane tells a longer version of her story of how she went raw many years ago and hasn't looked back since. What makes her story unique is that she had no plans of going raw for the long term! 

RFP25: New year, new you - Laura-Jane The Rawtarian ponders our love/hate relationship with new year's resolutions. She then details 3 changes you can focus on to help you make lasting change in your life when it comes to food.

RFP13: Vegan Protein - Laura-Jane  shares a simple concept of what protein is and where you can get proteins in a plant-based, vegan diet.

RFP23: How to eat healthy every day - In this episode, Laura-Jane shares some thoughts & tips about emotional eating.  Set yourself up for success by applying these tips to your raw food lifestyle!

The Rawtarian:

RFP15: Recipe Organization - App Launch - In this episode of The Raw Food Podcast, Laura-Jane talks about how she uses her recipes (cookbooks, printouts, eBooks, etc.). She and Cameron (her husband) also chat about The Rawtarian's Raw Recipes app.

RFP29: Zen and the Art of Cookbooks - In this episode, Laura-Jane celebrates her new print cookbook, which is a major milestone in her life. But this episode is more about the zen of achieving big goals (like publishing a cookbook or losing a substantial amount of weight or achieving another big "event") than about the cookbook itself. 

Raw Kitchen

RFP07: Raw Appliances -  Laura-Jane explains the order in which she purchased her raw food kitchen appliances, including cheap blender, food processor, high-speed blender and dehydrator. She also briefly touches on secondary appliances like spiralizers and juicers.

RFP16: How to Dehydrate - In this episode, Laura-Jane tells you how to successfully dehydrate!

RFP04: Food Processing -  Laura-Jane dishes all the dirt on making raw food recipes in a food processor! What's a food processor, how is it different from a blender, do you need both, and some examples of recipes you can make in a food processor.

Raw Tips & Techniques:

RFP30: Simplify your own recipes - Learn how to simplify recipes yourself! Laura-Jane outlines the main types of ingredient categories (sweeteners, thickeners, creamers, binders) & shares her top tips for ingredients you can eliminate to simplify your raw recipe! 

RFP02: How To Eat Raw on a Budget - In this episode, Laura-Jane The Rawtarian provides four tips on how to eat raw on a budget.

RFP31: Traveling and Eating Healthy - In this episode, Laura-Jane shares her tip & tricks for staying healthy 'on the road.'

RFP35: Sprouting The Easy Way - Learn how to grow fresh sprouts using only a mason jar, some cheesecloth, and sproutable seeds! For detailed instructions, check out her written instructions here.

RFP05: Nut Substitutions - Laura-Jane goes into detail on how to make nut substitutions in raw food recipes. She outline three main groups of nuts/seeds: creamy nuts, flour-like nuts, and oily nuts.

RFP34: Healthy Sweeteners - Laura-Jane outlines which raw sweeteners she uses, including fruits, maple syrup, agave nectar, unpasteurized honey and stevia.  Also, at the end of the episode she discusses low-glycemic and high-glycemic sweeteners.

Raw Guests:

RFP21: Guest David Backus, Raw Chef - In this episode, Laura-Jane chats with David Backus of Local Organic Lunch, a raw food accessible eatery in Denver, Colorado. They also discuss how important it is to visit your local raw and organic food vendors.

RFP22: Guest Jinjee from The Garden Diet - In this episode, Laura-Jane speaks with Jinjee Talifero, a homeschooling mother of 5 raw vegan children, the co-founder of www.thegardendiet.com and author of “Raising Raw Vegan Children.”

RFP28: Guest Gina Silvestri -  Laura-Jane interviews Gina Silvestri, a Life Coach, radio host and Certified Reiki Practitioner. Seven years ago, Gina weighted 300 pounds and had 17 official medical diagnoses. She healed herself naturally through raw food. 

RFP18: Guest Jodi Lebrun, Holistic Life Coach - Laura-Jane talks with Jodi Lebrun in this episode. Jodi is a Holistic LIfe Coach and a Yoga Lifestyle Educator whose passion is helping women to re-connect with themselves through Yoga, Ayurveda and Creativity. 

RFP17: Guest Andreea Fegan from Little Bites of Joy - Laura-Jane interviews Andreea Fegan. Andreea is a certified Raw Chef and Raw Foods Teacher (Levels 1-3), and a graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, affiliated with SUNY. She also offers classes and workshops on raw and vegan topics.