Outdoor grills, microwaves and crock pots are wonderful cooking appliances that keep the kitchen heat down but even better is not having to cook the meals at all. Raw food meals are nutritious, tasty and best of all can be done without any kind of heat at all. Here are seven raw food meals that only require a sharp knife and a bit of time.
Radish Wheels
- 12 nice sized radishes, cleaned
- 2 shallots, minced
- 1 clove of garlic, finely minced
- mayo
- dash of pepper
Chop the radishes. Add all the other ingredients. Mix well. Add enough mayo to coat the mixture. Cut the crusts of several slices of bread. Roll out the bread till it is flat with a rolling pin. Spread Dijon mustard lightly on the bread. Spread a couple of spoonfuls of the radishes mixture over the bread. Roll up and secure with a toothpick. When all the radish mixture has been used, lay the rolls on a tray, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or more. Remove and slice into wheels. Yummy.
Veggie Chop
- 1 cup chopped cauliflower
- 1 cup chopped broccoli
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1 cup chopped little green onions with their tails
- 1 cucumber peeled and seeded
- 2 tablespoons liquid honey
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1 generous teaspoon curry powder
- 6 pita bread
Mix chopped veggies together in a bowl. In a blender place the cucumber, honey, curry powder and yogurt.Puree till smooth. Pour over veggies in the bowl. Refrigerate overnight or for 3 or 4 hours to give the flavours a chance to meld. Cut the Pitas in half. I usually warm them for just a few seconds in the microwave first and then cut and open them. It seems to work better. Stuff each pita half with a generous portion of the veggie chop. Serves 4 to 6 people depending on how hungry you are.
Lettuce Rolls
- 4 scallions thinly sliced
- 1 cup bean sprouts lightly chopped
- 6 water chestnuts chopped
- 4 radishes chopped
- 1 stalk celery thinly sliced
- 1 small carrot cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons Ranch Dressing
- dash of pepper
- 6 washed and dried lettuce leaves
Mix all ingredients together except for the lettuce leaves. Divide mixture evenly between the lettuce leaves. Roll up and secure with a toothpick. Chill.
Raw, Stuffed Pepper Cups
- 1 cup chopped zucchini
- 1 cup shredded carrot
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1/2 cup chopped radishes
- mayo to moisten
- 6 sweet red or green peppers, deveined and seeds removed
Cut the tops off of the peppers. Gently remove the veins and shake out seeds. Mix all veggies together in a bowl. Add enough mayo to moisten. Stuff into peppers. Replace tops on peppers to serve. Chill and serve.
Carrot, Ginger Salad or Pita Stuffing
- 2 cups of grated carrot
- 1/2 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger
- 1/3 cup of seedless raisins
- mayo to moisten
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Add enough mayo to moisten or more if you like. Chill. Line individual bowls or half pita pockets with lettuce leaves. Fill with the carrot mixture. Serve chilled.
Cream of Carrot Soup
- 3 cups carrot juice - bought or fresh
- 1 whole, ripe avocado
- alfalfa sprouts
Blend juice and avocado in a blender. Divide into bowls. Garnish with alfalfa sprouts. Serve Chilled.
Heather O'Neil - Published poet, children's book author, mixed media artist and retired newspaper columnist. I am also the sole owner/operator of O'Neil ...
