RawFood Diet Made Easy

            RawFood Diet Made Easy

                              [Scroll for recipes.]

 A main reason for this post is that I've been hearing of older devotees die right and left. Sure, I'm no fanatic and don't believe every problem can be solved with raw food. Simultaneously, I also believe going the other extreme to think nothing or little can be healed with raw food, to be just as bad.

My dear godsiblings and pious well-wishers, as we age, many of us need more raw food than has become habitual. Now if there are stomach problems, or etc, of course don't do it. [Sometimes lightly steamed will do the trick in those cases.] Always check with your doctor first!

With that said, many do not have blocks and could benefit by eating a lot more raw food. 

I myself am not aiming to go 100% raw. Oh, it is very good for healing, but long term it may have some negatives. 

Yet, most of us have no trouble getting cooked foods, and much trouble including raw foods in our diets. Many of us need to increase them, along with the wonderful enzymes they possess. 

Please stop dying dear devotees & pious folk - at least eat more sprouts. :)

This post is for those who 'struggle' with a raw food diet and would like an easy way to get started. It is not for those who are expert at it. It's not even for those in the middle with their abilities regarding raw food.

Having struggled with it myself, I found some tricks & tips that helped, wishing to share them with others who need little window's opened to get them going. 

From there, they may increase, or not. I may increase, or not.  But folks like us deserve a starting place.

     Next, I should briefly clarify my experience since previously I made a post on going raw food. And I was strong with it for a approximately year and a half - no struggle. What happened?

A slew of complications. Or, I call it karma. :) When you try hard at something you need, and we always should, but if it does not happen, it's usually karmic. 

Our fridge broke in the middle of a hot summer. During the other 3 seasons raw food left out was fine - but rot in summer - now also in this broken fridge. We heard one man wanted to sell his refrigerator, so my husband tried to make that happen. However, a friend confided that this man always wants to sell that fridge and his wife never does. lol So that put us back 3 months to get to the truth. Next, there were other reasons, complications - not worth getting into. It tacked on an additional 2 months to get a refrigerator.

One might think now I could go back to my original raw food diet. Sadly, no. I suspect the stomach stretches, as well as the body gets use to the wheat etc one had to eat during that time. It was like starting all over again.

And maybe a good lesson in that for me. The first time I found it much easier to get off grains. But this time I had an extra health issue which may have contributed to slowing things down. Unsure, tho it sucked energy out of me to do much of anything. Not to worry, this is being resolved. Simply, it also caused me to seek out and find recipes that only required low energy from myself, to make. Plus, hopefully increased an understanding & compassion for people who want to go raw food - but struggle. Thus, this post.
 
Something seldom mentioned - you need energy to make raw food recipes that give energy. Therefore, below I have put some recipes that only require low effort. Plus a few others that may require a little more that may be doable for most. But if not, it can be a goal as one heals. Anyhow, most of the recipes are super simple.

TIP: I found it essential to keep reading about the raw food diet almost daily in order to maintain. Maybe every other day, and not to replace shastra lol. Just a little, regularly. When I'd falter, if I picked up a book, ok a kindle, it made a difference. Don't own a kindle? You don't need one. Just google anything about raw food you would like to know. Anyway, reading would put me right back on track. A combo of the science behind it, along with a recipe here or there, changed everything. I recommend anyone to do like this.

This equally applies to videos. When not in the mood to read but need a bit of a kick, youtube is full of easy recipes to keep one motivated. I will list some at the bottom of this post, tho feel free to look around youtube as they have so many unique vid's on this topic!

     Next: There will be days you slip, or it's a holiday, or someone tempts you one time too many with sugary treats or deep fried foods. It's important to remember that if you slip, that is not the end of the world. The next meal, or two - or day :), get back to your raw food way of eating. Or as soon as you can. 

* And it is also not the end of the world to lightly steam some veggies. It can even serve as a bridge from the slipping point, back to the raw foods. It's ok to eat both, because it is usually the cooked grains that are an issue. Especially modern-day wheat or anything with gluten. As touched on above, this post isn't for the super strict raw foodist, so offering and consuming gently steamed veggies are acceptable. Also, it can keep a person from binging.

Something else often missed when going thru a slip, is the aftereffect of still having a "strong," lingering, desire for these sweet, salty, oily foods. To the point of making us want to quit. Most of that can be resolved easily. One merely needs to cleanse the palate. How? Eat an apple. If you don't have one, sometimes a large cucumber. That should take care of that.

Don't give up if you are celebrating a holiday, or if you give in to temptation, or etc. Just regroup as soon as sensibly possible, pick sensible foodstuffs, and get right back to it. 

TIP: For people who are low in energy, it's helpful to know that there are still some days with higher energy than others. So if you're having such a difficulty, maybe tomorrow will be better. Once at those high energy days, make the portions larger, then save them in the fridge. Assuming you have one. :)

                                                   * SOUP:

Last year directly before Winter, I desired something hot, and wondered if soup is ok with a raw food diet. I did a netsearch and the short answer is, yes. Just as herbal tea is acceptable, so is soup. Especially, you can make it yourself so it will be healthy. Often low-fat fits into this category. If you're one who needs to grain wait, lucky you. :) Tho most who are weak or sick or etc, need some gentle detox coupled with nutrition. A low-cal soup can help. [Low salt, no sugar, low or no oil, organic spices & veggies.]  Someday I may add a recipe, but until than, to make sure yours is in line with health: google. :)

Incidentally, for Summer, see the vegan raw-food ice cream recipes at the end. :)

                                       SUN TEA: 

 

This is so easy to make! No heat from the stove, just natural sunshine. And here's the kicker. If there isn't any sunshine, or even if the seasons are different so it's cold outside - this can be made inside without any sun! Sure, the sun is nice. Use it when it's there. But no need to go without herbal tea when it is not.


Basically all you do is take a clean jar of any type, with a lid of course. Put pure water in it and an organic herbal tea bag. [If you add stevia, etc, that goes in the jar now too.] Place outdoors under sun "or" on your table, on a shelf - there are endless spots when there isn't sunshine. It helps to stir or shake it every now and than, but it's not a requirement. 

One thing I did find out the hard way :) is that if the weather is hot, tea made inside and not under the sun - can go bad. When it is cooler outside, inside tea stays fresh longer. 

Outdoors: Leave it to bask under the sun for approximately 3 to 4 hours. In cold weather, longer but check the tea. Actually, I've read of some who made inside tea in only an hour, tho I have not tried it but you may want to. 

Remember, the ratio is the same regardless how much or how little tea you are making: 1 teabag per each cup of water. Or if it is loose tea, 1 teaspoon per each cup. Making more than one cup? Just do the math. :)


     Next: If you're against frozen foods or cans, skip this. I don't like them, but am taking into consideration the variety of people out there with different issues: Sickness, or weak, poor, roommate issues, etc - these foods may be all that can be managed. They can be offered in a mood of thankfulness to a pic of Prabhupada. 

Also, stores often sell frozen and canned foods as "organic." That was not available when I was young. 

It may make some feel better to know that as you get healthier from eating raw - you may gradually no longer need to use frozen or canned. 

If you all ready don't need these - great! Go for the real deal. Just don't criticize those who do not have the money, facility, or some other block, in their way.

TIP: With that said, riced frozen cauliflower saves you the energy of ricing it yourself. No machine needed. Other frozen vegetables save you the effort of so much scrape-washing of roots or any veggie really. It's still nice to rinse them off. Matter of fact, IMHO even frozen foods should be removed from their bag and cleaned: When I rinse anything, regardless what it is, I first use white vinegar as it is a natural germ-killer. [1/4 Cup vinegar to 2 Cups water.] Next, rinse that off with pure water.  Also, mixed oriental vegetables that are frozen give you a quick variety so you don't have to buy a bunch of veggies. You may want to cut some smaller, but others, no. Depends on the flavor etc of the veggie. And, strong veggies one may not be fond of, have a lighter taste when cut thing. I found some veggie's I was not found of, to even like, after I used a potato peeler or spirilizer.

While many raw food recipes can be simple, they often need preparation. Usually something easy, just need to think /plan ahead.

                      Most recipes below, serves 2:

      SIMPLE VEGIE'S IN A JAR

Can use fresh or frozen organic veggies. If frozen, make sure to leave it out of the freezer to thaw ahead of time. And they too, should be rinsed first.

* Pick the veggie of your choice. A good one is riced, or small cut Cauliflower Florette's. Whatever vegetables you choose, they should be cut very small, and you must like them in their raw state.

* Place finely cut vegetables in a large clean jar. At least 2 cups of veggies, 3 works well too.

* Pour in approximately 1 - 2 Tablespoons of organic, raw olive oil. Or an "organic" oil of your choice. Not too much, not too little.

* Add spices of your choice. Examples: Black or Himalayan salt - tho just a little, a pinch of cayenne to keep the desire for salt low. Next: Hing, Turmeric, Paprika, Thyme, Oregano, Basil, etc.  Tho it can be any spices, this is just to give the idea. Use what you wish.

      Optional: A slice of lemon, or a little lemon juice. Cuts through the oil, plus aids digestion a bit. But if you don't like lemon so much, it's ok to skip this. Try raw organic apple cider vinegar or if you're not open to that, try a lime.

[Don't worry about exact amounts, this recipe is pretty hard to mess up.]

* Place lid on jar and SHAKE.

* Put jar on counter. Shake again when walking past it or whenever you wish. In the summer, place it where it wont get too hot. In winter, place that won't get too cold. Leave it there for a few hours. However, it has been used immediately in a pinch. Just make sure the herbs, spices, oil is shaken well thru the batch.

* Next, you can view this as a salad if you wish, since it is not cooked, but whatever it is, it's yummy. Pour into serving bowl. You may want to give it an extra mix with a large mixing spoon. And of course, first offer this salad to Prabhupada with love and devotion. <3

 SIMPLE VEGIE'S IN A BOWL:  

This recipe came as a result of tasting better than the one in the jar ha, or to me. Of course, the same ingredients here can be used for the jar, but I didn't want to take down the fun option about using a jar in that way.   

1 Large bowl and mixing spoon.

2 cups riced cauliflower -organic.
1 spiralized or thinly cut up, zucchini, organic.
1 cup fresh organic corn kernals. [Can remove kernels or buy organic frozen. If against corn try carrots, etc.]
1 heaping Tablespoon of Nutritional Yeast,
1 Heaping Tablespoon of Tomato Powder, organic
1 - 2 teaspoon raw organic Olive Oil.
Handful Sun Dried Tomatoes.
Handful walnuts, organic 
Handful of Black Olives,
1 teaspoon lime juice. [Or lemon.]

So simple, and such yummy prasad! 

Think ahead: Defrost vegetables 1st. Once thawed:
Put vegies in a strainer or etc and thoroughly rinse. Transfer to large bowl.

Add everything else, and manually: mix, Mix, MIX until that too has been done thoroughly.  

Optional: A little tomato sauce, but not mixed in. Rather kept to the side to add when eating if you choose - kind of like with french fries, tho a little different. Anyhow, if you want a tomato sauce recipe, scroll to: "Zucchini Spaghetti." Again, this is optional.

Offer first, with love and devotion. <3

  RAW ORGANIC OATMEAL

I do not like oatmeal that much, but I like this. Also, since a raw diet is usually free of all grains, nevertheless acceptable / healthy to eat soaked, slightly sprouted grains - which in turns fills you up! :)

You will need a food processor, or blender, or maybe a Magic Bullet. I have the bullet tho feel it mixes it too well.  Still, it's good. Now those without any machine, you might be able to do this manually, but don't take my word for it, as I never tried it. You will have to be your own guinea pig. :)

Preparation Time: With the exception of the overnight soaking, this only takes me about 10 minutes to make at most, especially if I do not use fruit in the first step of blending.

Serves 2.

* Overnight in a jar soak 1 and 1/2 cups "organic, raw" oatmeal over night. - - Next day, drain. Then rinse.

* Either pour the oatmeal in a bowl for easier manual mixing, or remove it, rinsed of course, from its jar into a machine. ADD the following:
 
- 2/3rds teaspoon organic vanilla extract - or scrape the insides of an organic vanilla bean.
 
-1/3rd to 1/2 teaspoon Stevia or 1/2 to 1 t raw organic Honey.  [Tho if going to blend in a fruit as suggested below, this becomes optional. Depending on your sweet tooth. :) I found it to be needed when zero fruit is blended in.]

OPTIONAL:
- 2 banana's [or fruit of your choice. I've made this without any fruit and loved it! Tho did add Stevia.] 

- handful of almonds or walnuts.

* Mix all the above in a blender, bullet, or etc. You don't want it to turn into liquid! Just mixed together and slightly broken down.

* Pour or scrape into bowl and top with:

- cinnamon,
-a drizzle of honey if you want,
-a few pieces of any fruit you have on hand and like, chopped small but not blended. Apples are recommended since they help with digestion and cut thru a lot of internal stuff. Matter of fact, I tend to fold in small apple pieces, than add more for garnish. Do what you like.

- Offer with love and devotion. <3

Only problem I have with oatmeal is that I find it makes me sleepy. Who says you have to eat it for breakfast? Eating it later in the day might be better for some. Of course if it does not make you sleepy [as it did not do that to me when young] have it whenever you want.    

                          ZUCCHINI SPAGHETTI

This is so easy, and tasteful too. Generally you need 2 to 3 medium to large Zucchini per person. 

Grab a potato peeler. In a mixing bowl, peel zucchini in the long direction, creating spiral spaghetti-shapes with the potato peeler. 

Next, put salt, oregano, basil, etc - plus a drizzle of organic Olive Oil over the string spirals of zucchini.

Next, either make some simple tomato sauce of your own [ Video Recipe- omit the cooking of noodles, omit garlic & replace with Hing], or buy some to get yourself started. Put it on top of everything. If you prefer Pesto [video recipe, ditto for garlic - may want to mute the music :) ], top with that. Then, offer, chant and be happy.

P.S. You can go to amazon and buy a Spirilizer if you wish. It's faster than a potato peeler. I've used both and they both have their ups and downs. :)

ha Look what I just found while looking for images: 

I never tried the above and rather make my own,
but if a reader is not feeling well, or <insert issue>, this is still raw food. 

TACO

This is fun, easy, and a little messy. Yet, what taco is not messy? :) They all are. And the flavor is great!

Not using bread here. In it's place, large leaf Romain Lettuce. You can still use healthy bread like Ezekiel or Crackers, make your own bread, OR make chapati's for this purpose. However for this recipe, it is grainless.

Also, for some, the use of black olives or corn may not be considered first class and therefore not offerable to deities. 

Brief answers: A) I never said to offer to deities, rather offer to a pic of Prabhupada. B) This is not a post on how to become a brahamana, it's a post on how to hopefully live longer. C) Feel free to substitute those or any items with different ones, tho you are responsible for how that recipe turns out yourself.  :) I believe in recipe experiementation; I also believe in taking responsibililtly for it.

Prep: 
-Presoak cashews 2 hours ahead of time if you are going to use the sauce. 

-Presoak chickpeas overnight. If going to use cooked chickpeas, have them ready ahead of time. If you have a food processor, can use presoaked, raw, chickpeas.

 The above will make sense as you read the following:

Ingredients:

- Largest leaf Romain Leaf lettuce you can find. Wash.

- If you don't mind 1 item cooked, can cook a heaping cup of chickpeas, or 1 Can organic Chickpeas, OR chickpea sprouts you pre-soak overnight. I've never used the sprouts but am looking forward to trying it. Will let you know. 

UPDATE: I have since made this with totally raw, sprouted, chickpeas and it was great! However, I just purchased a small Food Processor as that was required. If you do not have one, or are not going to get one any time soon, than circle back to canned or cooking the chickpeas yourself.

- Corn, frozen works. Make sure to rinse it first. Or use fresh, take it off the cob, about 3/4ths cup. Wash.  [If you are not open to corn, omit, or substitute something else. Tho the flavor is now on you. :) ]

- 1/3 cup Black Olives, rinse thoroughly.

- 1/2 teaspoon black or himalayan Salt. [I use 1/4 t.]

- cayenne pepper to your tolerance or preference.

- 1 teaspoon Olive Oil, raw, organic. Can use more.

- 2/3rds teaspoon Lime juice.

- 1/2 cup Sun-dried tomatoes, organic.

- Dehydrated Tomato powder, 1 teaspoon [If you don't have any, buy it, it's worth it. But temporarily can switch out for another spice you prefer.]

I kept this recipe a bit on the unspicey side, but add more if you like more. Of anything really.

The above is easy, and can even do by hand [with cooked chickpeas] if you do not have a food processor, blender, or magic bullet. Try a potato masher, or just use a clean fork saved for cooking.

Put washed chickpeas in a dish with sides like a pie tin/glass, or flatish bowl - and smash them.Takes a some minutes if doing it by hand.

Next, with the exception of the romaine lettuce, add all the above ingredients to the chickpea mixture. The sundried tomatoes may need to be cut or ripped to size.

Now fold and stir and mash - whatever it takes to get it all thoroughly through.

Optional: Add Nutritional Yeast to the above, tho not necessary if going to make the sauce.

SAUCE: 
You will need a machine such as a food processor or blender or magic bullet for this:

-1/4 Cup Cashews, Pre-soaked 2 hours ahead of time, especially if you do not have a powerful machine for blending. [Spice grinder works.]

-1/2 Cup of pure Water.

-1 Tablespoon of Nutritional Yeast.

Most like to strain out the nut pulp. Interesting how we garnish with nuts on top, but throw this out. ha Well, it may taste a little different. It's up to you. If throwing out, at least give it to the animals when doable.

NEXT whether you plan on using the sauce or not, put the chickpea mixture into the romaine leaves. This is a little tricky but I found out a tip. 

And that is: If your romaine lettuce leaves are not hugely wide, then don't expect to be able to fold them from sides, inward. Messy! In that case, fold the end of the stem over top of the chickpea mixture! This works great. If the stem's too tough, or does not proportionately fold the way you want, no big deal. Just fold it into itself, or even tear off a bit of the stem - whatever you want. Just remember when it comes time to folding leaves less than huge, it's not side to side, it's top to bottom.  Of course maybe you are luckier than I was and found very large Romaine leaf lettuce. Go for it side-to-side. :)

Now, place a bit of the chickpea mixture in the last THIRD of the Romaine lettuce. Once placed there, it's a good idea to take a fork or your clean fingers and mush it slightly into the leaf to stick it there better.

Before folding, pour a few drops of the sauce on, if you are using the sauce. It's optional.

Garnish Top: Cut up tomatoes, pieces of Avocado.

And yes, now fold. :)

Offer with love and devotion. It's wonderful!

  <More Recipe's To Be Added - please check back.>

 
TIP: It's always ok to pick up an [offered] Bell Pepper, a Tomato, baby Cucumber, even raw zucchini - and just eat it. It's more common to think like this for in regards to an apple, but let us modify our thinking and view certain vegetables we like in this same category. It's a good idea. Full of nutrients. What is your favorite vegetable you would like to try this way? :) Think about it. Consider what you never considered.
 
I am writing all this to keep folks alive! Please think this way for yourself as well. Your own consciousness makes the difference. Take care of yourself so you will have more time on this planet to connect to Krishna more and more in a loving, devotional relationship.


                   Video's with Easy Recipes:

These make it simple to get started. Devotees, I'm not responsible for garlic, onions, or "etc" used in any videos. Employ common sense & omit them. Note: Some say a little hing with finely chopped celery give a similar flavor to onion/garlic. Adding organic oil 'etc' to make the spice stick. I don't like celery and am considering trying the same thing with cucumbers instead.

Also, some of these videos are vegan. I am not vegan, but these are easy recipes to get started to easily increase raw meals into the diet.

3 $1 RAW VEGAN RECIPES! ??Yovana    

5 FullyRaw Best / Easy Vegan Recipes for Beginners


Next are vegan and raw ICE CREAM recipes. In winter one may think, 'who needs this.' But in the heat of summer, some may find it hard to never ever eat a drop of ice cream. Therefore I've included some healthy raw recipes to make your own, relatively easy. By the way, they still should be desert and not a meal. Don't overindulge. :) And of course, offer it with love and devotion first.

NICECREAM 3 WAYS - vegan and healthy, my top "banana" ice cream recipes! Notice she pre-forze them first.

Homemade Vegan Ice Cream!  3-Ingredients! Mind Over Munch

Sorbet - 2 ingredients - frozen fruit & a bit of raw organic honey.









     My Former Post on going Raw Food - it too has tips or helpful info!


              Helpful Links Outside This Blog:

The Health Benefits of a Raw Food Diet.

The Raw Food Diet: A Beginner's Guide and Review.

7 Benefits I Never Expected When I Went On A Raw Foods Diet. [What good points she makes. Points we may not have initially thought of.]

Top 10 Health Benefits of a Raw Food Diet [This is a summary, good to have for a quick read or reminder.]


               ALL DISCLAIMERS APPLY.