If you’re on a raw food diet, you might wonder how to make your meals comforting in the colder months. Hey, we all need a bit of delicious and soothing foods to get us through winter!
The good news is that you can make raw food yummy and heart-warming. Here are some tips.
Use Naturally Comforting Foods
One of the quickest ways to make your meals more satisfying is to use healthy foods that are naturally nourishing. Such foods include avocados. Since they’re fatty and creamy, you can replace butter or cream with them for use in dips, puddings or soups. Try not to blend them, though, as this can zap their thickness. Seeds can also be used to thicken meals because of how they become mushy in water. Pop them in a blender to make them powdery, then add them into blended soups.
Throw in Spices
Ginger, cumin, cayenne and cinnamon have lovely warmth to them, making the body literally feel cosier. They work well in a variety of raw meals and you can even add them to your smoothies.
Make Salads Satisfying
Salads might make you think of cool summers, but they can be comforting in winter. Be more creative with them: combine leafy greens with kale, beetroots, avocados, macadamia nuts and lime. You could also add fruit (fresh or dried) and nuts to your salads. A great way to feel satisfied while topping up on nutrients!
Eat Raw Flatbreads
What is more comforting than delicious bread? You can make raw flatbread with the use of a dehydrator. This piece of equipment can be invaluable to raw food enthusiasts because it dries food out gently instead of cooking it. The result is crispy bread that still has its nutrients intact.
Make delicious veggie flatbread by using your food processor to grind half a cup of sunflower seeds, half a cup of pumpkin seeds, a pinch of salt and two teaspoons of cinnamon. Place these in a mixing bowl where you will also add half a cup of flaxseed meal (available from health shops). Process one zucchini, one apple and one carrot with the shredder part of your processor, before also placing these veggies into your mixing bowl. Add half a cup of water to the mixture, kneading it a bit with your fingers so that it becomes doughy. Pulse the mixture with the food processor until it is smooth. Place the mixture into your dehydrator (on two dehydrator sheets) at 115 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately four hours. When the time is up, flip it over and allow the other side to dehydrate for another four hours.
Warm Your Soup
You might be put off by the idea of eating cold soups in winter, so it can be a good idea to warm them up on the stove a little. It’s a myth that the raw diet means no heating of food. The only rule is that food shouldn’t be heated to the point of having its enzymes destroyed. So what’s the right temp? Enzymes are destroyed at a wet-heat temperature of 118 degrees Fahrenheit (boiling on the stove would be wet-heat) and dry-heat temperature of 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
Bring on the Sweet Stuff!
You can create some delicious raw desserts that are perfect for chilly evenings! Raw Food Brownies are just the ticket when you need a bit of a chocolate fix. You could also tempt your sweet tooth with a raw vegan caramel apple pie recipe that uses raisins and walnuts as the crust, and apples, raisins, lemon juice and spices for its sweet filling.
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