3 Easy Tips to Make Fall Meals Healthy and Lively With Raw Foods!

Fall can be a tough time to maintain a diet full of raw foods. The weather is cool, and evenings tend to feel like they’re meant to be spent sitting in front of the fire enjoying a nice hot meal. Of course, there is absolutely nothing wrong with cooked food. Who doesn’t enjoy a bowl of soup or a plate of pasta?

But if you’re trying to stick to a raw food diet, you don’t always have to resort to eating cooked foods in order to get your feel of comfort this fall — or any fall season hereafter for that matter. You don’t even have to rely on dehydrated foods, although they offer a lot of flexibility for fall meal planning on a raw food diet.

You’ll find that the following four techniques help to liven up your fall meals and increase your satisfaction whether you’re in the mood for something light and energizing, or comforting and indulgent:

Spice Things Up!

One of the best ways to get zippy in the kitchen when creating fall meals is to use an abundance of spices. Not only will they help to keep you warm on the coldest of days, but they do a great job of keeping meals interesting and full of depth. Make sure that one or more of the following options are in your cupboard:

• Nutmeg– Great for raw pumpkin soups, dehydrated apple chips, and banana smoothies.

• Cardamom– Awesome mixed with sprouted wild rice, mixed in creamy salad dressing, and sprinkled on raw energy bars or persimmon pudding.

• Chinese 5 Spice– Excellent blended with hemp seeds and topped on zucchini noodles. Also makes a tasty tea!

• Cumin– Superb in walnut taco meat, sprinkled on salads, or tossed in fruit and tomato salsa.

It’s a good idea to make it a point to try a new spice at least once a week to challenge yourself in the kitchen and to keep your taste buds happy and guessing.

Blend Baby, Blend

You’ll find that using a high speed blender to create raw soups is a great way to warm things up when you’re feeling a bit chilled. The energy of the blender will gently raise the temperature of your ingredients by the time it’s smooth and creamy, so you can enjoy a warm meal without actually having to put your soup on the stove.

Blending your own soup is an excellent opportunity to implement fall foods like squash and pumpkin seeds into your diet. For example, you can blend these ingredients with fresh spinach, tomatoes, avocados, and lemons to create a zippy meal that’s filling.

Try making this delicious Raw and Creamy Butternut Squash Soup with Marinated Mushrooms in your blender for a delicious, quick, and completely raw fall meal.

Take an Indulgent Dip

Fall is certainly not swimming suit season in most places, but that’s no reason to shun the opportunity to indulge in a dip or two. Dips are the perfect fall snack because a variety of fragrant spices, filling legumes, and seasonal squashes can be included in them. Go ahead and put that beloved hummus and creamy spinach dip away for a couple of months.

Instead, create a dip for your apple slices by blending pumpkin, cinnamon, a date, and a little lemon juice together. Or maybe you prefer making something indulgent for your dehydrated chips by blending butternut squash, cashews, nutritional yeast, and a bit of lemon and garlic into a creamy concoction. You can’t go wrong!

The most important thing you can do to stay on track with your raw food diet this fall season and beyond, is to mix things up and try new things on a regular basis. Getting in a rut is a surefire way to invite discontent with your meals and a desire to head down another road. Check out our variety of vegan, raw recipes here!

Image Source: Creamy and Raw Butternut Squash Soup with Marinated Mushrooms