Perfect Fall Raw Vegan Snacks: A Basic Primer

I don’t know about you, but something about cooler temperatures really gets my appetite going. When the thermometer drops, I constantly find myself wanting to hunker down with a cup of hot tea and a whole lotta’ grub. Plus, when I see all of the fall ingredients arriving in my grocery store – cranberries and pumpkins, oh my! – I get a real hankering to make some seasonal goodies.

The great news for those following trying a raw vegan diet is that there is absolutely no shortage of delicious and nutritious raw vegan snack ideas made with the crisp fall flavors in mind. What’s more: with a few ingredients on hand, you can go a long way in creating go-to fall snacks. Load up on things like apples, raw pumpkin seeds, raw cashews, cashew butter, cranberries, buckwheat, and the like – and you’ll be good to go for the base of any of these fall snacks, as they all involve similar blends in different forms. Also, any of these ideas can be doubled or tripled for a bigger stash of snacking goodness. Here are just a few of my favorites:

Raw Cranberry-Apple-Cashew Bars

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pitted dates
• ½ cup chopped raw cashews
• ½ cup raw cashew butter
• ¾ cup  dried cranberry pieces
• ½ cup mashed apple

Do this: Blend ingredients in a food processor and pulse well. From your mixture, form small bar shapes and place the bars on a cool plate. Refrigerate overnight and then enjoy!

Raw Buckwheat Pumpkin Granola

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sprouted buckwheat
• 1cup raw pumpkin seeds
• ½ cup raisins
• 1 cup raw peanuts or cashews

Do this: Place all ingredients in a large bag. Shake well, and then enjoy your mix!

Apple Coconut Treats

Ingredients:

• 2 apples, thinly sliced
• 1 cup raw shredded coconut
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ cup raw, unrefined coconut oil

Do this: Spread coconut oil on a plate. Mix shredded coconut and cinnamon on another plate. Roll apple slices in coconut oil until lightly covered. Then, roll the apple slices in the coconut-cinnamon mixture until covered. Now, try not to eat all of them!

Apple Pie Kale Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 2 mashed apples
• ½ frozen banana
• ½ cup shredded kale (can be increased to 1 cup if you want extra greens)
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons raw vanilla extract
• ¼ cup chopped raw cashews
• ½ cup filtered cold water
• ¼ cup raw stevia (or to taste – you may not need this at all, so add it at the very end if you want a sweeter taste)

Do this: Mix all ingredients in a blender well. Make sure to save the stevia addition for the end, as you may not need it at all! Then, make sure to leave the kitchen as soon as possible, as everyone else will now attempt to steal some of your delicious fall raw vegan liquid snack!

Pumpkin Creamy Cashew Dip

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pureed pumpkin
• 1 cup raw cashew butter
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon raw almond extract

Do this: blend all ingredients in a food processor until creamy. Use as a dip for a big plate of raw fruits and veggies!

These are just a few ideas to get you started on your seasonal raw vegan snack parade…happy snacking, Green Monsters!

Image Source: Whitney/Flickr