Many years ago I thought about opening a small cafe that featured mostly raw foods. There was an empty spot in Woodstock, NY, where our friends the Gurians lived, and the town of Woodstock was cozy. Instead, my first husband and I opened a sprouting operation, and that was the end of the cafe caper. But raw foods have always been important to me since becoming a vegetarian. I love almost all fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, and of course, sprouts. I plan to have an article about the importance of raw foods in our diets in a future posting, because uncooked foods contain important enzymes to help the body digest what you eat.

In the meantime, here are some recipes that do not require “fire” or “heat,” so you can enjoy them whether the temperature is 70, 80, or 90 degrees without working up a sweat. (I hate to sweat; that’s why I like to swim!)

Utensils: Knife, bowl, cutting board, strainer
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: NONE!

Ingredients (any or all)
Note: (I use organic fruit almost always, except when there is a think skin, as in pineapple. I also started using a fruit and vegetable wash. (See my posting this month in Products & Services)

2 cups fresh pineapple chunks (This takes the longest time to cut, unless you buy pre-cut pieces)
2 kiwi, rinsed, peeled, and cut into small pieces
one mango, peeled and diced (An art in itself; feel free to use a papaya instead)
10-12 grapes, red and/or green, washed and stems removed
6-8 strawberries, washed, stems removed, and sliced (or/and raspberries, blackberries, blueberries)
2 apricots, washed and diced or 1/2 papaya, peeled and diced
*Korean fruit (optional) See note below
slivered almonds and/or dried, unsweetened coconut
fruit juice to moisten

Directions
1. Wash and cut or slice all the fruit into bite-sized pieces.
2. Place in a bowl and pour on a little of your favorite juice to moisten the fruit.
3. Sprinkle with slivered almonds and/or dried coconut.
4. Serve chilled, but not cold, so that the flavors will be more pronounced.

Note:

* Recently my friend Ofra took me to a Korean supermarket where I bought some items I can't pronounce. BUt then I saw it in Whole Foods with the English name dragon fruit. One is pictured below, both uncut and cut. I added it to my fruit salad, although the flavor is somewhat bland. But the white flesh with soft black seeds added sensational color to my fruit salad, so I could not pass up the opportunity to try it.

Utensils: Cutting board, knife, food processor, large bowl
Prep. Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: NONE!

Ingredients
1/4 red cabbage
1/2 white cabbage
one yellow squash (optional)
one zucchini squash (optional)
two carrots
mayonnaise (your choice)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Put chunks of cabbage in food processor on shredding blade, shred completely & place in bowl.
2. Put carrot pieces into processor and shred. Remove to bowl.
3. Finally, shred the yellow squash and zucchini, if using, and place in bowl.
4. Add mayonnaise to bowl and toss gently. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Variations: Add one-two teaspoons mustard or horseradish to the mayo. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Asian Slaw: Add some Asian veggies, such as water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and snow peas cut into thirds. Toss with dressing below:

Sesannaise:
1/2 cup toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup plum vinegar or rice vinegar
dash of soy sauce or Bragg’s Aminos
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger or 1 tsp. dried ginger powder
pinch of wasabi (similar to horseradish) and/or mustard powder
Whisk well and add to slaw a little at a time until all is moistened. Save extra dressing for another dish.

Note: You can split the coleslaw into two bowls and make half traditionally, with mayonnaise, and the other half as an Asian slaw.

Utensils: Cutting board, sharp knife, bowls
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: NONE!

Ingredients
one pkg. organic grape tomatoes
1/4 cup pitted olives, rinsed well and sliced
1/2 avocado, peeled and diced
Wine vingear or Balsamic Vinegar or Lemon Juice

Directions
1. Wash and slice tomatoes in half and place ina bowl.
2. Rinse olives and slice thinly. Add to bowl.
3. Wash and peel 1/2 avocado. Remove pit and dice flesh. Add to bowl.
4. Gently toss all ingredients with a small amount of vinegar or lemon juice.
5. Place in small bowls and serve with the main meal.

Variation: Add feta cheese or diced hard cheese of choice.

Note: This recipe is very flexible. You can use almost any fleshy summer fruit, any juice, and any kind of topping. It is naturally sweet enough (without adding sugar) to be used as a dessert or for breakfast.

Utensils: Cutting board, knife, food processor, bowl
Prep. Time About 5 -7 minutes
Cook. Time None!

Ingredients
3 pieces of organic very ripe fruit (I used nectarines and apricots)
4-5 organic berries (I used blackberries for contrast)
yogurt
vanilla extract
Juice of 1/2 lemon
juice and/or water (I used orange juice and water)

Directions
1. Wash and cut fruit into chunks and place in food processor.
2. Add a dash of vanilla extract, juice of lemon, and about 1/2 cup fruit juice or water and puree until smooth.
3. Add more fruit juice or water (I used 1/2 juice and 1/2 water) to desired consistency. (The soup should be thicker than a smoothie.)
4. Pour into a bowl and top with yogurt (dairy or non-dairy) and sprinkle with cinnamon or all spice. Enjoy chilled. (2 cups)

Variations: Use almond extract and sprinkle soup with sliced almonds.

Berries are one of my favorite early summer fruits. That’s fortunate, since berries are nutritious as well as delicious. However, I recommend organic berries whenever possible, since the skins are thin and allow pesticides to penetrate.

Berries contain anthocyanins, natural chemicals in plants that are very beneficial for the body. They also contain antioxidants, organic substances that help fight disease. (See Glossary for more information on these two terms.) In addition, these delicious fruits—-raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and blueberries—-are quite low in (natural) sugars and a good source of Vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. Not too shabby for such tiny tidbits of fruit!

Speaking of tidbits, an interesting one from the Internet tells us that Native Americans were the first to incorporate berries into their diets, so we have a strong history with berries. My own “history” with berries starts every summer, since the warmer months are the peak harvest for these fruits. I love fruit all year long, but at this time of year I especially love berries. They are great in (fruit) salads, smoothies, desserts, and just washed and enjoyed as finger food.

I hope the recipes below with whet your appetite for these colorful and bountiful berries. (If you have freezer space, you can freeze some fresh berries for later in the year.)

This is a fruit version of a salad bar with tart shells to be filled with berries and roll ups made with berry jam. Recipes for all follow. (Thanks to my husband, who gave me the title.) Feel free to add or subtract other fruits, such as kiwi, grapes, etc.

Utensils: Bowls, knives, serving dishes
Preparation Time: 20 minutes (If not making Cashew Crème*)
Cooking Time: None

Ingredients
On small container organic strawberries, washed and sliced
One small container organic raspberries, washed and drained
One small container organic blueberries, washed and drained
One small container organic blackberries, washed and drained
Other fruit of your choice: Kiwi, Pineapple, etc. washed and peeled and sliced
Slivered almonds
(Toasted) unsweetened, dried coconut
Toppings: Yogurt, Sour Cream, Whipped Cream or Cashew Crème*

Directions
1. Place all washed and cut (if needed) fruit in separate bowls in a circle or line.
2. Fill small bowls with toppings. (any or all)
3. Place larger bowls nearby so guests can pick and choose to make their own berry sundae. Enjoy!

* Cashew Crème: Soak one cup of untoasted cashews in 2 cups hot water for ½ hour. Drain. Puree the drained cashews with ½ cup of the soaking water in the blender or processor, adding ½ tsp. vanilla extract and a dab of honey, maple syrup or agave to taste, if you wish. Place in a small serving bowl and use as a topping. (Variation: Add one Tbl. orange juice for citrus cashew crème.)

Utensils: Rolling pin, knife, jellyroll sheet, small pot, small bowl
Prep. Time: ½- ¾ hour
Baking Time: 45 minutes (Preheat oven to 350 degrees)

Ingredients
Two cups all-purpose pastry flour (extra flour for dusting table surface)
One Tbl. bking powder
Dash of salt
½ cup oil (I used macadamia) (Extra for baking pans)
one jar raspberry jam (no added sugar)
about one cup raisins (or dried cranberries) soaked in warm water and drained
½ cup raisin juice (from soaked and drained raisins), heated until almost boiling
crushed walnuts and/or pecans (1/2 to one cup)
Cinnamon (optional)

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil two jelly roll pans or cookie sheets and set aside. Also, add warm water to raisins and allow to soak for about 15 minutes. Drain and place raisin water in a small pot and bring almost to a boil.
2. In the meantime, combine flour, salt and baking powder.
3. Add oil a little at a time and mix with a fork until pebbles form.
4. Next, add heated raisin juice from drained soaked raisins, and combine well until a ball forms.
5. Divide the dough into three balls. Roll out each ball onto a floured surface.
6. With a rolling pin, roll out into a circle, the size of a small pizza. Next, spoon on some jam to about one inch from outer edge. Add some raisins and chopped nuts, about one tablespoon of each.

7. Do this sparingly because you need to roll up the wedges and don’t want the contents oozing out. Sprinkle on cinnamon, if using.
8. Cut the dough into wedges, the way you would a pizza, and roll each one up carefully. Place on lightly oiled cookie sheet(s) and bake at 350 degree until the top is slightly brown. (You can brush some extra oil on the tops for a glaze before baking.)
9. Cool and serve. Since this is a labor intense project, feel free to double the recipe and freeze half the roll-ups for a future time. Also feel free to use apple juice concentrate instead of raisin juice and other flavors of unsweetened jam.
Note: Any leftover nuts or raisins can be added to your favorite fruit salad or the berry buffet or the tarts.

Variation:Instead of the circle format, you can make a rectangle, fill it at one end with the same ingredients and roll it up like a jelly roll, slice, and bake. This is a tighter roll up and may take a little longer to bake. See photo below:

(This uses the same recipe as the roll-ups, except you make smaller circles with a bowl and drape them over the back of a muffin tin. This recipe is actually a combination of the Berry Buffet and the Ruggelach)

Utensils: Muffin tin, knife and bowl
Prep. Time: About 30 minutes
Baking Time: About 15 minutes

Ingredients
One batch of pastry dough posted above
Berries of your choice, mixed or separate
Toppings of your choice (See Berry Buffet)
Honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar
Coconut or slivered almonds

Directions
1. Make dough as described above under rollups. Using a bowl, cut circles that will fit over the bottom side of the muffin tin. Measure the diameter as well as both sides and add together. (See photo)

2. Shape circles over the muffin tin and bake in a preheated 350 degree over for about 15 minutes, or until the shell is browned.
3. Remove and allow to cool. Fill with sliced or whole berries tossed with sweetener of your choice and toppings of your choice. Serve at room temperature.

(Note: Do not fill the tarts until right before serving or they may become soggy.)

Note: This is a remake from a former posting (June 2006), renamed Berry Smooth. Rather than sending you back to look it up, I am just reprinting it here for your convenience, with a few modifications. The photo is new and I also added the utensils, preparation time, and cooking time hints.

Utensils: Knife, blender
Prep. Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: None

Ingredients
4 oz. juice (pomegranate, apple, or orange)
4 oz. filtered (cold) water
one cup washed and sliced berries of your choice (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, etc.)
one small banana (fresh or frozen), sliced
one T. protein powder (I used Vanilla Whey Protein)

Directions
Place all ingredients in blender and buzz until smooth. ENJOY!