There are plenty of reasons why you can love eating raw food for your lunch and dinner. They are healthy, they are yummy, and they fill you up with amazing flavors and nutrients that you won’t get by eating fast food. Cooking decreases the nutrients you take in from your food and it creates toxins that you feed to your body. 

Try to maximize on vitamins, minerals, protein and healthy fat by making raw meals for your lunch and dinner. Here are some great recipes to try:

Kale & Avocado Salad

Kale and avocados are two very healthy ingredients you can put together in a salad. If you want to make this dish a little more substantial, you can include a bowl of cooked brown rice.

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of kale
• 1 avocado
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 2-3 large tomatoes
• 1-2 tablespoons of sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• A pinch of sea salt

Directions:

1. Shred the kale with your hands, and discard any hard stalks.
2. Mix the kale with sea salt and olive oil, also with your hands, in order to soften it.
3. Knead the avocado into the kale so that it is a consistent mixture.
4. Add in the garlic, tomatoes and sesame seeds.
5. Serve. Eat and enjoy.

Raw Nori Sushi Rolls

This is a very simple recipe that can be made in minutes. Make your own sushi rolls using fruits and veggies.

Ingredients:

• Nori sheets
• 1 large carrot
• 1 small lettuce
• 1 avocado
• 1 cucumber

Directions:

1. Grate the carrot and shred the lettuce leaves.
2. Cut both avocado and cucumber into 1″ long slices.
3. Lay out a nori sheet on a sushi mat and add the grated carrot and shredded lettuce leaves along the length of it.
4. Add the slices of avocado and cucumber.
5. Roll the nori sheet so that you end up with one long roll of sushi.
6. Wet the end of the nori sheet with water, as this will help it to hold together.
7. Wet a sharp knife and cut the long sushi roll into 1″ pieces. Nori sheets are usually perforated in order to make the cutting easier.
8. Serve with soy sauce.

Walnut Pate

Looking for a great raw and vegan pate alternative? Try walnuts. This is also a great filling for the nori sushi rolls mentioned above.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of soak walnuts
• 1 large carrot
• 1 large celery stick
• 1 small bunch of cilantro
• A pinch of sea salt
• A pinch of cumin
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce

Directions

1. Put all the ingredients into a food processor and use the pulse setting for approximately 30 seconds, until you have the consistency of a pate. 
2. Serve it in a lettuce leaf wrap or on a slice of wholemeal bread.

Cucumber, Tomato and Seaweed Salad

Here’s a simple and quick salad with the veggie goodness of seaweeds.

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces of chopped Arame seaweed soaked for 20 minutes
• 2 cucumbers, peel and sliced
• 2 large tomatoes, sliced
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 1 small red onion, sliced
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• A pinch of sea salt

Directions:

1. Toss all the ingredients together in a large bowl. 
2. Serve it as it is or with a bowl of brown rice or maybe a baked potato.

Spicy Cucumber Salad

If you want to add a little spice into your raw meal, try out this spicy cucumber salad that you will surely enjoy. You may serve it with brown rice if you want. 

Ingredients:

• 1-3 chilies
• 1-2 cloves of garlic
• ¼ lime
• 1 large cucumber
• 2 large tomatoes
• 1-2 teaspoons of soy sauce

Directions:

1. Crush the chilies and garlic using mortar and pestle.
2. Add the lime juice and soy sauce.
3. Cut the tomatoes into about 8 pieces, and crush with the other ingredients you already added.
4. Cut up the cucumber roughly by slicing the knife down the end of the cucumber multiple times, and then cutting off that section.
5. Mix all the ingredients together. You can adjust the amount of chilies, garlic gloves, lime juice and soy sauce to suit your own taste. A little sugar can be added if you prefer some sweetness.

You can also try this recipe using 1 small, shredded papaya if you prefer it more than cucumber.

Raw Creamy Cucumber Gazpacho

If you like gazpacho and you want a raw and green alternative, try out this one. This is a creamy cucumber gazpacho that can be made in only 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight
• 2 cucumbers
• ¼ cup, full-fat coconut milk
• 2 tablespoon basil pesto
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon white miso
• 2 cloves of garlic
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4-5 mint leaves
• Cucumber slices, basil leaves and toasted pine nuts for topping

Directions:

1. Wash the cucumbers and cut them in half lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds and chop them up.
2. Place the cucumbers in a high-speed blender.
3. Drain the soaked cashews and rinse. Add them to the blender with all the other ingredients except the toppings. 
4. Blend on high speed until very smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
5. Place gazpacho on a large bowl or saucepan, then cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving. 
6. Serve with toppings.

Raw Vegan Lasagna

Lasagna is a favorite dish to many pasta lovers, but eating a lot of the traditional lasagna can bring your carbs overload. However you can make a raw, vegan alternative that is lighter and obviously healthier, but also filling and super satiating. It’s full of flavors, thanks to its three layers.

Ingredients:

500 grams of zucchini

For cashew-almond layer

• ½ cup of soaked cashews
• ½ cup of soaked, blanched almonds
• ½ lemon, juiced
• 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• Salt and pepper

For pesto layer

• 1 avocado
• 2 cups of mixed herbs and greens (basil, spinach, arugula, etc.)
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1 clove of garlic
• ½ lemon juice
• Salt and pepper

For tomato layer

• 1 cup of halved cherry tomatoes
• ½ cup of sun-dried tomatoes
• Handful of fresh basil
• 1 clove of garlic
• Salt and pepper

Toppings

• 1 tablespoon pine nuts
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Directions:

1. Using a mandolin slicer or vegetable peeler, cut the zucchinis to long strips lengthwise.
2. Prepare the fillings. For the cashew-almond layer, place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well-combined. Add a few tablespoons of water if it’s too coarse. Keep the texture of the nuts in the consistency and don’t make it super creamy.
3. For the pesto layer, add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth.
4. For the tomato layer, repeat step #3.
5. Once all the fillings and zucchini slices are ready, you can assemble your lasagna. Alter a layer of zucchini slices, a layer of cashew-almond spread, a layer of zucchini, a layer of pesto, a layer of zucchini then a layer of tomato sauce. Repeat to your desired thickness of lasagna. Finish with a layer of zucchini.
6. Sprinkle top with toppings like pine nuts and poppy seeds.

Taco Boats

Using “raw”-maine lettuce, you can create yummy and healthy tacos that doesn’t need cooking. It can serve as a dinner or an appetizer for a group of people.

Ingredients:

1 head romaine lettuce

For filling

• ½ cup beet hummus, raw 
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup carrots, finely shredded
• ½ cup alfalfa sprouts
• ¾ cup red cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1 medium ripe avocado, cubed 
• 1 tablespoon hemp seeds

For sauce

• 1/3 cup tahini, raw and untoasted
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 pinch sea salt 
• Water

Directions:

1. Prepare sauce by adding tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup and sea salt to a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. 
2. Add water when a pourable dressing has formed. Taste and adjust flavor as needed. Transfer to a small bowl or ramekin and set aside.
3. Arrange lettuce boats on a serving platter and begin filling it with hummus.
4. Fill the lettuce with the other fillings.
5. Drizzle the tahini sauce or serve it on the side. It’s best to do this before eating so the lettuce will remain fresh.

Carrot and Zucchini Pasta

Zucchini is your main gal if you want pasta but you want to eat raw. Combine carrot and zucchini with creamy cucumber avocado sauce for an amazing lunch or dinner perfect for raw diets, and even vegan, paleo and Whole30 diets.

Ingredients:

• 3 zucchini
• 2 large carrots
• Micro greens (parsley, basil, etc.) as garnish

For avocado cucumber sauce

• 1 avocado, peeled and pitted
• 1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• 1 lemon, juiced
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Spiralize the zucchini and carrots using a vegetable spiralizer or mandoline slicer. Then place them in a large bowl and set aside.
2. Add the ingredients of avocado cucumber sauce to a food processor and process it until smooth and creamy. 
3. Pour the sauce to the carrot and zucchini pasta. Toss to combine.
4. Transfer into a bowl or serving plate and sprinkle the microgreens and additional ground black pepper.

Raw Burrito Lettuce Wraps

Try this tasty lettuce wraps with a hint of Mexican spiciness. You can make a lot of wraps and you’ll end up eating them all – they’re that good.

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe avocados
• 6 to 8 large lettuce leaves
• 3 tomatoes
• ½ jalapeno pepper, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoon yellow onion
• ¾ cup corn kernels
• 2 teaspoon fresh lime juice

Directions:

1. Mash the avocados in a medium sized bowl
2. Add remaining ingredients (except lettuce) and stir well until mixed.
3. Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of this mixture unto lettuce leaves. Wrap them up.
4. Serve and enjoy.