A new month, a new year, a new decade and some new recipes seems like a winning combination. Here are a few ideas to kick off your Rawkin’ New Year right, incorporating some of the fresh produce that is ripe and ready in January. This includes such earth-borne delights as persimmons, lemons and oranges, papaya, kale and collards, and of course, those persistent sweet potatoes...

New Beginnings Juice Worthy of ringing in the New Year Ingredients: 3 medium carrots 1 medium sweet potato, peeled 1 Granny Smith apple ½ head of Romaine lettuce Juice all ingredients and drink immediately, sprinkled with a dash of cinnamon, nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice if desired. Serves 1. Knock Your Socks On Smoothie Perfect for January lunches Ingredients: Juice of one lemon 1-2 papaya, peeled and seeded 1 persimmon 1 banana 2 medium collard leaves, stems removed Blend all ingredients in a Vita-Mix until smooth and creamy. Sip while wearing your warmest, fuzziest socks. Serves 1 Tropical Combo Salad This is a creative mixture of interesting flavors that combines fruit with greens Ingredients: 4 cups mixed salad greens, preferably with arugula 1 papaya, peeled, seeded and sliced into strips 2 clementines, peeled and broken into individual segments 1 carrot , peeled and then peeled some more into curls 2 scallions, diced 1 avocado, peeled and cubed one sheet of nori, snipped into one inch pieces Arrange salad attractively on 2 serving plates and serve the following dressing alongside: Dressing Juice of one lime 1 cup celery/carrot juice 1 mango, peeled and pitted (or substitute 2 peeled persimmons) Blend together until smooth. Serves 2 Raw Resolution Dish Reminiscent of the popular kale chips, but without being dehydrated Ingredients: 1 head of curly kale 1 cup of raw tahini 2 cloves of garlic, minced juice of one lemon ½ cup fresh chopped parsley 2 or 3 stevia leaves, or 2 Tablespoons raw honey pinch of sea salt, optional Tear kale into bite sized pieces and place in a large mixing bowl. Blend remaining ingredients in blender or food processor and pour over kale, mixing until all the greens are thoroughly coated. Garnish with one or more of the following according to taste: chopped cashews chopped red pepper chopped scallions Let stand for a few hours before serving. Serves 2

Raw Food Recipes (by season)