December Raw Food Recipes Citrus appears on center stage in December, especially mandarin oranges, accompanied by celery, turnips, pomegranates, and nuts.

Wrap-A-Napa 2 avocados, cubed 2 mandarin oranges, peeled, seeded and chopped Handful of fresh alfalfa sprouts Several sprigs of fresh cilantro or parsley 3 or 4 large Napa cabbage leaves Mash together avocado and orange without making them totally smooth. Lay Napa leaves out on counter and spoon avocado/orange mixture into the middle. Spread a small amount of sprouts over this. Lay sprigs of cilantro or parsley on top and roll up like a burrito. Serves 2 Golden Lights Pudding 1 ripe mango Juice of 1 orange 1/2 an avocado 1 ripe Hashiya persimmon 4 fresh medjool dates Blend all ingredients until golden, smooth and creamy. Place in bowl and dust with cinnamon, if desired. Serves 1 Tangy Pomegranate Smoothie 1 cup pomegranate juice (use a citrus juicer) 1 cup fresh orange juice ¼ cup fresh cranberries 2 ripe bananas 1/4 cup raw walnuts, soaked 2 Tablespoons of raw honey 1/2 of a vanilla bean Blend all ingredients in Vita-Mix, or high speed blender Serves 1 Cream of Celery Soup 1 cup celery juice 1 cup almond milk (pumpkin seed milk also works wonderfully) 1 avocado 2 fresh medjool dates 1 stalk diced celery Put the diced celery in a serving bowl. Blend all the other ingredients in a Vita-Mix until creamy. Pour over the diced celery and garnish with chopped scallions, fresh tarragon, or soaked pistachios. Serves 1 Easy Turnip Twister 1 and 1/2 cup grated turnip 1 cup chopped or grated apples 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped 1 teaspoon grated ginger, optional Juice of 1 lemon Drizzle of raw honey or agave nectar to taste Combine first four ingredients in a serving bowl, then drizzle with part of the lemon juice and the sweetener. Toss well and adjust dressing to taste. Garnish with chopped nuts, if desired. December Fruit Soup 4 pears and 6 stalks of celery. Any combination of diced fruits such as: Bananas, apples, raisins, fresh cranberries, or mandarin oranges, pomegranate seeds Juice the pears and celery. Place fruit in serving bowls and pour fresh juice over. Dust with cinnamon, if desired. Serves 2 Holiday Muesli Don't be afraid to substitute any ingredients that you might not have on hand. It is hard to come up with a muesli variation that doesn't taste good. 1 cup soaked hazelneuts (also called filberts) 1 cup soaked macadamia nuts 1/2 cup soaked sunflower seeds 1 cup pitted fresh medjool dates 1/2 cup fresh cranberries 1/2 a vanilla bean dash of cinnamon, optional Pulse all ingredients in food processor until slightly chunky. Transfer to serving bowl, top with sliced bananas and chopped apples, and serve with almond milk or fresh orange juice. Serves 2 Party Cheese Balls Requires an extra day of preparation, but worth the effort 2 cups soaked pine nuts, macadamias or cashews (or a combination) 2 Tablespoons lemon juice 2-3 cups water 2 probiotic capsules, optional Place all ingredients in Vita-Mix and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into a nut mylk bag and hang over the sink and allow to drain and ferment at room temperature overnight, and even longer if possible. You could get a better result if you add a couple opened capsules of probiotics to the mixture, but it is not necessary. The next day, squeeze out any remaining moisture to get it as dry and firm as possible. Shape into balls and roll in herbs of your choice such as: paprika, garlic and onion powder pizza seasoning dried parsley, basil and thyme chopped sundried tomatoes and raw olives chives, salt and pepper chopped walnuts Place on an attractive serving platter and garnish with fresh parsley sprigs. Happy Healthy Raw Holidays!

Raw Food Recipes (by season)