July ushers in a mouthwatering array of versatile produce, and just in time for all of the summer's activities: weddings, reunions, graduations and vacations. You will have no trouble eating raw this month with such foods as blueberries, mandarins, green and yellow zucchini, cucumbers, beets, corn, eggplant, and nectarines along with all the greens you can possibly imagine. A rainbow of colors awaits your palate!

Mandarin Mix Salad Serves 2 Ingredients: 2 cups finely sliced red cabbage 2 cups finely sliced green cabbage 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and sliced thin 1 chopped avocado 4 mandarin oranges, peeled and segmented handful of sprouted sunflower or buckwheat Juice of 1 orange, and 1/2 a lemon In a beautiful salad bowl, combine cabbages and fennel and toss lightly. Add avocado and mandarin sections, along with sprouts, then drizzle juice over and toss lightly again to coat. Garnish with a few extra mandarin segments around the edges and extra sprouts in the center. Chill before serving. Calico Corn Serves 2 Ingredients: 2 ears of fresh corn, kernels removed 1/4 cup diced red onion 1/2 cup diced red pepper 1 grated carrot 1 diced avocado juice of 1 lime handful of fresh cilantro, chopped raw honey Celtic salt to taste Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mixing gently. Drizzle lightly with a few spoonfuls of raw honey and salt. Garnish with fresh cilantro and a dusting of chili powder, if desired. Chill about half an hour before serving. Nectarine Dream Smoothie Serves 1 Ingredients: 2 cups of fresh juice, half carrot and half orange 2 fresh ripe nectarines, pitted and halved 1 banana 1 Tablespoon of soaked chia seeds 2 Romaine or Swiss Chard leaves Note: Pre-soak chia seeds for at least a few hours in a ratio of 1 part seeds to 9 parts water. Juice carrots and oranges to equal about 2 cups. Pour into a high-speed blenderwith remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour into a frosted glass and garnish with mint leaves and a dusting of cinnamon, if desired. Sip while sunbathing and count your blessings! Green smoothies are amazing! Eggplant Caviar Serves 2-4 Enjoy this original recipe from Beautiful on Raw: Uncooked Creations Ingredients: 2 cups peeled and cubed fresh eggplant 2 cups water 2 Tablespoons sea salt Combine water and salt in a large bowl. Place eggplant cubes in the liquid. Place a plate on top of the cubes to keep them from floating. Marinate overnight. Strain eggplant very well and squeeze out as much water as possible (throw out the water). Combine the eggplant in a food processor with: 1 cup sundried tomatoes, soaked for several hours 2 strips kelp 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1/4 cup olive oil Blend in until smooth and then stir in by hand 1 small onion, minced, along with 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley. Serve with crackers, or leaves or Romaine or Belgian endive. To adapt for Quantum Eating, substitute a fresh tomato for the sundried, and 1/2 an avocado for the oil. Rainbow Pasta Serves 2 Ingredients: 1 zucchini 1 yellow zucchini (summer squash) 1 large beet 1 large carrot Spiralize the above vegetables, or if you don't have a spiralizer, you may use a vegetable peeler to make strands that resemble pasta. Toss together in a colorful bowl and top with the following salsa: 1/2 cup fresh carrot juice 2 cups fresh tomatoes, diced 1/2 cup fresh cilantro 4 scallions, chopped juice of 1 lime 1 clove garlic, minced 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped drizzle of raw honey, if desired for sweetness Pulse until chunky in food processor. Pour over spiralized vegetables and garnish with chopped avocado. Individual Blueberry Pies Serves 6 Ingredients: Crust: 1 cup almonds 1 cup pecans 1 cup fresh medjool dates Blend in a food processor until crumbly. Into a large muffin tin, press about 1/4-1/2 cup of mixture into each hole. Next: Filling: 2 cups soaked raw cashews juice of 1/2 a large lemon 1 tsp. vanilla 1/2-1 cup of raw honey 1/4 cup coconut oil, (optional for consistency) 2 cups fresh blueberries Blend until very smooth in the Vita-Mix. Spoon into crusts in muffin pan. (The kind for jumbo-sized muffins works best.) Refrigerate any leftovers. Topping: 1 cup fresh blueberries. Press several blueberries into the top and refrigerate until ready to serve. Gently remove from pan with butterknife and place on platter.

Raw Food Recipes (by season)