5 Dishes You'll Never Believe are Raw

Meet the Raw Food Chef

Even if a raw food diet has never appealed to you, these lip-smacking recipes will pique your interest! We asked traveling raw chef Stacy Stowers to divulge five of her favorite recipes from her upcoming book, and she obliged!

Stowers tours the country and lives with a new family each week, showing them how to easily incorporate more raw, nutrient-rich foods into their diets. The tasty meals she shares with us, from a chocolate shake to a broccoli salad, are made with fresh, unprocessed ingredients and appeal to both raw foodies and regular eaters alike!

Happy Shake

344 calories, 32 grams sugar, 14.9 grams fat, 54.9 grams carbohydrates, 5.8 grams protein

There’s a very good reason why it’s called the Happy Shake! Though this creamy blend tastes like a delicious dessert, it’s chock-full of veggies and fruit (like nutrient-rich spinach and blueberries), as well as super foods (like maca, cacao, and bee pollen). In fact, Stowers describes the shake as “a salad disguised as chocolate soft-serve ice cream.” She adds, “The Happy Shake is a meal replacement. It’s a key place to start when trying to lose excess weight, increase energy levels, and get healthier and happier.”

Ingredients:

1/2 c. water

1 tbsp. coconut oil

3-4 c. spinach

1/2-1 tbsp. raw maca powder

1 tbsp. raw cacao powder

1/2 tbsp. raw super green powder (i.e. Vita-Mineral Green by Health Force Nutritionals)

1 1/2 c. frozen blueberries

1/2 c frozen banana or cherries

A little raw honey (optional)

Directions:

In your blender or Vita-Mix, start with the base, a 1/2 c. water. Then add a good fat like 1 tbsp. coconut oil or 1 raw egg. If you are using a raw egg, you will need to adjust the amount of water. Add the greens. Use a mild-tasting green like spinach. Next, add 1/2 -1 tbsp. raw maca powder, 1 tbsp. raw cacao powder, and 1 tbsp. super raw green powder. Blend your first four ingredients into a green sludge. Your goal is to get 1 c. of it. Now you can add your 2 c. frozen fruit (blueberries, blackberries, cherries, strawberries, raspberries, and bananas).

The blending time is short. You want a creamy consistency without overblending, which will give you more of a shake-like drink instead of ice cream. Decorate your shake with raw cacao nibs, or you can top with goji berries or fresh local bee pollen.

Makes 1 serving.

Mediterranean Broccoli Salad

Without sauce: 66 calories, 3.1 grams sugar, 2.3 grams fat, 10.1 grams carbohydrates, 3.5 grams protein

The key to this mouthwatering broccoli salad lies in its tasty dressing, which is actually a blend of raw cashews, olive oil, and garlic. The sauce serves to infuse the salad with flavor, but it’s also delicious as a dipping sauce for veggies or a sour cream alternative on top of tostadas.

“This sauce is so simple, yet so versatile,” Stowers says. “One thing that will help a lot when adding more raw fresh greens [to your diet] is to find a dressing you really enjoy, one you are always happy to go back to when you are feeling the most uninspired.”

Ingredients:

For The Basic White Sauce:

2 c. raw cashews

1 c. olive oil

3/4 c. lemon juice

2 tsp. salt

3 small garlic cloves

2/3-1 c. water (for thicker, cheese-like spreads, use 2/3 c; for a sauce consistency, use 1 c.)

For the salad:

4-6 c. broccoli florets, cut into small, bite-size pieces

1 yellow bell pepper, diced

1 small jar pitted kalamata olives, sliced

The Basic White Sauce (use an amount you’re comfortable with)

Directions:

For The Basic White Sauce:

Blend all your ingredients in a high-speed blender. Use more or less water until you reach your desired consistency. Once you store this sauce in the refrigerator, it will thicken. Simply add more water if you need to thin it out for recipes.

For the salad:

In a large bowl, coat your broccoli florets with The Basic White Sauce. Now add your diced yellow bell pepper and sliced kalamata olives. This salad is a beautiful meal when you put it on top of a bed of arugula, followed by a layer of julienned zucchini noodles, drizzle on a little olive oil, and garnish with some pine nuts and a few fresh sprigs of basil.

Makes 4 servings.

Key Lime Pie

401 calories, 20.8 grams sugar, 32.4 grams fat, 28.1 grams carbohydrates, 6.5 grams protein

Not only does this delectable treat require just a handful of common ingredients, it’s a snap to make too!

“The avocado is what gives this lime pie its beautiful green color and wonderful creamy consistency,” Stowers says. “I promise you will never taste the avocado!”

Ingredients:

For basic nut crust:

3/4 c. raw almonds

1 c. raw walnuts

10 medjool dates (1 c. pitted and packed down)

Pinch of salt

For pie filling:

3/4 c. fresh squeezed lime juice

1 1/2 c. avocados

1/2 c. raw honey

1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 c. coconut oil

2 tbsp. lecithin

Directions:

For basic nut crust:

Process ingredients in a food processor using the “S” blade until ingredients stick together. Don’t overprocess or you will make nut butter. Press into pie plate. Chill while preparing your pie filling.

For pie filling:

Blend in your blender all ingredients except the coconut oil and the lecithin. Now add your coconut oil and lecithin. Blend again until creamy. Pour into your pie crust and chill for 6-8 hours or until firm. Decorate with kiwi fruit and colorful berries if desired.

Makes about 8 servings.

Peace Out Chocolate Cake

231 calories, 14.4 grams sugar, 14.4 grams fat, 22.3 grams carbohydrates, 7.1 grams protein

"Something about food—especially whole, rich, nourishing food—shared together bonds people. After seven days with a family, I have gained a new family that is forever, and my favorite way to end the week is with Peace Out Chocolate Cake!" Stowers says.

Raw cacao powder lends this rich dessert its addictive flavor, but it’s also packed with nutritional benefits.

“By weight, cacao has more antioxidants than red wine, green tea, acai, pomegranates, and blueberries combined,” she says. “Phenylethylamine (PEA) is a chemical produced in our body when we fall in love. It increases focus, alertness, and serves as a natural appetite suppressant. We can produce this chemical at will by eating raw cacao.”

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. raw walnuts

1 c. pitted medjool dates

1/3 c. raw cacao powder

1 tsp. vanilla

1 pinch salt

For the chocolate mousse topping:

1/4 cup agave

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 avocados (3/4 cup)

1/3 cup raw cacao powder, pure BLISS

1/4 cup water

Directions:

Process in the food processor with the “S” blade until mixture sticks together. You can add a tiny amount of water if needed to moisten your mixture. Don’t over process or you will make nut butter. Pat mixture into an 8 in. round cake pan.

For the chocolate mousse topping: Simply blend in your blender. Top your cake with chocolate mousse and decorate with berries for Peace Out Chocolate Cake!

Makes 8 servings.

Jacob's Peace Pie

268 calories, 20.5 grams sugar, 17.3 grams fat, 27.4 grams carbohydrates, 6.7 grams protein

Though it’s delicious year-round, this fruity pie makes a scrumptious dessert in the summer, when fruits like sweet peaches and strawberries are at their peak. You can also serve this treat cobbler-style!

“If I have leftovers of this pie, which is rarely, I will scoop out the fruit filling into dishes,” Stowers says “Put little balls of the leftover crust into the dehydrator overnight at 115 degrees and serve warmed cobbler for breakfast!”

Ingredients:

For basic nut crust:

3/4 c. raw almonds

1 c. raw walnuts

10 medjool dates (1 c. pitted and packed down)

Pinch of salt

For pie filling:

2 c. summer peaches for blending

3 tbsp. lemon juice

1-2 tbsp. fresh ginger

2 tbsp. coconut oil

1 tbsp. raw honey

Directions:

For basic nut crust:

Process ingredients in a food processor using the “S” blade until ingredients stick together. Don’t over process or you will make nut butter. Press into pie plate. Chill while preparing your pie filling.

For pie filling:

Blend in your blender these first ingredients to a puree: 3 c. summer peaches for adding to your puree, 1 summer peach for decorating your peach pie, 1 c. summer strawberries for more decorating. Add 3 c. chopped peaches to your puree and chill for 6 hours. Decorate with your remaining peaches and strawberries. To make and serve this pie in the same day is best. After a fruit pie sits overnight, the crust will become too mushy to enjoy.

Makes 8 servings.