Husband hasn't really liked any raw food recipes I've tried, suggestions?

[MaineMomof4]

Hi, I'm pretty new to going raw (only about 3-4 weeks) and we haven't completely made the transistion since we don't have our dehydrator yet or our juicer although we do have our vitamix that we constantly use. We have eliminated any dairy and meat and basically everything else except for a few snacks such as blue corn tortillas and some cereal that is pretty plain and a few raw food bars just to get us through the day. ANYWAYS... I tried making crunchy tacos (recipe on this site) chili (recipe on this site) refried beans (recipe on this site) and avacado pudding none of which he cared for. He said that he could taste the avacado too much in each recipe and he didn't like the way it tasted even though he loves plain raw avacados. With the bean dip he said it was ok but he didn't go crazy over it. He did like the nacho cheese I made and so did myself and the kids. I didn't really care for the other recipes myself although I did love the refried beans and my kids like the avacado pudding. I felt really frustrated because I put all this effort and then no one really cared for it and was just wondering if anyone had any advice on other things I can try that don't include avacado or a way to mask the avacado more? I'm not really a huge fan of avacado myself. Well hope someone can help me out, talk to you all soon!

[michigan roman]

im gonna say as a man i liked the granola heavy in nut type things . like walnuts and raisins chopped up to a coarse mix then maybe some seeds added / pressed into the mix then coated with the date / lemon frosting that = alissas recipe . or other granola heavy in nut and seed things .

and hearty salads with the lettuce shredded / slivered (makes em more dense ) with ALOT of vegis , ecspecially button mushrooms which have a filling texture and nutrient dense quality to me . with a extra virgin olive oil (extras way better that plain if ya never experimented ) and vinegar dressing with alot of garlic , the garlic some how makes salads more filling to me .

[girlsmiley]

Do you have Alissa's book?

The zucchini pasta with Marinara or Pesto is really good.

RAWvolution tacos are good ... the "meat" is 1 1/2 c walnuts ground in the FP to look like the texture of ground meat, put it in a bowl and add 1 1/2 t cumin and 3/4 t coriander, mix well. Add 2 T nama shoyu and mix well.

I put that in salads for taco salads. His suggestion is to use collard leaves as the shell and put the meat and salsa and shredded lettuce in it. My SAD friends ask me when I'm going to make them again and bring them in ... lol :)

[Veganforlife]

I agree about Alissa's book. There are some "WOW" recipes in there!
Also, yours and his tastebuds will change. Give it time.

[Nimmanu]

I think she hasn't gotten either the book or the dehydrator yet, as I recall from another post. (She has ordered, but they've not arrived- I was there last week, and still waiting on the dehydrator)

Am I allowed to post the Fettucini Alfredo recipe from Alissa's book, or would I be violating a rule?

[tvillemom]

At the beginning, I would just eat fresh, natural foods. MONO meals of fruits, and maybe even some granola (for heaviness, and a filling breakfast) and salads with lots of different veggies for different flavors, AND don't eat the same salad twice in a row. For instance, if I use red peppers, carrots, etc. in one salad, the next day I would use maybe cauliflower, onions, etc.....different flavors, so you don't feel like you are eating the same thing everyday. Even vary the greens if you can.
After awhile, your tastebuds WILL change. When I first started, I thought, "no way is avocado good, YUCK", now they are one of my favorites, and I buy about 3-4/week just for myself!! I also prefer to eat my salads with just a squeeze of lemon or LIME juice...instead of heavy oils....and I used to HAVE TO make a salad dressing EVERYDAY!
Be patient....things will get better. Focus on the flavors you LIKE....make meals out of things you love....
Best of luck, and congratulations on making it this far. :D
Wendi

[razzleberry]

Congratulations to you for taking on the raw food lifestyle!

My only advice would be to just stick to simple things.. like when I was introducing this raw food thing to my family I made them lettuce wraps (which if sound interesting to you let me know!) and other flavourful vegetable dishes like that. I found some good recipes at http://www.living-foods.com and http://www.sadtoraw.com when I was beginning out! I'd also make simple berry pies for dessert with some fresh fruit ice cream.

Your husband will adapt to your new healthful diet, he would just be really used to the old food he ate full of additives and flavours. Just continue doing what your doing with experimenting with new recipes because you will find one that sticks and that is absoultely loved by your family! Perhaps in the meantime shun the recipes that have a ton of prep involved as this will mean less time in the kitchen for you, and you won't be so disappointed with your families reaction if they don't enjoy it as much as you'd hoped :)

Also continue to lead by example.. I've been having green smoothies for breakfast for months, and eating a high raw diet and only now has my boyfriend taken note and decided he must to the same :D He even had a green smoothie this morning, he said how refreshed he felt to have something so good to start the day off with - I know your family will feel the same about the food you make for them!

Razzle x

[goodbeets]

Definately get Alissa's book. Her recipes are great. We really like her chili (no avocado), I use less dates, though. We also like pizza, angel hair w/ marinara and we do lots of salads. This food won't taste exactly like raw, I find I like it better!! The recipes taste so fresh, and if I eat 2 helpings I never feel sick or tired.

[trinity082482]

Meals that he would probably like are:

Lemon chewies.
Raw cheese cake
Onion bread sandwich
Hummus with raw crackers.

My spouse doesn't like most raw food either. He won't even go near the onion bread :rolleyes:
But he has tried: raw cheese cake, Fruit leathers, my flax seed granola bars, lemon chewies, raw chocolate pudding, My raw-e-o's and he eats my fruit.

[merfie]

to repeat myself from other posts: my boyfriend is the WORST kind of eater...partially hydrogenated oils, MSG, cokes, tons of sugar and processed food... :eek:

anyway, he tries most everything i make, ESPECIALLY goodies, cookies, cakes, pies, and since i myself have a huge sweet tooth, i enjoy making them. so if he picks up a few chocolate macaroons instead of a candy bar...great. he'll also eat other things i make, if it's not too insane tasting to him...but then he'll also get up and make a steak, or get a hotdog :eek: GROSS!

but it's not my body, i don't have control over what he ingests, i can only be a good example and hope that he'll continue eating what i make, more and more often. he will eat a salad a day, and i'm always making a green juice (that he'll hold his nose to drink, LOL) he knows it's good for him and at least he's consuming it...

tonight i'm making shazzie's walnut burgers for us and another SAD couple i'll let you know how that goes over...

the best of life, meredith

[Sharon in Colorado]

Keep It Simple Sweetie.

My husband and kids never care for most recipes either. They'd much rather eat whole fresh fruits, veggies, salads and smoothies.

However there are a few recipes I've been successful at, they were a few of the cookie recipes, guacamole, a few dips, salads, etc. They really do not like a lot of the dehydrated things, pies, cakes etc. - they all have a weird taste and texture and just don't have a good mouthfeel compared to the real thing.

[Svadhyaya]

My husband loves the sweets and the salads, but doesn't like most of the entrees. He says he doesn't like "cold food" and especially not "cold soups."
I sympathize with him....I don't care for some of it, myself. Raw really does take some "getting used to." At least it has for us.

It's especially difficult when something is named (for example) "Fettucini Alfredo" and you taste it and it may taste okay, but is definitely nothing like the rich, artery-clogging but tasty "real" fettucini alfredo. I think the titles make my husband feel like he's getting jipped. That's why I rename the recipes for him so as not to give him false hope (like "zucchini strings with tomato sauce" instead of "spaghetti with marinara.")

[Nini]

May I suggest you make the yummy chili recipe that everyone (including me) is raving about?

http://rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1231&highlight=chili]Chili ([U)[/U]



Oh.... I just saw that you tried a chili recipe...did he not like this one?

[MaineMomof4]

We didn't like the one with the avacado do you have a different recipe? Thank you.

[anyanyapie]

I agree with everyone else on keeping it simple. Try smoothies too, those are great. If you would like to make a healthy treat, make a pie. Blend up 1 cup of almonds and I think about 1/2 cup soaked dates (a little cinnamon if you like). Press into pie pan and fill with whatever you want. You can blend up fruits (with a little avacado to make it creamy, if you don't use much, you won't taste it), or just whole fruits. Pretty much anything you put in will taste great. I have tried a couple of alissa's pies and they are soooo good, even my dad liked them, he is a huge meat eater.

Oh, raw pizzas are a hit with my son. You can use the pizza wrap recipe or any flax cracker recipe and top with a bunch of fresh stuff. Oh wait, you don't have a dehydrator yet... well, when you get it, you should make some pizza crusts.

Also, are there any other raw foodies in your area? Go to a potluck or organize one of your own. We just had our first one in minnesota and it was awesome. I got to try a bunch of different things, without having to toil over them to find out whether I liked them or not. Plus, I made some new (raw) friends!