I need the truth!

[jenw722]

Please help! I am always reading about all of the wonderful and yummy recipes everyone is making and enjoying and I have had no such luck!!:( I bought Alissa's book/dvd 2 months ago and have tried many of her recipes but I don't like hardly any of them!! I WANT to like them! I love to cook and I'm having so much fun on this new journey but am I doing something wrong? Will I get more of an "aquired" taste?

I know I should keep going and keep experimenting but I have thrown out alot of food (like flax crackers, pizza bread, monkey bread, mock tuna, italian salad dressing, pizza, meatloaf,...) and I guess I'm in a rut. Thankfully my dh hasn't noticed-he already thinks this diet is batty (like he's a perfect specimen of perfect sad eatin!!:) )

Any suggestions people? I am eternally grateful!!!

[rawchica]

go back to the basics!!

Who says you need fancy recipes in order to enjoy whole fruits and veggies? I say, go back to salads and dressings you know you like, fruit smoothies made with fruit you like (add a little green to them), and go from there. I have been 99% raw for a few months now, but I don't have a dehydrator or a vitamix or whatever. I just go to the farmer's market and buy what's fresh and tasty!

As you get accustomed to all the fruits and veggies, you might start experimenting all on your own.

How about a nice bowl of spinach, with raw sunflower seeds, diced tomatoes, sun-dried fruit, diced various other veggies, and a nice dressing of raw tahini, lemon, garlic, and raw honey? How can go wrong with that combo!?? mmmm!

have fun with your food! just because other rawbies like something, doesn't mean you have to!

[DavidZaneMason]

Right. Some people prefer more simple. Some people like a plate with 6 different kind of chopped veggies. Others, like me, just sit and eat apples...and we are happy. It's all about what YOU want.

-David Z. Mason

[Bingo24]

Yes, there are a lot of recipes you will not like at first - so keep trying.

Remember, sometimes the simpler recipes are better. My favorite dinner is a Taco Salad - with greens, a lot of veggies and the Taco Meat made with Walnuts, OO and spices. Totally good.

You won't like every recipe, for sure, but keep track of the ones you do. And get other Raw books from your library -Raw Food Real World is by professional cooks. Rawvolution is got some great recipes too.

Keep trying, hang in there!

[BeadedGraces]

I am still new at this but I started with simply juicing...one a day...i noticed as time progressed my taste buds started to change...my craving for cooked food started to go away and I started enjoying even thought of a bowl of raw veggies. It's only now that I have started to do some of the recipes...give yourself time to sort of get used to it all!!! :) And that Taco Salad.....YYYUUMMM...

[Mialsse]

I didn't really like any kind of recipe when we were first starting out. Most of them tasted horrible to me. So I kept it pretty simple (which I actually love about raw foods... the simplicity) Over time my taste buds have really changed dramatically. I've gradually been started to really enjoying things I used to hate. I'm going through a pate craze right now. I HATED everything about pates before... the texture mostly, but the tastes were awful as well. Now, yum! I love them.

Just go with it. Eat what you like, skip the rest.

I'm still waiting for my taste buds to lovingly welcome sea vegetables without causing my gagging reflex to kick in. They disgust me, blech. I so desperately want to like them, for all the wonderful health benefits, but yick! I AM starting to make strides in that direction, though... I'm in love with this raw tuna recipe, and I add extra sea veggies to pump up the tuna-ness, lol. I could live on that stuff right now.

[Rawkinlocs]

Hi Jennifer,

Yeah, it's really funny how it goes sometimes. When I first went raw, there were a LOT of things I hated too but there were also some that I loved and those are the things I made often. I also did things like bananas with almond butter and for me, that was a main staple. But overtime...the longer I was raw, I began to like and actually love some of those very things I used to hate, believe it or not!

Some people love the recipes right off the bat...I mean, I've had SAD-eating people try things and LOVE them.

Everyone's tastes are so different like you'll see people here raving about a particular recipe and then one or two people will come along and say, "Are yall eating the same thing I just made 'cause what I made was awful!"

I've also found that sometimes it's our expectations too...if we are new to raw and we've not too long ago had SAD pizza and then we try a raw one, they are nothing alike and if we are (consciously or subconsciously) expecting that raw pizza to taste like Papa John's or Pizza Hut, then we are in for a rude awakening...if we are trying flax crackers and hoping they'll taste like Ritz or Saltines...another rude awakening.

But some raw recipes actually do come close to their cooked counterparts while many are no where near it.

My advice...as it was suggested, stick with the basic things that you LOVE and allow your body and tastebuds to get adjusted...allow your palette to be cleansed a bit more and then start trying recipes. When you do try recipes, make only HALF of it so there's not as much waste in the event you do not like it and lastly, do NOT be afraid to tweak things! So many feel like they have to follow a raw recipe to the letter and that's where a lot of folks err. Just like with cooking, sometimes you have to look at the ingredients and based on what you know you like or dislike, add a little more or a little less of something or add something totally outside of what is called for.

Some good examples of this: If you are NOT a big fan of garlic but a recipe calls for 4 cloves, are you going to add 4 cloves just because the recipe said so or are you going to either leave it out altogether or add just a little bit, taste it and then if needed, add a little more?

If you see a recipe that calls for 1 tsp. of sea salt yet you know that your palette cannot handle a lot of salty flavors, do you add the full amount or do you cut it down?

If you LOVE spicy and you are making a sauce recipe that calls for either no or very little cayenne pepper...do you add more so it's to your personal taste or do you follow the recipe exactly and then say it's bland?

So, those are just some things to ponder and keep in mind when you are making/trying new raw recipes. They are merely guides but you can make them what appeals to you!

For breads in the dehydrator...if souring was your problem...you may need to turn your dehydrator up a bit at first and then back down. For crackers, if they are turning out flimsy and not crispy/crunchy...dry them longer even if it's been 6-8 hours...go longer until they are desired texture.

It can be a learning curve...but once you get a few things under your belt, you'll be fine!

Hope this helps!

[Bananna]

Yes, never bank on a new recipe working out. And never rule it out forever if it didn't.
Some stuff I made was yuck! Some what Fantastic! And some took some getting used to and tweaking.
Be careful with spices, they can dramatically alter the taste of things....
And use spices, then can dramatically alter the taste of things....lol

[jules88]

I have to say I was wondering the same thing. Everything I made I hated. I made the chocolate pudding hoping to like it. I don't like avocados, but thought it would be difficult to taste with cocoa and sweetner. I hated it. But, thankfully my son loved it. I now like it. I don't love it, but will take a bite or two when I am craving chocolate. Most recipes I have made I have tossed out, and thankfully I only made 1/4-1/2 of the recipe. I just thought that I was a gal with simple tastes. I wanted to make other recipes so that I wouldn't get bored.
Why can't I think of different dishes to eat when I want to but can when someones asks? I have learned to keep a list of the things I really like so that I can refer to it frequently. I have probably printed every recipe of chocolate something or other and put it in a raw cook book to try. I haven't thrown out any, just in case I want to try them again. I am still looking for "my recipe" of crackers. I know lots have been posted, but I just don't like them enough to make them even when I adjust to my tastes.

Like I said I don't like avocados, but yet yesterday I had three stuffed portabella mushroom tops and avocados were the main ingredient. I ate it and will make it again. However, I only used 1/2 the amount of avocaod that was called for and uped the tomatoes because I had a lot and they were full of flavor!!!

Just know that you aren't alone!!! I would love to go to a raw taste group, I'm not comfortable hosting one myself as I don't know as far as recipes goes what tastes good or not because I don't like them. And dehydrating...well lets just say that thankfully this way of eating isn't all about dehyrating because I would have hit my goal weight at about day 4!!!

[rawfoodistdavid]

Don't be intimidated by the gourmet raw recipes.

I went raw because I was already moving in that direction - dairy, especially cow's milk made me stuffed up. Big veggie stews and wholemeal bread stuffed me up (i'm now suspecting I shouldn't have been eating wheat.

Juicing and making smoothies made me feel good and so it went on from there!

I'd just eat salads for every meal if I could!

[jenw722]

You guys are GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you for all the wonderful advise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Sugar Snap Pea]

I bought an empty cookbook/notebook and add in the recipes I try and like, pitch the rest!! I pretty much do a search online, and fix what looks good to me. It usually will last me 2-3 days w leftovers. There have been some horrendous concoctions, but also some excellent ones!

[jacsam]

I also have a book I keep the recipes that I like in....actually it's a photo album and I just slip them in the plastic sheets. One thing I find is that you can't think of raw pizza as pizza....they just don't tast the same. I really don't like naming things after a SAD dish because I never think they taste like what they are trying to say it is.