First time Poster- Beginner Raw Dinners/Savory Nosh!

[sanslait]

I am at a loss when it comes to savory dishes that don't include sweet ingredients, like things that I can have for dinner or lunch, that will fill me. I'm new to raw, have been vegan for ~3 years and veggie for life, so I just stocked up on my breakfast stuff but the other parts of my day are causing me to be at a loss. What are some simple, hopefully low-cost dinners and lunches you can make? Did I mention I have no fancy gadgetry, no raw cookbooks, and can't afford either at this point? I do have a wonderful 6 cup food processor to help me, however.

[Dimond]

Welcome. I actually typically prefer savory over sweet. Large variety of diff salads, marinated veggies, lettuce or nori wraps, zucchini pasta, soups, pate/dip and veggies.

[T-Bird]

Zuchini hummus with flax crackers or onion bread, also good in collard or lettuce or nori wraps

almond pate in a wedged tomato or a wrap

pizzas with the macadamia nut ricotta. the lasagna isn't that hard to make either.....


These are filling, satisfying, and *sorta* like what you're used to.

also salads with sprinkling of hemp, dulse, and cubed avocado also are filling.


In the beginning, have things really handy. Don't run out of what you need to feel satisfied.

Best of luck!

[something beautiful]

My favorite savory things are massaged kale salad and simple soups. Two fav soups are avo and lots of greens, pureed with dulse and some warm water, and the other is the corn from two cobs, one avo, dulse and black pepper with warm water. Both very satisfying! The massaged kale salad is my all time absolute fav - everyone loves it, it keeps very well. It was the first successful raw recipe I attempted, too. I think I came across it on a raw recipe site.

[something beautiful]

Oh, and salsa! Diced corn, tomatoes, celery, onions...whatever. Eat it by itself or roll up in romaine...very good! Add spices to your liking.

[Lunar*Fey]

my all time favorite savory meal is lots of ripe avocado atop your favorite greens with seaweed! yummmm! simple, delicious, satisfying. Of course avocados and seaweed can be expensive, but I sometimes find avocados on the reduced produce section at the grocery store...when I do its like finding treasure lol.

*big bowl of sprouted chickpeas (sprinkle with himala or celtic or whatever sea salt if desired)'
*Bowl of sprouted lentils (add salt and herbs if desired)
*place sprouted lentils (or garbanzos, mung beans, or adzukis) in food processor (with salt and/or herbs if desired) and make a spread sort of thing. eat as is, wrap it in a leafy green, eat it as a pate atop salad, or spread it on flax crackers or raw bread to make a sandwich, etc. I like this best made from lentils or chickpeas. Before I was raw I used to make this and eat it on sprouted grain bread (such as Alvarado's) and that was delicious.
*soaked nuts on salad
*nut butter on celery, carrots, or other vegetable

[Thick]

You can make..

-sandwiches between slices of romaine or other lettuce. Iceberg, though not very good nutrtionally, makes an excellent curved bun=) rolled up burrito kind of wraps are good too.

-Alissa's Indian Spinach Dip is so good and very like palak paneer (sp?)

-nut butters, "cheese" or nut dips or guacamole on celery, slices of bell pepper, carrot chips or jicama

-avacado and fresh corn salad with or without tomatoes, red bell peppers, red onion, cilantro, salt, jalapenos--this is so filling and fresh ..yum.. lately I've just been doing the avocado and corn alone.

-pizza can be made on a half of a bell pepper , olive oil marinated portobello mushroom or even a sturdier slice of lettuce...just add a nut cheese (like soaked cashews, lemon, garlic, salt, herbs) or avacado as cheese then toppings or/and marinara (soaked sun dried tomatoes, herbs, water etc)


For the price of some groceries you can find good blenders at thrift stores to make smoothies--which are good and filling without slowing you down.

seeds are always cheaper than nuts. so sunflower seeds can be substitued in a lot of nut recipes. walnuts are also less expensive. look for a farmers market in your area. http://www.localharvest.org/

It's hard to tell what you'll like until you make it--so make a small batch at first. For instance..one ramekin of cheesecake instead of a whole pan. It's easier to choose with pictures...
http://goneraw.com/

http://freshtopia.net/vlog/?page_id=95

http://thesunnyrawkitchen.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2008-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&updated-max=2009-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=50

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=35341&highlight=photos

Welcome to the board!=)

[spicyfull]

When I first went RAW.......I just bought a lot of Vegetables, cut and stored them in containers and would just take from the containers into a Bowl add oil and Vinegar and I was Full and Happy.

[spicyfull]

Welcome to the Forum...You finally made it. I see you have been a Healthy eater All your Life.

[Random]

I know how you feel. I'm also having a really hard time finding savoury dishes that I like! A lot of things I like at first - zuchinni pasta with marinara, onion bread, mushrooms with pesto - but after eating it a few times I realize that I don't really love it and the idea of eating it doesn't appeal to me. I also don't love salads...they're ok as side dishes, but I can't seem to eat a huge bowlful, the way that so many people on this site do.

All that said, I've FINALLY found something that I love and crave, even after eating it every day for a week. And it's so simple... I just chop a quarter cabbage, a peeled carrot, and a handful each of basil, parsley and cilantro in the blender. Then I add whatever sauce/dressing I like - right now, I'm LOVING a thai peanut sauce-inspired dressing, with almonds, lime, ginger and hot pepper. Mix it up and there you go - coleslaw. I usually eat the entire huge bowl, but it also keeps well in the fridge.

I think that this coleslaw is going to keep me raw!

Two other salads that I like are corn, cilantro and tomato; and avocado mashed with salsa. I'm hoping to find some more salads that I love! I'll be following this thread!

[iluvmangos]

My favorite thing is Version 1 of this Mock Salmon Pate (http://fromsadtoraw.com/Recipes/MockSalmonPate.htm) rolled up in a nori sheet with some veggies like shredded carrots, chopped green beans, chopped cucumber and alfalfa sprouts. The pate can be made with sunflower seeds instead of walnuts.

[iluvmangos]

I also like to make a raw taco by layering these Sunflower Refried Beans (http://fromsadtoraw.com/Recipes/SunflowerRefriedBeans.htm), guacamole, and fresh salsa in a romaine leaf.

[sanslait]

I currently have :

Cashews
Almonds
Sunflower Seeds
Frozen Kale
Frozen and fresh spinach
Fresh carrots
Frozen asparagus
Frozen bell peppers
Frozen Broccoli
Bragg's Liquid Amino's
a very small assortment of herbs and spices
Sea Salt
A Bag of dry lentils (are these raw?)
Fresh Garlic
Nutritional Yeast

What can I make using these ingredients? I know I will eat a salad, and then minutes later go for something else, and i have no idea how to make the delicious salad dressings i've had recently which might quell my hunger a bit.

[iluvmangos]

I currently have :

Cashews
Almonds
Sunflower Seeds
Frozen Kale
Frozen and fresh spinach
Fresh carrots
Frozen asparagus
Frozen bell peppers
Frozen Broccoli
Bragg's Liquid Amino's
a very small assortment of herbs and spices
Sea Salt
A Bag of dry lentils (are these raw?)
Fresh Garlic
Nutritional Yeast

What can I make using these ingredients? I know I will eat a salad, and then minutes later go for something else, and i have no idea how to make the delicious salad dressings i've had recently which might quell my hunger a bit.

If you didn't freeze your frozen greens and veggies yourself, they're likely not raw. I don't know if your lentils are raw or not. If they sprout, they're raw. I don't know if all brands are raw or not.

If those are all the ingredients you have in your house, I don't know much to do with them besides make a salad and throw the various nuts and seeds in it. You could make almond butter or cashew butter and dip veggies in that.

[sanslait]

The kale and carrots were freshly bought and frozen at home, while everything else that is frozen was not, and now i'm so disappointed! I spent a fortune on stocking up on veggies and fruits that are frozen and i feel like that may have been pointless. I should contact Trader Joe's and see for sure.

I am trying to be as frugal as possible, and can't afford to buy fresh produce with no place to store it other than the freezer, because i share the fridge with my 7 family members, so the produce drawers are pretty much claimed by their stuff.

So what could I add to this list to give me more options? And what might be your favorite go-to salad dressing recipes that are affordable, not necessarily vinaigrettes or oil-based, and are easy to make in a food processor or just by regular mixing?

[iluvmangos]

The kale and carrots were freshly bought and frozen at home, while everything else that is frozen was not, and now i'm so disappointed! I spent a fortune on stocking up on veggies and fruits that are frozen and i feel like that may have been pointless. I should contact Trader Joe's and see for sure.

I am trying to be as frugal as possible, and can't afford to buy fresh produce with no place to store it other than the freezer, because i share the fridge with my 7 family members, so the produce drawers are pretty much claimed by their stuff.

So what could I add to this list to give me more options? And what might be your favorite go-to salad dressing recipes that are affordable, not necessarily vinaigrettes or oil-based, and are easy to make in a food processor or just by regular mixing?

If there's not enough room in the family fridge for your stuff, is there any possible way that you could get another refrigerator that could be kept in a garage or even a mini fridge that could be kept in your room?

I do oil-based dressings on my salads and can't think of many that aren't, but here's (http://www.living-foods.com/recipes/zestydressing.html) a salad dressing recipe that calls for lemon, lime, and orange juice and some seasonings that might work for you. You might also be able to find something at www.fromsadtoraw.com or www.goneraw.com.

Also, I can pretty much guarantee that your veggies from Trader Joe's are blanched. May as well let the cooked fooders in your house eat them.