Please help with raw food demo

[DebB]

I've been asked by our owner of Curves if I would demonstrate raw food prep. This would be for women who have made the choice to start adding more raw, healthy food into their diets - but who haven't had any of this type of food, coming from SAD. (Well, I'm assuming they've had salads, etc. ofcourse...)

I'm happy to demo this - but my problem is I don't know what to demo. The owner wants me to demo something that they can all start incorporating into their diets and that's ofcourse, tasty.

This isn't a strong area for me. I know what works for 'me', but I'm pretty clueless what would be good to demo for them.

I was thinking a green smoothie - I make mine really green, I don't have a tried & true 'recipe' for one that's say mainly fruit with a little bit of green (spinach).

Your suggestions (and tips, tricks, advice) is appreciated! Thanks in advance. *Ü*

[drolemil]

Green smoothie would probably be a good idea, maybe choose a flavor that they are familiar with like strawberry-banana. I don't know the proportions, since I don't buy strawberries very much. :o

You can also show them how easy it is to make a soup, there are a ton out there that only require a few ingredients. Then, to not scare them away thinking that everything that's raw can be slurped through a straw, try demonstrating zucchini noodles with an easy pasta sauce. Here's what I do for 1-2 servings that I think is simple: 3 roma tomatoes, 5-6 chopped up (unsoaked) sundried tomatoes, a dash of agave or other sweetener, a pour of evoo, and a clove of garlic all in the blender with. Sea salt can be added if needed as well as herbs/spices (I usually save them to sprinkle on top prettily, though :p). You can show them noodles with a potato peeler and then bring in a spiralizer to wow them. ;)

[DebB]

Thank you drolemil for all your suggestions! I appreciate your help with this ~ ~ *Ü*

[Sirova]

You could make my delicious Berry & Spinach smoothie (tested on non raw non vegans, who loved it!), an avocado chocolate mousse (I have a great recipe too, let me know if you want it, it is somewhere on this forum), apple slices with a nice nut butter, nut milks to replace dairy, homemade salad dressings to replace the nasty stuff from the store, etc. :)

[Thick]

I'd make...

a chocolate cheesecake
corn chips & guacamole
zucchini noodles
spring rolls w/ a thai "peanut" sauce
kale chips

i know they dont have a dehydrator yet, but if they try kale chips--they soon will! Maybe bring a list of good recipe books and a print out of your recipes for them.

For a green smoothie, I'd make a spinach/banana/water one.

I'm so happy for you Deb!

[Revvell]

Keep it simple. If you're not a Vita-Mix (or BlendTec) affiliate, become one. Whichever one YOU like.

You can easily make smoothies and brownies right there. I've done numerous demos.

Use what's available in most kitchens (or easily attainable) such as a food processor.

With a food processor you can make brownies, cobblers, pies. People LOVE desserts.

Talk to them about all the things they're already eating that is raw. Salads ~ change the dressing, change the salad. Bring them 3-5 different dressings they can easily make with an inexpensive blender.

Talk to them about guacamole and salsa and that with the right equipment, they'll be able to make chips. Bring Alissa's book to share and put book marks where the pictures are. Show them that they can make strawberry crepes BUT, mostly focus on what they are doing now and how easy it is to add more.

Tell them that, with just a food processor they can make burgers and loaves but instead of dehydrating, they can wrap them in collard leaves.

Instead of dehydrating cookies, they can eat the raw "dough" ~ just rolled up and rolled into cacao/carob powder, shredded coconut or finely chopped nuts.

Just make a couple of things and bring samples of others.

What would be your intent? Are you looking to begin teaching or is this just for the one time?

[Shelly11]

I agree with salad dressings. Everyone eats salad and most people put horrible dressings on it. Maybe some cheese its and some sauce too. Of course a desert.

[CrazyDelicious]

Demo foods that have gone really well for me:

Raw Ravioli!
Spaghetti Duo - 1 with Marinara and 1 with Pesto
Pesto-stuffed mushrooms

These are good SAD subs - very good intro foods that require no special equipment.

Any and all desserts!! The desserts are what almost every SAD eater I know likes first LOL... try something super simple like apple or berry crumble - they will be amazed that you made in in less that 10min!

I always try and do a delicious raw kale salad - there are many out there that are soooo good! And I find that so many people are afraid of greens other than spinach. Showing them that kale can be delicious and so quick really opened the door to try other greens and add them to their diet.

As for a smoothie, I love making a mango lassie! Banana and mango with almond milk (can add in spinach if you want to green it up), then grate some nutmeg into it. Blend and delicious. You can either add cinnamon or serve with a cinnamon stick! Not too sweet, a bit savoury, and filling, smooth and delicious!

xx

[DebB]

You could make my delicious Berry & Spinach smoothie (tested on non raw non vegans, who loved it!), an avocado chocolate mousse (I have a great recipe too, let me know if you want it, it is somewhere on this forum), apple slices with a nice nut butter, nut milks to replace dairy, homemade salad dressings to replace the nasty stuff from the store, etc. :)

Hi Sirova Your Berry & Spinach smoothie sounds great. Is the recipe on your site?

Everyone is suggesting salad dressings. I was over a year into raw before I even had a green salad because I couldn't find a dressing I cared for. Now I have two that I use. An Italian dressing that's "just okay" - not one I'd really want to share and then Snowdrop's Ranch which I really love. Do you have recipes you'd recommend?

See - I'm one of those that's not gifted in just whipping things together, I really do need to follow a recipe.

Thank you so much for your help with this! *Ü*

[DebB]

Hmmm... maybe a nut or seed onion dip to dip their carrots and celery, etc, in... some soaked nuts or seeds, oil, lemon, green onions, maybe a bit of garlic, and water to thin it down into a dip consistency... good for snacking during the day!

Plus you only need a food processor to make it, so people wouldn't have to go buy a Vitamix or BlendTec or juicer or anything just to start out.

Thank you EvieP ~ (I don't know how to put multiple quotes in one post)

I like the idea of people being able to make up a recipe without having a high speed blender. This dip sounds really nice! I appreciate your help, I knew I could count on lots of suggestions here. *Ü*

[DebB]

I'd make...

a chocolate cheesecake
corn chips & guacamole
zucchini noodles
spring rolls w/ a thai "peanut" sauce
kale chips

i know they dont have a dehydrator yet, but if they try kale chips--they soon will! Maybe bring a list of good recipe books and a print out of your recipes for them.

For a green smoothie, I'd make a spinach/banana/water one.

I'm so happy for you Deb!

Hi Thick ~ I'm really leaning towards the zucchini noodles. Those would make a fun demonstration! Thanks so much for your suggestions, I like the idea of your list of recipe books and the printout of recipes I use. Maybe even let them know which books our library system carries! *Ü*

[DebB]

Keep it simple. If you're not a Vita-Mix (or BlendTec) affiliate, become one. Whichever one YOU like.

Thank you Revvell ~ Yes, I would like to keep it simple.

You can easily make smoothies and brownies right there. I've done numerous demos.

I've got a BT and could demonstrate smoothies, Sirova suggested her Berries & Spinach recipe that I'm going to look into. I want a smoothie that SAD folks will like.

Use what's available in most kitchens (or easily attainable) such as a food processor.

With a food processor you can make brownies, cobblers, pies. People LOVE desserts.

I like the idea of a cobbler, however I've never made one. Is there a particular recipe you enjoy?

Talk to them about all the things they're already eating that is raw. Salads ~ change the dressing, change the salad. Bring them 3-5 different dressings they can easily make with an inexpensive blender.

I do like this idea very much. The challenge for me would be finding recipes for the different dressings as I've only made 2 - I realize that might sound pathetic - ha, but green salads were something I didn't start eating until quite recently because I didn't have dressing recipes I cared for. Now I make Snowdrop's Ranch and a 'so-so' Italian dressing...

How would I present the dressings? Have (say) 3-5 small salads made up and toss the dressings in and they taste them? I know these are a lot of questions, but I've never demonstrated or even attended a demonstration (other than watching VM & BT demos at Costco).

Talk to them about guacamole and salsa and that with the right equipment, they'll be able to make chips. Bring Alissa's book to share and put book marks where the pictures are. Show them that they can make strawberry crepes BUT, mostly focus on what they are doing now and how easy it is to add more.

Tell them that, with just a food processor they can make burgers and loaves but instead of dehydrating, they can wrap them in collard leaves.

Instead of dehydrating cookies, they can eat the raw "dough" ~ just rolled up and rolled into cacao/carob powder, shredded coconut or finely chopped nuts.

I love these ideas!

Just make a couple of things and bring samples of others.

What would be your intent? Are you looking to begin teaching or is this just for the one time?

As far as I know - this is to be a one time demo. These are women at Curves that have all watched, "Food, Inc." and want to be more aware of what they're eating and perhaps start incorporating better food choices. Curves owner asked me to demo things that they can all start adding into their diets.

I have no problem demonstrating making a recipe - I'm just stumped as what to actually demo..

Thank you so much for your help and suggestions, I appreciate it so much.

[DebB]

I agree with salad dressings. Everyone eats salad and most people put horrible dressings on it. Maybe some cheese its and some sauce too. Of course a desert.

Thank you Shelly ~ I'm really liking the idea of the salad dressings and you're right - those bottled dressings are the pits.

Do you have some tried and true dressings you could recommend? I make Snowdrop's Ranch and that's about it.

Thanks so much, I appreciate your help with this. *Ü*

[DebB]

Demo foods that have gone really well for me:

Raw Ravioli!
Spaghetti Duo - 1 with Marinara and 1 with Pesto
Pesto-stuffed mushrooms

These are good SAD subs - very good intro foods that require no special equipment.

Any and all desserts!! The desserts are what almost every SAD eater I know likes first LOL... try something super simple like apple or berry crumble - they will be amazed that you made in in less that 10min!

I always try and do a delicious raw kale salad - there are many out there that are soooo good! And I find that so many people are afraid of greens other than spinach. Showing them that kale can be delicious and so quick really opened the door to try other greens and add them to their diet.

As for a smoothie, I love making a mango lassie! Banana and mango with almond milk (can add in spinach if you want to green it up), then grate some nutmeg into it. Blend and delicious. You can either add cinnamon or serve with a cinnamon stick! Not too sweet, a bit savoury, and filling, smooth and delicious!

xx

Hi CrazyDelicious ~ I'm liking the idea of an apple crumble - do you have a tried & true recipe that you could recommend? I've never made one before :)

Now, by kale salad - - the only one I've made is Karen Knowler's massaged kale salad (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlpy2RcsOtc). Is that what you'd recommend?

When you add something like an avo into the above salad - and even making the nut milk - do you just dig right in with your hands? Or do you wear latex gloves?
So many questions...

Thank you so much for all your suggestions, I am so appreciative! *Ü*

[drolemil]

I agree with Sirova on bringing a chocolate-avocado pudding for dessert. It is so easy, and so delicious. You could also try showing them a basic homemade chocolate of 4 parts coconut butter, 3-4 parts cacao powder, and 2-3 parts agave. Just hand-stir and freeze. The ingredients may be new to them, but the recipe is simple.

Lettuce wraps are excellent, too! Make any pate, dip, spread, or any other savory/meaty recipe and just plop it on romaine lettuce leaves. ;) I had guac for breakfast served like that. :p

Sushi might be also a neat thing to try. Wrapping up some nori with cauliflower/jicama/yam rice along with a variety of fillings seems basic enough. :)

Stuffed mushrooms/tomatoes/peppers also could be good idea. You can recycle a pate/filling you used in another recipe to show how simple it is to vary food with using the same basic ingredients.

[Revvell]

The last place I catered we had two dressings, one being Alissa's ginger dressing.

Also, look at http://rawmazing.com for some truly great ideas.

A place I was at today had 5 bottled dressings. They put some in a cup and cut up cucumbers. You could taste their dressing by sticking a quarter slice of cuke (using a toothpick) into the dressing.

Have fun!

Rev

[RawKnitster]

Lots of great input you received here. I've been thinking about this since you posted it. I wanted to suggest something that SAD dieters could relate to.

The most filling salad I've eaten was a kind of waldorf extreme. The dressing was ground sesame seeds (or tahini), lemon juice, vinegar, honey (or sweetener of choice), sesame oil, olive oil, (could sub oil of choice), chopped garlic, and chopped gingerroot. Blend or process and put on a salad of veggies and fruits, could be sliced or grated with the food processor.

Dino kale, cabbage, carrot, apple, red onion (opt.), mixed with raisins, sunflower seeds (or walnuts). I added soaked dulse, but that may be a bit too much for first timers.

Also a good dressing for a more traditional waldorf or a carrot raisin salad, (leave out the garlic for the carrot raisin).

Make a big salad as it keeps well for several days. Actually improves with age.

[RawKnitster]

I found the recipe for the dressing on my blog. Since that first time I have dropped the miso.

1 cup white hulled sesame seeds, ground into paste
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
6 Tablespoons honey
1 large clove garlic (1 teaspoon chopped)
3/4" slice knob of gingerroot (1 1/2 teaspoons chopped)
1 Tablespoon mellow white miso
1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons olive oil

[CrazyDelicious]

This is a really really good crumble recipe - very easy to make!!

Crumble Topping

2 cups walnuts
1/2 cup dried shredded coconut
1/2 cup raisins
10 medjool dates
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
pinch of salt

Grind walnuts, coconut, and spices until coarse. Add raisins and dates until the combination of ingredients starts to stick together in large crumbs - don't take it too far!!! Thats it - really delicious!!

Then make the fruit base - you can use apples, peaches, or berries!! I make a concoction of lemon juice and soaked dates and a pinch of salt. Toss the fruit in the sauce and top with the crumble. You can also press the crumble into a pie crust. Sooooo delicious!

Also - about the kale salad, I like her salad - it is simple and I eat lots of it! But I have actually had good feedback from making a salad with a dressing similar to Alissas marinated greens as the base (I don't use much garlic) - I massage the kale in the dressing and then add the avocado and ripe cherry tomato halves if they are in season! Yum!! I will sometimes make the marinated greens ahead of time and show how they wilt and "cook" in the dressing then add the other ingredients to the prepped kale. The kale really surprises people - I have seen many people who are anti-greens start eating kale when they try a good kale salad!!


xx

[DebB]

Such amazing responses! Thank you everyone for sharing so freely with me!

You've given me so many great suggestions drolemil. I do like the idea of the chocolate pudding. I've made it and it is so good. It's what I take with me when we're going to someone's home for dinner, so I'm comfortable making that - -

And thanks for the dressing tip about using Alissa's ginger dressing Revvell. I've not made that, so I'll give it a try! I really like the idea about cukes on toothpicks to taste test the dressings. And I neede to hear, "have fun" as I'm easily overwhelmed with this :)

Thank you so much RawKnitster for not only your suggestions, but then looking up and posting your recipe! I've got tahini and the other ingredients and it looks delicious.

Thank you so much CrazyDelicious for including your crumble recipe. I've never made one, so having the recipe is great for me! I would love fixing a kale salad especially since you say it goes over so well. I haven't made Alissa's recipe, so I think it's time to give it a try!

Thank you again Everyone, I so appreciate your help with this! *Ü*

[Sirova]

Hi Sirova Your Berry & Spinach smoothie sounds great. Is the recipe on your site?

Here you go!
http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=57822&highlight=berry+spinach+smoothie

[Thick]

I agree that the berry smoothie is a great idea. It has greens, but still a more mainstream smoothie color, so they will be more open to it.=)

[DebB]

Here you go!
http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=57822&highlight=berry+spinach+smoothie

Thank you Sirova ~ That looks lovely! Plus, I have all the ingredients as I have frozen cherries - yum!

And I agree Thick - this would be a lovely color and a nice way to introduce smoothies which I'd really like to do.

[revdrcyn]

Hi Deb -

I would demo a Green Smoothie
One of Alissa's Salad Dressings
Zucchini Pasta and Marinara
and a decadent but easy dessert - like Jennifer Cornbleet's One Bowl Brownies - they only take about 10 minutes to make!

[DebB]

Hi Deb -

I would demo a Green Smoothie
One of Alissa's Salad Dressings
Zucchini Pasta and Marinara
and a decadent but easy dessert - like Jennifer Cornbleet's One Bowl Brownies - they only take about 10 minutes to make!

Thank you revdrcyn ~ your suggestions are great. It would make it quite easy and doable. I'll have to check out the brownie recipe (I love J. Cornbleet!) *Ü*