Shazzie’s Top Ten Raw Foods for Autumn

The summer has passed (did you make the most of it?) and now the trees are shedding leaves of autumnal hues of brown, red, yellow and gold… preparing us for the more blustery chill of the winter months. Reminds me of when I was little, when we’d abundantly use the word crimson at school. I think it’s the only time we use the word, isn’t it?

Anyway, back to the present time… It can be more of a challenge to stay on the raw path when the air drops in temperature, so here are some cosy, wrap-up warmy ideas to keep your body and mind living and well.

1. Make soup

For a warming vegetable soup, cut up two carrots, half a butternut squash, half an onion, and a clove or two of garlic. Whizz in your high speed blender with the juice of 3 carrots, 2 courgettes, 2 apples and 1 lemon. Add 1 tsp Himylayan pink salt. Whizz up again for one minute or until fully blended. You can either warm this in your dehydrator (takes forever) or very gently on a low heat over the stove… add some grated ginger and a pinch of cinnamon on top, and a fresh grind of warming black pepper. You will not only feel all lovely and cosy inside but you will be well on your way to preventing any winter viruses this season.

2. Eat cake

Raw cake is filling, nourishing, grounding, loving. It’s also perfect to eat with cup of warming herbal cinnamon tea and a dash of agave nectar. Check out my book Evie’s Kitchen for some very tempting recipes full of chocolately goodness or why not get creative and make your own Autumnal Signature cake using the world’s finest superfoods? Try experimenting with different flours and powders such as carob, lucuma, cacao or purple corn. And don’t forget to send me a photo of a slice!

3. Be thermogenic

Cinnamon. Turmeric. Ginger. Chilies. Garlic. Thermogenic foods help to raise your body temperature and burn fat so what’s not to love? These are warming for the body and we should all be having good amounts in our everyday meals. Add the juice of ginger to your morning smoothie or juice. Include chilies in your dehydrated nut burgers. Make a carob and cinnamon almond nut mylk shake. Crush raw garlic and mix with cider vinegar and olive oil and lemon for a dressing for salads. Warrrrmmm yet?

4. Eat fat

No, no, not dripping or lard… just think of the healthy fats that give us energy, make our skin soft, ward off disease and give us that good, comforting feeling all round. Avocados, nut butters, coconut oil, durian, flax seed and olives. Mash a whole avocado with garlic, lemon, chili, pinch of pink salt, heirloom tomatoes and coriander with a bit of melted coconut oil for a lovely warming Autumn supper treat. Cut up some crunchy celery and courgette sticks to dip in or spread on some nut and seed crackers for even more warming fat.

5. Eat chocolate

You know my feelings about the wonder of cacao… but let me remind you quickly — cacao is full of minerals and nutrients. So if you eat a small amount daily, it stands to reason that you will also be full of minerals and nutrients too! Many people are depleted in essential vitamins and minerals — particularly magnesium — and as raw chocolate is packed full of the M word, I feel this gives me a good excuse at least to nibble on a Siren bar… daily! It’s also well-known that when the nights get longer, and the hours of daylight shorten, we can be more prone to feeling low or having SAD feelings (seasonal affective disorder). Chocolate contains all the right ingredients to help us to feel happy. So when I say eat chocolate, I really mean it! Be happy in these cold months… and full of joy!

6. Drink warmth

Yes. that’s right: make hybrid warming chocolate smoothie teas! Use thick nut and seed mylks as a base and add the herbal tea of your choice. Then go to town: 1 tsp cacao powder, carob, lucuma, purple corn… add any superfoods you like to your milky teas. Drink while sitting by the fire on a lovely big rug, huddled with your loved ones or a good book. For a super amazing hot chocolate, gently warm 1 cup brazil nut mylk in a pan and allow 5 squares of your favourite Shazzie’s Naked Chocolate to melt slowly. Add 1 tbsp agave, a pinch of cinnamon and a tiny pinch of chili for an extra kick. Sitr and serve in a bowl or a lovely mug!

7. Eat green

As we move from season to season, our bodies can become more vulnerable which is why many people suffer so much from colds and flu when the summer ends and the autumn begins. It’s even more important at this time therefore to prevent and pre-empt. Don’t wait for that virus to come your way — get your body prepared and your immune system strengthened. Start your day off with a big green juice every morning, even if afterwards you still have porridge or crumpets!

Juice 2 apples, a courgette, 1 stick of celery, a cucumber, 1 beetroot, 1 carrot, 3 broccoli florets and a big handful of kale and spinach and warming watercress and rocket. Instead of adding ice, try drinking it at room temperature. Your taste buds might need some adjusting but it will stop the shivers after each mouthful. If you can’t manage drinking it without ice, throw in a handful of frozen berries instead for an extra nutrient hit and to bring the temperature down of your smoothie or juice without adding extra water. Serve greens with every meal, too — have a nice big salad on the side of anything else you eat (cake exempt). The world may be turning brown but we need to stay green all Autumn through.

8. Eat burgers

I bet you never thought you’d hear me say that, did you?

This is the season for your dehydrator to be dusted off and put to good use! Soak 1 cup pumpkin seeds and 1 cup almonds in water for a couple of hours. Rinse and discard the water. Pop in a food processor with 2 sundried tomatoes, 1 fresh tomato, fresh basil and oregano, half a red onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 carrots and 1 stick celery. Add the juice of 1 lemon and a pinch of pink salt. Process and then shape into small round patties. Put in the dehydrator overnight or for 24 hours if you want them to be crunchier and last longer. Serve with a raw salsa of freshly chopped tomatoes, chives, red onion, olive oil, agave, garlic and cloves and a fresh green salad with parsley, dill, cucumber, bok choy and spring onion.

9. Make room for the mushroom

You can get so many varieties of mushrooms these days that are meaty, filling and packed full of antiviral, immune-boosting properties. The white button ones you see in supermarkets might be your favourite but for the fun guys (get it?!) that pack a real health-maintaining, medicinal punch, think shiitake, reishi, chaga, maitake, lion’s mane enoki.

Shiitake and enoki are great in salads and soups, or marinated in some olive oil and garlic!

To use the other mushrooms, add some of these as powder to soups, smoothies, pâtés and salad dressings. You can also make tea with them for even more warmth!

10. Hot lemons!

Boil your kettle. Pour the water into a cup. Add 2 slices of lemon, 3 thin slices of ginger, a bit of a cinnamon stick and infuse. Drink several times a day. Lemons are so good for autumn. Their colour reminds us that the sun is always shining even if it’s behind the clouds and drinking lemon reminds us of summer days. Do this every day, even if it’s just lemon and warm water… and it’s a great way to end the day too. Just simple water, and lemon. Keep it warm. Keep it lovely.

Happy autumn, beautiful!

Bliss U

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1 reply
  1. Ruthie
    Ruthie says:

    nice sharing, thankyou, already noticing my body guiding me in different food choice directions.. thanks xx

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