Introducing Friends to Raw Food

The Perfect Live Food Dinner Party: Tips to Make Planning Easy

Feb 15, 2008

Tips for planning and preparing a live food dinner party, two sample menus, and words of advice on talking to guests about what it means to "go raw."

If you’re new to the raw food lifestyle, you may be looking for a way to “come out” to your friends and family. By now, they may have even asked what’s different about you, why you look so fantastic, how’d you lose all that weight? Hosting a live food dinner party is your chance to show them.

Tips for preparing for your dinner party

Try everything on the menu yourself before preparing it for guests. Some dishes that sound delicious in a cookbook may be overwhelming to the inexperienced palette.
If it’s fall or winter, prepare dishes that can be dehydrated. Unless your guests have been eating raw for at least a month, it’s difficult for many people to get used to cold soups or “pastas.”
Select dishes that remind people of food they know, like raw pasta (made with zucchini), dehydrated enchiladas, and fruit sorbets. Just don’t call it pasta or chocolate—people will quickly tell you that it’s not!
If possible, consider food combining when creating your menu. The wrong foods presented together may leave your guests feeling bloated, and you certainly don’t want them to go home blaming it on the food!
Plan your entire menu around a theme, like Italian, Indian or Mexican food.
Timing is everything. Try to do most of the preparation ahead of time so that you’re not frantically chopping when people walk in the door. Although you know how much preparation goes into your food, give people only enough of a window into your raw lifestyle to impress them—but not enough to make them think that it’s taken over your life!
Presentation is everything. When you present a beautiful purple cabbage roll, sprinkle the edges of the plate with minced red pepper and cilantro, and guests will marvel at your gourmet abilities. A fresh sprig of mint on frothy banana ice cream, served in a martini glass, makes a great impression.

Suggested Menus

Each of the menus below can be prepared using recipes from raw guru Alissa Cohen’s book, Living on Live Food. The recipes in this book are unbelievably tasty and easy to prepare.

Sample Menu #1: Mexican Fiesta

Appetizer: Jalapeno chips and guacamole
Salad: Southwestern Salad (appetizer portion)
Entrée: Vegetable enchiladas garnished with fresh red salsa, minced red pepper and cilantro
Dessert: Banana ice cream with mocha balls

Hint: for added flavor, add a teaspoon of vanilla, a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg to the bananas while blending. Top with a sprinkle of nutmeg and a spring of mint, and serve in a wine glass or martini glass. Two mocha balls will “float” beautifully in the ice-cream, and are a chewy compliment to the ice-cream.

Sample Menu #2: Italian Extravaganza

Appetizer: Flax seed crackers with olive tapenade
Entrée: Spaghetti Marinara (made with zucchini “pasta”)
Dessert: Chocolate Banana Crème Pie or Strawberry Cannolis

Hint: Rather than calling the entrée “spaghetti,” consider calling it “Zucchini Marinara.”

Talking about Live Food

Although you may be excited to share everything you’ve learned about raw food, go easy on your guests at first. After all, they may be nervous that you’re not getting enough nutrition (“where are you getting your protein?”) that you’ve lost your edge (or even your mind), or that you’re trying to convert them.

Allow your guests to experience the beautiful food you’ve prepared and gently answer questions as they come up. After they’ve opened their hearts (and their mouths) to this new way of eating, they’ll understand why you’re so excited!

Dehydrated Sweet Potato Chips and Raw Food and Travel

The copyright of the article Introducing Friends to Raw Food in Vegetarian Issues is owned by Leigh Hopkins. Permission to republish Introducing Friends to Raw Food in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.