For a few years now I have been very much into simplifying my food. I know you usually see me posting really cool-looking raw food dishes that I make for catering orders, but those are mostly for people who are transitioning into the raw lifestyle and still require heavier foods.

After a few years, I realised that for my body, the simpler the food the better, for a wide variety of reasons. It’s lighter on the stomach, you don’t need to worry about different foods digesting at different times, it may help with cravings for naughty foods, and if you feel ill from something, it’s much easier to figure out what it was from if you just had a mono-meal of apples instead of a complex pizza. I know that many people feel the same way, so I wanted to make a fun list of 5 recipes that you can easily do at home, in under 5 ingredients.

I recently came across a similar article in Pinterest, but instead of real ingredients, the list went on to be something like: 1) Butter, 2) Oreos, 3) Nutella… you get my point, no way can you count that as 5 ingredients, and herbs didn’t make it on the list either! In the recipes below, you will find a list of meals that truly contain 5 ingredients or less, but of course I have given you optional extras if you want to be flexible – after all, this is just a fun game and should not be taken seriously.

I dare you to try to simplify your food as much as you feel you can, and see how your body responds. It doesn’t have to be all raw of course, you can simplify any meal, and you may just be delightfully surprised at how light you could feel.

P.S. the photos below are not necessarily based on the recipes as they have been simplified, pics are for guidelines only.

Tomato and avocado salad

1. 1 tomato
2. 1 or half an avocado
3. Salt

Optional extras:

• Raw apple cider vinegar
• Olive oil
• Black pepper
• Onion powder

Cut the tomato and avocado into thin strips or cubes.
Lay the avocado on top of the tomato, sprinkle some salt or your favourite spices and enjoy this fresh salad.

Cheesy tapas

1. 1/2 zucchini (courgette)
2. A couple of small tomatoes
3. 1 cup macadamia nuts
4. Spicy smoked paprika
5. A squeeze of lemon juice

This is a simplified version of my cheesy tapas posted earlier here <– click the link to find out how to make them.

Guacamole dips

1. 1 avocado
2. Salt
3. Lemon juice

Optional extras:

• Finely diced tomatoes
• Finely diced onions

Veggies to dip (pick one or two):

• Cucumbers
• Celery
• Peppers
• Carrots

Open up an avocado, take out the soft stuff and mash it up with a fork. Now add some lemon and salt to taste (optionally you may add some diced tomatoes or onions into it too).
Serve with veggies or crackers to dip (or just eat it as it is!).

Zucchini pasta

1. 1 zucchini
2. 1 cup tomatoes
3. 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes (not soaked)
4. 1.5 medjool dates
5. Salt to taste

Cut the zucchini into noodle shapes using a spiraliser or a julienne peeler.
Blend the rest of the ingredients in a high speed blender and mix together.

Easy crackers that can dry in the sun

1. Sunflower seeds
2. Sesame seeds
3. Ground flaxseeds

Optional:

• 1 finely diced shallot
• Salt and herbs to taste

For instructions on how to prepare this, please see the simple recipe here. Can serve this with guacamole or anything else you can think of.