Raw food basics are, well, pretty basic. Since there is no cooking involved it takes a lot of complication out of the equation. No need to worry about things baking weird, burning, under-cooking, or remembering timers. Since nothing is baked or cooked, it all washes off easily. 

Another terrific feature of un-cooking food recipes is they are hard to ruin and easy to adapt. Essentially you are throwing a bunch of wholesome, nutrient-dense ingredients together in different forms and serving it in a way that is pleasing to the eye ; think of them as inspirational blueprints.

I have found raw food preparation to usually be extremely fast (and easy) but there are certain circumstances when a lot of time is required to make a recipe. I’m talking about dehydrating foods and extensive recipes like in most of Brigitte’s Raw Food & Delicious Delights products. The semi-lengthy processes in my recipes are worth the time though, and usually increase or intensify the nutrition and taste of the food.

What to have in your pantry and fridge? It should be easy to guess – lots of fruit and vegetables. Just buy whatever is affordable and preferably local and in season. Hit up your city's farmer's market and see all the cool people buying alfalfa sprouts – you better grab some too. Foods I regularly use are berries, bananas, apples, oranges, avocados, tomatoes, cucumber and bell peppers. Veggies I often eat are broccoli, cauliflower, onions, eggplant, garlic, yams, zucchini, beets, sprouts and carrots.

Even if you're making raw food recipes every day, you don't NEED any expensive equipment. You can thrive on the simplest and most natural meals: fresh and dried fruit, sliced veggies, nuts and simple salads. Having said that, sometimes you gotta mix things up simply because it's just so much fun and tasty. On top of that it keeps things interesting and easy to stay on track if you ever feel yourself getting bored.

Some of this equipment has been specially designed to increase nutrient density for you and help you get the healthiest foods in your body in super efficient ways. For example, with a good quality juicer, fresh made juice enters your blood within 15 minutes.

The appliances to consider getting are: a high speed blender, a food processor, a good quality juicer, and a spiral slicer or mandolin. I use a Vita-mix, Omega juicer and an Excalibur dehydrator. Remember - you don't NEED all or any of these appliances, but I use them for most of my recipes in Brigitte’s Raw Food & Delicious Delights products.

For more information call Brigitte’s Raw Food & Delicious Delights at (561) 394-7466 where you can reach Brigitte at the Happy Herald Newspaper headquarters founded in 1995. Email: BrigittesFood@HappyHerald.com.