My favorite raw veggies and accompanying dips

May 13, 2013 at 8:16 pm (unrated, Vegetable dishes)

To use up the vegan cashew “cream cheese” I made last week, I’ve been eating  a lot of raw veggies (or crudité, if you prefer the more sophisticated French term).  A number of my friends have been surprised at some of the veggies I like to eat raw, so I thought I’d share a list with my blog readers.

First of all, there are the obvious veggies that I think almost everyone would consider eating raw:

• carrots (Fresh ones shouldn’t be bitter, if they are then use them for cooking or you can peel them, as the bitterness is just in the skin.)
• celery (I usually cook with the outer stalks and save the tender inner stalks for eating raw.)
• tomatoes (especially cherry tomatoes—yum)
• cucumbers (I prefer the smaller crisper ones, but slices of the larger, softer ones are also nice.)
• radishes (I like both the little round red ones and the larger kinds like Daikon.)
• cauliflower
• broccoli (But I rarely eat it raw, as I much prefer it cooked.)
• bell peppers, esp. red ones
• sugar snap peas or snow peas
• jicama (But sadly I can’t get it here in Germany.)

Less commonly eaten raw, or at least as part of a crudite platter:

• fennel (One of my favorites.  I love it braised, but it has a great texture and taste when eaten raw.)
• Belgian endive (It’s great for dipping, and not nearly as bitter raw as it is when it’s cooked.  You can break off individual leaves but I usually just eat it from the pointy tip down to the base.)
• green beans (Germans think that they’re poisonous when uncooked.  I looked it up and apparently they do contain high concentrations of lectins, which may be harmful when consumed in large quantities.)
• white mushrooms (Apparently these can also contain a toxin—called agaratine—that cooking destroys.  It seems to be unknown to what extent this is really a problem, but to be on the safe side probably don’t eat raw mushrooms in large quantities.)

Some others that I often eat raw in salads but have not yet tried to use for dipping:

• turnips (The little white ones have an amazing texture when raw, and a very mild taste.)
• zucchini (It’s particularly nice shaved into thin strips with a vegetable peeler.)
• beets (Usually grated in a salad–I’ve never tried thin slices.)
• celery root (Usually grated in a salad)
• cabbage (napa or regular green or red)

What did I miss?  What other vegetables do you like to eat raw?  And what are some of your favorite things to dip raw veggies into?

Here are a few (non-dressing) dip ideas from my blog:

• hummus
• white bean and mushroom pate
• guacamole
• a roasted carrot spread
• my Mom’s tofu salad
• a white bean and rosemary spread
• vegan cashew “cream cheese”
• nut butters like peanut, almond, or (one of my favorites) sunflower seed butter
• Annie’s tahini dressing (yes, this is a dressing, but I love it so much I decided to include it anyway)

What are your favorite veggie dips or spreads?