Guacamole

Avocado is the only true staple of this gorgeous accompaniment. Add in any of the following: lemon/orange juice, onion/garlic, tomato/red pepper, coriander, cayenne pepper, curry powder.

Karen's super-sexy olive cream

This stuff is soooooo good! Blend: 1 avocado, 1 tomato, 5 or 6 pitted olives, garlic to taste.

Garlic and herb mayo

Great-tasting mayonnaise is definitely not dependent on dairy &emdash; in this case we use cashews or almonds to get the creamy taste and texture. Blend: half a cup of cashews, half a cup of pine nuts, chopped herbs of choice (parsley, thyme, coriander, chives, mint are good), water, sprouted mustard to taste.

Spicy salsa

Mix: 1 corn-on-the-cob's worth of kernels (hold cob upright and slice down the sides with a knife so the kernels fall off), 1 cup of diced tomato, 1 avocado cubed, half a cup of chopped coriander, juice of 1-2 limes, minced garlic and chopped jalapeno to taste.

Roll-ups (the new sandwich)

Roll-ups are the ultimate in tactile eating. Simply take hold of a large lettuce or cabbage leaf, or sprinkle some water on a sheet of nori seaweed, and prepare to create the best alternative sandwich you've ever tasted.

There are no rules here &emdash; you can add in chopped veggies, salad fruits, spreads, dips, sprouts, greens, herbs, nuts, seeds &emdash; whatever you can fit basically!

Fill the leaf or sheet with a satisfying line of your chosen combination and then just roll up. Leave a little room at the ends, though, or you could find yourself with half the filling spurting out!

Candies and sweets

Sweet treats are ideal for children (young and old!), parties, journeys, after-dinner treats, snacks or just whenever you want that sweet something but don't want to reach for chocolate. One FRESH member found that by making a large batch and storing them in the fridge, whenever a craving struck he would go for these and avoid the junkier options.

Sweet treats can be as simple as a handful of raisins, or a combination of any of the following: dates, dried figs, raisins, sultanas, dried apricots, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, crushed or whole nuts, sprouted wheatberries, raw carob, shredded coconut, tahini, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, aniseed, poppy seeds.

Below are some very basic recipes to get you started. If you're mixing by hand or blender rather than using a food processor, you may wish to add some water or a

little fruit juice to the mixture. Some taste better if refrigerated for an hour or two before serving and all keep for a few days &emdash; although they might not last that long! For something quick and easy, which is sweet and savoury all at once, try the simple but classic medjool date stuffed with a single almond or hazelnut.

Sesame snowballs

Mix: 1 cup of tahini, half a cup of chopped dates, 2 tablespoons of raw carob powder, 4 tablespoons of sesame seeds. Shape into balls and roll in shredded coconut.

Simply fudge

Mix: 1 cup of tahini, 1 cup of raisins, half a cup of grated coconut, 4 tablespoons of raw carob powder, half a teaspoon of vanilla. Shape into balls or squares.

Sprouted wheat balls

Mix: 1 cup of sprouted wheat (two days old), quarter of a cup of chopped nuts, quarter of a cup of seeds, 1 cup of raisins (soaked for two hours). Shape into balls and if desired roll in coconut.

Cakes and pies

If you thought cakes were off the menu you can stop worrying! Raw cakes are bursting with life and taste incredible. Here are two to get you started, but there's plenty more where they came from!

For the crust blend: 2&emdash;3 cups of soaked or fresh dates, 1 cup of walnuts or almonds ground to flour, three-quarters cup of shredded coconut (optional).

For the filling mix: 4 grated apples, 4 apples blended, 1 cup of soaked raisins, juice of one lemon, 1 tablespoon of cinnamon.

Sharon's triple-layer raw food cake

An ultra-rich-taste sensation &emdash; wonderful as a birthday cake or dinner-party centrepiece. Prepare in a glass dish with fairly deep sides.

First layer: Crush enough almonds to cover the base of a dish to a depth of 2cm, add some soaked dates to the mixture so it binds the nuts together and spread across the dish to make the base.

Second layer: Mash 3 or 4 ripe bananas, add in a handful of chopped dates, a handful of shredded coconut, and some exquisite tropical or seasonal fruit (strawberry, mango, papaya are good ones). Mix well together and pour on to almond base about 4cm thick. Smooth over.

Third layer: Mix some tahini with carob powder to a medium dark brown colour &emdash; make enough to cover the top of the cake in a quite fine layer. Smooth on as best you can &emdash; it's a bit tricky at first.

Decorate with seasonal fruit &emdash; kiwis are good, as are strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, or sprinkle with coconut.