Raw Vegetable Platter with Avocado Dip

Other Xerophagy Published April 05, 2026

Tahini requires processing and sometimes roasting of the sesame seeds, and hummus requires cooked chickpeas — so the standard Mediterranean dips are off the table during xerophagy. Avocado, however, is a raw whole food that mashes into a rich, creamy dip with nothing but a fork. This is your answer to the crudite platter on the strictest fasting days.

Serve this as the main midday meal on xerophagy days, or as a substantial snack between Lenten services.

FASTING LEVEL: Xerophagy (the strictest level — no cooked food, no oil, no wine)
SERVINGS: 2
TIME: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

For the dip:
- 2 ripe avocados
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced or grated on a microplane
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- Pinch of black pepper (optional)

For the platter:
- 2 carrots, cut into sticks
- 2 stalks celery, cut into sticks
- 1 cucumber, sliced into rounds
- 1 bell pepper (any color), cut into strips
- 6-8 cherry tomatoes
- 6-8 radishes, halved
- Bread for scooping (optional)

METHOD

1. Halve the avocados, remove the pit, and scoop the flesh into a bowl.

2. Add the lemon juice, garlic, and salt. Mash with a fork until mostly smooth but still slightly chunky. Taste and adjust the lemon and salt — it needs enough acid to balance the richness of the avocado.

3. Arrange the raw vegetables on a platter around the bowl of dip.

4. Eat immediately. The avocado will brown within an hour.

NOTES

- This dip is essentially guacamole without the tomato and onion — add those if you want, but the simple version is more elegant.
- Avocado is one of the few raw foods that provides substantial fat and a feeling of satiety. On xerophagy days when oil is forbidden, avocado is a lifeline.
- If avocados are not available (they would not have been in traditional monasteries), serve the raw vegetables with just lemon juice and salt for dipping.
- Applicable on all xerophagy days: weekdays of the first week of Great Lent, Holy Week, and other strict days per the Typikon.