Raw Christmas?

Christmas is just round the corner and I can feel the excitement in the air (along with a few last minute panic’s). I’ve sent my Christmas cards, made Russell James’ Chocolate and Orange Tavoletta to take up to my family, wrapped the presents and I’m almost ready to go home to Scotland in a few days time. Can’t wait!

I noticed there is a lot of raw talk about what to eat on Christmas day. Christmas to me it is about enjoying my time with my family and friends. I don’t often see my family so this time is always a little bit special to us all.

I’ve been a vegetarian for pretty much 20 years. Something I remember my parents saying I was going though a ‘fad’ or ‘phase’. Even now I still get comments about my eating habits! Which is fine, I wouldn’t expect anything less from them. I became interested in raw food for the last 2 years, quite a concept for my parents to get their head around. Although this has been a bit more difficult to adapt to and I have gone through periods where I’ve been 100% raw and other times only 80%. So realistically I still only consider myself as a vegetarian. Something I will strive to improve in 2009. I know the higher my diet is raw the better I feel. This business I am creating (Raw by Design) is to help towards getting raw food more recognised, acceptable and easily accessible in this country. Making it much easier for everyone to stay on that high raw diet. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to go any restaurant and not only get a vegetarian option but also a RAW option too! Wow what a vision.

I don’t know exactly what I will be eating on Christmas day. It will most likely be cooked. I tend to eat all the veggies and roast potatoes made on the day. I want to keep it simple and not make things awkward. Next year maybe very different. But I will be taking up my blender to make plenty green smoothes, sauces and dressings over the Christmas break.

You too have to decide what is right for you. If you decided to eat raw then wow that’s great, good for you. If you decide to eat the same Christmas dinner with everyone else then that’s good too. You don’t want to feel like your sticking out like a sore thumb if you don’t feel comfortable to so. What ever you do, don’t get hung up about it. You have to do what is right for you.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

BBC Salford

Well, Christmas is truly here and Christmas parties are in full swing. Last Thursday I had a surprise call from my previous boss, William Dunne, from iDEA, inviting me to their Christmas day out literally the next day. I couldn’t refuse. It was so nice to be remembered and to be surrounded by so many familiar faces. It felt like I hadn’t been away. In true iDEA spirit, they held a special Christmas event and this year it was a trip to Manchester to look around the new BBC buildings in Salford. This is a job iDEA have been heavily involved in for many years now. The day then progressed into a leisurely walk around the German market in the city centre, finishing with a slap up meal – although this meal was not raw! Ooopps!

Now, only ever seeing the new BBC buildings on plans and in a CAD format, it was very exciting to see the three buildings well on their way through construction. Although still a long way from completion, it was a great privilege to get a sneak preview of how these buildings are being developed and the huge organisation needed to keep a job like this running. It is one of the biggest jobs I have seen at this stage. The site has been set up with a changing area, huge temporary office, security barriers, walkways and boot wash. The guys working on site are some of the friendliest and politest bunch of workers I’ve met, with plenty of friendly hello’s and door opening for us ladies, despite how we looked in our hard hats, fluorescent coats and muddy wellies.

We spent an hour touring around the site guided by one of the site managers from Bovis Lend Lease – the construction management team. We were taken around to some of the areas where a few of the BBC departments will be transferred to such as Sport, Five Live, Children’s and the Blue Peter garden. It was a fantastic insight to see how some of the spaces are forming and developing. This will be a truly amazing place to visit when completed in 2011.

Thank you iDEA for such a great day out.

Raw Chocolate

Wow, I can’t believe it is the 1st of December already and Christmas day is only a few weeks away. I decided last Friday, instead of buying Christmas cards this year I would make my own and spent most of yesterday sticking, gluing and sewing little things onto cards. A perfect activity whilst stuck in front of the Telly.

Right now, in the supermarkets we are constantly bombarded with offers, on sweets, chocolate snacks and drinks and every year I get sucked into buying a huge family tin of quality streets, roses or celebrations to bring back home to my family in Scotland as a ‘treat’. But this year I want to do something slightly different. Instead of buying a huge tin of processed chocolate full of so much rubbish, I will be making my own raw chocolate cake to bring back (I think there is ‘make your own’ theme developing here)!!! I want to be able to bring back a chocolate cake that has been made from natural ingredients without the dairy, additives and refined sugar and tasting a whole lot better than the commercial stuff – Now that is what I call a treat! Chocolate is one addiction I don’t think I could ever do without. Although raw chocolate is seen as a much healthier and more nutritious option to standard chocolates it still should be used for those special occasions. There is currently a lot of talk going on in the raw world debating on how healthy raw cacao really is. Even in its natural state cacao contains some chemicals such as caffeine and this may not be good for us, especially if consumed in large quantities. But between the two, I’d far rather eat raw chocolate than processed chocolate any day.

I have made Russell James’ Marbled Chocolate and Orange Tavoletta several times (although I have to confess I haven’t bothered with the marbling). This cake has gone down a treat so many times and has been a real winner between my friends and family. It is so easy to make if you have a good blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec. I’m not sure how long this cake lasts for but I made this cake on the 1st of November and I still have some left in the fridge and it still tastes great.

If you’re not planning to make your own raw cake you can buy raw chocolate over the Internet for a Christmas present or even just for your own indulgence. Raw chocolate is a real talking topic if you give it to someone who may not have had this before, especially if they love their chocolate. I have listed down a few places where you can buy raw chocolate:

Shazzie: The queen of raw chocolate and author of Naked Chocolate written with David Wolfe. This book is an excellent Christmas present for someone who wants to know more about raw chocolate. Shazzie also has a brought out her Christmas Love raw chocolate.

Conscious Chocolate: I came across this chocolate whilst visiting Red Sugar in Edinburgh. This stuff is soooooooo good and probably my favourite chocolate bar on the market is the ‘Best Ever Essential Orange’. It is so smooth and just melts in the mouth. They currently have a specially range out for Christmas

True Love Organics Ltd: These people really know how to package up their chocolate. A perfect Christmas present for someone you love!


The Raw Chocolate Shop: A great Internet shop offering chocolate from some of the main raw chocolate manufacturers including Shazzie, Conscious Chocolate and True Love Organics.

Until next time

Susanna

Busy Bee

I have been incredibly busy here at my desk setting up Raw by Design, soon to be launched in January next year – I just can’t wait. I have been developing some really exciting stuff to give to you and hopefully this will be ready soon. Setting up this business has not been an easy task and its been a huge learning curve, especially juggling it with another part time job as a University lecturer, which I have to confess has been a whole lot of fun. Right now the students have handed in their first assignments and I have been busy marking all their work.

Just a little bit of insight to what Raw by Design will be offering - this will be a unique interior design service based around the raw food diet. This is an exclusive service offering professional support in the home and within commercial food outlets. The former suits those wanting to refurbish their kitchen to fit this lifestyle. The later is for restaurant and café owners who want to introduce raw food on their menu or open up their own exclusive raw food outlet. Further details will be revealed in the near future.

I’m currently talking to a graphic designer who I hope will be helping me put together the branding and website for Raw by Design. Will keep you posted on this. This is one area I cannot wait to see developed.

For the time being I thought I would share with you my Cabbage and Sweet-corn salad with Sundried Tomato and Sweet Pepper Dressing just to wet your appetite. The cabbage is inexpensive and is widely available throughout the year. It is full of Vitamin C and K, includes the vital Omega 3 fatty acids, Folic Acid, Calcium, Vitamin B1 and 2, Vitamin A, Protein, Magnesium and importantly very low in calories.











Cabbage and Carrot Salad
1 white cabbage
1 sweet red pepper
2 medium-large carrots
1 sweet corn cob
1 cup of green peas or green beans finely chopped
3-4 spring onions finely sliced
10 olives (or more) with stones removed and chopped.

1. Roughly chop the white cabbage and carrots to a size that will fit in through the top mouth of a food processor. Using the shredding disk in the food processor, shred together the white cabbage and carrots. If you do not have a shedder you can either grate the cabbage and carrots using a hand held grater or finely chop the cabbage.

2. Carefully remove the sweet corn kernels from the cob using a knife. This can be done, by holding the cob upright on its end on a plate or in a bowl. Holding the cob steady, use a sharp knife and strip away the kernels by making long downward strokes down on the cob. This separates the kernels from the cob. This can be a bit tricky at first as the corncob may slip. You may want to place a clean tea towel between the end of the corncob and work surface. Some kernels may go flying all over the place and might get a bit messy – all part of the fun.

3. Place the shredded cabbage and carrots in a large bowl and mix in the corn kernels and remaining ingredients. Mix well and serve onto a plate with the dressing.

Note: This salad can be served with the Sundried Tomato and Sweet Pepper dressing below or with another favourite dressing of your choice.











Sundried Tomato and Sweet Pepper Dressing
2 x courgettes
½ cup of fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons of flaxseed oil
4 tablespoons of agave nectar
10 soaked sundried tomatoes
½ sweet pepper chopped
2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons of onion power
1 teaspoon of salt
1 small clove of garlic

1. Peel the outer skin of the courgettes using a peeler. Roughly chop courgettes and place in a high-powered blender.

2. Add the remaining ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth. You may need to add a little water if the consistency is too thick. It should have a consistency like a smooth creamy dressing.

3. Place in a dish and decorate with either a sprinkling of chilli or tomato powder and basil leaves. Serve with salad.

Enjoy!

Red Sugar Cafe

I am working here in Edinburgh, on my way to see my parents up in Aberdeenshire. Yesterday I decided to go and visit the Red Sugar Café, which opened earlier in the year. This is one place I have wanted to visit all year. I walked in scanning the products on display and their menu on the wall, when I was approached by one of the co-founders of Red Sugar, Steve Montgomery. Now, I’m 99% sure it was Steve Montgomery, I got so wrapped up in what he was saying to me, I forgot to ask. D'oh!

This guy obviously knows his stuff. He knew all the health benefits of each ingredient, where it came from, the environmental and Fair Trade ethics. What's more impressive, he has done this off his own back. What I mean by this, he didn’t take any raw food classes to come up with the cakes and smoothies he sells in his café. It has all been done down to research, motivation, passion and determination. He also sells some of the hard to get ingredients, which are pretty much only available over the Internet.

You can either sit inside the minimalist thoughtfully designed café or take-away your food that are served into recyclable corn-starched cardboard boxes. The café was designed by Steve himself (a trained architect) using locally sourced, recycled materials and LED lighting. Every little detail has been thought of and he seems to have a passion to improve this further in time.

I decided to sit in and ordered the Skin Pleaser smoothie (recommended by Steve) and a blueberry cake, whilst I read a booklet created by the team giving nutritional facts about the ingredients used in the café. My blueberry cake and smoothie were served in ‘gourmet’ style and wow, did it taste good. My socks were literally knocked off.

I really truly hope this café becomes a great success. We need to see more of this in this country and I hope they are able to extend in the future. If you are visiting or living in Edinburgh, I highly recommend you to check this place out. The food is a little pricey but these ingredients are organic, raw and some are not so easily available in this country. If you are new to raw, these cakes taste totally different to your standard cakes, much more healthier and worth every penny.

Steve and the team are extending their menu to include savoury items such as breads and burgers in two weeks time. I was lucky enough to taste a sample of one of their tasty flat breads. I can’t wait to see this develop further.

I wish the Red Sugar team much success and I hope to be visiting again soon.

www.red-sugar.co.uk

A new fridge!

Since coming back from California, I have been absolutely fed-up with my fridge. I was buying fresh fruit and vegetables and my fridge was just literally destroying the contents. The salad draws filled up with water. Salad or vegetables stored on the shelves just froze or rapidly withered away and I had to literally use an ice pick to get into the freezer draws. Sometimes I would just take one look at the fridge and decide to cook something instead rather than face the contents. The fridge was so old it was wasting food and energy. Enough was enough, a new fridge well over due. I finally got one ordered and it arrived last week!

The old one got quickly shoved out side waiting to be collected for recycling (if possible) and a gleaming new energy efficient fridge took its place. I knew the fridge was going to make a difference but I had not quite envisaged how much of a difference it was going to make.

Now my vegetables and salads last much longer than I thought, especially when stored in a green bag, bought from Asda (I used these handy green bags a lot whilst out in California). I can now find items much easier than ever before. I can freeze food without food getting frost-bite or wondering how will I ever get it out again. But the biggest impact, it has inspired and motivated me to stay raw. I now enjoy going into the fridge and pulling out fresh vegetables and salads to use in my meals. I no longer dread going into the fridge to be faced with moulding contents that might cause me to loose my appetite for raw food. And the best bit, I can know make raw ice-cream for those special treats.

Ok, I had for fork out a small amount money to buy a fridge freezer, but a little change like this has made the world of difference, helping me keep to a high raw diet.

I'm back!

I can’t believe it’s been over a month since I have written in this Blog. After leaving Living Light school in California, I headed up to Scotland to spend some time with my family. The screen on my laptop was damaged and it had to be sent away back to the suppliers to be fixed. I felt I'd lost a limb without the laptop and it amazes me how reliant we are on such items. But it is back now, in fully working order and I’m back on line. Thank you to those who have missed me and have prodded me to write more. I’m now at home in familiar surrounds setting up my business with the help from Karen Knowler.

But before I get into that, I just want to write a little bit about my experience at Living Light. This might seem extreme, but it has literally changed the way I think of food. Its not just the high nutritional value raw food contains, but also how it is presented. As Cherie will tell you, there are three main elements to consider when creating raw food and this is texture, flavour and colour. Every time I put food in my mouth I’m much more aware of how it tastes, how it feels and how it looks. Even when I’m slapping something together for quick bite, I want to enjoy every moment whilst I’m eating raw. I now find I’m much more experimental with raw food and when I open the door to my fridge I will try to create something tasty with whatever is left in the fridge, rather than thinking I’ve not got enough ingredients to make a single recipe. It doesn’t always quite work out as intended but I hope in time and with more experience I will come better at it.

The whole experience at Living Light has been worthwhile and if anyone is thinking about going, even if it is just for your own health reasons or to make a career out of it, I recommend you go. I only wish we had something like the Living Light school here in the UK. I was in California for around 7-8 weeks and took a total of 8 courses. You don’t have to go as long as I did, you can split the courses up and take them at different times over a period of time. However, there are certain courses you have to take before you can progress onto others. But be warned, there is a lot of homework issued almost each night during almost every class.

There was only one course that didn’t go quite as I expected and this course was titled ‘Ethnic Flavours in Recipe Development’. This course and ‘RawFusion Gourmet Spa Cuisine’ are heavily focused on recipe development. You’re given a limited amount of time to create your own new recipes from a limited list of ingredients. You then present your recipe idea to the class, 6 recipes are then chosen by the class and we split into groups to make each recipe. After the recipes are complete, we all had to judge the taste, texture and appeal of all of the food. I felt there was not enough information as hoped focusing towards the flavours and spices that make these foods ethnic, but I still consider these courses worth going on. It opened my eyes to new recipes created by other students, swapping ideas and experimenting with new ingredients. It is probably these courses that have made me much more experimental with raw food.

Since being back in the real world, it has been harder to maintain a high raw diet. During the whole time at Living Light I maintained 99% raw diet and didn’t miss cooked food once and felt great. But now I’m surrounded by other foods, temptation has led me to stray a little. Eating these 'other' foods hasn’t really given me any great satisfaction and now I’m back home (not travelling around visiting) I feel more in control. I feel I’m now naturally drawn towards raw foods much more than the processed foods so really available in our supermarkets. I can feel my body really starting to absorb the good food when I eat it.

So what happens next? I’m now in the middle of getting my business together with the support of my business mentor Karen Knowler. I want to combine my Interior Design experience with raw food and help this country to be more aware of raw food and make it much more mainstream. I want to help other business set up raw food business such as café’s and restaurants and also help people adapt their own kitchens to support a raw food lifestyle. There it is. Sounds simple! We shall see………………………….

Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 days

It is hard to believe, Cherie Soria attended her very first Raw Food Pot Luck last night held at Living Light. It was Living’s Lights 4th Pot Luck, but this was Cherie’s first one ever, she's a busy lady. Funnily enough, it was also my first Pot Luck ever too. Many of the locals of Fort Bragg and surrounding areas turned up for the event and each brought a sample their raw food cuisine for everyone to try. We were presented with a colourful arrangement of salads, soups, fruits, nori rolls, dips and dressings. We just couldn’t wait to dive in.

For the pot luck, I brought some stuffed mushrooms, a recipe I just made up at the Living Light Inn out of the ingredients I had left in the fridge. All this recipe development is really starting to rub off onto me. I marinated about 2 packets of fresh mushrooms in some Nama Shoyu, lemon juice and garlic for about 30min. Took the mushrooms out of the marinate and placed them on a ParaFlexx sheet on a dehydrating tray and popped them into the dehydrator for a few hours (well, they stayed in there until I was ready to walk down to the pop luck).

For the filling, I placed the following in a food processor:
1 cup of pine nuts, 1 tablespoon of Nutritional Yeast, Moroccan Olives chopped and de-seeded, 4 tomatoes chopped and de-seeded, fresh thyme and basil, small amount of fresh crushed garlic.

Pulsed all the ingredients in the food processor until pine nuts where broken down and the ingredients are mixed in well, but still a little chunky. I then added a small teaspoon of the ingredients on each mushroom and served.

Overall, the food was just excellent and it was great to meet some of the locals who are already eating a high percentage of raw food or where there to find out more about raw food. It was ideal for anyone to join in.

After we ate great food, chatted lots and received a small talk from Cherie herself about her new book Revolution and the EXPO festival held in Fort Bragg on August the 22 – 24, which you can find at www.rawfoodchef.com, we sat down to watch a documentary film called Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days. This film is truly an amazing insight, of the power of raw foods and what it can do. Based on 6 Americans, diagnosed with either type 1 or 2 diabetes. They come together at The Tree of Life in Arizona for 30 days to trade in their SAD (Standard American Diet) for 100% organic raw living vegan food, under the watchful eye and care of Dr Gabriel Cousins, a well-known holistic medical doctor. It is an emotional journey and a huge challenge for all of them, but the results are just amazing and some of these people come off their insulin after 3 days on a raw diet. It is a truly life changing journey for all and well worth watching. To know more about this DVD or to buy a copy, you can go to www.rawfor30days.com I highly recommend it.

Roxanne's Fine Cuisine

A few days ago I came across a raw food brand Roxanne’s Fine Cuisine food range in a local supermarket in Fort Bragg. The brand has been developed by Roxanne Klein from California, well known for her outstanding raw cuisine in the US and apparently an ex student at Living Light (yeah). I was feeling very excited about buying raw food produce like this, off the shelf in the supermarket and bought her garlic onion nutmilk cheeze and chocolate raw energee squares. They were absolutely fabulous and went down a storm back in the Living Light Inn.

Two days later we decided to get some more raw goodies from Roxanne’s range only to find the shelf had been cleared leaving only some of the less perishable items. I spoke to the store assistant and was told this brand was not selling so well in their store and they will no longer be supplying her products for now. I was gutted.

There was nothing wrong with the food itself. By far it was absolutely delicious. It may have been a little bit pricier than your standard cheese and chocolate candy’s, but the nutritional value and purity of these products over takes any standard cheese or chocolate. I can only think this is an indication to us, the general public, are still far from understanding what raw food is all about. If more people realised what raw food can do for our health, Roxanne’s products and other products like these would take central stage (or shelf) much more in our supermarkets. I would love to see more these products sold in my local supermarkets and we need to start asking for more raw produce in our local shops. But I also think the raw word needs to be spread much more to support these products in the future. I am thankful for places like Living Light who are teaching so many instructors and chefs to spread the raw food word all over the world. I reckon it is only time before it will explode. Keep it up Roxanne.

Building up the pressure

Two weeks have now flown by at the Living Light Culinary Arts Institute and it just gets better and better. We are currently half way through the Raw Culinary Arts Associate Chef and Instructor Certification and we beginning to be pulled out of our comfort zones! We have been privileged to have raw food chef Jennifer Cornbleet teaching us all her ticks of the trade. She is one heck of an organised person.

In the last week we have started to learn how to demonstrate and present raw food recipes in a professional manner and creating our own raw recipes within tight time constraints (believe me this can be some challenge)! Within my group, I have been lucky enough to work with two experience chefs who are looking to work more with raw foods in the US and they have been giving us little extra tips in food tasting and knife skills. Thanks guys! Next week, each one of us is to organise, prepare and demonstrate our own raw recipe in front of the whole class! Ahhhhhhhh….. No pressure.

So far I have been 100% raw and feeling great. My internal system has defiantly been feeling a little 'flushed' out. Even though I have been loosing some weight (well, my trousers feel looser) I still have to be careful how much of the ‘richer’ foods I take in like the nuts and fats. We have been making so many fabulous treats like cheesecakes and candy, it’s been far too delicious and tempting not to eat it. Nuts and seeds are definitely a good source of nutrition, but too much of this good stuff, you will start to put on the pounds and slow down the digestion process. One thing I know for sure, it is so much better than our standard junk food that is too much readily available on our high streets. So bring it on!

Food Nutrition

These last 9 days have flown past at Living Light. If you are thinking about taking this course, be warned, you don’t have much free time. Its go, go, go and a lot of fun to be had. I have been learning my culinary cutting skills without cutting my fingers off, basic recipe developing which includes creating our own recipe for salad dressing and a soup, making it, taste testing it and marking each other’s recipes. We have also learned to make raw chocolate brownies and cheesecake among many other fantastic raw recipes, all to be taste tasted of course. In amongst all that, I have even taken up running down by the sea in Fort Bragg with my two newfound friends Vaughn and Jan who are supporting me all the way. It’s been a while since I have gone running but it has become a great way to start a morning. There is no slacking with Vaughn!

Today we completed the Raw Food Nutrition I, two day course presented by the Raw Food Doctors, Doctor Rick and Karin Dina. So, Vaughn and myself thought it would be a great idea to list our top 10 facts we have learned over the weekend. They are:

1.Did you know based on a 3000 calorie intake Romaine lettuce has a total of 348 grams of protein compared to eggs, which has a total of 251 grams of protein? You do the maths!
2.Contrary on what maybe popular belief Green leafy vegetables are slightly higher in Omega 3 than flax seed.
3.Not milk? Top 3 sources to assumable calcium from is:
1- Chinese cabbage, 2 - Bok Choy, 3 - Kale and the shabby broccoli is not far behind! (Vaughn’s joke!).
4.The following contributes to calcium lead change from within the body is:
too much salt, caffeine, high protein intake, alcohol, white sugar and nicotine.
5.When you dehydrate foods you double its caloric contents, creating higher calories!
6.Our bodies produce more free radicals when we over eat, which damage cells.
7.Bio chemical individuality plays a huge roll in the way the body absorbs vitamins and minerals. Everyone is different!
8.The only reliable source of B12 is within a supplement. When buying your supplements, Methylcobalamin has been rated the preferred form. There is no AKA.
9.Would you believe that it has been proved that getting married increases your life span!
10.Calories from raw food are easier to digest than calories from cooked foods.

Food for thought.

Thank you Doctor Rick and Doctor Karin!

Until next time………

FUNdamentals of Raw Living Foods

I’ve finally made my why up to the Living Light Inn after an eventful bus journey from Sonoma Country Airport in a very small rickety old bus brim full with passengers and suitcases (half of which were Living Light students), down windy roads though hills and dense forest. We finally arrive in Fort Bragg, which looks like a very traditional looking American town in the middle of nowhere. Everyone here seems incredibly friendly and helpful. Cars slow down for you when crossing the road. It seems pedestrians here have more priority than cars and this makes a nice change.

There is definably a buzz in the air. Everyone here is really excited about raw food and what the courses offer. Some are here for the weekend others, like me, are here for much longer. So far we have completed the weekend FUNdamentals course that gives a basic overview of raw foods. This includes food demonstrations, tasting and practical information. We have all been given a large binder with our own names on it packed with information.

Delicious raw food is provided throughout the day including smoothes, salads, cake and pasta. Most of the food served is related to the recipes demonstrated throughout the day. So it gives us a chance to taste the food and socialise at the same time!

The founder Cherie Soria looks incredible fit, healthy and looks nowhere near her age of 61. She certainly demonstrates her boundless energy teaching us all in class. A pure example of what living raw foods can do and she shows herself off on the front cover of her new book ‘Raw Revolution Diet’. I solute her!

I’m looking forward to the next chapter of this course where we will be bringing out our chef coats and hats. Tomorrow will be learning about knife skills where I will need much guidance. I can’t wait!

Alive Restaurant in San Francisco

Last night I visited the Alive raw food restaurant in San Francisco. A tiny cosy restaurant situated on Lombard Street, a few minutes walk from San Francisco Bay. The restaurant holds only around 15 covers inside and in the time I was there it was pretty much full. This was only around 6pm on a Wednesday evening. They also have a small area outside where you can sit on the more sunnier days. I can imagine this place can gets packed out throughout the evening especially on the weekends. I started off with the Peppercress Sandwiches with Butternut Squash Cream. It looked like 6 slices of baton cut like pieces of garlic bread with a fresh green salad presented nicely on top. The Squash cream was just divine and half way through this meal I was beginning to feel very full. For my main course I had Marinara Torte with Sundried Tomato. A spicier dish which also tasted great, but because I felt so full after my starter I could only eat half of this. I had the rest of main meal put in a take away box for me take to eat at another time. Also, I wanted to make room for some pudding, besides I had a long walk to take back to my hotel! So for desert I chose the Candy Cup Mushroom Cheesecake with a strawberry sauce. As the name states, this cheesecake is indeed made out of mushrooms and you would never think it! I ate the lot.

Overall, I highly recommend this cosy restaurant. But bare in mind this restaurant does get very busy and you may have to wait for a seat. The whole meal including one soft drink and tax came to $44.49. Which is around £24 and well worth the money. They also offer a selection of organic wines. The only down side I found, I felt I little rushed throughout my meal. My main course arrived just as I was finishing my starter and I didn’t really have much time to digest my meal between courses. Other than that it is well worth a visit. For more information go to

www.aliveveggie.com

The start of a new adventure

It’s Tuesday morning and I’m sitting in a hotel on my own, on my first day in San Francisco. Last Friday I made the mad decision to quit a perfectly good job as an Associate Interior Designer at a respected forward thinking commercial design company based in the gorgeous country surrounds of Shropshire, in England. From a company who I have been with for the last 8 years, have made great friends through and learnt a huge amount of skills. Ahhhhhhh what have done!

I’ve decided to set up on my own to create a business promoting living/raw foods combined with Interior Design and I’m in California heading for Fort Bragg to the Living Light centre for 7 weeks to learn a lot more about living/raw foods. I’m so excited about the whole adventure and wondering who I will meet and what I will do, learn and see. I’m still very far from setting up my business properly and the question is lingering at the back of my head - why leave a perfectly good job to face the hassles, heartache and stress of running and developing a business on my own? Who knows, only time will tell. All I can say at the moment - it feels right and I’m following my gut instinct.

I have been lucky enough to have meet up with Karen Knowler who I have hired as my business coach to help me through this adventure with the support of a group of lovely ladies who are all doing the same, creating their own individual niche businesses helping promote living foods. We are all here to stay and help change the way we think about our food and health.

I have decided to set up this blog to record my ventures going to California and progress of my new business! I have no idea of the exact content this blog will bring. It is a case of watch this space and see……………