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……………