Raw food and the basics of 'uncooking'

Tag : Dehydrated Bell Pepper

Just so you know, I don't spend all of my dining time diving intobig steaks and pork belly — all that big carnivore stuff. Afew weekends ago I attended a workshop about raw food (sometimescalled the raw food "movement") over at SoBo Book & Bean inSouth Berwick and it was eye-opening and palate enlightening. I'vebeen curious about raw food and have had some in restaurants but toactually learn how to prepare it, uncooking if you will, was agreat experience.
Magnolia Thomas lead the workshop and she was taught by AlissaCohen, a big-time raw foodist (who almost opened a restaurant herein Portsmouth but settled for Boston — our loss!).
 
Raw food advocates say that when you eat foods in the raw or"living" state, that is, not brought up to any temps over say, 116degrees Fahrenheit, valuable nutrients and enzymes are retained andthose enzymes help in the breaking down and absorption of food andnutrients. Not only that, they say that cooking food changes thefood for the worse, destroying vitamins and minerals. Raw foodistssay that benefits of the diet include helping to heal diabetes,fibromyalgia, neck and joint pain, asthma, high blood pressure andmore and that it's great for losing weight. After all, you're noteating fatty red meat, potato chips, or Twinkies. They also sayyou'll look younger. If you're eating 75 percent of your food raw,you're on a raw food diet.
Some raw foodists do eat eggs and milk and some even meat and fishif it's raw. Sushi is OK, and carpaccio would be fine, but most arevegetarians or vegan and the diet includes fruits, vegetables, nutsthat haven't been roasted, seeds, beans, dried fruit, juices (freshonly) and that new wonder liquid, young coconut milk.
 
The diet includes some interesting techniques and equipment. At ourintroductory workshop there was a lot of blending in a high-poweredVitaMix going on, making a frothy broccoli soup without any dairyor cooking at all, just almond milk for the creamy aspect, avocadofor the good fats, garlic and cumin for spice and some agave nectarfor sweetness. It turned out to be a hearty, smooth soup. We alsoused a few different food processors for shredding carrots andzucchini to stuff into a big collard green leaf along theguacamole, and mushrooms and onions marinated in raw soy sauce.Roll it up and it's a tasty "sandwich" or snack.