Living the dream... Literally.
Charlotte is quite the world traveler after being on ten flights in the last three months.
This past Saturday, Miss Charlotte and I, along with my mom, set out on a two day adventure to southern Florida. I recently decided that making raw food for myself was fun, but it wasn't going to afford me the ability to help others and work from home like I've always dreamed of doing. I need more credibility and experience if I'm going to teach others the benefits of a high-raw and natural lifestyle. Before I got pregnant, I had been toying with the idea of going to Living Light Culinary Institute to study all things raw, but now, with a baby, a full-time job, and a home to care for, moving to California for half of the year wasn't going to work. I had to pursue other routes. I started researching other raw chef certifications and found a few possibilities, but settled on the Living on Live Foods course offered by Alissa Cohen. I have her book "Raw Food for Everyone" and love it. Some friends gifted it to me for my 29th birthday. Alissa is pretty much a genius, so who better to learn from, right? There are three levels of this course, and I, not being one who likes waiting, found the level one class being offered this month near Miami. As it turned out, the instructor was none other than Alissa's own sister, Stacie Cohen. I was so excited! I knew this would be the life-changing experience that I wanted so badly.
The lovely Stacie, showing off our handiwork.
After arriving late on Saturday and a three-hour rental car fiasco (thank you, Dollar Rental Car for overbooking by about five hundred people), we finally found an open store, bought bananas and water, and settled into our hotel. Of course, I didn't sleep well due to my mind running a hundred miles per hour with thoughts of how amazing the following day would be. I also had a sinking feeling that I had forgotten something... A feeling which had hounded me all day.
When I woke up Sunday, I realized what the sinking feeling was all about... I had forgotten the flanges for my breast pump. Oops! Since my mom was there to care for Charlotte during my class, it was sort of important that she be able to feed the baby while I was gone. You wanna talk about shear terror? That's what the feeling was at that moment. But thanks to Target opening early on Sunday, I was able to remedy the situation at 8am for $20.
So, at that point, we'd had a rental car issue, I was exhausted, and I'd forgotten very important items, but everything had worked out well. These things always happen to me, but they seem to resolve in the best possible way, which I attribute to positive thinking.
Around 9:45 on Sunday morning, I kissed Charlotte bye, mom wished me luck, and I headed out for what would become the most awesome day of my life, aside from Charlotte's birth and my wedding.
As soon as Stacie opened the door, I felt like I'd known her my entire life. She is the most warm and welcoming person, and made myself and Wendy, the other student, feel right at home. Due to strange circumstances, she was teaching this class at her home instead of the kitchen she usually uses as a classroom. I felt so honored to be there. Stacie is also a well-known raw chef, so to be in her private kitchen, using her own tools felt like something truly special.
Myself, Wendy, and Stacie after a long day of beautiful food creation
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After introductions and some basics about what raw food is and why we've chosen this path, we made our way to the kitchen for an epic day of the most incredible, but also simple, food. We started with a mock-salmon pâté made from walnuts, and "refried beans" made from sunflower seeds. I think part of what makes me appreciate raw food is how complex flavors can be created from simple ingredients. It's all in how you balance them. We created guacamole and stuffed it into marinated portobello caps. She helped us make the most beautiful marinara sauce that we enjoyed over zucchini pasta and "raw-violi" made from sliced turnip and nut-cheese. The tomato soup we blended was so easy, but also was delicious. I think my favorite part of the day was making raw cheese from cashews. I can't begin to understand how cashews, lemon juice, salt, and some herbs can come together tasting just like cheese, but it does!
Beautiful zucchini pasta with simple marinara sauce.
"Raw-violi" with nut cheese pesto.
Lastly, we HAD to make dessert. What better way to polish off such a wonderful experience than with the rich sweetness of a date-nut torte? Within a matter of minutes, we had a delicious gourmet dessert.
Date-nut tart with cacao and coconut.
When all was said and done, I had learned so much. The greatest change, though, came in the form of confidence. Since I started exploring raw foods, I've always been a bit intimidated by what I viewed as "complex" recipes. Now, I feel like I can conquer anything. Stacie did an amazing job of explaining how flavors come together in the blender/food processor and how to mimic textures of cooked food. I've always been a fan of Alton Brown because of how he explains the science behind his cooking, and Stacie is similar in that way. Everything made sense by the time we were done.
It was scary and stressful traveling so far away for only two days with such a young child, but I'm so glad that I made the leap. I'm now planning for my level two certification, and I couldn't be happier. You see, I realized something on Sunday. I felt so at-home in that kitchen, and I knew that's where I was meant to be. It was the reassurance I needed to know that this is where I belong. I know I'm on the right track.
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We didn't fly home until Monday night, so we were able to enjoy a little bit of the city and beach. Here are a few highlights:
We had dinner with the Palm Beach Vegetarian Society (who welcomed us right into their private party and gave mom a vegan birthday cupcake), on Sunday night at The Garden Of Vegan. I had the wrap sampler plate featuring toona-pate, living hummus, and curried plantain. It was perfect! I paired it with a hibiscus-ginger tea. Mom had the zucchini fettuccini and may have been converted to raw vegan right then and there!
We visited the beach in Boca Raton Monday morning where it was 88 degrees, windy, and absolutely gorgeous! Coming home to snow flurries was tough.
We enjoyed raw salads and wheatgrass-hopper juice at Juice and Java in South Beach before heading to the airport.
And we had to see the beach just one last time, near the Art Deco district of Miami.
Goodbye, Miami! I hope to visit you again soon.
P.S. People in Miami are beautiful. I thought it was just that way on TV, but it's not. Everywhere you look, half-dressed, very fit men and women are roller-blading or running down the street. I'm going to attribute that to the perfect weather and generally more health-conscious atmosphere. What an awesome place Miami is!
