raw melissa

The Truth About Agave

2010-10-04T17:46:00.005-06:00

I've been using agave in my products along with local honey and pure maple syrup, from the beginning. I've never used any artificial sweeteners or overly refined sweeteners, as my policy has always been to use only whole-food ingredients, but all of a sudden agave nectar is the subject of some not-so-sweet controversy. How did this all-natural sweetener go from being applauded to avoided? And is the negative hype to be believed? The answer is a resounding “no.”

Though agave nectar has been around for centuries, its popularity has seen tremendous growth over the past few years—growth due in large part to a better informed, more health-conscious society. With obesity and type 2 diabetes on the rise and increased concern about chemically processed foods, all-natural sweeteners like agave nectar have become the chosen alternative to artificial sweeteners such as aspartame (Equal), saccharin (Sweet’N Low) and sucralose (Splenda).

A little background about agave:

The agave plant is found mainly in western Mexico; it is also found in the western and southern U.S. and tropical parts of South America. The agave plant’s ability to grow in a harsh environment without the need of pesticides and fertilizers and little need for water make for sustainable growth and harvesting.

To make agave nectar from the Blue Agave plant, harvesters remove the core of the Blue Agave, or piña, by cutting away the plant’s long, spiny leaves. The juice is then expressed from the piña, filtered and turned into agave nectar by either a thermal or enzymatic process. Whichever process is used, the plant’s naturally occurring complex sugar molecules are separated into fructose and glucose.

So why the recent backlash?

Why the uproar about agave nectar when it’s still the same all-natural, organic, healthy product it was centuries ago? It all has to do with the f-word: fructose. We’ve all heard about high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)—it is added to just about everything we eat from the obvious like sugar cereals to the less obvious like hot dog buns. But did you know HFCS is made by using caustics and acids to turn the glucose from starch found in milled corn into fructose? Sounds yummy, doesn’t it?

HFCS and agave nectar are NOT the same. Yes, agave nectar along with fruit, fruit juices, honey and HFCS contain fructose, but the similarity ends here.

The main argument against agave nectar made by so-called experts claims agave nectar’s high fructose content (agave nectar contains about 75% fructose compared to 55% in HFCS) makes it less healthy than HFCS or table sugar. This just isn’t true. It’s time to put an end to this and other unsubstantiated claims about agave nectar.

• Agave nectar is all-natural; it is derived from the agave plant using a non-chemical process.

• Agave nectar does have a high fructose content, which makes it sweeter than HFCS and table

sugar—you’ll need a much smaller amount to sweeten recipes.

• Agave nectar's glycemic index is comparable to fructose, which in turn has a much lower

glycemic index than table sugar.

• Agave nectar is as safe a sweetener as honey or maple syrup; it’s even as safe as apple juice.

The most important thing to remember is agave nectar is a sweetener, and while safer than HFCS or refined white sugar, should still be used in moderation.

When it comes to what we put into our bodies, the more natural the product, the better. Substituting agave nectar for those “other” sweeteners—and remembering less is more—is a simple and easy way to improve overall health and wellness. Any claims you hear contrary to this should be taken with a grain of salt, or in this case, sugar.

For more information on the controversy as well as the facts and the sources for this article, see the following:

http://bit.ly/b3VLN1 (excellent third party article complete with the scientific break-down of agave and HFCS and other scientific information regarding fructose)

Here are four articles that will give you even more information on agave. To read in different formats, use the zoom and fullscreen controls at the bottom and top.

Agave Nectar in Perspective

Agave_Syrup_What It is and What It is Not

Comments on Dr Mercola's Article

Agave Myth Busting

The above articles (with the exception of the second) are from a company that makes agave. Please consider this when making your judgements about agave and read the third party article suggested above to make sure that you are well rounded in your knowledge.

I posted this article because my personal opinion is that agave is a wonderful natural sweetener and is not harmful to your health in normal quantities. I will continue to use agave in the production of the Raw Melissa desserts and hope that this information helps you to feel like a better consumer when choosing those products that are healthiest for you and your family.

Chocolate Banana Shake

2010-10-01T22:51:00.005-06:00

In our Q&A with Raw Melissa - Session Two, Alica asked, "When you freeze bananas, do you freeze them with the peels on or off? If you leave the peels on, how do you get them off the frozen banana? Yes, this is rocket science for me."

To check out the answer, see the Raw Melissa Facebook Page and click on our notes in the tabs. Meanwhile, here is a great recipe for a Chocolate Banana Shake:

Chocolate Banana Shake

2 C water
2 C ice
3 frozen bananas
2 heaping T cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 T agave
1 C almonds

Put everything in a blender and blend until smooth, serve right away. This really is a delicious and creamy chocolate shake! Yum! Let me know if you like it. :)

The Dirty Dozen

2010-09-27T18:41:00.003-06:00

Most of you have heard of the dirty dozen list. Well, did you know that there is a list that has, not only the 12 most pesticide laden produce on it, but also the 15 most clean? Here is a handy little printable guide so you can carry it around with you when you're shopping. There's also a phone app if you're like me and you tend to loose your lists.

http://www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php

Here's also a great video from Dr. Weil on why it's important to choose foods with less pesticides.

Q&A with Raw Melissa - Session One

2010-09-27T10:25:00.007-06:00

We got our first question in our Q & A Series on our facebook page from Jennifer. She asked "What snacks can I give to my kids on-the-go?" To read the answers, see the notes on my facebook page. Meanwhile, here are two great recipes for feeding kids on-the-go:

Homemade Granola Bars

7 C of dry ingredients like rolled oats, raisins, pumpkin seeds, pecans, shredded coconut, chopped almonds, chopped dried apricots, rolled quinoa, hulled buckwheat, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, chopped dried pineapple, etc. GET CREATIVE! You can do it!

1 C coconut oil (organic, cold pressed)

3 C dates (soaked in water for 20 minutes)

1 tsp. salt

Drain the dates (set the water aside) and pulse in a food processor until a paste is formed. If it seems too dry, add 1 tsp at a time of the soaking water until you reach a peanut butter-like consistency. Mix all the rest of the ingredients together until well incorporated and then press into a pan lined with wax paper. You can put these in an oven on the lowest heat possible, for 1-2 hours or you can pull them out of the pan with the wax paper and cut and eat as is. It helps to put them in the freezer for a bit to help bring everything together before cutting. You may wrap individual bars in waxed paper and then store them in an airtight container for months.

Homemade Almond Butter (excerpted from my cookbook, available here)

This is probably more appropriately named, “Almond Candy.” Many of the class participants I’ve taught this recipe to have later told me this was much more like a candy than a spread. My favorite way to make it is with honey and walnut oil, although it’s great with almond oil and agave too. Try it with the proverbial celery, or spread it on some apples for a great treat. You may even roll it into long strips, cut it in 2” lengths and wrap it in brown wax paper for a wonderful refrigerator candy. To give it a punch, you may also add 1-3 drops of cinnamon essential oil.

2 C almonds

¼ - ½ C almond or walnut oil

¼ - ½ C honey or agave

1 tsp. vanilla

pinch of salt (optional)

Blend almonds as finely as possible in a high-speed blender (or a food processor). Pour into a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir together until thoroughly blended. (Add a small amount of water or more oil if needed, to create a spreadable consistency). You can blend ingredients in a blender if you want a smoother butter, but you’ll need to use the larger amounts of oil and sweetener so it will blend easily. Spread on bread or crackers or use as a dip for apples in as a spread on celery sticks.

Thanks again for your question Jennifer. Keep them coming!

photos by Jefra Starr Linn

Question and Answer Sessions with Raw Melissa

2010-09-26T14:35:00.003-06:00

I had the opportunity to attend the Start Up Princess event, Touchpoint, on Friday. I got to interact with tons of amazing women because I had a booth (we sold out of macaroons!) and as usual, I was asked many questions about nutrition and whole food eating and cooking. I love it when people feel comfortable enough to ask their questions because I appreciate being able to share the knowledge I've gained over years of research and experience, as it often enables the individual to be able to make one more change toward a better life.

It doesn't take much to get started on a path of purposeful eating, and if you've got a question or two that would help you, I really want to hear it! So, I decided to start Question and Answer Sessions on Facebook.com/rawmelissa and on my twitter account (@rawmelissa). If you've got a question, please feel free to ask on either platform. You may also ask here in the comments section.

Can't wait to read your burning questions!

Always love,
Melissa

Cookbook Signing Tomorrow

2010-09-17T11:51:00.005-06:00

Many of you have asked if you can purchase a cookbook at the signing if you haven't already pre-purchased one. Of course!

I'll be at the Good Earth in American Fork to sign pre-purchased and just-purchased copies of FAVES: Fruits and Veggies, Energy's Secret and I'll also be giving out vanilla and chocolate covered macaroons! You definitely won't want to miss that.

Also, just to let you know, the cookbook presale was a HUGE success. I thank you all so much for your support! Hope to see you tomorrow. :)

In peace and health,
Melissa

St. George Fresh Food Workshop!

2010-09-07T12:29:00.002-06:00

Eat More Fresh Fruits

& Vegetables and LOVE it!

Join us for a Fresh Food Preparation Workshop

September 25, 2010 from 10:30am-3:30pm

in Beautiful St. George Utah

Taught by Melissa of rawmelissa.com and

Christopher Stefanciw, former chef of Maestro’s Cafe

The cost is just $80 for the whole day, PLUS, just for registering,

you get a Free Package of Chocolate Covered Macaroons!

At the workshop you’ll receive:

°Over 4-hours of Fresh Food Prep Instruction

°You're free package of Chocolate Covered Macaroons

°TONS of Samples &

°A Packet of Handouts and Recipes

Email: heather@rawmelissa.com to register today!

rawmelissa.com

My Cookbook is Finally Done! Yay!

2010-08-30T12:00:00.008-06:00

After two years and a lot of work, my cookbook is finally done. We're having a ten-day pre-sale starting today for all those who'd like to get in on it! Here's the info:

This is a beautiful little cookbook full of fresh recipes that will please you and your family. It's got a beautiful glossy cover filled with photos and beautiful illustrations as well as several pages of facts about the nourishing foods included in the recipes. The paper is thick with a "raw" texture and the layout is extraordinary. You'll find six sections: light meals, desserts, salads, salsas, sauces and dips and smoothies, all fresh and delicious. My favorites are the famous Thai Nut Sauce, Lime Mousse, Winter Tomato Sauce, the Raspberry Basil Smoothie, the No Bake No Bake Chocolate Cookies and, well, I like all the recipes and I think you will, too.
I'll be at the American Fork Good Earth on September 18th from 11am-4pm to sign copies and give out free vanilla and chocolate covered macaroons! If you purchase a cookbook here (see paypal icon in the left side-bar) at the discounted pre-sale price, you can pick it up that day or you may pay for shipping and we'll ship it to you. Just be sure to include your name and address.

Love to all,
Melissa

More Workshops! So Fun!

2010-07-13T21:59:00.004-06:00

Local and Seasonal Food Made Easy
Date: July 31st, 2010
Time: 11:30-1:00pm
Where: Jacob's Cove Heritage Farm (1526 South Geneva Road Orem, Utah
(35 minutes south of Salt Lake just off of Exit 269)
What you'll learn: Cherry Tomato Salad with Red Pepper Flakes and Radish, Garlic Sweet Peas with Prosciutto, Homemade Pasta with Wilted Arugula, and Summer Squash Raisin and Nut Muffins
Cost: $20

Local and Seasonal Food Made Easy
Date: August 14th, 2010
Time: 11:30-1:00pm
Where: Jacob's Cove Heritage Farm (1526 South Geneva Road Orem, Utah
(35 minutes south of Salt Lake just off of Exit 269)
What you'll learn: Caprese Salad (Mozzarella, Basil and Tomato), Colored Pepper and Yellow Squash Saute over Millet, Roasted Beets and Broiled Green Beans with Lemon, Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Cinnamon
Cost: $20

Local and Seasonal Food Made Easy
Date: August 28th, 2010
Time: 11:30-1:00pm
Where: Jacob's Cove Heritage Farm (1526 South Geneva Road Orem, Utah
(35 minutes south of Salt Lake just off of Exit 269)
What you'll learn: Gazpacho (cold cucumber and tomato soup), Italian Checca Sauce, Eggplant Rollatini, Sweet Yellow Pepper Muffins with Ginger and Currants
Cost: $20

Local and Seasonal Food Made Easy
Date: September 11th, 2010
Time: 11:30-1:00pm
Where: Jacob's Cove Heritage Farm (1526 South Geneva Road Orem, Utah
(35 minutes south of Salt Lake just off of Exit 269)
What you'll learn: Balkan Cucumber Salad, Odessa Beets with Lemon, Quick Walnut Bread, Pickled Eggs, Honey Butternut Squash Puree with Nutmeg
Cost: $20

Local and Seasonal Food Made Easy (Taught by Jen of Delightful Delicacies)
Date: September 25th, 2010
Time: 11:30-1:00pm
Where: Jacob's Cove Heritage Farm (1526 South Geneva Road Orem, Utah
(35 minutes south of Salt Lake just off of Exit 269)
What you'll learn: TBA
Cost: $20

Expect to get generous samples of each of the foods listed! We can only take 15 participants in each of these classes so sign up QUICKLY. A BIG THANK YOU TO JACOB'S COVE HERITAGE FARM for supplying all the produce and the location for the above classes!

Fresh Food Full-Day Workshop
Date: September 25th, 2010
Time: 10:30am-3:30pm
Where: St. George, Utah
What you'll learn: Several fresh salads, condiments, entrees and desserts to help you get more fresh foods into your life
Cost: $80

Expect to get abundant samples of each dish. We can only take 20 participants in this class so sign up quickly!

To register, either:

1) Send a check to: Raw Melissa, P.O. Box 721, Springville UT 84663. Include your name, email address, phone number, and date of class you'll be attending.

OR

2) PayPal the class fee to us at register@rawmelissa.com. BEFORE you hit "send money" please scroll down and fill out the "email to recipient" section with your name, email address, phone number, and date of class you'll be attending, in the body of the email. Then hit "send money."

We will send you a confirmation of your registration in the class as soon as we receive your information.

Raw Melissa Dessert Classes!!!

2010-07-03T17:30:00.005-06:00

Do you like the Raw Melissa Desserts? Me too! That's why I'm teaching several dessert classes in the month of July. Here are the details:

Class 1
Date: July 14th
Time: 7:00pm-8:30pm
Where: The Raw Melissa Kitchen
1190 N. Main St. #18 Springville Utah
(45 minutes South of SLC)
Desserts you'll learn: Strawberry Sauce, Lime Mousse, Apple Crisp, Chocolate Peppermint Fudge, Oatmeal Cookies, Chocolate Sauce
Cost: $25

Class 2
Date: July 21st
Time: 7:00pm-8:30pm
Where: The Raw Melissa Kitchen
1190 N. Main St. #18 Springville Utah
(45 minutes South of SLC)
Desserts you'll learn: Strawberry Sauce, Lime Mousse, Apple Crisp, Chocolate Peppermint Fudge, Oatmeal Cookies, Chocolate Sauce
Cost: $25

Class 3
Date: July 28th
Time: 7:00pm-8:30pm
Where: The Raw Melissa Kitchen
1190 N. Main St. #18 Springville Utah
(45 minutes South of SLC)
Desserts you'll learn: Strawberry Cheesecake, Macadamia Nut Thumbprint Cookies, Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream, Orange Cinnamon Shake, Chocolate No Bake Cookies, Candied Walnuts
Cost: $25

You'll notice that in class one and class two I'm teaching the same six desserts. I hope to do a second date for class three as well, but can't quite fit it in until sometime in the fall, so watch for it then. Expect to get samples for each dessert and to even take some of the goodies home with you! If you'd like to sign up for two sessions, the cost is only $45. Class size is limited because the Raw Melissa kitchen is SMALL, so sign up quickly!

To register, either:
1) Send a check to: Raw Melissa Dessert Class, P.O. Box 721, Springville UT 84663. Include your name, email address, phone number, and date of class you'll be attending.

OR

2) PayPal the class fee to us at register@rawmelissa.com. BEFORE you hit "send money" please scroll down and fill out the "email to recipient" section with "Dessert Class" in the subject line and your name, email address, phone number, and date of class you'll be attending, in the body of the email. Then hit "send money."

We will send you a confirmation of your registration in the class as soon as we receive your information.

Hope to see you there!

MEDIA! WOW!

2010-05-28T21:47:00.004-06:00

Thanks to all the amazing people that have been mentioning Raw Melissa!

Amy Pelo over at Jacob's Cove Heritage Farm:
http://www.eatwhatsreal.com/fragile/

Emily Hill at www.isthisreallymylife.com (watch for part 4 to come soon, too!):
http://www.isthisreallymylife.com/2010/03/the-raw-melissa-project-part-1-giveaway-anyone/
http://www.isthisreallymylife.com/2010/04/the-raw-melissa-project-part-2-and-a-sweet-giveaway/
http://www.isthisreallymylife.com/2010/05/the-raw-melissa-project-part-3-the-fresh-food-workshop

In This Week Magazine:
http://www.inthisweek.com/view.php?id=2030470

The gorgeous Jen who writes my favorite food blog at www.delightfuldelicacies.com:
http://delightfuldelicacies.blogspot.com/2010/03/fresh.html

The adorable girlies at Sassy Scoops:
http://www.sassyscoops.com/food/review-raw-melissa-desserts/

The lovely Quinn at createdbychicks.com:
http://createdbychicks.wordpress.com/2009/09/14/the-extraordinarily-creative-rawmelissa/

The unstoppable April at sweetlifeinthevalley.blogspot.com:
http://sweetlifeinthevalley.blogspot.com/2010/03/happenin-in-valley-raw-melissa-cooking.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SweetLifeInTheValleyUtahValleyProvoOrem+%28Sweet+Life+in+the+Valley+Utah+Valley+Provo+Orem%29

Stephany Hansen over at: www.thedailyblarg.com
http://yourdailyblarg.blogspot.com/2010/04/foodie-friday-raw-melissa.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheDailyBlarg+%28The+Daily+Blarg%29

Stephany Hansen Flickr slide show:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/samsushiro/sets/72157623597961873/

Quinn at Limelight Food Photography:
http://limelightfoodphotography.wordpress.com/2009/03/06/more-raw-melissa-photos/

And lastly a big thank you to Wasatch Woman Magazine who featured me and another wonderful woman in an article (in hard copy only) in their March/April 2010 issue on getting more raw foods into one's diet.

Another Workshop!!!

2010-03-15T15:35:00.007-06:00

I'm constantly asked when I'm going to teach another workshop and I've finally planned one! Yay! Please join us. Above are some pics from last year's workshop at Blue Lemon and below you'll find the details:

Eat More Fresh Fruits

& Vegetables and LOVE it!

Join us for a Fresh Food Preparation Workshop

March 27, 2010 from 10:30am-3:30pm at the

Blue Lemon Restaurant Demo Kitchen

Taught by Melissa of rawmelissa.com and

Christopher Stefanciw, former chef of Maestro’s Cafe

The cost is just $80 for the whole day, PLUS, just for registering,

you get a Free Package of Chocolate Covered Macaroons!

At the workshop you’ll receive:

°All the fresh fruit you can eat from Real Foods Market

°Over 4-hours of Fresh Food Prep Instruction

°TONS of Samples &

°A Packet of Handouts and Recipes

Email: heather@rawmelissa.com to register today!

rawmelissa.com

Sponsored By:

Blue Lemon

Real Foods Market

2010-02-05T22:35:00.003-07:00

Beautiful reminder to live your life. Live your life. Love your life. Live. Love. It's not as hard as you think. RIP Gabrielle. She died on January 29, 2010.

Guess What?

2010-01-14T17:16:00.003-07:00

My DVD's are officially edited, now they are just off to the duplicator.

My cookbook is almost ready for layout (just need a couple recipe testers - anyone interested)?

The new website is closer than ever to being done!

The spring rolls and veggie sandwiches are selling like hotcakes (or whole food cakes or something akin to that :D)

And last but NOT least: My products finally made it into the WHOLE FOODS MARKETS!!!!

Yay!

Juice Feast - Day 5

2009-09-26T20:49:00.005-06:00

As I mentioned earlier, one of my employees just had a babe. My delivery people are also taking a break. That means that for the time being, I'm doing all the Raw Melissa orders by myself. Usually two to four of us work on Friday orders, so doing it all alone made for a long day. In the morning, I made sure to make a lot of juice so I was fully fueled for the day. I started off with a young coconut (perfect!) and followed it up with some apple, lime, and strawberry juice (delicioso!).

In the middle of the day, while working on orders, I faltered a bit for a couple reasons. Firstly, I had to make tons of spring rolls with Thai nut sauce, spinach berry salad with cinnamon walnuts, and big fat sandwiches piled with layers of veggies and glorious avocados. It was tempting. Secondly, I received a bit of a blow when one of my biggest vendors, The Real Foods Market, contacted my assistant and told her they aren't going to carry my spring rolls anymore and that they were considering not carrying my desserts anymore either because, even though they are considered a local product and I use as much organic and locally produced ingredients as I can, they aren't 100% organic. They've been one of my biggest clients for almost four years. Their customers love my products. I was devastated and ended up crying to a friend about it while making veggie sushi (no tears got in the sushi - don't worry). By the afternoon, I was emotionally drained. I was frustrated and wanted to eat some of the food I was making. In my head I vascilated between, "How about making this a five day juice fast instead of a seven day one?" and "You can do this. You are doing it. Two more days. Don't give up."

While making spring rolls, my great boyfriend called and encouraged me and listened while I let it all out. Later I told him this must have been my "break-down" day. I had one last year, too. My brother and I did the feast together last year and I remember talking to him on the phone and absolutely and utterly breaking down and sobbing. I wonder if all juice feasters/fasters have a break-down every now and again.

After the orders were done, I still had to deliver them, so I ran home and made some green juice with cucumbers, spinach, cilantro, green pepper and celery and then I poured the juice of a young coconut into it. It was so refreshing! I got into the car with all the meals piled up all over my back seat and made sure to tuck my green juice and some more salsa juice in amongst my invoices and some of the veggie sandwiches and I was on my way.

Delivering took about three hours and when I got home I was very tired. I rested and then my boyfriend's brother came over and I made all three of us the best limeade ever by juicing three Granny Smith apples and a quarter of a lime per glass. The boys had theirs over ice and I must say it was an absolute delight. We watched Planes, Trains and Automobiles and I drank the rest of my green juice.

Laughing and being with friends was the perfect end to a crazy day and I was so happy and grateful to have made it through yet another day of juice feasting thanks to some great support.

Juice Feast - Day 4

2009-09-26T20:35:00.003-06:00

I went to bed starving last night. When I'm hungry, I don't like saying " I'm starving" because I'm not really starving, I'm just really hungry. By last night, though, I'm pretty sure I was starving. I went to bed feeling a little empty, but exhaustion won out and I climbed into bed. Soon though, my stomach started growling. I ignored it and it started roaring. I ignored it some more and pretty soon it felt like my hunger was eating my insides. Still, I was too sleepy to go and drink some more juice (and I even had some made!). Finally I drifted off and slept like a rock!

This morning I woke up feeling terrible. I thought it might be a sign of how my day was going to go, but once I got some juice in my belly, I felt great! I started off with a quart of crenshaw melon juice and a couple hours later drank another quart the famous salsa juice I drank yesterday.
In keeping with the blended fruits and veggies theme, I decided to make myself a hydrating face mask. I threw some spinach, olive oil, coconut oil, and a bit of apple in my blender and blended it until it was smooth and creamy. I let it harden in the freezer for a bit and then slathered it all over my face (notice the greenish tone to my skin in the picture to the left?). It was fun to nourish my face with the same things Ive been drinking all week.

While my gorgeous green mask was on, I busied myself with laundry and cleaning and some Raw Melissa administrative work. Later I did a bunch of shopping for tomorrow's orders and since I had to get spring roll paper and nori seaweed sheets at the Asian Market, I decided to grab a case of young coconuts. I usually drink the water of a young coconut or two everyday when I'm juice fasting, but I hadn't had time to get any until today! I also bought two bottles of kombucha as a treat.

Back at the Raw Melissa kitchen I commenced to make the famous and seasonal pumpkin pies. Wanna know the secret ingredient? Carrot juice. Sooooo, since I had to make so much carrot juice, of course I made some for myself. But here's the best part: I put cinnamon and ground ginger in it. Talk about a delightful drink. It really hit the spot!

I had to attend two football games in the evening, so I whipped up some juice to take with me. I blended a zucchini (a fairly large one) with two nectarines and a couple pluots. I'm sure people at the game found my drinking of the green goop pretty funny, but I quite enjoyed it. The fruit totally overpowered any zucchini flavor, and the zucchini gave it a nice creamy texture.

Before bed, I drank a bit of raspberry kombucha and settled in for an absolutely amazing night of sleep. This was a great juice feasting day.

Juice Feast Day 2 AND 3

2009-09-23T20:24:00.005-06:00

You'll never guess what happened.

I got home from the birth at four in the morning!! I was there for a total of 20 hours. Luckily it was a homebirth at my best friend's house and because she eats like me, there was plenty of produce for me to make more juice as I needed it.

So on day one, in addition to the quart of Crenshaw melon juice, tomato blend and cantaloupe juice, I drank a half a quart of apple, strawberry, ginger juice, and one more quart of the veggie blend juice mentioned on Monday.

I really started having a hard time with energy at about 2 in the morning (now officially DAY TWO). I had been awake all day and had been helping my laboring mom. I was out of energy so I went to the kitchen and found some Yerba Mate tea and made a cup. It helped so much! It seemed to pull me through so that I was able to continue on until that beautiful baby girl was born in the wee hours of the morning.

I finally got home and into bed at 4:30, and here's where the, "you'll-never-guess-what-happened" line comes in. Two hours later, I received a text from another client, saying that her water had broken and she thought I should know! Luckily her labor was very slow and easy at that point, so she and her partner didn't need me yet.

I was able to get a couple more hours of sleep, but had to go down to my commercial kitchen to do Raw Melissa's Tuesday orders. [A side note: my Tuesday Order employee had HER baby three weeks early, 6 days ago so I HAD to do the orders no matter what. I was also her doula so that makes three births in six days! A record for me]. Before I left, I made LOTS of juice so that I was prepared when my clients needed me.

Day Two Juices: One quart Crenshaw melon juice; two quarts carrot, tomato, cucumber, zucchini, cayenne, GARLIC and dill juice; half a quart of apple, blueberry, ginger.

It took me about three hours to finish the orders. My delivery people came, packed everything into their car, and as soon as I got them out the door, I rushed home to get some much needed sleep. I lay down and had just started to fall asleep when I got a text: "Contractions are three minutes apart and 45 seconds long. She can no longer talk through them." I dragged myself out of bed and texted back that I was on my way. I loaded up my juices including a quart of strong, unsweetened Yerba Mate and Spearmint tea to get me through what I thought might be another all-night labor vigil.

After an intense and long night of serious contractions and sheer courage, my sweet mama had her baby; the papa welcoming his baby into his arms as the midwife guided him in catching her. Time: 7:36am. 25 hours after her first text.

I dragged my bottom home and climbed into bed at 9:30am this morning. I finished the other half-quart of apple, blueberry, ginger juice on my way home and ended up sleeping and just sitting in the sun most of the day. So far today I've drunk a half-quart of carrot juice, a glass of tomato, garlic, cucumber, dill, zucchini, celery, red pepper, cilantro, lime, cumin and cayenne juice (so amazingly tasty - salsa in a glass) a quart of blended nectarines and pluots (a cross between a plum and an apricot), and a bit of blended mango and blueberries.

I am sheerly and utterly tuckered out and ALMOST quit for good last night at 2:30am when I had been going, for two days, on about four hours of sleep accompanied with lots of physical work, but I chose instead to eat about a quarter cup of veggies to supplement my juices, and it was just the boost I needed to get through the night and keep helping my mama.

So far I haven't watched the sunset once, but I figured welcoming two human beings into the world and being witness to the struggle, bravery, and ultimately, the ecstasy of their mothers, far surpassed watching the sunset.

This is hard, but I'm doing it. This is hard but I'm doing it. And I can positively say that it's all down hill from here.

Seven-Day Juice Feast - Day 1

2009-09-21T15:47:00.010-06:00

Every fall I do a seven day juice feast. It's called a juice feast because you drink as much juice as you need to to not be hungry. That's my kind of juice fast. People often ask me why I do it. Well, I do it not only for a physical cleaning out and resting of my body, but also for the spiritual reasons fasting affords. This is the third year I've done a juice feast. During my first year I mediated three hours a day with a Kundalini Yoga instructor. We started at 4am in her backyard and went til 7am. I can't even begin to describe how beautiful it was to start meditating under the starts and to continue through the sunrise. Last year I wished that I had incorporated more spiritual events into the feast. Business was tough and I was very tired emotionally. I did meditate a little, but mostly went about my day. The interesting thing is that I still had several deeply connective experiences and felt like I learned so many lessons. I journaled about it for my own personal use, but this year I thought I'd blog about it.

This year, these are my goals:

Watch the sunset everyday this week
Meditate every day this week
Drink only fresh juice and water for seven days

That's it. I'm a big fan of simple. Simple is often more and I like that I'll have so much time to just let life happen.

So with that explanation, here is a bit about my last meal and about how my first day of juice feasting is going:

Last night I had a simple meal of vegetables and fruit from the farmer's market. Roasted red potatoes with herbs and olive oil, sauteed zucchini and tomatoes with olive oil and salt and pepper, and yellow wax and green beans tossed with a bit of tamari and olive oil. For dessert I ate some grapes and some coconut (from the farmer's market, not locally grown, obviously). Afterward my boyfriend and I went on a nice long walk. It was the perfect way to welcome a spiritual week.

This morning I woke, ready to get some work done and then make some juice, but I got a call from my friend saying that we had a client in labor. Some of you know that in addition to owning Raw Melissa, I'm also a doula. I was thrilled. Welcoming a baby into the world is the perfect way to start a week like this. So I showered and made a bunch of juice and now I'm sitting here with our pregnant mama resting on a great big comfy bed, snuggled next to her hubby. Things are sure to get harder before that sweet babe is born so I'll be a lot more involved in helping our mama soon. How thankful I am to be a part of this.

So far today I've drunk a quart of blended crenshaw melon, one quart of tomato, carrot, cucumber and dill juice, and a glass of cantaloupe juice made from cantaloupe that my friend picked out of the garden, blended, and presented to me with a squeeze of lime. I'm feeling ok except for some low energy and an afternoon slump where I thought I was going to fall asleep where I stood. I just keep telling myself, "This is hard, but I'm doing it." The same phrase I'll suggest my laboring mama use in a couple hours.

Til tomorrow.

Always love,

Melissa

Speaking at the Mom's Who Make It Conference

2009-07-27T11:08:00.003-06:00

I had the opportunity to speak to a group of amazing women at the first annual Mom's Who Make It Conference. I was able to speak, not only about my experience as a business woman, but also about FOOD! Good, health, nutritious, and DELICIOUS food. It was a great opportunity and fun. The news picked it up and of course didn't do it justice, but give it a look. Peace Everyone!

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Kumquats

2009-06-25T21:15:00.008-06:00

Do you know what a kumquat is? I twittered that question and three people tweeted back with various responses. One said that it was a little orange ball. Correct. One said that it was a type of citrus. Correct. One said that she likes to make marmalade with them since she has a kumquat tree in her yard. Correct! haha!

Here is an excerpt from a kumquat farmer's site:

Kumquats (Cumquats-British spelling) have been called "the little gold gems of the citrus family". The kumquat has a thin, sweet peel and a zesty, somewhat tart center. The kumquat tastes best if it is gently rolled between the fingers before being eaten, as this releases the essential oils in the rind. Eat kumquats as you would eat grapes (with the peel).
{This is what will happen to you upon the initial burst of kumquat flavor}
That last sentence is key: Eat them WITH the peel. Once I taught a class on exotic foods. I passed around the mini little grape-sized kumquats for people to taste and they started peeling them! :) Pop the whole thing in your mouth and chew like crazy since the inside is as sour as a lemon and the outside is sweet. Chewing them up together gives your mouth the most beautiful flavor!
Recipe:
Juice them!

Food Photography!

2009-05-20T17:30:00.012-06:00

Several weeks ago I was connected with the most wonderful food photographer. Her name is Quinn (adorable name for a girl) and she is magical with her camera. I hired her to come to the DVD workshop and here are some of the AMAZING pics she took:

Her website is limelightfoodphotography.com. Check out her other pics. She's amazing! And doesn't that food look delectable?!

The Amazing Heather!

2009-05-18T22:57:00.003-06:00

My brother's birthday is today and he's mostly raw vegan. My amazing sister-in-law, Heather, who also happens to be my most trusted, valuable, efficient assistant, made these DELICIOUS raw vegan cupcakes for him. Check out the frosting! Are you kidding?! It looks and tastes like real cupcake frosting! She colored the red ones with strawberries and the green ones with limes. Who needs food coloring when you've got FRUIT!!!

The frosting is made from blended young coconuts and agave. Try some for your next celebration!

Follow Me

2009-05-06T22:02:00.003-06:00

Follow me on twitter for giveaways, tricks, recipes, and tips!

My twitter ID: @rawmelissa

Have fun! Tweet ya later,

M

Upcoming Workshop and NEW RECIPE!

2009-03-07T15:57:00.006-07:00

Hello All!

I've got a most fun full-day workshop coming up! Here are the details:

Eat More Fresh Fruits
& Vegetables and LOVE it!

Join us for a Fresh Food Preparation Workshop
April 18th, 2009 from 10am-3pm at the
Blue Lemon Restaurant Demo Kitchen
Taught by Melissa of rawmelissa.com
Sign up before March 31st & the cost is just $70, PLUS
you’ll get a Free Package of Chocolate Covered Macaroons!
At the workshop you’ll receive:
°Free Raw Melissa Basil Spring Roll & Fresh Fruit Lunch
°Over 4-hours of Fresh Food Prep Instruction
°TONS of Samples &
°A Packet of Handouts and Recipes
Email: heather@rawmelissa.com to register today!

The best part of all is that the whole thing is sponsored by these two WONDERFUL businesses:

BLUE LEMON

REAL FOODS MARKET

Now here's that recipe I promised:

Whatever-You-Like-Granola (Raw or Roasted)

8 C long cooking organic rolled oats

1-2 C one kind or a combination of any nuts (almonds, brazil nuts [chopped], macadamia nuts, walnuts, etc.)

1-2 C one kind or a combination of any seeds (flax, sunflower, pumpkin, etc.)

1-2 C one kind or a combination of dried fruit (cranberries, apricots, raisins, mango, pineapple)

1 C shredded coconut

1 C hulled buckwheat

2 C any natural liquid sweetener (honey, agave, or maple syrup)

2 tsp. vanilla

¼-1/2 tsp. salt (start with ¼ first and then add more if needed)

½ C walnut or almond oil

Preheat an oven to 325 degrees. Mix all ingredients but dried fruit together. The granola should be moist and sticky, but not wet. If it’s dry, you can add water ¼ C at a time until the granola feels moist and sticky. In batches, spread on a cookie sheet to about a ¾ inch thickness and place in oven. Roast for 10-20 minutes or until golden brown. Pour into another bowl and continue with another batch. The granola will feel soft to the touch but will become crisp when it cools. When all the granola is roasted, you may stir in the dried fruit. You may also dehydrate this granola for a raw granola, but be careful not to start with a granola that’s too wet or it will ferment (add more oats if it's too wet). This granola can be served with fresh fruit and organic raw milk or nut milk.

Vegan Sandwiches Now Available!

2008-11-14T21:32:00.002-07:00

We now offer Vegan Sandwich Meals that are perfect for family members who aren't raw, or for yourself if you're not 100% Raw! They're available every week and they're just $8!

Veggie Sandwich Meal:
~Whole Wheat Bread with Avocado, Red Pepper, Onions, Tomatoes, Sprouts and Assorted Greens ~Baby Carrots and Vegan Ranch Dip

Almond Butter and Apple Sandwich Meal:
~Almond Butter and Tart Apple on Sweet Black Bread
~Side Spring Greens Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing

Click here for instructions on ordering

Raw Vegan Gourmet Entrees

2008-10-30T18:32:00.009-06:00

rawmelissa.com

Guess What?!

We are now offering Raw Vegan Gourmet Entrees!

After three years of remarkable success selling raw vegan gourmet desserts at health food stores throughout Utah, I hired a new chef and added gourmet entrees to my list of creations.

Our menu is updated weekly and we can ship anywhere in Utah for $25 and anywhere in the US for overnight shipping costs! See all the details here.

"Raw Melissa's food is fabulous. The presentation, taste, and flavor are unbelievable, heavenly and beautiful. It is by far the best raw gourmet food on the planet!"
S.P. Lindon, UT

Shelley Abegg

2008-10-30T18:02:00.006-06:00

I can't even begin to describe the journey this woman has been on. She is one of the most kind, gracious and loving people I have ever met. Read her story here:

http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view /286151/17/

KINDNESS...Cycle it Forward

2008-10-30T16:42:00.006-06:00

I had the absolutely amazing opportunity of meeting Brock Tully, the man who is behind the KINDNESS...Cycle it Forward tour across the US and Canada. His purpose is, "To promote the principle of kindness by means of a solo, 9-month, 18,000 km [just over 11,000 miles] cycling journey throughout the western United States and southern British Columbia." My dear friend Don Kirchner, author of the book and soon to be movie, "A Matter of Time" let me know that he was coming through our city. Brock depends on the kindness of strangers to get him through his journey, staying at their homes and eating with them whenever possible. When I heard I could be a part of his tour by donating some healthy food, I emailed his executive co-ordinator right away. Brock came into town on Tuesday where I picked him up at a bike shop and took him straight to the Raw Melissa kitchen. There I fed him a huge salad, a strawberry green smoothie and of course, some of the famous Raw Melissa Pumpkin Pie. Later that evening we had a great dinner with him where we were graced with stories from his lifetime of promoting kindness. Check out his blog to read updates on his daily journey and remember to be kind!

Always love,
Melissa

Whatcha Got in Your Garden?

2008-09-05T16:54:00.008-06:00

Check this out!

Purple Dragon Carrots, Lemon Cucumbers, Assorted Heirloom Tomatoes, and Gigantic "oops-we-took-4-hour-zucchini-picking-break-and-look-what-happened" Golden Zucchini.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

2008-08-11T18:57:00.005-06:00

Hello! I've been reading Barbara Kingsolver (one of my all-time favorite authors!). Her latest book is called, "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" and, WOW, is it ever changing the way I think about food. It's all about the joys and celebrations of gardening and harvesting, but it's also full of research on how we can make better choices by eating locally. I've practically been living at my local Farmer's Market and am telling everyone I know to frequent local fruit and veggie stands and Farmer's Markets if at all possible. The huge box of peaches I bought last week was gone in three days! The strawberries lasted about two hours and the artisan bread was dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar and DEVOURED. Here is a link that will help you find a Farmer's Market near you and I'll leave you with a great recipe for apricot nectar, so that in the dark winter months you can have a little local summer produce in your belly.

my nephews stuffing themselves with apricots

My Mom's Delicious Apricot Nectar with a Twist:

In a one quart freezer bag or one quart jar, put:

3 T fresh squeezed lime juice (We don't grow limes here, but I bought mine at the farmer's market. I think one of our farmers must have had his friends bring up a box from California, hehe!)
1/2 C agave or honey, and fill to the top with
apricots, pitted and pureed with the skin on (of course)

If you want raw vegan nectar, you can freeze it in the bags. If you want to can it, you can process it in a waterbath for 35 minutes. See here for more info on canning. When ready to drink, dilute with one quart of COLD water or orange juice. It also makes a GREAT syrup for whole grain pancakes and you can use this same recipe for peaches, too.

Two nights ago, I put up a dozen quarts of this great nectar. It was such a beautiful evening with a rainstorm happening outside and Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" and Elvis' "Heartbreak Hotel" playing in the background while I scooped up soft salmon-orange apricot halves and blended them into a thick, liquidy sunset. And the best part...I picked them for free from a tree that was begging to be harvested.

What do you have in your area? What have you harvested? I'd love to hear your stories.

Always love,
Melissa

Cacao

2008-06-08T22:37:00.014-06:00

I recently returned from a trip to Central America. As you may have guessed, I had an extraordinary time! Many of the pictures I took are food related (of course) and I will be writing a number of blog entries over the next several months, detailing the food highlights of the trip as well as some of the glorious experiences I had.

I met a huge amount of amazing people from all the world; Germany, Canada, Japan, Australia, Israel, Argentina, Holland, New Zealand, and Denmark, to name (not) just a few. It was interesting to watch the reactions of each person when they found out what I do for a living.

One of the best experiences I had while there was traveling to a cave called, "Actun Tunichil Muknal" or, the ATM caves (read the travel-guide explanation below).

"This is the acclaimed 'Cave of the Crystal Maiden,' featured in National Geographic Magazine and quickly becoming Belize’s most popular underground experience. This cave is for fit and active people who do not mind getting wet and muddy—and who are able to tread lightly! After the initial 45-minute hike to the entrance (with three river fords) and a swim into the cave’s innards, you will be asked to remove your shoes upon climbing up the limestone into the main cathedral-like chambers. The rooms are littered with delicate Maya pottery and the crystallized remains of 14 humans. There are no pathways, fences, glass, or other partitions separating the visitor from the artifacts. Nor are there any installed lights. The only infrastructure is a rickety ladder leading up to the chamber of the Crystal Maiden herself, a full female skeleton that sparkles with calcite under your headlamp’s glare..." from the Moon Travel Series Guide

As we traveled through the jungle to get to the entrance of the cave, we passed a number of cacao trees. I've noticed that many people have a difficult time pronouncing cacao. It's pronounced, "cuck-ow" with the emphasis on the "ow". The pods are a beautiful violet color and hang from the long extended branches of their trees or on the upper trunk itself. These cacao pods are full of a white pith which holds the cacao (or cocoa) beans. In our kitchen we use cacao nibs which are the bean broken into pieces.

Julia has created the greatest recipe for raw vegan chocolate chip cookies and she uses the nibs as chocolate chips. They are very bitter, but when mixed with agave and other ingredients, they are palatable and satisfying.

Here are some other ways I use cacao nibs:

~sprinkled on healthy chocolate pudding
~sprinkled on salads with a sweet dressing like Lime Agave Dressing and pecans (soak the nibs first to soften them up)
~in granola or energy bars (good source of energy)
~ground up in smoothies (try 3 cups of almond milk or 1 cup of almonds and 2 c water, 3 T. cacao nibs, 2 frozen bananas and agave to taste)

Our guide's name is Carlos and as a true Belizean, he knew and respected the caves like only a local can. He has a great sense of humor, too. Here he is, holding me for ransom. If you're planning a trip to Belize soon, you must go to the ATM caves. Ask for Carlos. He's very talented with a machete.

Always love,
Melissa

2008-05-17T12:16:00.002-06:00

Hey all you amazing people! I've got a lot of new workshops coming up. Click here to view them. Email my awesome and amazing assistant, heather@rawmelissa.com if you have any questions. Hope to see you there!

St. George, Utah

2008-05-17T11:51:00.002-06:00

Hello! I just taught a wonderful advanced workshop in beautiful St. George, Utah. St. George is known for it's amazing red rock country. The morning of the workshop, my host, Katherine took me on a splendid hike where we were able to get an extraordinary view of what (her archaeologist friend told her) were the "best petroglyphs in Utah". (I will put up some pictures in a future post). At the summit of our hike, we could see red-rock, tabled mountains for 360 degrees and a snaking stream running in the blue valley below. The view was everything she promised and more.

When we finished, we returned to Katherine's beautiful home and a wonderful group of eager workshop participants arrived. I demonstrated several wonderful recipes including mango and blackberry salad with mint, chocolate-chip-oatmeal (and of course goji berry) cookies, and olive and sun-dried tomato tapenade to name a few.

Here is a great pic of the lively bunch and me!

Always love,
Melissa
(petroglyphs to come soon)

Another New Kitchen and Workshop!

2008-04-21T12:25:00.008-06:00

Dejavu?

About a year ago, I wrote a post about moving to a new kitchen. I was sharing the kitchen with two other women who have similar businesses. One of the women, Agi, recently got a contract so big, that she needed the whole space to expand. I found a space closer to home so it worked out great for all of us. Julia is working in my kitchen, preparing meals for private clients under the Raw Melissa name, and we are having a great time together!

Besides preparing food, I'm teaching a lot of workshops in this new space, so I painted it a beautiful carrot juice color (hehe) and layed down a nice wood floor. We have some beautiful pictures of food on the walls and are just putting some happy quotes and sayings up, too. The space is truly conducive to the high energy, delicious and healthy foods that are made there.

Here are some great pictures of our last workshop and the new space!

I hope to see you at our upcoming workshops!

Always love,
Melissa

2008-03-22T18:29:00.004-06:00

Celebrate Earth Hour! On March 29th, 8pm, turn off your lights for one hour. I plan on sitting with a candle and quietly writing or painting or meditating. Join me? What will you do?

Successful Mothering Convention

2008-03-21T15:20:00.005-06:00

I recently had the opportunity to speak at the 2008 Successful Mothering Convention at
the South Towne Expo Center. It was an amazing event put on by Media One and MANY
dedicated women. I spoke on children's nutrition and had a GREAT response!

For all those AMAZING mamas who were in my class, thank you so much for your enthusiasm
and support! Here are the recipes I shared in class. Hope to see you again next year!

Purple (Green) Smoothie

1 C packed spinach
2 C fresh orange juice
1 mango
2-3 C frozen blueberries

Blend in a blender and serve immediately

Chocolate Sauce

1 C natural cocoa powder
1 C agave

Whisk until smooth and serve with tons of fresh fruit for dipping.

Strawberry Salad

Salad:
1 head romaine lettuce
1 orange
1 pint strawberries
Dressing:
1 C frozen strawberries (thawed) [FORGOT TO WRITE "THAWED" ON MY POWERPOINT AT THE CONVENTION. THIS RECIPE WON'T WORK UNLESS THE STRAWBERRIES ARE THAWED! MY APOLOGIES TO THOSE WHO ATTENDED!]
1 T honey to taste
A splash of balsamic vinegar (optional)

Cut romaine into strips, arrange on 4 plates. Peel, section, and cut oranges into bite size pieces. Slice strawberries. Arrange fruit on top of romaine. Blend all dressing ingredients in a blender. If necessary, add a small amount of water to make blender run smoothly.

Thanksgiving Sluggishness?

2007-11-23T12:22:00.000-07:00

Is sluggishness even a word? It makes me sluggish just trying to say it.

So, let's admit it: Most of us, even those of us with the best diets, let loose and eat a little differently on Thanksgiving. Either by eating foods we wouldn't normally eat, or by eating larger quantities than we're used to (or both). I vowed not to eat so much that I had to roll myself from room to room, but my sister-in-law made eggnog cream puffs and my brother brought pecan pie laced with chocolate chips and my mom made pumpkin cheesecakes with ginger snap crusts - so put me in food jail, I tasted them all. Truthfully, I just barely over ate. If I were in the overeating olympics, I would have only taken the bronze, or gotten an honorable mention or participant ribbon. Still, by nighttime I was feeling yucky so I went and ran on my mom's
treadmill (but not before I ate more pie - you know, for energy). Much better. The next morning all the cousins wanted to play on this bouncy mini-tramp my mom has in her exercise room, so my niece brought it downstairs and she unknowingly, yet strategically, placed it in the walk-way between the kitchen and living room so that every time we passed, we instinctively jumped on it a couple times. Later that day, after a lot of movie watching and singing around the piano, my mom and I joined the nieces and nephews in the exercise room and we rotated around the different machines for another "post-Thanksgiving" workout. Thus forms a new amendment to my eating philosophy: On holidays, eat what you want. As long as you're willing to pay for it.

My "Help-your-Thanksgiving-digestion-along" juice:

I made this today and it was YUMMY! Even the kids loved it.

3 apples (Any combination. I used 1 Red Delicious, 1 Granny Smith, and 1 Braeburn)
1-2 C cranberries (I freeze mine. Use the larger amount for an extra cranberry-y flavor)
1 - 1" piece ginger (I use probably triple this, but it might send you into convulsions, so start small)

Run through a good quality juicer and drink right away. If you don't have a juicer, you can blend in a blender and strain the pulp out. This will serve two.

Happy Digesting and Thanksgiving!

Always love,
Raw Melissa

Good News

2007-11-08T20:23:00.000-07:00

I met some more amazing people last week. Two gorgeous women, specifically named Trina and Melissa. (Yes, Melissa. I know, it's strange to meet another person with my same name considering it's so uncommon. He he!). Trina's from Texas and was just visiting, but she told me she reads my blog regularly and was so excited when I wrote the post about Eduardo encouraging me to continue writing. She expected that I'd actually do what I said I'd do and kept going back to the site to see if I'd updated. Her answer: Not as soon as she thought. She also said that she wished I had more cooking shows on my site because she, "knows how to make the chocolate banana shake already!" (Okay, so I added the, "already" but I'm pretty sure that was her point). I know many of you agree with Trina, so I thought I'd tell you a little about what I've got going on so you can, not only get the "Good News" of future Raw Melissa goings on, but can also get an idea of why I've been updating so infrequently.

First, the Good News or, "Why I Haven't Been Writing":

I started my Raw Melissa business as a personal chef exactly two years ago. Six months later, I started selling my desserts wholesale to stores and the general public, so I've only been going for about eighteen months but have seen, and continue to see, more success than I could have possibly imagined! Because of this, I am working8-14 hours a day and am pretty exhausted when I end my day. A lot of my time is filled with reading emails from amazing people like you, and a big part is filled with creating great tasting and beautiful food. I am also doing a lot of the administrative work of the business, and oh, I forgot, I also try to have a life outside of my business!! People often ask me to tell them about my biggest challenge as a business owner. I always smile and say, "Success!" So, there are my reasons for writing less than I used to.

Next, the Good News or, "Why I Might Write More or Less Now":

I am currently working with an amazing web designer and an equally amazing programmer, to create a whole new website. YOU are gonna LOVE it! I guarantee! We have so many amazing things in the works that when we finally launch, you might have to watch yourself so when your significant other joins you for dinner, he/she doesn't find you still in your pajamas because you were online all day. :) I'm also working with a talented videographer/director and we plan to shoot several new food shows in the next month that will also be available for viewing on the new site. And the best news of all, (for me, mostly) is that I've just hired a personal assistant who is the most amazing assistant a person could have. The first day she worked for me, I emailed her a list of things to do, expecting it to be done by the end of the week. Four hours later I got a detailed and eloquently written work report in my email box. She had already finished. So, I am officially in love with her and will now have much more time to work on the content for the site and to (hopefully) raise my blogging rates to a level that will satisfy all, even Eduardo and Trina! (Just teasing, you know I love you both!).

For Eduardo

2007-09-13T20:53:00.000-06:00

The other day, a man named Eduardo and his beautiful friend, Marcela, came into my store. I was struck by their upbeat energy and smiles. We started talking and Eduardo said, "I've heard that you make great food!" I gave them some samples of vanilla macaroons and chocolate truffle pie and they agreed that it's delicious. Thank you!

Eduardo told me about his mom who taught him to enjoy healthy food. He said that when she went to college in Mexico City several years ago, she was a vegetarian and practiced yoga.

It made me think of the reasons why people choose to come to a place of health. I come into contact with hundreds of people who have arrived on this path, and the two most common reasons why they're here, are that they were either taught this way by their parents or that they became unhealthy and were compelled to search for a way to feel better. I became a "health nut" because my mother and my maternal grandmother taught me to take care of my body by eating well... and now look how it's evolved!

What brought you to a place of heath? Or, is that why you're here reading this blog?

Before Eduardo and Marcela left, Eduardo said, "You haven't written on your blog!" I said, "I know, you're right! I've had such a busy summer, but I need to update it. How about if I update my blog just for you? That way I'll actually do it and that will get me started writing regularly again?!" I sent them off with some spoons full of chocolate truffle pie and made a goal to get writing right away. So here you go Eduardo! Thanks for the motivatinal kick in the...knee!

Goji Berries

2007-06-18T00:10:00.000-06:00

Listen to my podcast on Goji Berries! (Look to your left. See the player? Click play. Enjoy!)

Wow! Who knew how amazing these little berries are! I've started eating them everyday.

Here is more info for you to check out after you listen to the podcast:

Read more about goji berries here.

Order goji berry plants and other goji products with a 25% discount for "Eating Well with Raw Melissa" listeners at Timpanogos Nursery.

To order goji berries from The Food Garden, our raw food store, for 25% off, email: order@rawmelissa.com, or call us at 801-310-4175

Goji Berry Jam

Soak 1/3 C of dried goji berries in just enough water to cover them, for about 30 minutes or until they are plump and soft. Strain this and add 1 tsp. of lemon juice, one tsp. of agave and a very small pinch of salt. Smash this all together with a mortar and pestle, or chop up with a knife. Spread it on manna bread or flax seed crackers with almond butter for a super yummy treat. You an also put this mixture in smoothies or pour it over raw ice cream.

Sage's Cafe and the Vertical Diner

2007-05-29T08:24:00.000-06:00

A couple weeks ago, I had the privilege of meeting Ian Brandt, the owner of Sage's Cafe and the Vertical Diner. We first met on the phone and had a great conversation about the business of vegan and raw vegan food. We talked about some of the techniques we use in our raw food preparation and about some of the challenges presented when creating raw food on a commercial level.

Sage's is a vegan cafe that has been voted the best vegetarian restaurant in Utah for about four years in a row now. They have delicious appetizers like Carrot Butter Crostini: thin slices of toasted 7-grain bread served with their famous creamed macadamia carrot butter, and entrees such as Mushroom Stroganoff, a dish made from a "creamy and savory sauce with oyster and portabella mushrooms, served with fresh semolina papparadelle pasta and garlic bread." I've eaten there several times now and the food, combined with the amazingly happy and upbeat staff, make Sage's one of my favorite places to eat.

The Vertical Diner is a new restaurant and I had never eaten there before, so I drove there to meet Ian in person. I brought him some of my Vanilla Macaroons and Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Pie and he offered me a plate of nachos and a plate of real (vegan) french fries and a burrito. It was extraordinary food! It was so wonderful to eat some of that food that brings back the memories of those late college nights at the diner! BUT - it's good for you and conscious too.

Check out the websites for both and go eat there - maybe I'll see you!

Grand Opening

2007-05-08T19:20:00.000-06:00

The grand opening of The Food Garden was an extraordinary success! We had many enthusiastic people who were thrilled that we had opened such a store. We heard every positive comment you could think of, from, "We've been waiting so long for a store like this! Thank you!" to "Wow! Your prices are great!" to "This raw ice cream tastes amazing!"

the food garden, just before we opened our doors for the first time!

We sold out of all our raw hummus and we hardly had a drop left of the Raw Melissa Hawaiian, Chocolate Almond, and Vanilla Ice Creams. I really like the vanilla, but people went crazy for the Hawaiian ice cream which is full of fresh pineapple, coconut and macadamia nuts, and of course, the Chocolate Almond went fast too!

Because of the success of The Food Garden, Julia, Agi, and I have just been asked by a major health food store to create a raw food cafe within their existing cafe. Watch for it to come soon, (you'll know, as they regularly advertise to over 130,000 homes) and meanwhile, stop by The Food Garden for an amazing raw food entree, side-dish, or gourmet dessert, and all of your other raw food diet needs!! Those of you outside of Utah, please feel free to email order@rawmelissa.com to order products from The Food Garden. We will soon have a list of available products up on the web. I'll let ya know!

me feeding customers samples :)

Julia, Me, and Agi

THE FOOD GARDEN!

2007-05-03T23:22:00.000-06:00

Business has been absolutely wonderful! Raw Melissa products continue to pop-up in more and more health food stores, and this week, a WONDERFUL coffee shop right in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City called Nobrow Coffee and Tea started carrying the Raw Melissa products because its vegan customers wanted a vegan pastry to go with their coffee and tea!

Now for the big news: I have teamed up with two other wonderful women, who are also raw food business owners, to open up a raw vegan store and cafe called The Food Garden! Agi, of Agi's Raw Foods, and I both needed a larger commercial kitchen for our growing businesses so we decided to get together and find one that would suit our needs, together. We found a third business owner, Julia, of Julia's SunSprouts, and we were set to continue expansion. The kicker is that the kitchen we found also has a store-front so without intending to, we won ourselves not only a great kitchen, but a terrific little place we can sell our amazing products out of. It's been a lot of hard work. We've done painting and ordering and cleaning and moving, but this Saturday from 9am-5pm, we are having our Grand Opening and if you're in Utah, we invite you to come by. We'll be giving out TONS of free samples of some of the best raw food on the planet Agi, happily painting! >
and the company is sure to be wonderful, as lots of raw-foodists, and those who just like a healthy treat now and then, will come together to celebrate this long-awaited opening.

The Food Garden 698 E. 300 S. Provo, Utah

P.S. I just added the MOST delicious Raw Ice Creams to my line of desserts. Savor some samples at The Food Garden on Saturday!

Me, demonstrating a painting technique called, "Barefoot Rolling.">

The Healthy Living Show

2007-05-03T19:14:00.000-06:00

In a previous post, I talked about shooting a raw dessert segment for a healthy living show in LA. Well, here's how it all began:

It was a November when I first met Catherine Silvers. I had just begun filling the orders for my raw Holiday Pumpkin Pie, which I only sell seasonally in November and December, so it was perfect timing. I live in Utah and luckily for me, Catherine happened to be in Utah doing a guest celebrity appearance gig. She had heard about my raw gourmet desserts and asked if she could stop by my kitchen. I was excited to meet Catherine, because I knew she had met and worked with some of the big names in the raw movement.

Catherine Silvers and David Wolfe, rockclimbing by the ocean in California!

Meeting her for the first time was like meeting a little tornado. She was so enthusiastic and looked like she was 25 in her designer jeans, hip t-shirt and earth shoes, not to mention her beautiful skin, clear eyes and fit figure. I took her back to my kitchen where I and one of my employees had been busy preparing Chocolate Truffle Pie, Key Lime Pie, Strawberry Cheesecake and the before-mentioned, (and blissful, I might add) pumpkin pie. We started talking and I found it was wonderful to speak with such a like-minded person! We talked about the ingredients in my desserts, how she had just considered working with Juliano in one of his restaurants, and how we would love to work together in the future.

Because Catherine arrived around dinner time, she was hungry, so we offered her some of Agi’s raw Avocado and Green Pea Soup, complete with a garnish of freshly sliced avocados, parsley and a sprinkling of paprika. I’ll never forget watching her take the first bite and exclaiming, “Oh, this is so good it makes me want to cry!” She finished and we continued throughout the evening talking about my desserts and “licking the bowls” whenever we finished making one of the pies. Catherine liked the key lime and the pumpkin pie fillings the best, and I remember sending her home with some so she could eat them for breakfast!

When I told her I was working on producing online cooking shows, she practically started bouncing off the walls and told me that she was currently producing a healthy living show pilot and that she would love to have me do a segment for it. We kept in touch through the winter and a few weeks ago, I flew to LA and shot the first raw dessert segment for The Healthy Living Show! It was an absolute blast! We made Raw Apple Crisp, Chocolate Pudding (the camera guy didn't believe it was made with avocados because it tasted too good), and Chocolate Dipping Sauce, which we dipped tons of fresh fruit in.

The best part of the whole opportunity is that Catherine has posted me on her website as the "Raw Desserts Expert," where I am privileged to be among ten other experts, including such notables as Gabriel Cousens MD and David Wolfe! Wow!

Chocolate Dipping Sauce

1 C organic raw cocoa powder (if you can't find raw, use organic, non-processed cocoa powder)
1 C agave

Whisk together until smooth. Dip every kind of fruit imaginable in this delicious, delicious, delicious sauce (I like bananas the very best), and don't be surprised if you look like a little kid who got into the chocolate when your finished!

Yoga and Strawberries

2007-04-25T19:03:00.000-06:00

Carolyn, my dear friend from college, who has lived all over the world in such places as South Africa, Morocco and Ethiopia, just got certified as a yoga instructor. So, my friend Sarah (you know the one) and I, invited her over to teach us a yoga class and eat some great food.

The second Carolyn turned the music on and we started breathing, I was transformed into a quiet and peaceful being, wishing I could stay in that place forever. Sarah and I told her that we were up for a more difficult class, so she didn't teach us the easy yoga, she taught us the powerful kind; salutations and holding our entire bodies up on our hands.
Afterward, we were all glowing and HUNGRY so we ate a beautiful spread of strawberries, avocados, almonds and raw honey, coconut oil and some amazing vegan pumpkin bread (yes Sarah made it) made of spelt, oats, flax and pumpkin.While we ate, we all talked about our experiences in third world countries . Sarah and I, too, have lived in third world countries. Sarah in India and I in Western Samoa. We talked about how during our encounters with these other worlds, we all reached a breaking point because of a constant witnessing of poverty and starvation like we had never seen before. As we ate such simple foods: a strawberry, an almond dipped in honey, a cup of tea, a glass of clean water, the moment became poignant and there was an unspoken gratefulness for all that we each have.

It was a beautiful and spiritual night with two of the most amazing people I've ever met in my life.

I am thankful.

I am grateful.

I am satisfied.

Peace,
Raw Melissa

Barbequed Cinnamon Rolls

2007-04-23T11:51:00.000-06:00

I was in LA a couple weeks ago, shooting a raw dessert segment for a healthy living show pilot. (More about that later). While there, I stayed with my good friend, Reed Randoy. Reed is an actor and filmmaker whose latest film, "Hitman" is showing at the Silver Lake Film Festival in May. Those of you located in LA have to go see this wonderful film! Reed is going to be the next big thing in Hollywood so check out his stuff and you can say you were one of the first to know about him!

Reed and me at a beautiful little pub
overlooking the ocean.

I wanted to do some cooking while I was there and needed to work on the desserts for the show, so Reed and I went to the local Whole Foods Market and grabbed a ton of beautiful and fresh ingredients. I wanted to make a treat, too, so I decided on cinnamon rolls. We bought some good organic, unbleached flour; organic powdered cane sugar; Mexican cinnamon; organic, unrefined, cold pressed coconut oil, and we were set.

I started out by making the dough with my hands. I never use a breadmaker or a Kitchen Aid kneader because I love getting my hands into the dough and really working it. It's also a great arm workout! When the dough was finished, I put it into a bowl, coated the top with olive oil so it wouldn't dry out, and then let it rise until it was doubled in bulk. Next came the fun part: punching it down. I punched and punched until all the air was out and then put it onto the counter for rolling out. The problem was, I couldn't find a rolling pin anywhere. Weird. A bachelor not having a rolling pin? Who would have thought? I grabbed a long skinny glass and put one hand inside for pressure as I rolled with the other hand. It actually worked quite well.

Once the dough was rolled out, I coated the entire surface with melted organic butter, cinnamon and organic cane sugar. I rolled the gigantic good smelling flat of dough into a long snake and then looked for some thread to cut the rolls with. Reed hadn't woken up yet so I asked his roommate if he knew where any thread was. He didn't. Weird. A bachelor not having thread? Who would have thought? I tried using a knife but it just wasn't making the beautiful cut I can make with thread so I thought and thought. That's it! Dental floss. I was a little worried about the possibility of our cinnamon rolls having a hint of peppermint flavor, but other than that, it worked very well. I slid a length of the floss under the end of the snake and brought the two ends together at the top. I criss-crossed them and pulled, and the thread, I mean, dental floss, cut right through the dough in a straight, even pattern. When I was done cutting the rolls, I put them onto a jelly roll pan and left them there to rise again. Now it was time to turn on the oven. It would be perfect timing for the oven to be just hot enough when the rolls were risen.

Reed had told me that he'd need to turn on the oven for me because there was a glitch with it. He was awake now so I gave him the go ahead, and guess what? The oven was broken. No turning on. Weird. A bachelor not having a working oven? Who would have thought? You know something, though? Just because bachelors are missing a lot of the items needed to make cinnamon rolls, doesn't mean they aren't innovative. Reed looked at me. "What about the barbeque?" My eyes widened and I thought about it for a minute. Other than frying them on the stove or blowing them up in the microwave, we had no other choice. "Let's do it," I said. So Reed fired that beautiful barbeque up and we got the temperature up to 500 degrees. I love to cook my bread at a high temperature, so I was banking on the cinnamon rolls doing really well at 500. When the dough was risen enough, I put the pan into the barbeque and closed the lid. I stood out on the patio, laughing because it was so funny, what we were doing, but guess what? About twenty minutes later, I had the most beautiful golden brown cinnamon rolls I had ever made. We brought them in, Reed frosted them with a thick frosting I had made, and we dug in. I can honestly say that I will never have another cinnamon roll as good, unless of course it's barbequed.

Barbequed Cinnamon Rolls

*2 batches, made from scratch bread dough
*1/2 C plus 2 T. organic butter or organic cold pressed coconut oil for vegan rolls
*cinnamon
*organic cane sugar or honey
*1 lb. organic powdered cane sugar
*Real Salt or sea salt
*soymilk, almond milk or rice milk
*1 tsp. real vanilla extract

After first rising of dough, roll out into a long, flat rectangle.
For vegetarian rolls, slather with about one stick of melted butter, for vegan rolls, slather with about a half cup melted coconut oil and lightly salt entire surface. Sprinkle with cinnamon and cane sugar or a drizzle of honey. Roll dough lengthwise, taking care to make the roll tight, until you have a long "snake" of dough. Cut using the thread technique described above. Place individual rolls next to each other on a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet. Let rise until doubled in bulk. Place into a 500 degree barbeque. Watch the rolls carefully but try not to open the lid too much, as the heat will escape and your temperature will go down. After 10-20 minutes, or when rolls are golden brown, but not too dark, take them out and frost with a mixture of one pound powdered sugar, 2 T melted butter or coconut oil, 1-2tsp. vanilla, a pinch of salt (more if using coconut oil) and enough of your chosen milk to thin to a desired consistency. Be careful not to add too much milk at once. Powdered sugar is very absorbent and will become very thin if too much milk is added. After frosting, eat those ooey, gooey things right away, before they disappear!

The Two Video Recipes!!

2007-04-10T21:10:00.000-06:00

Here are the two recipes featured on my show at www.rawmelissa.com:

Pineapple Salsa

4 C finely chopped pineapple
3 medium cloves minced garlic
1/3 C (4-8 depending on size) sprigs fresh mint, stems removed and minced
4 T fresh lime juice (1 lime)
1tsp cumin
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp salt
1/8 – ¼ tsp cayenne

Combine everything, adjust for seasonings and eat.
This salsa is especially good with celery sticks and red pepper wedges.

Chocolate Banana Shake

2 C ice
2 C water
3 T heaping T cocoa
3 frozen bananas
1 C almonds
1 pinch salt
3 T agave
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend and serve immediately.

I'm Back!

2007-04-01T19:13:00.000-06:00

I have not posted for so long!! Please allow me to apologize to my loyal readers.

Some wonderful things have been happening and I will tell you all about them in a later post, but for now, I must tell you all that I will now be writing on this blog regularly. I promise that you can expect at least one post a week and often more. My posts will consist of ideas for eating well and healthy food recipes, as well as continued musings about my experiences with food.

Please enjoy reading and know that I would love your feedback, either in the form of comments, or via email, at melissa@rawmelissa.com

One of the very nicest things about life is the
way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are
doing and devote our attention to eating.
~Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright,
Pavarotti, My Own Story

Raw Melissa Workshop Schedule for 2010

2007-02-02T20:12:00.012-07:00

JULY 2010 WORKSHOPS!!!

*Do you like the Raw Melissa Desserts? Me too! That's why I'm teaching several dessert classes in the month of July. Here are the details:

Class 1
Date: July 14th
Time: 7:00pm-8:30pm
Where: The Raw Melissa Kitchen
1190 N. Main St. #18 Springville Utah
(45 minutes South of SLC)
Desserts you'll learn: Strawberry Sauce, Lime Mousse, Apple Crisp, Chocolate Peppermint Fudge, Oatmeal Cookies, Chocolate Sauce
Cost: $25

Class 2
Date: July 21st
Time: 7:00pm-8:30pm
Where: The Raw Melissa Kitchen
1190 N. Main St. #18 Springville Utah
(45 minutes South of SLC)
Desserts you'll learn: Strawberry Sauce, Lime Mousse, Apple Crisp, Chocolate Peppermint Fudge, Oatmeal Cookies, Chocolate Sauce
Cost: $25

Class 3
Date: July 28th
Time: 7:00pm-8:30pm
Where: The Raw Melissa Kitchen
1190 N. Main St. #18 Springville Utah
(45 minutes South of SLC)
Desserts you'll learn: Strawberry Cheesecake, Macadamia Nut Thumbprint Cookies, Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream, Orange Cinnamon Shake, Chocolate No Bake Cookies, Candied Walnuts
Cost: $25

You'll notice that in class one and class two I'm teaching the same six desserts. I hope to do a second date for class three as well, but can't quite fit it in until sometime in the fall, so watch for it then. Expect to get samples for each dessert and to even take some of the goodies home with you! If you'd like to sign up for two sessions, the cost is only $45. Class size is limited because the Raw Melissa kitchen is SMALL, so sign up quickly!

To register, either:
1) Send a check to: Raw Melissa Dessert Class, P.O. Box 721, Springville UT 84663. Include your name, email address, phone number, and date of class you'll be attending.

OR

2) PayPal the class fee to us at register@rawmelissa.com. BEFORE you hit "send money" please scroll down and fill out the "email to recipient" section with "Dessert Class" in the subject line and your name, email address, phone number, and date of class you'll be attending, in the body of the email. Then hit "send money."

We will send you a confirmation of your registration in the class as soon as we receive your information.

Hope to see you there!

*September 25th Full-Day Fresh Food Workshop in St. George Utah. Cost: $80. Email heather-at-rawmelissa.com for more details.

Winter

2006-12-30T20:21:00.000-07:00

Snow. Cold. Gray Skies. Gray World. Any green? Yes. Hidden underneath the snow.

A bit poetic isn't it?

As soon as Christmas is over, I start poring through the Gardening Catalogs, looking at my garden plots to see if there's any dirt peeking out of the snow yet, and searching, oh so longingly, for any sign of the sun. I know, I know, Winter just officially started but I officially want it to be over. I went sledding the other day and it was absolutely exhilarating. I would like winter a lot more if I could play in the snow all day, everyday, but I think people might start asking around for me if I disappeared like that.

Yesterday I couldn't take it anymore. I went to my garden and kicked at the snow, thinking I might be lucky and find some tasty edibles left over from Summer's Bounty. I did find lots of inedibles: frozen squash, dried up tomato plants, and a couple of wilted and cracked hot peppers. I had given up when I remembered the arugula. My arugula stayed green for so long. It even survived the first frost and a couple of light snows. Could it still be green and edible? I walked to where I remembered planting it and started moving the snow away. I kicked and scraped and there it was! I pulled a leaf off and ate it. Mmm, frozen arugula. It was definitely still edible, but had grown very spicy and was a little icy. (Hey, more poetry). The fact that it was still green and edible (though not tasty) made me happy, but didn't quite satisfy my urge for summer. I went inside, drove to the grocery store and bought a package of arugula from the produce section, and today, while I looked out my window at the snow, I made a tomato, avocado, and arugula sandwich. I toasted the bread in olive oil, salt and peppered the veggies and dipped the finished sandwich in balsamic vinegar and more olive oil as I ate it. Not as fresh and tasty as a summer version, but I think it will tide me over for at least another twenty-four hours or so until I'll need to find some other relic of summer to remind me that it still exists.

Faster!

2006-12-13T18:10:00.000-07:00

I do some consulting for a local restaurant called Ginger's Garden Cafe. They specialize in vegetarian, vegan and raw vegan dishes and they're only open for lunch - but occasionally, they have large, private dinners. At their last dinner, they wanted to serve a sampling of raw vegan fare to help educate the attendees about the complex tastes and delicious flavors that can be present in raw gourmet food. The head chef, Sandy Thomas (a.k.a. "The Red Hot Chef") asked me if I could help her create a raw sushi dish for the event, so about five days before the dinner, we got together in the kitchen and started creating. For the sushi rice, we used jicama, a large root often used in Mexican Cuisine. It looks like a large squashed ball with brown elephant-looking skin and tastes like a radish with a bit of sweetness and none of the heat. Jicama is over fifty percent water, so we first peeled the thick skin off, cut the white inside into chunks, processed it in a food processor until it was thoroughly shredded, and then packed it in cheesecloth and pressed it in a hydrolic press to get the water out. When we were finished, we had two bowls: one full to the brim with jicama water and the other about half-full with the fibrous white pith. We seasoned the latter with traditional sushi rice seasonings and then spooned it onto nori sheets (dried seaweed pressed into a thin square). To this we added thin slices of cucumber and avocado (traditional japanese sushi fillings), marinated portabello mushrooms, red pepper strips, sunflower sprouts, and julienned carrots. Sandy made a traditional pickled ginger by julienning ginger and pickling it for several days in a mixture of beet juice (for color), agave, and apple cider vinegar. I created an almond and shoyu sauce I call Thai Nut Sauce, and we decided to plate up the sushi with a side of this sauce and regular Nama Shoyu (a living/raw version of soy sauce).

A couple days before the event. One of Sandy's chef's fell ill with a terrible flu, so she asked me if I could come in and help. I absolutely love the intensity of a commercial kitchen; food and people flying everywhere. So, 0f course I said yes. My work was much less challenging than creating a sushi dish, but still fun. Sandy and her team chose to serve a grilled polenta dish with a brazil nut hummus sauce to their vegan guests and I was set to the task of forming the polenta rounds and frying them for later reheating. Sandy also asked me to cut and assemble a fruit tray. There are two things that really get me excited about food: 1) the smells and 2) being an artist with the final product. I was so thrilled to do the fruit. It smelled glorious and designing it was like putting together a puzzle of a Hawaiian Sunset.

I thought I would be involved in just the preparation part of the event, but the day before the dinner, Ginger's manager asked me if I would be the host for the event. I gladly accepted and after preparing the last of the sushi, ran home, changed my clothes and went back to the restaurant. After everyone was seated and dinner started, I ended up spending most of my time in the kitchen helping with last minute preps before the plates went out. The energy was frenetic and exhilirating - focused expressions, furrowed brows, people (mostly Sandy) running back and forth shouting orders. I helped garnish plates (in my nice clothes) and took lots of pictures to prove to the staff, later, that they were amazing.

The event, thanks to good planning and a talented kitchen staff, turned out to be a great success. Sandy got several compliments (you know, "My compliments to the chef") and we got raving reviews on the sushi, most specifically on the Thai Nut Sauce. People were asking us if we'd bottle it and sell it at the restaurant. Well, I'm not planning on bottling it any time soon, but look for the recipe in my upcoming cookbook. I'll keep you posted (literally).

The best part of the night was at the end
when I got to steal some leftover sushi.
Shh! Don't tell Sandy.

Taste Memory

2006-11-30T21:29:00.000-07:00

In the interview I wrote about a couple days ago (with Madhur Jaffrey), the interviewer asked Mrs.Jaffrey if she thought there was such a thing as "taste memory". I was astounded at the question because I didn't realize that taste memory is a theory, I thought it was a known fact because, well - in my world, it is.

A couple weeks ago, I had been thinking a lot about my maternal grandma. She died just after my nineteenth birthday and I've been missing her terribly. As I learn more about myself, I realize I am more like her than I knew. She did things that in her day, were probably considered pretty liberal. She was a very proactive woman who was into politics and held several leadership positions. She was instrumental in the founding of one of the first drug rehab centers in her city, and most important, she was really into health, nutrition and cooking. I think if it weren't for her, I would have never started Raw Melissa.

When I was little, she always took my mom and I to a little food counter in this mom and pop health food store. The shop was tiny and dimly lit and jammed full of dried leaves and flowers and "alternative" health products. Of course, you can imagine the smell: potent yet earthy herbs, spices that opened your nose with their sharp and far-away-land scents, and fresh, healthy food smells coming from the mini kitchen in the back. We'd sit up to the counter and in my memory, we always ordered the same thing. Maybe it's because it was the only main dish they offered, but I'll never forget it- Bible Bread Sandwiches. Bible Bread is the name they gave to pitas. They filled the pitas with a mixture of sprouts, sunflower seeds, tomatoes, onions, avocados and mayo. Their secret ingredient was Spike. A very distinctive spice blend still available today in health food stores. The great thing about these sandwiches was that they didn't just put all that stuff in the pita and serve it. They chopped everything very, very finely, mixed it together with the mayo and then filled the pita with it. I remember sitting at the counter, feeling so special because my grandma and my mom had taken me out.

I also have this distinct memory of eating a certain kind of cheese with my grandma at that same lunch counter. I remember it being the color of caramel and also tasting like caramel. Many years after my grandma died, I started looking for it. I remembered her saying that it was from a goat, but all the goat cheese I ever found was white and didn't taste like caramel. After years of looking for it with no luck, I started thinking I had just made up the memory. After all, a cheese that tastes and looks like caramel? I was just a kid, of course I made it up! Well, the same week I had been thinking so much about my grandma, I happened to be shopping at this amazing store in Salt Lake City called Liberty Heights Fresh. It's a wonderful local gourmet grocery dedicated to giving its customers sensual food experiences while remaining environmentally responsible. It makes me so happy to just stand in there! They have a wall of cheeses from all over the world, and while I've been in there before, I had never thought to ask about the caramel cheese because I had given up on ever finding it. But for some reason, this day, I walked over to the cheese counter and told the chef there my story. I thought I sounded pretty foolish starting out my inquiry with, "When I was a little girl..." but to my utter dismay, when I finished my description, he smiled at me, walked over to the top shelf, grabbed a hard cube of brown cheese and placed it in my hands. I looked down and read the label: Ekte Gjetost, Goat Cheese, Cooked until Caramelized, Norway. I looked at him with my mouth open, looked down at the cheese, and looked back up at him. "This is it!" I said. "This is it!" I looked back down at the cheese and the tears started flowing then. I couldn't help it. I tried to hold it back, but tears ran out of my eyes and down my cheeks. "I'm sorry," I said. "I can't believe I'm crying. I don't know why I'm crying. It's just that I've been looking for this for so long." He smiled and said, "It's okay, it happens more often than you think." I wiped my tears, thanked him and went to the check out counter to pay for my items: an apple, a Delicata squash, a yam, a loaf of just baked German Pumpernickel, and my block of Ekte Gjetost, Goat Cheese, Cooked until Caramelized, Norway.

Later, when I tasted the cheese for the first time, I was with my dear friend John. We stood in his tiny red brick kitchen. I opened the cheese and we tore off pieces of the brown bread. I carved off a tiny sliver, put it into my mouth - and there it was, Taste Memory. Thoughts of my grandma flooded back to me and I started crying again. I felt so silly, crying over a hunk of cheese, but then I realized, it wasn't about the caramel cheese, it was about my grandma. Maybe she was reaching out to me (through food no less!) or maybe not, maybe it was just one big coincidence. Either way, I needed that reconnection so badly just then and that day will forever remain one of the most memorable experiences of my life because it enabled that reconnection by bringing my past to my present, if only for a moment.

Do you believe in taste memory? I do.

Finally Here it is! The Recipe for Pumpkin Soup!

2006-11-27T18:02:00.000-07:00

I finally got the recipe for Pumpkin Soup from Sarah. She and the baby are doing very well, by the way. Sarah was concerned that the recipe came from a magazine and wondered if I should be posting it on the internet, but when she started reading it to me over the phone, I realized she had changed nearly every ingredient, technique and quantity, (no wonder it's so good!) so I am making an executive decision and am officially calling it:

Sarah's Celebration Pumpkin Soup

3 T. olive oil
1 finely chopped onion
1 celery heart, finely chopped
1 red pepper seeded and finely chopped
2 tsp. salt
3 T. flour
1-2 T chili powder
1 T dried poultry seasoning
3 cans vegetable broth
1-29 oz. can pureed pumpkin (Sarah likes to use fresh cooked pumpkin from her garden)
1 can coconut milk
1 tsp. nutmeg (optional, though highly recommended)

In a pan, heat olive oil. Saute chopped veggies and salt until soft. Add flour, chili powder, and poultry seasoning. Stir for one minute. Whisk in broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat and whisk in pumpkin and coconut milk and optional nutmeg. Cook for ten minutes and then enjoy. Don't burn your tongue!

East Indian Food at its Best

2006-11-25T21:45:00.000-07:00

Today I was listening to NPR (national public radio). They were interviewing a woman named Madhur Jaffrey. She's a famous East Indian Cookbook writer and has just written a memoir entitled, "Climbing the Mango Trees" (which I intend to buy as soon as possible).

I have one of her cookbooks, Quick and Easy Indian Cooking and have absolutely loved making her Indian food recipes over the years. She also has another I'd like to get: Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian: More Than 650 Meatless Recipes from Around the Globe.

The conversation was fascinating to me. I loved listening to her recall, as a child, her joy in climbing the mango trees and while still in the tree, cutting and then dipping mangos into a mixture of salt, pepper, cumin, and red chili powder she had carried up in her hand.

You can listen to the interview here:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6525257

Try the Cauliflower recipe they've posted. It's delicious and easy! Enjoy!

New Babies and Pumpkin Soup

2006-11-20T22:18:00.000-07:00

So, in my other life, I'm a doula. A doula is a woman who offers physical, emotional, and informational support to couples during birth. On Saturday, my best friend, Sarah (watch my cooking show in January - she's my guest) had a baby and I was there as her doula. She didn't end up needing me much because she's the most amazing woman in the world. When she was seven months pregnant she was rock climbing these rock faces that hard core grown men I know couldn't climb and the day before she had her baby, she went kayaking down a river until she got to the lake it ended in. Needless to say, she pretty much got that baby out with a smile on her face.

Sarah and I have seriously bonded through food. Everytime we get together, there's food involved. For her birth, she made and froze pumpkin soup. Yeah, I know, not a big deal, lots of moms make stuff to freeze for eating after the baby's born. The thing is, she made the soup to feed to everyone present at her birth. You could say it was the celebration meal we sometimes hear about in other cultures. After the baby was born, I got it out of the freezer and heated it up and at 6:20 am, we all had a hot bowl of homemade pumpkin soup. Before I ate it, I wasn't too excited about pumpkin soup. I'd had versions before and I wasn't expecting much, but it was absolutely delightful. I know it sounds strange, but we were all starving (maybe from being up half the night) and it just tasted so good. I ate mine in a ceramic bowl that Sarah made herself (I told you she is amazing). It had a couple chips on the edges, but I think it made the soup taste better because I knew the bowl was well loved. After we ate our soup, I was laying next to Sarah on her bed, admiring her gorgeous baby and she turned to me and said, "Labor wasn't that bad." I wonder if the soup had anything to do with it.

Sarah said I could post the recipe but I'm giving her a bit of a break so as soon as I talk to her next, I'll post it. Trust me - this is one pumpkin soup that will change your view of pumpkins forever.

Welcome to the Raw Melissa blog!

2006-11-16T22:47:00.000-07:00

Hello! It's so absolutely wonderful to have a new blog. It's exciting to have a chance to communicate via this medium. For my first entry, I want to give you a quote that pretty much sums up my entire philosophy about eating and food:

Nothing would be more tiresome than
eating and drinking if God had not made
them a pleasure as well as a necessity.

~Voltaire

Also, I wanted to share this picture of some friends and I picking green peppers out of a friend's over-abundant garden this summer. They were superb!

In peace and health,
Melissa