Yes, my next set of raw food prep classes is coming up very quickly. Follow this link for details or just check out the calendar to your right.
Above is a picture of the demo I was teaching at Raw Union! It’s such a thrill to share what I have learned and continue to learn with all you enthusiastic, transforming souls….beautiful reflections of my own.
The upcoming classes will be fun, quick, fresh and easy foods. The idea was to share the tools and techniques that I have picked to support me in maintaining a raw food lifestyle that I, my partner, friends and family can all enjoy! So in other words something other than just your average or awesomely beyond average salad (that’s great for me, but just doesn’t cut it for my sweetheart or many different friends and family that aren’t “Raw Foodists”).
These days we are all or most of us taking in to consideration the cost of the food, the prep time, how healthy it is and how good it tastes. To maintain tasty, and deeply satisfying raw food without spending hours in the kitchen can either take great creativity or a palate that is satisfied with much more simple food. This class is about taking pretty simple foods, fresh foods (little to no dehydrating – in order to keep it quick), and learning how to put them together in ways that give a depth of texture, flavor, and overall satisfaction.
I have found there are certain staples that one with a busy lifestyle and a tight budget can turn to for great flavor, nutrition and balance. This sounds like stuff that a lot of people could benefit from, so what to do but put it out there.
This class will be 4 seperate days, 3 hours per day and each day will have a focus on Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner or Dessert. That way I figure we can go over many different options for that meal of the day and hopefully give you staple foods you can turn to in a hurry. Many of which can store in your fridge, be used in different ways to make a brand new recipe out of a “left over” sauce or dressing. There are so many great ways to get deliciously creative.
So if you want to know specifics check the calendar or link above and contact me to reserve a space.
Seasonal Fruit Cobbler
Makes one 9×9x2 inch pan of cobbler
Walnut Crust/Crumble ingredients:
* 3 cups walnuts
* 2 oz. Medjool Dates (weight without seeds)
* ¼ tsp. cinnamon
* ¼ tsp. liquid vanilla
* 1/8 tsp. sea salt
* Process all ingredients until walnuts are still slightly chunky.
* Save all for topping or:
* Separate the crumble in two equal portions.
* Sprinkle one portion evenly over bottom of pan and lightly compact.
* Reserve the other portion for the topping.
Fruit filling ingredients:
* 8 Cups sliced fruit of your choice (any combination of fruit or berries)
* 2 Tbs. lemon juice
* 2 Tbs. raw honey (optional)
* 1 Tbs. liquid vanilla
* 1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
* 1/8 tsp. sea salt
* Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
* Taste filling to adjust flavor if desired.
* Pack the filling into pan or evenly distribute the filling on top of the crust if you chose to use a crust.
* Then crumble the remaining crumble on top of the fruit filling and gently press.
* Decorate with fresh fruit slices and serve.
(This dessert is best on the day it is made. Over subsequent days the cobbler will begin to juice and the nuts will get soggy. You may choose to keep the crumble separate and top per portion. Keep covered in the fridge for up to 2 days.)
Variations:
Use pecans instead of walnuts for the crust/topping. This cobbler lends itself to endless variations of fruit that can be used. Be creative; use what you love, and what is in season for the best result.
This past weekend was the “Raw Union Festival” a wedding for two leading spokes people in the raw food movement, conscious life movement, intentional awakened living, on and on…you know – all the good stuff movement. The festival part was basically for the ultimate betterment of all life and directly for all who came to be an active part of the festivities which included lectures by many of the cutting edge raw foods spokespeople including of course Angela and Matt themselves, but also Elaina Love, Annie Jubb, David Wolfe and many more, awakened cosmic activists and inspired conscious creatives, live food demo’s with Melissa Mango, Christian Bates, and not to mention little ole me…hee,hee, Healers, yoga with none other than Rainbeau Mars, positive and moving musical performances, moving art and constantly forming alters, permaculture lectures, raw food booths, hemp clothing and just some of the most radiant beings on the planet – Holy Macadamia Nuts, was this an activated wedding & festival!
With Massive importance I want to mention the AMAZING crew of volunteer kitchen and ground staff, the wedding caterer herself Solla was the most gracious, playful, positive, kitchen sprite ever! What a Blessed and radiant woman, I am SO honored to have had the opportunity to share space with her and connect to a new yet ancient soul sister if ya know what I mean.
Follow this link to check out more about the line up.
Angela Stokes now Angela Stokes Monarch and Matt Monarch gathered together between three and four hundred people to attend and enjoy their ceremony of celebrating the union and acknowledgment of an eternal bond and commitment to one another and it seems through that union to the whole of the world by way of fulfilling their destiny and living life in a continued spiral of awakening.
I’m sure there are tons of rawkin’ folks out there posting blogs all about this phenomenal event. Now, I will share Raw Union through the lens of what was going to be a Demo Chef turned Wedding Cake Chef, and an overall delighted and honored soul that got to participate in bringing together a truly enchanted weekend of Love and Light!
When I first heard about this wedding event I knew that it would be a great honor and joy to share an offering of my skills as a demo chef (in all honesty there was a voice in the back of my head thinking – “Wow, I wish I could make their wedding cake – I know it would be the very best ever” and at the same time, I knew how special it was that the Boutenko family would be making it and for sure they would do an outstandingly incredible job!). I sent an email to Laura Fox (producer of this event and powerhouse of a woman, inspiring, and opening the doors of vitality through her blog, radio show and radiant personality), with photo’s of my food art and an idea of what I would love to share in a food demo. She wrote me back with a big YES – Yay, and I began to prepare recipe ideas to share with all! Time went on, life was busy as always and before I knew it the week of the wedding had arrived. It was Tuesday afternoon and I was being Oompa Chaya at Coracao Confections when I took a break, checked my email and there was a note from Angela Stokes asking if I would Love to make the wedding cake, for some reason the Boutenko family had to leave to Russia and wouldn’t be available to make the cakes. You can guess what my response was right??? Well just in case you couldn’t guess it was a quick and big YES!!!! It would be a complete HONOR!
From that point until the actual clean up after the wedding it was a non-stop process to pull everything together. With a booked schedule and two days to create wedding cakes for 350 I knew sleep would be minimal and energy would be high. From gathering ingredients, equipment, tools, adjusted recipes, getting a ride, packing clothes, still preparing for the food demo that I was on the bill for (which I felt strongly about following through with, because I knew folks would be looking forward to it and I am a stand for being true to your word), and making sure all of my regular work details were covered the flow seemed to be magically seamless…this was obvious Divine coordination, as the whole of the Festival was!
I arrived at Angel’s Farm just outside of Medford Oregon around 9:30 pm Thursday night (I could tell it was a special place, but would soon become aware of just a small portion of how special it was, this is definitely a revolutionary place that I would love to spend more time at). The hustle and bustle was on in a BIG way, kitchen crew still working on into the night until about 11pm, this was all for the wedding day which was the Summer Soulstice Sunday the 21st.
I got settled that night, had a brief introduction to sweet Solla, kitchen crew and my sleeping bunk. I do have to mention, as I headed out the first night to find a bathroom, I heard the sweetest sound, it sounded like the vibrations of life, support, growth, love, nourishment…I kid you not. I thought perhaps there were some people creating simple meditative tones, I could hear this from my room, as I walked, soft, sweet and comforting. I looked for where the sound was coming from and was led to a greenhouse filled with wheatgrass, sunflower sprouts, and other sprouts. There is much to learn about Angel’s Farm, I believe the name says more than one might think. I didn’t have a chance to ask about it, but it seems they are using harmonious vibrational sound to assist and support the growth of their foods. It was constant and soothing throughout the weekend, a subtle sound in the background…so sweet!
Friday morning I greeted the kitchen around 5:30 a.m. and began making date paste, by pressing medjool dates through a champion juicer fitted with the solid plate. Champions tend to get very hot, so between pressing and cooling I was making almond milk, almond pulp, hazelnut milk and hazelnut pulp. Around 7 a.m. the kitchen Queen Solla delighted me with her presence and all the kitchen angels began trickling in. Before I knew it the buzz wuzz on. Everyone was so supportive of one another, playful and in the highest spirits. Ginnette, Rawbin, Marie and Sergey were the first folks I met. Everyone holding their posts, Sergey a raw pastry chef who I used to work with at Cafe Gratitude made coconut cream pies for three days straight…WOW! Solla held a consistent spirit of love, calm, peace, playfulness, expertise, whimsical creativity – there are not enough words to express how impressed I am by Sweet Solla of Iceland, Raw Food Chef Extraordinaire! The team continued to grow over the next day and the support just increased with grace and flow. Ginnette is not only a raw chef but also a massage therapist and did her best to keep everyone rubbed and loved.
The wedding cakes on my menu were two Chocolate Hazelnut sheet cakes serving around 200 – 250 all together, and one three tiered lemon coconut wedding cake serving around 150-200 all together. Friday was all about getting the bases made, the frosting poured and everything set up in the fridge. These were non stop days for all the kitchen staff, yet we kept each other well nourished. I made a big Green Smoothie of mostly parsley with some apple and apricot for breakfast, another green smoothie was offered up later for lunch, there was always a big beautiful salad made for all volunteers and someone would throw together a dressing out of thin air. I didn’t have time to stop for food, but Miss. Stokes Monarch seemed to psychicly know exactly what I needed when I needed it and brought me a deeply nourishing green juice that she made with her own bride hands….how thoughtful and insightful!
Well 8 pm came around out of no where, and for those of you who don’t know I hold the Shabbat or Sabbath which meant by sundown Friday I had to be finished with all my work and ready to observe the day of rest until dark on Saturday. It just so happened that everything I wanted to be finished with before Shabbat was miraculously finished with just enough time to make a simple Shabbat dinner for all, shower, change and call in the Holiness of this day of rest! Phew….16 hours of work and the next 24 for pure rest, prayer, relating and Love!
For dinner I made a big batch of almond hummus and a nice big green salad. It was enjoyed by all those who were willing to wait a bit so I could say some traditional prayers, call in the angels and sanctify the day through some prayers over the meal. It was so special to share this practice with all those open hearts who joined!
The night continued with song, family and relaxation…just how it should be if you ask me. I didn’t sleep much that night or my whole stay until after the wedding. It was about 4 hours a night until Sunday when I got around 10 hours and have been exhausted until well right about now! But it was well worth it, and during the festival, it was as if we were in another dimensional space where sleep and wake were not the same as in the outside world.
The gift of Shabbat is rest, and the acknowledgment of all that life is and the perfection and completeness of it, rather than during the week when we are adding, building, creating, re-creating, constantly going etc. What a gift it is, the additional gift during this weekend was the fact that I had a chance to experience the festival itself, whereas if I didn’t observe the Shabbat I would have definitely worked through the whole thing. I had a chance to rest in bed, here some lectures, including David Wolfe’s, which was so inspiring and insightful. I was especially inspired by the ideas he shared in regards to the cosmic energy impact on different foods and on us through those foods. Very deep stuff! The pinnacle of the day I must say was having the opportunity to share in the song and blessing circle that was Angela’s Bridal Shower. It was guided by Annie Jubb who is truly a powerful and transparent woman and leader, the songs were led by an expansive and earth connected Momma who’s name I am not recalling. She guided us in simple and timeless songs, sung by women throughout the ages, some of which were traditionally never heard by men. This sacred circle of wise women truly helped me and I’m sure many others to reconnect to their innate knowing, and power centers.
Weddings, gathering and reuniting of souls in community is a great gift and healing for all who choose to join. This weekend accomplished that in a very powerful way. After dark Saturday night it was back to work. This time not only on the wedding cakes, but I had to prepare for my demo which was scheduled for 1:30 Sunday afternoon…..how that was going to be possible I had not a clue, and my attention was just on love, trust and allowing the process with ease and grace! Bedtime was around 1 am and wake up 5 am…yes crunch time! Woohoo!
Now it was time to decorate these massive cakes. My vision was for “Enchanted Garden” wedding cakes. I was assigned an Angel to be by my side, her name was Angie and the first task I gave her was to collect me a wide variety of beautiful wild flowers. Little did I know she had a special connection to plants and gardens from childhood. All things truly work out perfectly when you stay in trust. As the day progressed so did the art, and a bit of nervousness. Nonetheless there was a constant flow of support reminding me to breathe and offering service. Wow!
As 1 pm came around, I quickly prepared to teach my class, and fulfilled that obligation with joy and nearly a 50 person audience. One of the kitchen Angels video taped the whole thing. I will post it later along with the recipe so you can make your own Blueberry Meringue Pie if you like???
The rest of the day moved very quickly, I didn’t get to see the whole ceremony, but what I did see and hear was absolutely gorgeous. One thing I would like to mention about the magic of the day was how Saturday was all cloudy, it felt like rain and knowing Oregon that was a definite possibility. By the time Sunday came around the clouds were broken up, the temperature was perfectly comfortable, and the sparsely clouded skies were a treat to the eyes and senses.
David Wolfe officiated the ceremony, there was an opera singer who could shake the heavens, and just as the ceremony was being completed with a kiss we brought the finished wedding cake out for the first cut and taste by the bride and groom. I create that feeding one another the first slice of this live wedding cake was a symbol of feeding each other vital sweetness that would be the beginning or continuity of an eternity of life and sweetness.
Here is a close up of the finished tiered wedding cake:
After watching and throwing rose pedals, it was back to the kitchen. The raw cake was in the sun for a bit and had to be replaced into the fridge until after dinner. During the dinner, I was completing decorations for the last two sheet cakes and they were finished just in time to serve for dessert. Here are the “Enchanted Garden at Midnight” Chocolate Hazelnut Wedding Cakes:
I did have a chance to taste Solla’s food. Not only is her personality outstanding but she makes food to match. All the flavors were delightful, simply beautiful and oh so satisfying. The rest of the night was filled with music, and celebration. By the time I was done cleaning, my feet were ready for a break, but I thought after all that work, I better push a little further and boogie just for a bit! That’s exactly what I did, until it was too cold and I could stand no more. Then it was off to bed, and I was out from 11 pm ’till nearly 10 am on Monday! What an incredible weekend. I look forward to many more like that.
I LOVE this community/family, I am definitely going to go and hang out with Solla in Iceland, Matt and Angela in Ecuador “the valley of Longevity” ahhhh Yeah! And many more raw adventures to come.
Thanks for taking a journey into my experience, I hope you had fun, and check back soon for videos of the event, class and recipes…Yummmm! I love you all, Chaya
Many people have been confronted by the question of whether or not Raw Agave is:
1) truly raw
2) truly low glycemic
3) the same as corn syrup
4) cut with corn syrup
Well I don’t have your answer, but I have the same questions and have heard many conflicting reports. For the most part it seems the majority of people I speak with and the majority of what I have seen online says that it isn’t all that it is cracked up to be. I am not going to say it is or it isn’t, and will continue to investigate until I have clarification.
Some of the view points I have heard is that most agave nectar’s on the market are highly heat (could be below 118) processed in a similar way that corn syrup is processed. Separating the starch from the sugar and leaving a much sweeter and more refined syrup. The other thing that I have heard is that truly raw agave is completely clear and if your agave is brown or amber it has definitely been heat processed. Finally what has been termed low glycemic agave nectar is only the agave that comes from the blue agave plant.
Being that I am a raw food pastry or dessert chef I have a lot of experience with agave and different types of agave mainly amber blue agave and clear “truly raw” blue agave nectar. What I have found using my palate as the tool of this science experiment is that for one the flavor of both is very different. The clear “truly raw” agave is not as sweet on the palate and has much more complex floral notes. Amber and dark agave have a simpler and highly sweet flavor. The other thing that I have noticed is that eating something made with a darker agave will give me a high/low that other refined sweeteners give. I haven’t experience the same effect when consuming the clear agave.
Having said that what I would like to do is share this short video of a man opening the agave plant and reaching the nectar at the center. What did catch my eye and I encourage you to notice is that the nectar he finally gets to after quite a process is clear, and seams a bit more fluid than the darker agave’s on the market.
This isn’t hard evidence of any sort, just a little more information to put on the shelf and pull down at the appropriate time. I will continue to investigate and post what I find as I do.
I do want to add that what concerns me even if agave is a low glycemic, healthy sweetener is how the process of harvesting agave seems highly unsustainable.
So here we are again learning new information, allowing us to make healthy choices for our physical shells as well as for the planet. I am not going to completely discontinue my use of agave nectar, I will choose to use the truly raw agave when it is available and all this until I have become clear on what the best choice is. However in the mean time. I am choosing to use more raw local honey (if we all were to take on a hive in the back yard it would benefit our Momma earth immensely! [I speak to myself as well]), and have heard of a raw Jerusalem artichoke sweetener, and Yacon is a favorite of mine….for the right things!
Here’s to growing, and choosing the highest level of service for all of creation!
Tips, tricks, and springtime recipes for day trips, picnics and simply delicious warm weather food!
On the Menu:
Dehydrated Onion Bread
Save the Tuna Salad
Cool Gazpacho Soup
Tangy Ginger Ale
Dehydrated Chocolate Fudge cookies
Announcing the first ever class through Living Vision in the hills of San Pablo, CA
Sunday May 31st. 1:00 – 3:00 pm Class
4:00 – 6:00 pm Hike and Picnic Lunch/Dinner
Class Cost: $50.00
Class & Picnic Lunch Cost: $65.00
Picnic Lunch Only: $20.00
Please register by contacting me directly: Chaya@thelivingvision.com.
**Please register for either the class or picnic lunch by Wednesday the 27th. If it is later contact me directly and I will let you know if there are still spaces or extra lunches available: Chaya@thelivingvision.com All Classes include detailed recipe packets, and samples of all the food! I look forward to seeing you there, Chaya
**Please register at least 2 days prior to class, if it is later contact me directly and I will let you know if there are still spaces available: Chaya@thelivingvision.com
Get ready for the dynamic duo to awaken your palates and inspire your raw creativity. April 19th 2009 is the time; we are happy to announce our Bay area Leg of the West Coast tour that began in Southern California, worked it’s way up to Seattle, WA and is now here in the bay for all our local community to take pleasure in!
This is a 4 hour raw food workshop, featuring food preparation demos, two recipe packets and of course good helpings of all the food we prepare..Wooohooo! For a peak into our 2 week road trip check out this quick blog.
Here’s the Menu:
Nuevo Mexican
With Master Raw Food Chef Elaina Love
Corn Tortillas – These corn tortillas will quickly become a favorite in your house. Made from raw corn and hemp and flax seeds, they are then dehydrated and can be stored for months in your refrigerator or freezer
Enchilada Spirals- These very special enchiladas will be made using raw corn tortillas and wrapping them around a veggie taco filling like a spiral then topping them with enchilada sauce, pine nutsour cream and avocado slices. These are so flavorful, satisfying and unique
Mexican-Spanish Rice –It tastes like the best Spanish rice you’ve ever eaten, only there’s no rice! Elaina will show you how to use vegetables and spices to recreate all the flavors and comfort of rice.
Taco Filling – Again, keeping with her low to no nut agenda, Elaina will demonstrate how to take root vegetables and turn them into the most flavorful, juicy, mouthwatering taco filling that can be eaten in a “taco”, on your salad, in your Enchilada Spirals or dehydrated into crunchy snacks or burgers
Enchilada Sauce- A light and flavorful sauce that can be used in a variety of dishes
Pine Nut Sour Cream-A light and fluffy version of sour cream with Irish moss, pine nuts and more flavors to make this a raw food staple.
ElegantRaw Desserts Class
Featuring Irish Moss and Raw Cacao Confections
With Chef/Instructor Chaya-Ryvka
Inspired by the flavors of Elaina’s Nuevo Mexican meal, we will be creating some classic desserts that will pair beautifully with her fresh take on Mexican or any meal you may choose.
Orange Spice Crème Caramel – Experience the sensuous elegance of this melt in your mouth heavenly flan treat while learning the secrets of successfully working with Irish moss. This is a brand new recipe by Chaya that will surprise and delight your senses.
Burndt Sugar Syrup – This is a low glycemic Yacon based syrup that tastes very similar to a tradition burndt sugar syrup.
Hard Chocolate Candy Shell – We will use this chocolate to coat our soft centered truffles, however you can use any mold to create a truly delicious, vegan and low glycemic chocolate treat.
Hazelnut/Cacao Ganache Truffles – These are real Cacao confections; we will be stepping into the world of a chocolate lovers dreams, I’m talking Willie Wonka goes Raw/Vegan. Get ready to bust open your heart and enter the realm of Theobroma/Cacao.These confections feature a light hazelnut chocolate ganache center and a hard chocolate candy shell that can be used as a raw cacao shell for anything your inspired mind conjures.
White Chocolate-Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake – One of the most popular cheesecakes at Café Gratitude and a must have in anyone’s black book of raw desserts. As well as learning to create a truly heavenly cheesecake you will learn the art of swirling, which can turn any plain pie, cheesecake or frosting into a stunning work of art!
About Elaina Love:
Elaina Love is a professional Raw Food Chef, Instructor, Restaurant Consultant and Lifestyle Counselor whose unique style of creating the best raw food cuisine ever has her highly sought after. She travels worldwide to bring raw, living foods to Spas, Exotic Retreats, Festivals and Individuals. Elaina is the Owner & Director of PureJoyPlanet.com, which features certification courses, raw food recipe books, super foods and kitchen & health equipment. She is the co-owner and recipe developer for her new Café in the Bay Area, Café Soulstice, the author of Elaina’s Pure Joy Kitchen recipe books and the creator of The Amazing Nut Milk Bag. She has 3 raw food DVD’s currently on the market. Elaina has been an Instructor at Living Light Culinary Arts Institute since 2000 where she teaches specialty classes on an ongoing basis. To Learn more visit her website: www.PureJoyPlanet.com
About Chaya-Ryvka:
Chaya-Ryvka has been a practicing Raw Food Chef for over three years. She spent two years apprenticing and working side by side as personal assistant with Master Raw Food Chef Elaina Love – catering retreats, serving private catered events, teaching classes, running purejoyplanet.com, and opening a raw food café (Café Soulstice). She also apprenticed with cutting edge raw pastry chefs and creators of the desserts for Café Gratitude. Chaya is now apprenticing in the art of raw chocolate confections; she works in a newly opened raw chocolate company, Coracao Confections (www.coracaoconfections.com). Currently Chaya is expressing her live creativity as a raw pastry chef at Café Gratitude, catering private events, teaching group classes, creating specialty gourmet raw desserts, raw wedding cakes and providing private raw lifestyle/kitchen consultations.
For a visual tour of some of Chaya’s creations, please visit her blog by following this link:
I love taking little journeys through the roads of youtube. Some days I navigate well, other days….ehhh, not so much. Well, I took a journey a few days ago and came across this little gem. I highly suggest taking a moment to or 10 minutes, to sit back, breath deep and be ready to be inspired, or feel like your deep knowing is being felt by people from so many walks of life! Pshhhhhhh….human….consciousness….Love…….
Elaina and Chaya hit the road with love, light and a big hint of silly.
It was Wed. February 18th at 6a.m. that Elaina and I hopped in her rust orange Honda element to head down South heading off our two week west coast raw food teaching tour! It seems the heavens were a canopy above and below as the entire trip was a sweet and synchronistic ebb and flow! Between storms, rains, sleet and snow our road time was filled mainly with clear and cloudy mystic skies, big smiles and much inspiration.
A road trip with two raw food cheffy’s….you know what that means some GOOOOOOOD snacks. The day before we headed out I picked some kale from both my and Elaina’s yards. It was a mix of green, purple, baby and elder, all tossed in some garlic tahini dressing and set to dehydrate just overnight…I knew that would be much appreciated after 5 hours on the road. Of course we had to start the day with some green smoothies, and a little hot cacao after a while. The day was beautiful, I’ve never seen such a clear day over the grape vine, we could see all the way to the Angeles Crest with it’s snow capped peaks. Elaina and I always enjoy the open road, great company and divine downloads of ideas, inspired conversation and insightful realizations. After 6 or 7 hours of driving it seemed like only an hour had past and we were nearing Santa Monica, we were also nearing lunch time with some of the states most famous raw restaurants in a 10 minute radius….woohooo! Excited to support our raw peers and taste some new flavors we decided to drop by Rawvolution for a light lunch experience. Elaina went for the eggless egg salad sandwich and I for the no tuna style sandwich. Both light and delicious. I’m loving the open and clean atmosphere of rawvolution, the very friendly deli style service and casual/creative energy of the place and neighborhood.
fresh garden kale, getting loved up for a
kale chip transformation….
Rawvolutions eggless eggsalad and
no tuna sandwiches
Next it was off to the Santa Monica Cooperative an ideal market for raw/living /vegan/organic food enthusiasts. They had everything we were looking for and then some. A great variety of local raw prepared foods, dehydrated snacks and recipe essentials. This was a gogo gadget trip, so we didn’t stop in any one place for too long, next it was off to Redondo beach (Elainas home town). I had the pleasure to meet Elainas Mommy and Daddy their little doggy and sweet parrot – what a loving supportive family. They gave us the kitchen to prepare, rooms for rest and a loving interest in what exotic foods we were preparing. Elaina gave us a sneak peak of her Mexican meal by making some Spanish Style Cabbage Rice for dinner that we ate with a big salad, a little steamed Quinoa and ripe avocado. It was SOOOO good, she knew her Mommy would like it, but surprise surprise (or not such a surprise knowing what a talented chef Elaina is) her Daddy loved it too. So satisfying and light all at the same time.
melted chocolate for dipping the truffles
Hazelnut Ganache Truffles
Now it was time to get down to business, preparing all the chocolates, milks, creams, flan etc. that would be served in class Saturday night. I had to do all my prep Friday morning in order that I would be ready for Shabbat before sunset. Thursday and Friday were two full days, but it all got done and I was ready to rest. Elaina prepared on Saturday and by Saturday night we were off to the Meeting Room for a 5 hour raw food extravaganza! Thanks to all our kitchen angels and Diana Harrelson we had a phenomenal class.
Elaina and I with the LA angels…Debbie’s there too
only she is behind the camera :0)
Elaina rolls up some Enchilada Spirals…Oh so tasty!
Debbie did a beautiful blog on her experience of our class…thanks Debbie – you can check that out here.
You would think that a 5 hour class seemed like a long set, but with such enthusiastic participants, great help and love for what we do the time just flew right on bye. There were many highlights to all the classes, but Debbie caught a very fun moment on camera – AJ one of our kitchen angels is quite a character and we had some great dynamics together. Below is a quick clip on the texture for dipping chocolate and a fun moment between myself and Chef AJ.
After a quick clean up and short night nap/sleep we rose up early in the morning to head out for our Santa Barbara class. A gorgeous drive down the 101 and about 2 hours later we arrived at the beautiful home overlooking the city and ocean, got set up and began another 5 hour download of high vibes, tasty treats and a wealth of knowledge. Each group is so different, lovely, valued and vibrant!
Chaya teaching the Santa Barbara group
Pouring the cheesecake
After another fun and fast five hours we were packing up and heading back to Northern California……yes we were on the move and groove. A 5+ hour drive back to the bay, good nights sleep, a couple days of clean up and re-pack and we were off for our northern half of the west coast tour. Off to Oregon we go….wooohoooo, and although we were delightfully met with a beautiful few days in L.A. the green, white and bright blue of Northern California and beyond captures the senses, spirit and heart!
Two girls who love each other…very much….
……know how to have tons of fun…..
….and find all the best places to stop along the way….
Of course we had to stop at all the best health food stores on our way up to Portland. The first stop was in Shasta, where they have ideal road food pickings but also some of the cutest hand made "hippie" clothes around, definitely worth checking out if you have a chance! Next was the Ahsland food co-op a sweet store in an adorable town. I like taking my time on the road, enjoying the scenery and the local attractions….for us that will always include cute local health food stores! We zoomed on up to Portland where I was BLESSED to get to see and stay with my family. Such a fun trip, I got the chance to meet Elaina’s beautiful parents and she had the chance to meet mine. We prepared on Wed. and had our class at my favorite Portland food Co-op on Thursday. If you ever get up to Portland definitely stop through People’s food Cooperative!
Outside the Shasta health food store…
Elaina is a dynamic and skilled teacher and chef!
A sweet Portland group…so attentive and receptive.we love you!
Portland was filled with love, our angels were on top of all out needs and everything flowed sweet and smooth. I love that my Momma Bear got to see me teach for the first time!
See my Mommy in the blue….her first time seeing me teach…Yay!
After two days of rest and recuperation it was off to Seattle Washington and what a treat that was! Tom and Susan of Raw Vegan Source hosted us in their retreat like home nestled on a fertile plot of land that is being cultivated for the good of the community at large. If ever you have the chance I highly recommend checking out what they are creating as it is a vast resource for learning and inspiration, I am looking forward to spending more time with them as well. Our class was another vibrant success – the room was packed with beaming faces hungry for knowledge and some tasty treats! Notice the energy bubbles floating around in the picture to follow, it was the only class in which I read my ode’ to chocolate – a poem called "chocolate speaks". I will post that below for any of you who would love to take a read.
Elaina and I in Seattle…can ya feel the energy in that room – check out all the little orbie orbs ;0)
We wasted no time although both Elaina and I would have loved some leisure hours of play in the misty woods. All things in their own time. We got to have leisure car time full of fun conversation, silly pics, the BEST raw chocolate truffles and cups on the planet. I haven’t mentioned them yet, but I must make a quick interlude to tell you about Coracao confections. Mathew Rodgers and Daniel Korson have started up this raw chocolate company – these chocolates are at a completely new level of refinement of flavor texture and usage of ingredients. Definitely check out the website, place an order, if you are in the bay area they are being carried in most Whole Foods Markets. Big thanks to the boys of Coracao for gifting us with a box of arrayed chocolates to inspire and energize our bodies, minds and souls on the vast and open road. As you can see below we were highly uplifted by these delicate and heart healing bits of heavenly goodness….
indulging in coracao confections sweet treats.
coracao vanilla hemp cup no THC but certainly uplifting!
We were continually met with gorgeous skies, moody and electric weather and interspersed stops to hug family and spread the love!
A beautiful skyline….
My Pappa Bear lives in Eugene so of course we had to stop by if only for a quick hug, big laugh and sharing of spirit.
Daddy!!!!
The rest of the ride home was full of silliness, scenery and our favorite health food stops along the way.
healing to the senses…
Elaina and I had to do something worthwhile on this 13+ hour drive, so between the divine downloads, we read from Conscious languaging, took more silly pics and decided to do some toning in motion….
Toning in Motion…..
That brought about a good half hour of laughter and lightheartedness, well worth it and I advise it as a support for vitality and radiance to all who seek that electric glow!
Camera play, getting back to the bay
We arrived back in a stormy bay area around 9pm Monday night. It was an experience well worth repeating. I send big thanks and love to all who joined us for this shared journey of learning, live foods and inspired hearts. We look forward to seeing you again sooner than later, and I would love to hear and see what you are up to in your kitchen and along your live journey.
With love and Gratitude, until we meet again, Chaya.
Strawberry Shortcake
Carrot Goji Berry Cake
German Chocolate Cake
Pecan Turtle Cheesecake
Strawberry Meringue Pie
