It has been some time since I have written a real post here on the Living Vision blog. My intention is to begin regular posts, calendar updates, keeping you up to date with what I’m up to, what’s inspiring me and what new raw goodies I’m getting my hands into.
(Me and My Sis before the wedding)
The newest not so new, but still really very new news with me is that I’m 6.5 months pregnant….yup it’s true! It’s 6.5 months true and obvious if you were to look at me, but this is the first time I’m putting anything about it on my blog. I got married on August 9th and got pregnant very soon after! Many people may be wondering how it’s been, where I’ve been and I’m sure the big question of what I’ve been eating.
This is my first pregnancy and I really didn’t know what to expect although I had many ideas of what I thought pregnancy would be like. First of all, I thought because I had been 80-90% raw I wouldn’t deal with any of those wild cravings that many people talk about. I guess that is somewhat true right now, as I seem to desire the same types of foods as I have for a long time – I just want more of them and there is a bit of a carb monster that comes out and wants bread….we’ll talk about that soon. The first big SHOCK for me was the first tri-mester. I never actually vomited, but I was uncomfortably nauseous almost all of the time. Being that I love food this didn’t keep me from eating and eating actually helped sometimes. However the shock came in when I would think about eating the types of food I was used to eating; a green smoothie in the morning, big salad or kale salad for lunch, some more fresh mostly green stuff for dinner with perhaps some steamed quinoa – oh and of course you should all know I have a BIG sweet tooth, so some sort of sweet throughout the day – well the thought of any of these and actually any raw food made me more nauseous than ever! The thought, the smell, just looking at them, and I mean any raw food. I couldn’t stand the thought of anything green all the way down to a nut or a seed. So for the first three months the bulk of my diet were home made soups, sourdough bread and butter. You better believe I was THRILLED beyond imagining when kale once again sounded appealing to me.
At this point I have transitioned back to eating a lot of raw foods along with some cooked ones. For those first three months I did not touch a thing that was green (other than celery, green leaves and some herbs I would add to my soups) and nothing that was raw! Pretty dramatic coming from a mostly raw food diet for a number of years. I went with what my body could handle rather than trying to force an idea upon my bodies natural process, and I feel great about my choices. Now if I crave some bread, I’ll have it – I do my best to choose the most whole grain organic and ideally sourdough bread available (there are a lot of great bakeries in the bay area that are focused on organic wheat to wheat free to gluten free artisan sourdough breads – it’s awesome!). But now my body does crave kale, seaweed, fresh romaine, celery and cucumber juice, etc. I attribute this to having fed my body such nutritious foods for so long that now my body knows what to ask for when it is looking for more of this vitamin, that nutrient and those minerals.
To sum it up on the food front, I am not 100% raw or vegan, I do eat some organic cheeses occasionally (preferably goat and raw) I also eat fish right now about once a week, some bread, some steamed quinoa and a lot of fresh fruits, veggies, and still a few too many sweets – but at least they are mostly raw, vegan whole foods that are home made with tons of love! I’m sure I will go back to being 100% raw at some point for some period of time, but this is my journey a continual progression to making the best choices within my own personal circumstance. I feel blessed, loved and fully present on my path!
Wheat about outside of the kitchen…..even outside of the kitchen I’ve been spending a lot of time inside many kitchens. For the past 7+ months I have been the bakery supervisor for Cafe Gratitude. For the first three months of my pregnancy I didn’t say anything to anyone, just to make sure all was solid and healthy before spreading the good news. Being that raw food made me nauseous I wasn’t having the easiest time.
As bakery supervisor I worked in the Central Kitchen where the bulk of the food is made for all the cafes. It’s an AWESOME place with such incredible people however, the smell of dehydrated crackers, kimchee, and even just raw pie crusts was pretty much the worst for me at the time. But C’est la vie, such is life! Periods come and go…..that phase passed and I was able to focus, enjoy being in such a creative position and share with all that there was a new life forming in my tummy!
As much as I have LOVED being a part of the Cafe Gratitude community it was time for me to move on and focus more here, in Living Vision, in sharing more with the broader community. I also began working again with my dear friend Elaina Love in running her website Pure Joy Planet, and co-creating other raw, vital endeavors. All of this is also in preparation for greeting the new soul who will be entering our realm of the outside world sometime around the 3rd week of May.
My official last week as bakery supervisor was last week, however I will have the honor to lead one last all bakery meeting and lead a “wedding cake workshop”. So that many of Cafe Gratitude’s bakers will be well equipped to continue the tradition of awesome, beautiful and professional all raw, all vegan wedding cakes! After that I will no longer be an employee of Cafe Gratitude, although it is likely I will still hold some classes with them.
What’s on the Horizon for Chef Chaya??? Many things actually. I am in Los Angeles right now where I taught a raw dessert workshop to a Jewish communities “Woman’s Circle”. This felt very full circle for me being that my initial inspiration for becoming an amazing raw dessert chef was being in Israel and feeling a major disconnect between “Kosher” and “Health”. The information I shared was very well received and it seemed many were inspired to learn more…YAY!!! To top it off they LOVED the white chocolate blueberry tart and amaretto coconut bars with a chocolate and almond crunch topping…oh yeah baby!
This coming Monday the 22nd of Feb. I will be the speaker for Monday Night Live which is held at the Cafe Gratitude location in Healdsburg, CA. The subject will be “Living Vision: The Many Journeys of a Lifetime”. Very different from my normal dessert demo’s, this time I will be telling the story of my life, how I got to where I am now and what Living Vision means to me. I would love to see some of you out there, so please come one, come all, get a drink or a meal and sit down for an intimate evening of sharing!
The first week of March I am heading off to the East Coast to teach some classes, a beginner, intermediate and advanced raw dessert class. I love meeting new raw communities and sharing fun recipes and techniques that people always get excited about. The advanced class will be especially fun. I will teach sheet cakes for up to 80, decorating techniques, 3 flavors of petits fours, and tri layered mousse with Amaretto, Cherry and Chocolate.
One of my favorite things about traveling is seeing new health food stores and trying out the raw foods at new restaurants. That will be easy as the advanced class will be held at “Rawbert’s Organic Garden Cafe”….I am certainly looking forward to trying a few meals there!
I sound a little busy, well I’m not done yet at the end of March I will come back to L.A. to give a demo at the “Green Lifestyle Film Festival” as well as cater some out of this world raw desserts for their banquet.
Enough of the movin’ and groovin’, after that I will be settling down for a bit…or more being that my belly will be much larger and I will need to slow down. I’m still teaching private classes, holding consultations, running Pure Joy Planet, and running Living Vision. So I will be settled but still a busy little bee!
Check back soon, there is more to share. and make sure to take a look at the calendar to hear about upcoming events!
Filling Ingredients: Fresh Hand Made Coconut Milk, Coconut Meat, Medjool Dates, Fresh Vanilla, Soy Lecithin, Coconut Oil.
Enjoy a few pictures of Chef Chaya-Ryvka’ s Raw Vegan Creations and remember you could have your own for Channukah, Shabbat, a birthday, wedding or any occasion:
Hi Friends and Family. It has been quite a while since I have updated my blog and a busy season it has been. One reason for this that some may know and others may not is that I took on being the Bakery Supervisor for Cafe Gratitude about 4 months ago. It has been fun, I love them and it has kept me a little too busy to keep up with Living Vision Blogies. I am committed to keeping things fresh and new, to share the inspiration that floods through and perhaps even some of the challenge that keeps me on my toes.
There is one thing I think you should all be aware of as an opportunity to share some seasons love, prayer and support. My dear friends Elaina Love and her son Dominic are going through the challenge and transformation of a lifetime. Dominic has been working with Western Medicine for about a year to heal from Leukemia. Just over a week ago the doctors told them they could do no more and gave him a couple weeks to a month to live. Elaina now is able to do what she has wanted to from the very beginning which is turning to a raw vegan detox diet along with many holistic and cellular therapies to allow his bodies natural functions to potentialize and come back to homeostasis. They are currently at Hippocrates Health Institute and are experiencing massive detox. Please learn more and follow their story by going to Elaina’s Blog: http://elainalove.wordpress.com/
Also, please visit her website: http://www.PureJoyPlanet.com browse through her store of healing goodies and check out the option to donate for Dominic during this HUGE transition and transformation. The cost for just the first 3 weeks exceeds $20,000.00 and Elaina is with him the whole way – which also means she is not able to work as she normally would be. So we are calling on the community to help in any way they can right now, prayers, love, light and financial support as little or as much one can offer!
Here is a more thorough description and update from Living Light and Elaina. There is a link at the bottom of this article to donate to them through Living Light as well:
Dear Friends,
Here’s an update on Elaina Love and her son Dominic.
Dominic is at Hippocrates, continuing to fight for his life. Support for Dominic and his mother, Elaina Love, has been heartwarming beyond belief. People all over the world are forwarding our plea for prayers and donations to their raw e-lists, and we estimate that over 100,000 people have received our bulletins. So far, Living Light has received over 600 contributions and even more importantly, people throughout the raw world are expressing their love and concern through prayer and well wishes for Elaina and her son.
As most of you know by now, after Dominic was diagnosed with leukemia, doctors recommended chemo, radiation, and bone marrow transplant as his best option. He seemed to be improving for a while, then just before Thanksgiving, he took a turn for the worse. That is when the doctors told Elaina they could do no more for him and gave Dominic one week to a month to live.
Naturally, Elaina did what she wanted to do from the beginning, but could not until now – she rushed him to Hippocrates Health Institute in Florida. She didn’t know how she would pay for Dominic’s treatment there, but she went on faith. That is when her Living Light family stepped in and created the Love Fund to help pay for Dominic’s expenses. Incredibly, within the first 24 hours, we had received over 200 donations ranging from $5 to $250. Since then, the money, love, and prayers have poured in abundantly – we have been overwhelmed with the response. Just today, we received word that a benefactor will pay $2000 of Dominic’s medical expenses and financial support is continuing to flow in. At this point, we are happy to report that we are close to raising the entire $20,000 that Elaina estimated she needs to cover their travel to Hippocrates and the services Dominic requires in attempting to save his young life. Of course, we believe that Elaina will need more than her original estimate, since she will not be able to work in the foreseeable future. Dominic will need her support full-time and the initial 3 weeks at Hippocrates is just the beginning of his new healing journey. After his stay at Hippocrates, Dominic will still require continued medical support. Nevertheless, we are beside ourselves with a feeling of gratitude and appreciation that the raw community has rallied to help one of our own. Thanks to all who have contributed in whatever way they could (including those who are sending prayers, or forwarding these messages, even though they could not send money).
A few hours ago, Dan and I spoke with Brian Clement from Hippocrates, who has taken a personal interest in Dominic, both as a father and as one whose life has been devoted to the care and healing of those who are engaged in a struggle for life/health. He says it is always difficult to see the results of cancer treatments that don’t work and which make the situation worse than it was before, but it is so much more heart wrenching when it is a child who is suffering. He has offered a partial scholarship to assist with some of the fees incurred by Dominic while at Hippocrates. So we extend our gratitude to Brian and Anna Maria for their generosity in helping our beloved Elaina and her sweet son, Dominic – who, at 14 years of age, is having to fight for his life. Naturally there are still significant other fees that must go to the medical support at Hippocrates, which Brian has no control over, but Brian and Anna Maria’s willingness to assist financially will help tremendously!
Many people focus on the differences that we, in the raw and natural healing community, have in terms of what we think is THE BEST diet – but in this effort we have come together. Everyone is praying for Dominic – and he needs all the prayers he can get. Dominic needs a miracle – so please take a moment out of your busy life to pray for a miracle.
We are in contact with Elaina on a daily basis. Here is a recent update from her:
12-07-09
Dear Light Family,
Thank you all so very much for your generous contributions to Dominic’s healing. My heart is so touched by you all and I am moved to tears daily. It touches me to my soul to know that you all care so much and to know how much we are loved.
It is our 9th day here at Hippocrates Health Institute and Dominic is doing his best to take all the juices and eat as much of the healing food that he can keep down…I am trusting that he is being well taken care of by God and that he will come through this with excellent health. He told me this morning that he plans on living to be an old man and that he will outlive us all! I loved hearing that.
He is the bravest person I know and my personal hero!!!! One of the guests here told me today that he sets a good example for her and the others because he is so willing to do what it takes. A teacher already!
He is still very weak, and he seems to go up and down with his energy. Today is a low energy day as he has slept through most of it. I do trust and believe, and I know your love and prayers are powerful beyond measure. I appreciate your continued love and prayers, and am so grateful to all of you for the part you are playing in Dominic’s return to well-being.
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
Serves 2-4
