By Nadine Kam
Assistant Features Editor
Star-BulletinIf Homo sapiens were meant to eat their food raw, they wouldn't have been quite so taken with the discovery of fire.
We've come a long way baby, and yet, there is a growing legion of raw-food advocates that would have us erase millions of years of culinary evolution, in favor of returning to food-gatherer status.
It's not as bad as it sounds. Honest.
At the Raw Experience in Paia, Maui, they've taken the vegan diet -- no meat, eggs or dairy products -- one step further by serving foods that haven't been cooked.
The only aspect that might pass for cooking would be the process of dehydrating certain foods, and even then, the highest temperature allowed is 108 degrees, about as hot as the interior of a car left parked in the sun. Heating foods above that magic number, said Raw Experience co-owner Renee Underkoffler, chemically alters them, destroying vitamins and beneficial chlorophyll.
Photos by Ken Ige, Star-Bulletin
The nori rolls at Raw Experience are made with carrot-
almond paste and pink sunflower seed "cheez" instead of
cooked rice. They're served with cabbage and seaweed
salads and kim chee. For recipes, see below.
"Ideally," she said, "it would be cooked by the sun, but the Health Department says no."Although the raw diet may seem restrictive -- fit only for guinea pigs -- it is by no means spartan. Raw Experience's appetizers, entrees, desserts, and yes, salads, are as diverse as you might find at any family restaurant.
Examples include sushi in which the cooked rice has been replaced by carrot-almond pate and sunflower seed "cheez," or paste, rolled in a sheet of nori with fresh vegetables and avocado. For $8, the nori roll deluxe also comes with a cabbage salad, seaweed salad, kim chee and a house salad topped with miso-tahini dressing.
There is also pizza made with a crust of sprouted grains, fresh herbs and vegetables that have been mashed, formed into plate-size patties and dehydrated at 108 degrees for 12 hours. The dried crust is then topped with a marinara of sun-dried and fresh tomatoes, a pureed macadamia nut "ricotta," shredded beets, carrots and edible flowers.
The experience is more sensual than the act of attacking a steak. There is no feeling of deprivation usually associated with the typical salad.
"The experience speaks for itself," said Underkoffler, whose partner Jeremy Safron introduced her to raw food a few years ago. Before converting to raw, the 22-year-old Underkoffler was a vegetarian turned vegan, who grew up in Woodstock, N.Y. To this day, she says, "I don't know how to work with meat at all."
Her mother is a vegetarian, Underkoffler said. "I had a lucky start. I grew up with a healthy influence. Of course, I still ate a lot of sugar when I was young."
Even so, her pursuit of a raw, organic diet with no added sugar was a bit foreign to her parents. "But when I prepare food for them, they understand," she said.
Photos by Ken Ige, Star-Bulletin
"A lot of knowledge and information challenges the
concept of the four daily food groups so many of us
are raised on.." -- Renee Underkoffler
On a windowsill in the Raw Experience kitchen are rows of jars filled with sprouted seeds and beans, the basis for many recipes. Rather than boiling garbanzo beans to make hummus, for instance, Underkoffler uses sprouted garbanzos. The result is hummus, with all its nutrients intact, that tastes even better than the typical recipe using boiled or canned beans.One customer, Adam Gainsburg of Kihei, said he's not a strict raw dieter, but said, "I've been preparing food with a consciousness of the raw diet for about a year."
He started reconsidering his diet when he found his old meat diet was no longer working for him, making him feel lethargic and light-headed.
"I'd eat a burger, then at about 3 or 4 in the afternoon I'd be taking to my boss, going, 'What? What did you say?' "
But he advises those considering the diet to avoid jumping into it too fast. "I tried that a couple of times when I first found out about it and said to myself, 'This is the way.'
"What happens is the body immediately starts to cleans itself of toxins, which ends up being dumped in the bloodstream." He said he ended up feeling dizzy and nauseous.
"You have to understand this isn't an overnight process. There may have been 30 steps leading me up to this point.
"I would also caution against looking at any diet as 'the way.' It's one aspect of a healthy lifestyle. There are other things you must do to achieve balance, such as physical exercise, and sometimes, emotional work."
Underkoffler said, "A lot of knowledge and information challenges the concept of the four daily food groups so many of us are raised on. We call it the SAD diet -- Standard American Diet."
Terri Jones, a clinical dietitian for Kapiolani Health Systems, said that it's possible to meet all nutritional needs through a vegan diet, and an uncooked one at that. "It's a matter of mixing and having variety and a good source of proteins."
Her only caution would be to wash all fruits and vegetables before using them to clean off any bacterial contamination that may have come from soil or the home, which she says, "you would probably do anyway."
Underkoffler said, "Our source of proteins are very different from the SAD diet, but it is by all means feasible to live an abundantly healthy lifestyle through this kind of food."
She adds that her diet supports the fundamental guideline for eating lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. "This is as fresh as you can get."
By Ken Ige, Star-Bulletin
Sprouted garbanzos are versatile.
Sprouts are a good source of protein. To sprout seeds is simple. Soaking and sprouting times will vary depending on the type you choose, but as a general rule, use 1 to 2 tablespoons of small seeds (alfalfa, clover) or 1-1/2 cups of large seeds (wheat, garbanzo). Serve it up without meat
and without heatThe amount of soaking and growing is a matter of preference. To start, try soaking garbanzos in a glass jar for 8 hours. Drain the sprouts 6 to 12 hours later, then rinse at least twice a day until the tails are at least three times the length of the seed. Next, expose the sprouts to sunlight for about six hours. Then, chow down.
Soaking and growing times can be found in "Raw Truth: The Art of Loving Foods," by Jeremy A. Safron and Renee Underkoffler. The authors also provide 134 recipes for raw food from salad dressings and appetizers to desserts, plus 42 drink recipes.
The self-published book is available for $18, plus a $3 mailing charge through Loving Foods Inc., P.O. Box 576, Paia 96779. Or call 1-808-573-4207 or check it out on the Internet, http://www.lovingfoods.com or e-mail allraw@lovingfoods.com.
These are a few raw recipes from the book, including one for hummus made with sprouted garbanzos.
All recipes from Renee Underkoffler, Raw Experience
Tom yum
2 young coconutsDrain water from coconuts. Chop open coconuts. Scoop out soft meat and blend in food processor with coconut water. Add herbs and spices and blend until smooth. Serves 2.
2 basil leaves
6 sprigs oregano
6 sprigs cilantro
6 sprigs parsley
1 Thai chili pepper
Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 250 calories, 11 grams fat, 9 grams saturated fat, no cholesterol, 280 milligrams sodium. *
Sprouted hummus
2 cups dried garbanzos, sprouted for two daysProcess all ingredients in food processor until well-blended. Add water if necessary. Makes 4 appetizer portions.
1/2 cup tahini (sesame paste)
1 large lemon, juiced
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/4 cup parsley
Bragg's liquid aminos to taste, optional, (available at health food stores)
Vanilla mylkshake
1/2 cup raw cashews or almonds, soaked 1 to 2 hoursPlace nuts, dates and 1 cup of water in blender; process until smooth. Add vanilla and bananas and water. Makes 4 cups.
5 pitted dates, soaked 1 hour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (alcohol free)
4 frozen bananas, peeled
2 to 3 cups waterFor chai flavor, add 2 teaspoons chai spice, available at health food stores. This is a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, ginger and sometimes black pepper.
Miso-tahini salad dressing
2 cups raw, organic tahiniProcess all ingredients in blender until smooth. Dressing will keep 4 days in refrigerator. Makes 3 cups.
3 tablespoons red miso (unpasteurized)
2 lemons, juiced
2 to 3 cups water
1 teaspoon fresh ginger juice, optional
Nadine Kam, Star-Bulletin
