Meals
at the Retreat
FEED YOUR HEART.
We prepare raw vegan gourmet meals
using high quality mostly organic ingredients.
• RAW:
Meals that are plant-based are not cooked over
115 degrees to keep the life-giving water, the health-giving
nutrients and anti-oxidants, and the vibrant flavors of the plant
from evaporating. Meals will not include the use of any processed,
highly refined, pasteurized, irradiated, or genetically modified
foods. We live as “close to the earth” as possible and all noodles,
crackers, breads and chips will be handmade from whole foods.
• VEGAN:
No animal products—no meats, seafood, poultry,
or dairy, of any kind are used.
 •
PROMOTING A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE:
It’s a healthy lifestyle based on plant-based
foods including vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, combined with
carefully selected high grade
natural sweeteners, oils, and salts:
a) Sweeteners:
Sweeteners used are low on the glycemic index
and low or zero in calories: Agave nectar is a natural liquid
sweetener made from the cactus plant. It has 15 calories per
teaspoon and is 35% sweeter than sugar (so we use less of it to
sweeten), and low (19) on the Glycemic Index (a ranking of
carbohydrates according to their effect on blood glucose levels).
Stevia made from a shrub in South America is 300 times sweeter than
sugar with zero calories and very low on the Glycemic Index. Whole
foods like raisins, dates, figs and apples to name a few are also
used as sweeteners.
b) Oils:
No cooking oils are needed and so only high
quality oils are added to meals like Barleans Highest-Lignon Flax
Seed Oil (high in Omega-3 Fatty acids), Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Cold
Pressed, Extra-Virgin Coconut Oil, Macadamia Nut Oil, and Pure
Sesame Oil. At one time, oils were almost eliminated from the
“healthy” diet, but we now know that there are essential oils
necessary for the healthy functioning of our brain and cardio
vascular system. Flax Seed oil, high in omega-3 fatty acids is
superior to fish oils in its taste as well as in the fact that there
isn’t any saturated fat in it. Oils taken from fish that have been
farm-raised lack the omega-3 fatty acids, while fish caught in many
of America’s polluted rivers and oceans have a high mercury content.
 c)
Salts: Table salts which have
been refined to a point where they are devoid of trace minerals and
then coated with chemicals to keep them flowing out of the salt
shaker ARE NOT used here. In fact the only Sea Salts used in our
meals are RealSalt—a pink salt harvested from ancient riverbeds once
covered over by volcanic ash, and thus not polluted by the
environment in Utah—and Celtic Sea Salt—the finest grey salt
harvested from prestine riverbeds in Brittany, France. These salts
contain 50+ trace minerals and iodine necessary for health.
Soy Sauce: This is one of two soy products (the
other being un-pasteurized miso) used, and only the Ohsawa brand,
Wheat-Free Tamari is used since it is the only brand that is
un-pasteurized, and because many people are allergic to wheat
without even knowing it. Soy is one of the highest genetically
modified crop in the world today, and the effects of the
phytoestrogens on the human body.
Celery: People have asked whether the flaxseed
crackers contain salt and the answer is no. The salt is in the
celery.
THIS LIFESTYLE INCLUDES CARING FOR THE
ENVIRONMENT and leaving as small a “footprint” on the earth as
possible. We support sustainable agriculture, so therefore meals are
made with:
 a)
Fresh locally grown farm products are selected each week and used as
much as possible.
b) Locally grown organic vegetables are used upon availability
c) Mainland-grown organic and then non-organic vegetables are then
used.
First of all, fresh local organic vegetables taste better than non
organic and local produce will stay fresher longer.
Secondly, organic vegetables imported from another country would
require the use of too much energy to get to your plate. That would
leave a large footprint on this earth.
Thirdly, if we don’t support our local farmers, some big developer
will rezone the agricultural lands for development, or some big
agri-business will replace our local diversified agriculture with
corn or seed crops that are genetically modified and sprayed
heavily.
What
is Living Cuisine?
By not “cooking” foods above 115 degrees,
the living organisms within the plants (cells full of life-giving
water, proteins, nutrients, and antioxidants) do not evaporate into
thin air. The main methods used in “un-cooking” are
blending,
marinating,
and dehydrating.
This is why raw foods have a fresh vibrant flavor unmatched by
cooked foods “needing” more oils and seasonings to replace the
plant’s loss flavors.
1) If you
took a piece of the dehydrated
flaxseed cracker and planted it in the ground, and watered it, it
should sprout within a few days; proving that it’s still alive after
hours of dehydrating. In raw food preparation, all seeds (and nuts)
are soaked in water to remove the enzyme inhibiters that keep it
from germinating. With a good soaking the germination process starts
within an otherwise dormant seed. When the seed actually sprouts, it
becomes a vegetable. By eating the seed while germinating or in its
sprouted state, the active enzymes become a part of your life force
as living cuisine. Just imagine the life-giving force provided by
one soaked almond which could grow into a huge tree being ingested
as food.
2) Using
a high-speed blender,
sauces, soups, dressings, desserts, etc. can be made without
cooking. The friction produced by the blender blade can also
slightly heat soups prior to consumption.
  
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