May 2006 | Choice Eating

The Raw Truth

"Raw Food Made Easy" takes the intimidation out of uncooked meals

By Darlene E. Paris

If you are one of those people who think that a raw foods cookbook sounds like an oxymoron, you will be pleasantly surprised to discover that the raw food movement isn’t all about chopped carrot and celery sticks. It also includes things such as lasagna, zucchini pasta al pesto, and even a chocolate cake.

Yes, chocolate cake. The flourless chocolate cake is made with cocoa or carob powder and walnuts that have been finely chopped in a food processor. It’s sweetened with dates and vanilla extract, and instead of being baked, it’s chilled in the refrigerator for about two hours, and then brought to room temperature before it’s served. Fresh raspberries are poured on top for the icing.

That recipe and others are all included in Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People (Book Publishing Company, $16.95, paperback) by Jennifer Cornbleet, who has been an area resident for the past 15 years.

“Most of us don’t eat enough fruit and vegetables, whether they’re raw or cooked,” said Cornbleet, who grew up in the San Jose, Calif. area and has been a vegetarian since the age of 10. “When you eat raw food, you’re getting more vitamins, enzymes and phytonutrients (beneficial nutrients in plants besides vitamins and minerals). These foods keep you youthful and vital.”

Raw Food Definition

Cornbleet’s definition of a raw food diet is one that consists of uncooked vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. These foods are sometimes dehydrated at --temperatures below 118 degrees. That’s because enzymes, those substances in food that make digesting easy, are destroyed at higher temperatures. “When they are absent, the body must work harder on digestion,” Cornbleet said.

She also was quick to point out what a raw food diet isn’t. If when you hear the words “raw food diet,” you think sushi and raw meat are included, you would be mistaken. Although there are some raw foodists who eat these things, Cornbleet advocates a flesh-free diet — one that consists of foods that are natural, unrefined, and unprocessed by heat, such as fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and sprouts.

For instance, Cornbleet’s lasagna is not made from noodles, but zucchini that is sliced into the shape of noodles by using a mandolin — a piece of equipment with blades for slicing fruits and veggies — or a sharp knife. It also includes traditional ingredients such as spinach and mushrooms, but avocado replaces the cheese, and the sauce is made from sun-dried tomatoes that are seasoned to taste like “the best slow-simmered tomato sauce you’ve ever tasted.”

And if you’re still skeptical about taste factors, consider that the movement has been embraced by top chefs including Chicago’s own superstar Charlie Trotter, who wrote his own raw foods cookbook. However, Cornbleet’s no-frills book is designed for the simple everyday cook who is in a hurry. And it delivers on its promise to make easy-to-prepare dishes, which will appeal to folks who are new to the lifestyle as well as veteran raw foodists.

Simplifying Raw Food

“When I started teaching raw food classes, I would demonstrate gourmet recipes and my students were thrilled to taste these delicacies, but they couldn’t imagine having to fix these meals daily because of the time involved in making them,” said Cornbleet, who has been teaching raw and living food classes in and around the Chicago area for five years. “They wanted to eat raw food, but they also wanted recipes that took less time.”

And they wanted to make small amounts of these foods instead of large quantities. Cornbleet figured there were others who also needed guidance in preparing these foods quickly.

So for about a year, she studied recipes in other raw food cookbooks to see how she could create similar entrees that would deliver the same kind of flavor in half the time.

Cornbleet said she was inspired to teach raw food classes after attending the Living Light Institute in Fort Bragg, Calif. She then decided to leave her job as a high school English teacher in the Chicago area to devote herself to teaching adults how to prepare healthier meals with raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and sprouts.

Cornbleet teaches most of her classes at Whole Food Markets in the Chicago area, and offers classes for the everyday cook and more advanced studies for those interested in a raw food certification program.

“One of my greatest strengths is my organizational skills,” said Cornbleet, who pointed out that one of the biggest challenges in raw food preparation is just getting organized.

Getting Started

She takes in account the organizationally-challenged by listing the kind of equipment you’ll need and the foods you should keep regularly stocked in your pantry to help you get started. She even includes a weekly grocery list with foods that will allow you to make most of the recipes described in her book.

Of course, for those who become more advanced in their raw food preparation, juicers and dehydrators will come in handy later. But to begin, “all you need is a food processor and blender,” said Cornbleet.

When it comes to preparation, there’s usually some kind of pre-planning you’ll have to do, such as soaking nuts and seeds or sprouting. But this doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Cornbleet outlines these steps in a section called Advanced Preparation, which includes tips on how to prepare ingredients such as almond milk, green leafy sprouts, and crushed garlic that are used in some raw food recipes. These can be prepared an hour before you need them.

On the recipe pages, Cornbleet offers readers the benefits of eating raw food by using the margins to offer facts about the dishes or different ways to serve them.

Breakfast recipes include cereals, fruit dishes, smoothies, and vegetable juices. In the lunch and dinner sections, she suggests ways to pull a meal together by offering sample menus that include both raw and cooked food entrees. The recipes are terse and easy to read. Most take 20 to 30 minutes to prepare — some even less.

There’s also a resource guide at the back of the book to learn more about the raw and living food lifestyle and a glossary.

For more information about the book or to enroll in Cornbleet’s raw food preparation classes, visit learnrawfood.com or call 773-677-6401.

Darlene E. Paris has been a raw foodist for five years, but will occasionally eat a few cooked food items.