| Whenever I give talks or seminars on raw foods, | | | | "crust." |
| I like to ask the audience the following question: | | | | After such a remarkable culinary experience, I |
| "what do you think of when I say the term raw | | | | was impressed and intrigued enough to want to |
| vegan food?" More than a few people get a | | | | try more gourmet living foods dishes. Luckily for |
| slightly anguished look on their faces and answer | | | | me there was a small company called "Food |
| something like: "carrots," "celery," "salads" or | | | | Without Fire," that made and delivered gourmet |
| "rabbit food." To them raw vegan food or living | | | | living food meals 5 days a week. These included |
| food seems like it must be boring. After all, how | | | | things like raw food "tacos," "burgers and fries," |
| much can you really do with raw fruits, | | | | "chili," "pad thai," "chocolate mousse," "carrot |
| vegetables, nuts and seeds? | | | | cake," "cheese cake," tiramisu and all sorts of |
| I wondered exactly the same thing back when I | | | | specialty salads. |
| started getting into the living food lifestyle in Miami | | | | The meals were fantastic and made my transition |
| Beach about 10 years ago. Whenever my friends | | | | to the living food lifestyle a breeze. After just 6 |
| talked to me about it, I just couldn't relate. Even | | | | weeks eating Food Without Fire's meals, I felt |
| though I was already a vegan at the time and ate | | | | more energized and healthier than I ever had. So |
| quite a bit of fresh fruit and vegetables, a 100% | | | | it was easy to continue my journey deeper into |
| living food diet seemed to me like it must be | | | | living foods. |
| incredibly limited - and boring. | | | | Over the next couple of years, I discovered living |
| I held that view until one day when I went to a | | | | food restaurants spread across the United States, |
| gathering sponsored by our local yoga center. It | | | | from simple take away windows in Florida to |
| was a vegetarian potluck and all the dishes were | | | | high-end gourmet establishments in Northern |
| cooked, except for 2 that my friends Ryan and | | | | California. There were also living food retreats, |
| Marisa brought. One was a living food lasagna and | | | | seminars and culinary schools to attend and enjoy. |
| the other a live food apple pie. The presentation | | | | Those kinds of experiences made it easy for me |
| of both was beautiful - the lasagna sprinkled with | | | | to enjoy the benefits of eating a diet based on |
| freshly chopped parsley and the pie topped by a | | | | raw vegan foods. |
| white spiral of cashew cream. | | | | I feel very lucky to have come across this |
| The appetizing look of the food was only | | | | information and to have had the opportunity to |
| surpassed its remarkably fresh and vibrant taste. | | | | easily put it into practice. It has changed my |
| The lasagna had layers of fresh thick marinara, | | | | relationship to food, to health and to the |
| pine nut "cheese" and pumpkin seed pesto spread | | | | environment more deeply than I'll probably ever |
| in between strips of zucchini "pasta" and was | | | | know. |
| topped with fresh spinach. It tasted better and | | | | If you too are interested in experiencing the |
| was more refined than any cooked lasagna I'd | | | | natural high of living on live foods, you're living in |
| ever tried. The apple pie provided a similar taste | | | | the best time ever to do it. Never before have |
| explosion, with grated pink lady apples, chopped | | | | we had such easy access to this kind of life |
| fresh walnuts and raisins atop an almond fig | | | | changing information. |