Posted Feb 10, 2012
After combining some sea salt, cashews, lemon juice and a few other ingredients in the blender, Charmaine Vierra tosses the sauce into a bowl of kale. She then spreads it out on a sheet and puts it into her dehydrator.
Vierra is making cheesy-smoked kale chips, a recipe she makes in her raw food class that will be held for the next three Thursdays at the Church of God.
Vierra and her husband, Danny, hope to spread the word in the community about the importance of eating a plant-based diet and the health benefits of raw food.
“We have a passion for reaching out to our community,” she said.
Vierra took some time on Tuesday morning to explain what raw food is all about.
Q: What happens to food when it’s cooked?
A: It destroys the enzymes in it, and its electrical charge.
Q: Since the food isn’t cooked, what do you do to make it exciting?
A: I really think when you can take a recipe you like and then alter that recipe in a way where you can substitute for really healthy items — that is so fun. You can take lasagna and turn it into a healthier lasagna.
Q: What kinds of dishes do you cook in class?
A: I’m going to do kale chips, pizza, cheesecake. I’m going to do a dessert night. I’ll make a chia pudding that’s like tapioca. We’re also going to do granola.
Q: What is your favorite raw food recipe to make?
A: Lasagna, no question. The reason is because you can fool anyone with it. They say, “This can’t be raw.” You can still have your comfort food, but now it’s full of phytonutrients and fiber without the excess fat and cholesterol. It’s amazing.
Q: Is raw food preparation becoming a trend?
A: Raw food is a hot trend right now. People want to know how they can live longer and have a higher quality of life. Raw food opens up healing power for people.
Q: What is one thing that would surprise people about a raw food diet?
A: I would say it’s easier than most people think. It’s easy, delicious and filling.
Q: What cooking utensil is a must-have for you?
A: My chef knife is my pride and joy. And also my paring knife.
Q: What ingredient do you use the most of?
A: Flaxseed we use for everything. We drink them and we grind them. It has Omega-3 fatty acid in it. It’s good for lowering the LDL cholesterol.
Q: What would be an example of a complete raw food meal?
A: Really, just a nice salad with some flax crackers. It’s not like you have to have a glob of meat and your carbs. You just use nuts and seeds on the salad to have some seasoning on it. You can have a raw pizza or lasagna. Or you can do a raw stirfry.
Q: Is there anything you want to make but haven’t yet?
A: I like to try new recipes. I want to do a raw cake. I’d like to do a lemonseed-poppy cake. You have to be really precise with it. It calls for almond meal for the inner part of the cake. It takes three days to make it in the dehydrator.
Q: Is there a cookbook you would recommend for someone who wants to try raw food “cooking”?
A: We have several we offer. There is “Rawsome Recipes” by Robyn Boyd, “Going Raw” by Judith Wignall, and “How We All Went Raw.”
Q: What are your future plans?
A: I hope to do a food blog to show food we’ve made. We are in the process of really targeting children’s health and child obesity. It’s an issue that I’m trying to focus on at this time. I have a real passion for children’s health.
Contact Features Editor Pam Bauserman at pamelab@lodinews.com. Find the best bargains in Lodi on Pam’s blog, Saving with Pam.
©2012 the Lodi News-Sentinel (Lodi, Calif.)
Visit the Lodi News-Sentinel (Lodi, Calif.) at www.lodinews.com