Simply Raw

These last few weeks have witnessed positive changes on Simply Raw’s blog — in anticipation of our upcoming brand-new website. This will facilitate your life and bring you support and inspiration on your raw journey. You will find on this blog new class dates (see left hand column), new Simply Raw activities and online access to products and services (on the right hand column).

More classes for this autumn! Whether you’re tempted by an introduction class, a level 2 class about greens or a level 3 class about dehydration, you will be satisfied this coming autumn. More information about Simply Raw classes (class descriptions and dates). English and French classes available.

An exclusive brand-new offering: “Soirée Rencontre” and “Soirée Découverte” (for French-speakers). The “Soirée Rencontre” (group sharing evening) was designed especially for those already familiar with raw food and wanting to share their passion and knowledge in a round table fashion, followed by a raw potluck. The “Soirée Découverte” (discovery evening) is a more concise presentation of raw food, for anyone interested in a quick intro into this healthy lifestyle. For the moment, these evenings are available in French only. For more information: “Soirée Rencontre” and “Soirée Découverte“.

Online Shop: products on sale on this blog! As of today, you can pick and order ingredients, equipment, books and much more on Simply Raw’s online shop! You just have to send your order to this e-mail address. Have a look at our online shop here.

Additional resources For your pleasure and convenience, new resources have been developed on this blog. Check out the eBooks page, where you can purchase Russell James and Karen Knowler’s amazing raw recipes eBooks; the Resources page, which offers you a list of local suppliers and useful websites. Don’t forget to visit the Media page, which gathers all the press articles and radio shows about Simply Raw.  Also, our Calendar lists all past and future Simply Raw classes and local raw events. New as well: the Recipes page,  or a complete list of all raw recipes ever published on this blog. This will make it easier for you to browse through and find exciting new raw recipes!

Enjoy!
Wishing you a wonderful summer! Enjoy the fresh seasonal ingredients available in abundance during this wonderful season of harvest and relaxation!

Yes, I am continuing to bombard you with good news… the raw food world in Switzerland is taking off, not just through media coverage (press article and radio interview more recently, which I will blog about very soon) but also as raw food experts are coming to visit and thus exposing us to their magic and wisdom! My last post was about Kate Magic’s upcoming visit and now I want to share with you that the great and inspiring inventor of Green Smoothies, Victoria Boutenko, will also be in Switzerland.

Victoria is on a European tour to promote her new book, “Green Smoothie Revolution“. She will be giving a talk in Zurich on Saturday 10 April. We tried to have her come to Geneva for a local talk, but unfortunately Victoria was unable to fit that into her schedule but she promised to come on her next European visit. To sign up to the event, go to www.greensmoothies.ch and sign up with my friend and organizer Rafael Jaermann.

As a quick reminder, Victoria is the author of “Green for Life” which has been a great success worldwide, spreading the message of the many health-enhancing benefits of green smoothies. Visit her website Raw Family to read all about what she and her wonderful two children Valya and Sergei do to promote the raw and living lifestyle, and so much more. The story of this family is an eye-opener regarding what raw food can do to cure life-threatening diseases so do take a look.

Meanwhile, I wanted to share with you the following recipe which Victoria published in one of her recent newsletters. It’s a green smoothie recipe, of course, and a perfect one to sustain us through winter months… even if we are at the beginning of spring, it is still slightly cold, so let’s continue to warm our food and our hearts with wonderful plants and spices like… ginger!

Ginger Green Smoothie, by Victoria Boutenko

In the wintertime, we like to put ginger in our green smoothies. Curiously, we don’t like to use it much in the warm season. Lately I have been putting one inch of ginger root in my smoothie daily and today’s one tasted so wonderful that I decided to share its recipe with you.

1 bunch dandelion greens
1 ripe mango (with peel if it’s organic, but without pit)
1 ripe banana
½ inch ginger root
2-3 cups water

Blend well and enjoy.

Facts about Ginger
Ginger dates back over 3,000 years to India. Ginger is native to Southern Asia and has long been a staple addition to Asian cuisines. It is quite popular in the Caribbean Islands, where it grows wild in lush tropical settings.

Traditional Ayurvedic Medicine has recommended ginger for many gastrointestinal and blood diseases. It is used for abdominal bloating, coughing, vomiting, diarrhea, and for the treatment of inflammatory joint diseases, such as arthritis and rheumatism. A little piece of ginger goes a long way. Look at the multiple benefits:
- Enhances natural resistance for cold and flu.
- Reduces inflammation.
- Supports healthy digestion, offering 180 times the protein digestive power of papaya.
- Soothes digestion.
- Contains at least 12 anti-aging constituents that inactivate free radicals.
- Supports blood platelet health and cardiovascular function.
- 22 known constituents inhibit inflammatory 5-lipoxygenase, supports prostate health.
- May increase absorption and utilization of other nutrients and herbs by 2 to 2.5 times.
Ginger is a good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin E, Vitamin B6, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium and Selenium, and a very good source of Manganese.
Source: The Raw Family

The talented German raw food chef who hosted a raw food dinner in September in Geneva is back for an amazing Thanksgiving dinner which will take place on Saturday 5 December.  Mark it down in your agenda and if you’re available it would be a pity to miss another rare opportunity to dine in a divine healthy way!

b.alive! – the art of gourmet raw food dining in Geneva

Join us for an unforgettable 4 course exclusive Raw Food Thanksgiving in Geneva, hosted by Gourmet Vegan Raw Food Chef and Culinary Artist, b.alive, aka Boris Lauser. This will take place on Saturday, December 5th at 19:00 hours at Ganesh Bar, Rue de Montchoisy 23, 1207 Geneva (Eaux-Vives). Find the location here.

The set menu price is CHF 80, including welcome drink, water and coffee. Payments by cash only, payable upon entrance.

Special Thanksgiving Menu:

- Stuffed Mushroom Hors d’Oeuvres
- Creamy Fall Soup with Garlic Bruschetta
- Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Onions, Corn Bread and Fall Time Fennel, Radicchio and Pomegranate Salad
- Pumpkin Pie and Coffee

RSVP: by December 1st to reservation@balive.org or by SMS to 076-284-0482.

Not only is eating a vegan raw food diet a culinary pleasure, but research indicates amazing health benefits including higher energy levels, improved eye sight, less skin problems, improved immune system, higher flexibility and depression relief, amongst others… This is partly because the nutritional content of a living food menu is up to 5 times higher than that of cooked food.

This is a special announcement for a rare event: A Berlin based gourmet raw food chef is catering a special dinner in Geneva this coming Friday 11th September, so for those of you who crave such meals, read on. I plan to be there, as it really is a rare treat in our region!

b.alive! ? the art of gourmet raw food dining in Geneva

Looking for something different? Something extraordinary? Something progressive?

Please join us for a 4 course exclusive Raw Foods Experience in Geneva, hosted by Gourmet Vegan Raw Food Chef and Culinary Artist, b.alive, aka Boris Lauser. This will take place on Friday, September 11th at 19:00 hours at Ganesh Bar, Rue de Montchoisy 23, 1207 Geneva (Eaux-Vives). Find the location here.

The set menu price is CHF 80, including welcome drink, water and coffee. Payments by cash only, payable upon entrance.

Check out this amazingly mouth-watering menu:
- Signature Welcome Cocktail + hors d’oeuvre
- Red Beet Lime Mousse with Marinated Asparagus and Turmeric Crackers
- Asialive Noodles with Crunchy Spicy Ginger Almonds (Phad Thai style)
- b.alive Dessert Special (to be announced)
- Coffee

RSVP: by Sept 10th to news@ganeshgeneva.com or by SMS to 076-284-0482.

I am very pleased to announce many new class dates from Simply Raw to take place between now and the end of 2009. As demand for these classes in French has increased (it appears that raw food is appealing to more and more people, which I am thrilled to observe!), I am offering more class dates than in the past. These are almost all in French, I’m afraid, but I am scheduling one date for an introductory class in English, and hoping that this time we will pull it off! The date is Saturday 14 November for a Simply Raw Level 1 introduction to raw food class. To learn more about this class, click here. Sign up here. For a complete list of class offerings in French, please read this post on the French blog here.

Please note that classes will take place provided there are a minimum of six participants. Should this condition not be met, the class will be canceled or possibly postponed to a later date that will suit all participants. Private classes can also be organized on a different date provided there are six participants secured. Classes can also be organized during the week should there be enough people interested. If you have any particular request, please contact me and I will do my best to find a solution.

Living Magically On Raw 

Did You Listen to Karen Knowler’s “7 Must Know Steps To Succeed with Raw Food” Teleseminar that was advertised in my previous post? More than 2,000 people signed up for this call, which goes to show that 1) many people are eager to learn more about raw food; 2) many of them may be struggling and are looking for ways to really thrive and succeed; 3) Karen Knowler is working her magic again by articulating in a simple, straight-forward and appealing manner what we can all do to reach the stars! I love Karen’s holistic and sensible approach based on the fact that raw food, in her own words, is a whole person journey.

After the call, auditors were invited to discover Karen’s latest raw food coach offerings and I would like to pass this on to my own readers. As you know, I am investing more time to coach and serve the French-speaking community who are in dire need of more raw food information in their own language. For my English speaking readers, I will serve you in the best way I can, by directing you to professionals I trust and have tested, can highly recommend, so that you too can benefit from outstanding support in your raw food journey. There are so many out there on the web, I know I can help you by suggesting which doors to knock on. So let’s start now as I invite you to check out the latest program offering by Karen as it may be the best thing for you yet: The Living Magically on Raw Life Transformation program sounds absolutely awesome! It has been specifically designed for raw foodies who are ready for more. If this is you, then take a few minutes to find out what wonderful journey you could be embarking upon!

Before I share with you new dates for Raw Food Classes at Simply Raw in the next few days, I wanted to let you know that Karen Knowler, The Raw Food Coach in the UK who trained me and has been in the raw food community for over 17 years, is offering a free teleseminar on this Wednesday 5 August which will be full of incredible value for those of you trying to successfully adopt and maintain a raw food lifestyle. I can wholeheartedly recommend any of Karen’s offerings as I have experienced and greatly enjoyed just about everyone of them – so if you are free this Wednesday evening, even if the timing will be 10pm for us in Switzerland, than surely try not to miss this informative and inspirational teleseminar. It starts at 10pm our time and will last a little over one hour.

Karen believes passionately that there is not “one way” to do raw food and that by being honest and intuitive around our food choices we can find a way of eating raw that works for us and our life on every level – one that’s juicy, compelling and rewarding for us. But more than that, Karen has been teaching that raw food is “all about the food and yet nothing about the food” – and I have come to understand and experience that she’s absolutely right! Raw food opens us up to so much more than we think food can ever do, and Karen has a wonderful way of explaining and articulating this than perhaps anyone else in the raw food arena.

On Wednesday Karen will be sharing with us – for FREE – her latest discoveries, namely “The 7 Must-Know Steps to Take Your Raw Food Journey to the Stars – And Beyond”.  She also promises you’ll get 3 POTENT ideas that you can use right away to start your journey to “raw heaven” from this FREE call. You can find out all about it and register here. I hope you take advantage of this incredible offer and let me know how you enjoy it!

As promised, here is the recipe! Sorry it took so long to share, for those who asked for it! The following recipe takes a few minutes to prepare, and of course it is simply delicious as well as simply raw! It’s a great way to use beautiful summer peppers, eat healthily and feel great — all at the same time!

The recipe comes from a book by Carol Alt, famous supermodel and raw foodist, who wrote the recipe book entitled “The Raw 50″ — not because she is 50 (she is younger, and very beautiful) but because the book offers 50 raw recipes!

Red Pepper Curry Soup (serves 2-3)

The ingredients:
- 2 red peppers
- 1 apple
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1/2 cup pine nuts (125 gr)
- 1 cup pure water (250 ml)
- 1 handful basil leaves
- 1 small red onion
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp himalayan crystal salt
- 1 pinch chili powder (to taste)

How to proceed:
- Set aside half the apple and avocado chopped, as well as a chunk of the red pepper, sliced (as on the photo), along with a few basil leaves, for the garnish.
- Blend all remaining ingredients (pepper, apple, avocado, pine nuts, onion, garlic, basil and spices) in a high speed blender to combine well. Add the purified water last and blend until creamy. Serve immediately!
- This very tasty soup will keep in the refrigerator for several days.

Latest news on my raw food classes

My last introductory level class took place this past Saturday 11 July and was a fantastic success. For the fist time the class was sold out with 10 participants! The atmosphere was very laid back and comfortable. Despite being a larger than usual group we had great pleasure in sharing, learning and tasting. What a team that was, what energy and what enthusiasm! All the dishes were delicious and everyone left feeling enchanted, with plenty of ideas to regenerate their health and well-being — not to mention the best treat of all, having made new like-minded friends and slowly building the local raw food community to share our passion and experiences. What a day that was!

I received many new class bookings and can now confirm the Simply Raw Level 2 Class (All About Green) will take place on August 22, there are a few seats still available. The Simply Raw Level 3 Class (Dehydrating) scheduled on 12 September is fully booked, and I will be posting a new date for the many others who have signed up on a waiting list. It looks like this second date will also be fully booked. I will also soon publish a new date for a Simply Raw Level 1 Class. All of these classes are in French, I am afraid. I have recently received a few more enquiries from English speakers, however, and will also post a date for a Level 1 class in English. I wish you all a wonderful raw summer! And Happy National Day to the French!

This post is to share with you my latest slide show (with captions in English as well this time!) developed from my last introductory class, Simply Raw Level 1, which took place on April 26. Many have asked for this coverage of my level 1 class, similar to the one I did previously on the level 2 class. It gives you a good flavor for what my classes are like, allowing you to get a look and feel for what you sign up to! It’s fun and hopefully it will inspire you to sign up. All of these classes are in French. For classes in English, read further down.

Trouvez plus de vidéos comme celle-ci sur Manger cru en Suisse

My next introductory class is taking place in French on Saturday July 11, 2009. There are a couple of seats left. I also have a Level 2 class (All About Greens) on August 22, with several seats left, and a Level 3 class (All About Dehydrating) on September 12 which is fully booked! I am taking names on a waiting list, however, so don’t let that discourage you. I cannot tell you enough how inspiring these classes are, according to past participants. They are also great fun and very rewarding for me when I see the sparkle in people’s eyes when they begin to imagine what can be done to feel one’s best. Once you try this, get a feeling for it, you will embark on your own journey toward taking charge of your life and well being. At your own pace! And one step at a time if that is what feels right to you. There is nothing more empowering!

For those of you who only speak English, I have to admit it has not been easy to schedule a class that would attract enough participants. Given the success of the classes in French, I assume this is a result of the fact that the word had not yet gotten around that there are raw food classes in English in the Geneva Lake area. This is starting to change. I have been contacted by young mothers, and different expatriates so I am sure a class will soon be taking place, but not before the early fall. So please sign up here to express an interest and be on my mailing list.

Special News for English Speakers

On the other hand, I do have many goodies to offer that will only benefit English speakers. On my upcoming website, you will be able to instantly download informative materials, or follow the many links to raw food resources on the web that exist in English — while all French speakers will need to wait until I can create these! So here comes some immediate news for you, especially for women, mothers (and fathers too!), and anyone concerned with children (our future!).

What if you could gather together some of the most inspirational health leaders in the world and get them together in the same place for nine whole days to discuss the subjects of nutrition, pregnancy, childbirth, parenting and other family health care issues? Well, you can! The Raw Mom Summit is an exciting new event that has been put together by Shannon Leone and Tera Warner, otherwise known as the Raw Divas. Experts taking part include Victoria Boutenko, Anna Maria Clement (natural health expert and co-director of the Hippocrates Health Institute with husband Brian Clement), Magic Kate (Wood), Shazzie, along with some visionary health experts such as Gabriel Cousens, Brian Clement and David Wolfe… and many, many others! There are experts on nutrition, ecstatic birthing, herbal healing, juice feasting, spiritual nutrition and superfoods. The Raw Mom Summit starts on June 22 and registration is free! Register now for inspirational advice, wisdom and experience from some of world’s leading health and wellness experts. And don’t forget to let me know what learnings you derive from this summit should you sign up! I will most probably post some articles on this event. In the meantime, have a fantastic, rawsome summer!

With renewed spring energy, the warmer weather and a continued passion for what is true, natural and authentic, I am pleased to announce new class dates for Simply Raw classes. Demand for these classes is growing, which is both exciting and rewarding.  Moreover, those who have attended the levels 1 and 2 are eager to attend the level 3 class. I fully understand this impatience and will try in the future to offer the three levels closer together because when you want to get started and are fully motivated with raw food, the last thing to do is to hop off a running train!

So here is the new class calendar for the months to come. I am offering two new dates for the Simply Raw Level 1 Class in French, namely Saturday 30 May and Saturday 11 July. A new Simply Raw Level 2 Class (All About Greens) will take place on Saturday 22 August. And finally, the Simply Raw Level 3 Class on the techniques and tips of dehydrating will be offered for the very first time on Saturday 12 September. Details on this last class will follow shortly on this blog. I hope many of you will sign up to discover these truly innovative and healthy food preparation techniques to ensure you nourrish yourself at a deeper level with pure, unadulterated, unprocessed foods such as nature intended for us to eat. All these classes will be given in French. For an introductory class in English, Saturday 6 June is the date.

To inspire you to sign up to a class, I will soon post a new slideshow of my last Simply Raw Level 1 class and will share with you the very positive feedback I have received from participants to recent classes. I will take the opportunity of the summer season to survey my blog readers about new projects I am about to develop, in order to ensure that these innovative ideas are fulfilling real needs. 

The raw food lifestyle is inspiring more people daily. It can be applied as and when you wish, following your personal needs and desires. Moreover, and this needs to be said loud and clear, it does not impose restrictions but rather encourages healthy choices. Each and everyone is free to make their own food choices. However, many are poorly informed or misinformed about food, so it is critical to release worthy and reliable information to as many people as possible. This trend clearly comes as a much needed alternative to help people take charge of their own health and well-being. It is time to face the challenges of modern civilization, help our immune system rather than damage it, and make positive choices for our health and that of our planet. Increasing the amount of raw food you eat daily is a fantastic way to achieve all this.

I promised a little treat recipe in my last post, so here it is pictured above. There is nothing more enticing to me than little sweet treats that can be prepared on the spot, that are fully satisfying and do such a great job at replacing the traditional sweets that the food industry offers, or rather imposes upon the great majority. It is that simple: slice a banana, spread some almond butter on each slice, and stick a nice fresh raspberry on each! These raspberry treats are beautiful to look at, delicious, and satisfying when you have that sudden craving for something really filling. I could not resist the temptation to take a picture and share it with you, to show you how easily you can get used to reaching out for the right foods and thus replace bad habits with healthy ones. Have fun, but I warn you, your fingers will be deliciously sticky!! 

With spring comes the rejuvenation of nature and the emergence of young green sprouts in the fields, all signs of life renewal and great vitality in the green of nature. Humans can also draw great energy from greens which turn out to be one of the most nutritious foods for our species. This statement is not always convincing, and to many it may even appear inappropriate. But there is sufficient scientific proof today to demonstrate that chlorophyll, which is present in all green leaves, has a composition which is very similar to human blood, and that greens are very rich in vitamins, minerals and amino acids essential to human health.

Yes, this may very well be yet another inconvenient truth. The idea that human beings can reach optimal health and fantastic shape by consuming large quantities of greens appears just too simplistic. This idea bothers the establishment, particularly the agrifood and pharma businesses, because it is unlikely to be a source of great profits. But this youth treatment is really there for anyone to grab, as long as he or she wants it, believes in it, and practices it daily.  

Victoria Boutenko explains all this at depth in her world famous book “Green for Life” by suggesting green smoothies as a perfect means to ingest more greens daily. There is no longer any need to promote the powerful properties of green juices, real energy cocktails and health boosters. Juice bars are sprouting all over the world, many of them offering healthy superfoods such as wheatgrass juice, another undeniabe source of high performance nutrients and healing properties. And even in Switzerland there is cause to rejoice, as wheatgrass and orange juice is now being served, fresh, in the Manora cafeterias in both Lausanne and Geneva! So treat yourselves next time you are near one.

To get you started with one way or another to increase your daily ration of greens, try the following green juice — the perfect energy cocktail.

Green Energy Cocktail

Ingredients for 1 person:
- 3 sticks of celery
- 1 cucumber
- 1 handful of fresh greens (spinach, lamb’s lettuce, romaine lettuce, the choice is large!)
- 1 small apple (for a sweeter taste)
- 1 small piece of ginger (for a sharper taste)
- 1 slice of lime, to squeeze into the juice

How to proceed:
Extract the juice from all the vegetables, the apple and the ginger, preferably using a juice extractor, otherwise a centrifugal juicer. Squeeze the lime in the juice. If you like to drink a fresh juice, let it sit for a few minutes in the refrigerator, this is how I like my juice best! Pour into a nice tall glass, sit down in a quiet and comfortable place, and enjoy with gratitude!

Give this a fair few tries. The taste may need to grow on you (it does!), for others it is addictive, without the side effects, except for overflowing energy! It’s your call, your choice! Indeed, you will have to consume one daily to discover the most incredible benefits, but the positive effects are instantaneous, so don’t wait until tomorrow to try your first green juice. Just get your greens, juice them and drink them! Then watch and observe how you feel….

The benefits of green juices and green smoothies are numerous. For example, they are a great help in weight loss by cutting cravings, but that’s not all. The subject is vast, which is why I have designed a Simply Raw, Level 2 class called “All About Greens“, which takes place (in French) in Morges on Saturday March 28. The class is almost full, so if you are interested in attending, sign up here quickly and prepare yourselves for the most energetic and sumptuously green spring ever!