Rawcking near Nelson, British Columbia

My friend Ulla and I had such a wonderful time facilitating our Raw Radiance Retreat last September that we almost immediately started planning other raw events. And so in October we held a three course raw vegan gourmet Mexican Dinner as well as a one day Raw Radiance Workshop at her lovely home near Nelson, BC.

Mexican Dinner
This was soooo much fun!!! Ulla went all out, playing along with the evening's theme by using tablecloths and small serving bowls that she brought back from her trips to Mexico. She even wore a Mexican top! ;-)

We started off the evening with me demoing how to make Cheezy Corn Chowder and Nacho Cheeze. We then all sat down and enjoyed this fiesta together. It was a great opportunity for all of the attendees to talk about their own interest in raw foods and, of course, pick my brains to their hearts' content. ;-)

We were introduced to the concept of raw Tostada (actually I just looked it up online and it's really more like a Taco Salad) during one of our trips to the US. It is now one of our staples as it is so tasty and really simple to assemble: crumble your favorite corn chips at the bottom of a plate and top with guacamole and Nacho Cheeze (we often omit it). Next comes slivered lettuce, followed by fresh Tomato Salsa and Cashew Sour Cream. Yum!

Dessert was Pamela Vinten's Chili Chocolate Nut Bar from her Amazing Guilt Free Chocolate ebook.

I really really enjoyed this formula and will definitely continue to play around with the idea of themed raw dinners in the future!

Raw Radiance Day Workshop
 A few days later we conducted a Raw Radiance Workshop. The intention was to give the participants an overview of the benefits of including more raw foods in their diets, and introduce them to some easy yet really yummy recipes.

In this food prep demo I showed them how to assemble what we like to call our Whole Meal Miso Soup. This soup has been such a life saver for us, especially when we are on the road! The combination of fresh veggies with warm hot ginger miso broth is oh-so-comforting on a cold day!

Marinating mushrooms

Sooooo good!

Later in the afternoon Don and I shared about our own health journeys and passed on various tips that we have learned over the years to help us maintain the raw lifestyle in a wholesome and balanced way.

Afterwards we withdrew to the kitchen to get dinner ready while Ulla and the others continued to exchange ideas and personal experiences.

Got everything ready!

Demoing how to make raw Pad Thai.

 

And for dessert we treated ourselves to Heathy of Sweetly Raw's Beautiful Chocolate Berry Pie from her Just Desserts ebook.

Sunny Raw Kitchen 2012 Tour Update
We have now begun our US travels and are presently staying with the Knoeflers near Walla Walla, OR. They've been exploring the raw lifestyle for a long time and Matthew has been sharing with me all kinds of really interesting techniques and recipes. Guys, brace yourself for a series of awesome posts about their amazing garden, how to grow micro-greens, how to make coconut yogurt and much more!

Where to Next? 

We'll be staying here until at least November 26th in order to attend their local health group's potluck. We'll then continue our way down to Salt Lake City to hang out with our friend Thomas Fox of Omniblender.com and his family.

As usual we try to make as few fixed plans as possible in order to leave room for the magical encounters that Life will undoubtedly put on our path. This is what our general itinerary sorta looks like so far for the coming months:

• Salt Lake City (early December) 
• St-George, UT (mid-December)

Then we'll spend time in the following states:

- Arizona (we'll most likely be RVing there from late Dec. until mid-February or so)

- California (mid-Feb. until late March)

- Oregon (late March)

- Washington (April)

We'll be having some kind of raw get together in most of those places, so drop me a line if you'd like to be kept posted or get more info about the scheduled events. Also, if you live somewhere along the way and would like to hook up or even help put together an event, please send me an email at:

sunnyrawkitchen(at)gmail(dot)com

Raw Radiance Retreat 2012 - In Retrospect

Last weekend me, Don, and our friend Ulla hosted our very first raw retreat - Raw Radiance - and it was such a wonderful experience! The group was fairly small and we decided to use as a venue the Benailse Retreat Center in the Slocan Valley. This is where we lived for a number of years before we became nomads, so in many ways it felt like doing it from home. As it turns out it was perfect that it was an intimate gathering, as it gave us an opportunity to find our sea legs, it being our first retreat and all.

The weather was amazing for nearly the entire time and we were able to do most sessions and meals in the yard. Yay! Sadly Don and I usually had to busy ourselves prepping food during Ulla's presentations so it never even occurred to me to take some photos of these. Ah well... next time! ;-)

Lunch that first day was Whole Meal Miso Soup - a major staple for us for years, especially when we're on the road.

For dinner we enjoyed a Tomato and Herbs Soup, followed by Zucchini Pasta with two types of Pesto: a light Basil Pesto and a richer version made with pine nuts and pecans based on this recipe. It was served with a side salad drizzled with my House Dressing. When prepping the meals we used as much freshly picked veggies from our gardens as possible. In this case only the tomatoes were bought at the local Farmers' Market. Don't you just love the abundance of this season?

 

Day 2
The evening before we watched the movie "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead", about the incredible transformations of Joe Cross and Phil Staples, largely thanks to juice feasting. If you haven't already, you guys really ought to see this documentary; it's nothing short of amazing and, of course, super inspiring. So it was only fitting that we start Day 2 off with a nutrition-packed Purple Power Juice from the JoinTheReboot website associated with the film. As it turns out, we happen to own the same juicer as the one used in the movie - a Breville Juice Fountain. (We sell several models in our Amazon Store here).

We used concord grapes and blackberries from Ulla and Mike's garden. Yum! I somehow got mixed up with a different juice recipe and started to shove in greens by the handful.  Ooopsie! What can I say!?! Me love my greens! ;-)

Purple Power Juice
From www.jointhereboot.com

Serves 2

6 cups concord grapes
1 Golden Delicious Apple
2" piece of ginger
1/2 cup blackberries

Pass all ingredients through juicer.

It still tasted heavenly and was even more nutritious to boot, although it did turn the juice into a suspicious brown color.

 

Lunch was a ginormous salad with various veggies to toss in, a choice of my House Dressing or Hemp Peppercorn Ranch Dressing, Sunflower Garlic Spread and Italian Flax Crackers. 

During one of our conversations the previous day, the way I cook quinoa popped up, so I decided on a whim to add some to the menu. Here's how I prep it and I just love LOVE the nutty flavor that it gives the quinoa!

Sprouted and Lightly Cooked Quinoa

Serves 2

3/4 cup quinoa
Quart glass jar with wide opening
Cheesecloth or mosquito screen
Elastic band

Place quinoa in jar, secure the cheesecloth or screen with the elastic band.

Rinse well, 2 or 3 times, by filling the jar with water, shaking it around then pouring the liquid out.

Fill the jar about 3/4 full with fresh water and allow to soak for 8 hours or overnight.

Drain soak water, rinse quinoa, drain water again, and let sit at room temperature for 1 day. This will allow the quinoa grains to sprout/grow a little tail.

Rinse and drain one more time then transfer quinoa to a small pot.

Add water until it covers the quinoa by a little less than 1/4 inch.

Bring to a boil, covered, then turn off heat and wrap pot in a blanket or under your bed covers.

Your quinoa should be ready in 30 minutes. Drain any excess water and serve.


That afternoon we were invited by my friend Camille, whose property is along the beautiful Slocan River, to join her for a river walk. The weather was gorgeous and we had a wonderful time chilling on one of the islands. We had brought a couple of thermoses full of my Strawberry Banana Shake to snack on while we were there.

Dinner that night was a Cream of Zucchini Soup and a delicious Tostada made with Sprouted Corn Chips, Guacamole, Nacho Cheeze, lettuce strips, Fresh Tomato Salsa and Cashew Sour Cream. Sooooooo tasty!

We finished the day by watching another awesome and inspiring movie called 'May I Be Frank', documenting the transformation of Frank Ferrante. As you may recall, it's a movie I hold especially close to my heart. I had the good fortune to be able to attend one of the screenings in Seattle a couple of years ago and meet Frank. You can read about my beautiful connection with him here.

Day 3
Breakfast that morning consisted of our Anything Goes Green Smoothie (a variation of Our Daily Green Fuel). It's a great go-to recipe as it calls for whatever fruits are in season.

 

Gosh, isn't the color just stunning? I'm so in love with green smoothies!

The focus that day was particularly on raw so Don and I gave a short presentation, sharing our own stories along with our approach to successfully transitioning to the raw lifestyle.

 

Lunch was Sauerkraut Salad - one of my absolute favorites - made with a fresh batch of kraut from our kitchen. It was accompanied by Onion Bread and two types of vegan cheeze: Black Pepper & Chive and Purple Basil & Garlic (recipe to be shared very soon!)

For our afternoon activity we hiked up to the Look Out, a few minutes behind Benailse Retreat Center. Not only does it give a breathtaking view of the Slocan Valley but it's also a power spot complete with an energy vortex.

When we got back we felt like a little boost before dinner so I whipped up a yummy Choconana Shake. (Sorry, I forgot to take pics!)

My initial idea was to have a long food prep demo featuring 5 or 6 recipes that afternoon. However, inspired by a similar retreat held by my friend and raw food chef Guylaine Lacerte of The Raw Food Path, I decided instead to do a bunch of short demos just before a meal featuring one of the recipes that we were about to enjoy. What a brilliant concept! It made each demo much more focused and concise, plus it also cut down on the amount of dishes to be prepared all at once (and cleaned up too!) Not to mention that it is considerably more energy demanding to keep pumping out recipes in front of a crowd for over 2 hours! And so later I demoed how to prepare a raw vegan Pad Thai, which was the main course that night.

That and the lovely Indian Carrot Curry Soup we served as appetizer turned out to be major hits. Yay!

Day 4

It was already time to bring our Raw Radiance Retreat to a closure. Wowsers, how it flew by! Mind you, we were so busy in the kitchie that we lost track of time. ;-)

We began with another juice recipe from JoinTheReboot which is quite similar to the combo that Don and I enjoy pretty much every morning.

ABC's Juice
From www.jointhereboot.com 

Serves 2

2 Apples
2 Pears (Asian or any other type)
2 Beets
2 Carrots
1 cup Cabbage (optional, can also replace with 2 celery sticks)
6 handfuls Chard

Pass all ingredients through juicer.


As the focus of Raw Radiance was mostly on detox we didn't serve any desserts throughout the retreat, wanting to keep the food on the lighter side of things. However we tried to make up for it on departure day by serving a delicious warm Blackberry Peach Cobbler fresh out of the dehydrator. I had mentioned Chia Pudding at some point so I demoed how to make it the evening before and served it as well that morning. Fuel for the road!

This of course opened up a whole new line of discussion on all the incredible desserts you can enjoy in the raw. Showing the girls some of the scrumptious sweet creations in my Delightfully Raw book.

All and all Raw Radiance was a wonderful success and we don't think it could have gone much smoother considering that it was our first. Working with Ulla was such a delight! We are so aligned and complement each other incredibly well. I feel blessed that Life has brought us together! (Thanks to our friends Pontifex and Mosaica who woofed for them last year.) Now we're excited at the prospect of other retreats to come! In fact we are already planning on having a lunch demo and a Raw Radiance day workshop in October before we head south. Stay tuned for more details!

Hope you're enjoying radiant health and are continuously inspired wherever you are!

Raw Radiance Retreat - September 2012

I've got some mighty exciting news to share with you guys! In September I will be teaming up with Ulla Devine of Devine Health, a local practicing Colon Hydrotherapist, for an inspiring three day retreat in south central British Columbia, Canada.

For years Ulla has been holding the vision of offering an opportunity for local people to experience the benefits of a detox retreat without having to pay an exorbitant price and go to an exotic destination. Together we'll be bringing this dream to fruition at the 'Raw Radiance Retreat' which will take place from Thursday Sept 20 to Sunday Sept 23, 2012.

Here are all of the juicy details...

Raw Radiance Retreat

September 20^th – 23^rd, 2012

Experience the power of raw and living foods to achieve vibrant health!

Join Ulla Devine, certified Colon Hydrotherapist, and Carmella Soleil of the award winning Sunny Raw Kitchen blog for an inspiring three day detox retreat in the heart of the magical Slocan Valley in British Columbia, Canada.

Detoxification is a key element in attaining a healthy and disease free body. The informed proper use of detoxification methods combined with nutrient rich living foods give the body a chance to detoxify and heal itself naturally. 

Our intention for the Raw Radiance Retreat is twofold:

• We wish to give you a focused opportunity to actually experience the power of raw and living foods to restore health and clean the body.

• We want to provide you with a number of simple and effective tools that you can take home with you and easily incorporate into your daily routine, so that you can continuously progress on your health journey.

In the course of these 3 days you will learn how to:

• Make energizing juices, tasty and nutritious smoothies, sexy salads, creamy comforting raw soups and nourishing yet simple entrees without the fuss
• Successfully transition to and maintain a mostly raw vegan diet
• Build simple daily food prep routines to keep going at home
• Exercise efficiently in a matter of minutes every day
• Make easy relaxation practices a regular part of each day
• Quickly remove toxins from your body

About the Location

The Raw Radiance Retreat will take place from Thursday Sept 20 to Sunday Sept 23, 2012 at the beautiful rustic Lemon Creek Lodge in the heart of the magical Slocan Valley.

Easily accessible, Lemon Creek Lodge is located off Hwy 6, 7680 Kennedy Road, in the Slocan Valley, South-Eastern British Columbia, Canada. It’s just a 3.5 hour drive North of Spokane, Washington, or if you are driving from Calgary or Vancouver, an eight hour drive from either city. Guest flying into Castlegar Airport or arriving at Nelson or Castlegar by Greyhound bus, can be met (by prior arrangement) and transported to the Lodge.

About the Meals

Guests will enjoy raw vegan, gluten-free and mostly organic meals prepared by experienced raw chef Carmella Soleil and her partner Don. Participants are encouraged to give a hand with preparation and/or cleanup of some of the meals at the retreat. Signup sheets will be available upon arrival.

Learn to Uncook with Carmella

Included in the activities will be a raw food prep workshop in which Carmella will demonstrate how to create some simple yet tasty recipes that can be created in a short time with a minimum of equipment.

About Your Hosts  
Ulla Devine is a practicing Colon Hydrotherapist living and working near Nelson, B.C. She is certified by the Natural Health Outreach School in Penticton, B.C. and is a member of the International Association for Colon Hydrotherapy (I-ACT) and the Academy of Naturopaths and Naturotherapists (A.N.N.).

Ulla has worked as a teacher/counselor in B.C. schools for many years. Her passion for health and wellness has led to extensive research of and personally experiencing various fasting methods, cleanses and detoxification programs.

She is a graduate of the Ann Wigmore Living Foods Institute in Puerto Rico. Ulla combines her counseling skills and interest in nutrition and wellness to support others on their path to optimal health. 

Ulla lives with her husband on a farm in the Kootenay region, enjoying the maintenance and produce of a large vegetable garden and fruit orchard.

Carmella Soleil is an internationally known raw food chef and instructor. She is the author of the popular Sunny Raw Kitchen blog, voted «Best Raw Website» and «Best Raw Media» of 2008, and co-founder of Raw Freedom Community forum, a resourceful interactive site.

She has published 4 recipe books, The Best of The Sunny Raw Kitchen, The Best of Raw Freedom Community, Delightfully Raw and Deliciously Raw. These days, Carmella, Don and their furry friend, DaPuss, are nomads, sharing their passion for health, raw foods and personal growth along the way.

Registration

Sliding Scale: $470 - $ 510 CDN*
Includes accommodation, raw vegan meals, presentations, raw food prep workshop and recipe hand out

*Based on double occupancy. There are a few single rooms available for an additional $30/day. If you wish to have your own room please let us know! 

Refund Policy

Retreat admission price minus a $50 administration fee is refundable up to Sept 13th.

To secure your place please contact Carmella
before September 13th!

Looking forward to spending time with you! ;-)