<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nThe content<\/h2>\n\n\n\n So what did we learn? Most of the time was hands-on in the kitchen, recreating recipes, experimenting with flavours, and of course, making dinner for hungry yoginis. We made a whole range of fabulous dishes, from staples such as nut milks, butters and cheeses, to superfood smoothies and tonics, decadent desserts, salads with creative dressings, soups, wraps, granolas, dehydrated goods – the works really. The evening meals were themed, allowing us to explore the living foods interpretation of global cuisines. We had a Mexican night, an all American burger night, Thai, Middle Eastern, Chinese, Caribbean, Italian, Japanese and of course, Indonesian. Learning the art of flavour combining was central to recreating these ethnic dishes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some of the dishes we made: adaptogen tea, jackfruit smoothies, spirulina gomashio, mango papaya wraps, garlic bread with bruschetta, Greek tzatziki, Swiss cheese, candied walnuts, eggplant 'bacon', coconut 'sashimi', veggie burgers, rosemary-garlic mashed 'potatoes', green tea ice cream, Ayurveda cookies, chocolate cupcakes with lemon lime icing, cinnamon swirled buns... and a whole lot of raw chocolates!<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\nWe also covered kitchen essentials such as food safety, kitchen tools and knife skills. We learnt how to open a coconut. Like a boss. And how to sprout nearly anything. We got our ferment on and made probiotic rich kefirs and cultured yoghurts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We had weekly lectures on raw and plant based nutrition, covering topics such as food combining, acid and alkaline, macro and micro nutrients, phytonutrients and getting adequate protein.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We covered all the basics involved in setting up a raw foods business or café. Learn the art of raw foods demonstrations, including public speaking tips. There were also some great day trips planned for us. The most memorable was a trip to an organic cacao farm. We picked fresh cacao pods from the trees and munched on raw, fleshy white-purple cacao beans. We toured the Ubud markets and had a raw picnic at the beach. We also had the opportunity to join in on some of the morning Yoga sessions. All pretty magical experiences really.<\/p>\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nHighlights<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Of all the incredible moments experienced, the one I revelled in the most was the intimate talk we had with Ethnobotanist Dale Millard. He inducted us into the world of mushrooms, and their intelligence just blows me away - did you know they can be trained to digest and clean up pollution caused by industry? They absorb radiation and heavy metals - clearing them from the environment. We discussed the therapeutic, immune and tonic effects of Reishi, and learnt about the incredible (endangered) Cordyceps, one of the superstars of Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine, revered for its immune and longevity enhancing properties. It is actually a parasitic mushroom that grows on the head of insects such as caterpillars, moths or ants, eventually taking over its nervous system, reprogramming it. In absolute awe of Nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Was it all roses?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n In fairness of a transparent review, no it wasn’t. My only real critique of the programme was that the apprenticeship nature of it felt quite intense for me personally. There are many different ways you can work with raw and living foods, catering is simply one aspect of that. I respect that many are drawn to working in this area, however I knew from the start that I would be working with raw foods in a different way. As it transpired, this has been more in the form of blogging, recipe development, recipe app creation, talks, ‘cooking’ demonstrations and hosting intimate workshops. So to summarise, the experience was fantastic but all at once challenging. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The final banquet<\/h2>\n\n\n\n The last part of our training involved preparing a banquet of food fit to feed all 50 of the retreat guests, mostly made up of the yoga teacher training students. This was followed up with a demonstration the next day on how we prepared one of the dishes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Luckily we did this in pairs because it was quite an undertaking. Fortunately for me, I prepared my menu with another sweet babe who also had a sensitive wee stomach, so we opted for a menu free from harsh spices and difficult to digest ingredients such as nuts and seeds. We settled on a light ‘Indian Summer Nights’ theme. And what an outrageously delicious feast we prepared:<\/p>\n\n\n\n