One can never consent to creep when one feels the compulsion

 to soar.

- Helen Keller        

The return of Pumpkin Pie!

From September's Essential Raw Culinary Arts class:

"(This class) got me excited again to play in the kitchen! Reignited my creative spark! Got me thinking about what else I can do with
this education."  

-Emily, CA

"The teachers are amazing! Obviously all singing from the same book and FUN - which, to me,
is very important!" 

-Sandra, Australia

"Thank you for treating us students with so much respect!" 

-Maurine, CA

"...the food I learned to make
turned out well and tasty!" 

 -Eileen, MI

"...this is not only a culinary school...but it opens you up to gain understanding of who you are
as a person."

 -Jessica, CA

-Christelle, FL

"I wanted to get a thorough education around the basics of raw food prep. I am VERY happily pleased."   

-Fran, CA

Upcoming Classes at Living Light

NEW! Advanced Raw Culinary Arts Instructor Training Certification™  

September 25-29

Raw Culinary Arts Associate Chef and Instructor Series™ and  Gourmet Raw Food Chef™ Series
October 1 - November 11
 
FUNdamentals of Raw Living Foods™: Oct 1
Sharpen Up Your Knife Skills!™: Oct 2
Essentials of Raw Culinary Arts™ Oct 3-7
Science of Raw Food Nutrition™ I: Oct 8-9
Associate Chef and Instructor Training™: Oct 10-21

---

PLUS: The Essence of Raw:
         Essential Oils for Healing and Flavor Enhancement: Oct 22
PLUS: The Essence of Abundance:
         Essential Oils for Health and Prosperity: Oct 23

      

Ethnic Flavors in Recipe Development™
October 24-28
Attend this empowering five-day advanced training course designed for our Associate Chef and Instructor graduates. You'll receive personal guidance from outstanding chefs and instructors as you travel the world of Ethnic Flavors to India, Southeast Asia, the Mediterranean, and other exotic locales. Explore the tastes and textures of each region as you prepare its cultural cuisine. Learn to write recipes suitable for publication and to create incredible new dishes without the need for recipes. Reach new levels of creativity in the grand finale, our fabulous dessert extravaganza.

RawFusion Gourmet Spa Cuisine™
October 31-November 4
In this course, you'll experience the light and luscious fare we've created at healthy lifestyle retreats in exotic locations. We designed RawFusion Gourmet Spa Cuisine™ to support an active lifestyle. Starting with very simple ingredients, you will learn how to combine textures and flavors to produce a wide array of exotic dishes and gourmet feasts! With recipes emphasizing fruits and greens, RawFusion™ is the favorite cuisine of the Living Light Staff.

Raw Event Catering and Elegant Entertaining™
November 7-11
Anyone interested in catering raw food events from intimate appetizer parties for 10 to elegant weddings for 100 or more will enjoy Raw Event Catering and Elegant Entertaining™. Learn about menu planning, organizing, budgeting, pricing, negotiating contracts, and managing your catering team. Discover secrets of plating and presentation that you can use for beautiful everyday meals or elegant dinner parties. Gain hands-on experience as you participate in catering raw events.

PLUS: Pastry Arts: Unbaked!™ I
November 13-16
Explore the fabulous world of raw desserts and advanced pastry artistry with two master raw dessert diva, Vinnette Thompson. Discover the secret of making exquisite raw desserts that taste even better than famous cooked desserts! In this hands-on course, you will learn techniques using various sweeteners, thickeners, binders, gelling agents, and emulsifiers to create extraordinary gourmet sweet confections. All desserts are dairy-free and gluten-free and contain no white sugar.

PLUS:  Pastry Arts: Unbaked!™ II
November 19-22
The perfect follow-up to Pastry Arts-Unbaked!™, this class provides the opportunity to utilize all the skills acquired in Level 1 in a recipe development format. Once you understand the principles involved in the use of binders, thickeners, emulsifiers, and gelling agents, as well as the how to choose the right sweeteners and fats for any given dessert recipe, you are ready to create your own fabulous desserts! Living Light pastry chef instructors provide you with supportive, expert guidance in helping you develop your own recipes and translate favorite cooked desserts into raw vegan desserts.

Science of Raw Food Nutrition™
Have you have always wanted to learn more about the science behind raw food nutrition or how to answer those pesky skeptic's questions such as, "How do you get enough protein?" If yes, Drs. Rick and Karin Dina, D.C. have created the perfect series for you. From November 28-December 13, you can immerse yourself in the world of raw nutritional science. For more information on the Science of Raw Food Nutrition™ Series call our enrollment department or click here.

Science of Raw Food Nutrition™ Series

November 28- December 13

  

Science of Raw Food Nutrition™ I: Nov 28-29

Science of Raw Food Nutrition™ II: Nov 30-Dec 4
Benefits of Raw Food Nutrition Educator Certification™: Dec 5-6
Science of Raw Food Nutrition™ III: Dec 8-11

Advanced Raw Food Nutrition Educator Certification™: Dec 12-13

Hilloah and Mary Elizabeth in our enrollment department can answer all of your questions about our fall class line-up! And fall is simply the best time of year on the Mendocino coast, with plenty of sunshine, some morning fog, and gentle ocean breezes. It's a wonderful time to take Living Light classes and fulfill your dreams of becoming a Living Light certified Gourmet Raw Food Chef™ in 2011!

Right here at Living Light Center in The Company Store, we have a variety of businesses that support a healthy lifestyle, including Bamboo Gardens Spa, where you can enjoy massage, sauna, spa bath, and other great services, a bike shop (rental and service available), convenient hair salon (Vicki Rae used to work with Hollywood stars!), a lovely yoga studio, an award winning restaurant, Mendo Bistro, and even an organic coffee shop which also serves tea, and offers agave nectar and organic almond milk! We'll fill you in on more details about these businesses in next month's newsletter. We're very happy to be a part of this wonderful community of conscious enterprises in the historic Company Store, right in the heart of Fort Bragg! And don't forget to reserve your place at our classic eco friendly Living Light Inn. It's a graciously appointed redwood mansion that feels like a beautifully decorated home, with a fully equipped raw kitchen, all organic beds and linens, and a complete water filtration system, including showers! Many students who come to Fort Bragg want to move here - it's simply the best - great air quality, fresh ocean breezes, and majestic redwood forests. We promise: you'll just love it here! Be sure to schedule a few extra days if you'd like to explore the area. 

 

 

- THINGS TO DO ON THE MENDOCINO COAST -

ACTIVITIES	CONTACT INFO
Catch A Canoe & Bicycles Too! offer kayak, canoe, and bike rentals on Big River. Summer tours are also available	catchacanoe.com 707-937-0273
Enjoy a chauffeured day-long tour of Mendocino's wineries, followed by a journey through the beautiful Redwood Forest into the lush Anderson Valley.	mendowinetours.com 888-805-TOUR (8687)
Take a leisurely stroll through The Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, the 47-acre gardens by the sea.	gardenbythesea.org 707-964-4352
Go on a scenic train ride through the California Red­woods between Fort Bragg and Willits on the Skunk Train.	skunktrain.com 866-457-5865
Bask in the naturally warm and carbonated mineral baths at Orr Hot Springs.	andersonic.net/orr 707-462-6277
Horseback ride along Ten Mile Beach, across cattle ranches and through the majestic Redwood forests with Ricochet Ridge Ranch.	horse-vacation.com 888-873-5777
Want more? Visit the Mendocino Chamber of Com­merce's website for an extensive list of activities to do along the coast.	mendocinocoast.com

Click here for more information, and to register, or call 707-964-2420 or 800-816-2319.

  

Living Light FUNdamentals in Las Vegas

 

FUNdamentals of Raw Living Foods™

Date: October 20, 2011
Time: 8:30 AM−5:00 PM
Location: Suncoast Hotel and Casino, 9090 Alta Drive, Las Vegas, NV 

Living Light has reserved a block of rooms at a special rate of $45 midweek. 

Book online at www.SuncoastCasino.com/groups or call 866-636-7111 - Group Code 10LRF11 - Limited supply of rooms at this price - Book Now!

Are you ready for an inspiring, transformational experience? FUNdamentals of Raw Living Foods™ is a one-day intensive course in the raw and living foods lifestyle that has transformed the lives of thousands of people around the world. It is the first in the Living Light chef training series designed to provide you with the tools you need to make this lifestyle work, easily and effortlessly. It also prepares you for more advanced raw culinary courses. You will discover the magic of creating fabulous organic raw vegan cuisine for optimal health and rejuvenation and observe dozens of superb culinary presentations showing you everything you need to know to create a wide variety of delicious, easy-to-prepare raw recipes and techniques used in raw food preparation. Learn to make healthy and delicious everyday favorites using whole, fresh, ripe, raw, organic foods.

We'll make rich nut milks and creams, appetizers and patés, cultured foods like real cheese made from nuts, simple smoothies and soups, sauces, dressings, easy-to-prepare entrées, dehydrated goodies like crackers and granola, and even desserts! Learn kitchen gardening and sprouting, basic knife techniques, and how to use devices and equipment typically used in a raw food kitchen. A delicious organic buffet lunch will also be served! No prerequisites are required. This class is benefit participants of any skill level - novice to professional.

Full Organic Buffet Lunch

A full buffet lunch of organic raw vegan foods will be provided during the class, as well as delicious samples of most of the foods prepared. Tuition includes all course materials with the exception of the required text, Angel Foods: Healthy Recipes for Heavenly Bodies, by Cherie Soria.

Bonus: Those attending both FUNdamentals in Vegas and Shine, the Lifemax annual conference, scheduled for the following day, will receive a free copy of the required text, Angel Foods: Healthy Recipes for Heavenly Bodies, by Cherie Soria.

As Cherie always says, "When it comes to the raw food lifestyle, the older you get the bigger the payback!" So, don't gamble with your health - join us for a transformational one-day class and have a FUN weekend in Vegas!

September Blackberries

By Dr. Karin Dina, D.C.

Today was an especially hot day (over 90º F!) in Sonoma County and aside from the leaves on the maple tree in my front yard turning red, one would hardly guess that autumn is upon us. One of the many things that I love about northern California is late summer blackberries. Even though these beautiful and tasty berries are available throughout the summer and into the fall, I love berry picking in September since a number of the berries on a given bush are ripe and practically fall into my hands as I pick them. My favorite blackberry bush is located in a park close to my house where I find myself checking on the progress of the berries from time to time during the summer months as I pass by while out on a run or walk. Today, I picked some to enjoy in a green smoothie.  

Here are some nutrient highlights of blackberries:

One cup (144 grams) of blackberries contains 62 calories, 33% of the daily value (DV) for vitamin C, 4% of the DV for calcium, 5% of the DV for iron, 7% of the DV for magnesium, 5% of the DV for potassium, 7% of the DV for zinc. One cup of blackberries also contains 184 mcg of beta carotene and 170 mcg of lutein and zeaxanthin. Blackberries have been studied for their antioxidant content, including anthocyanins which may lend a red, purple or blue color to various fruits and vegetables.

Source: USDA nutrient database

Lisa Dymond

"Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."   ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Living Light graduate Lisa Dymond is enthusiastic about living a fulfilling life and meeting her full potential (as well as encouraging others on the path!) She combines yoga with raw cuisine as important tools to reach that ideal. Lisa knows that good food has the capacity to nourish the body and delight the senses on all levels. She joyfully shares her knowledge with friends and community through her company High Vitality Cuisine. A practicing speech and language pathologist and certified yoga instructor, Lisa also integrates yoga with speech and language goals for children with special needs.

Lisa's curiosity about raw vegan cuisine sprouted during a conversation at a local fasting retreat in the Yukon, Canada. One night, while dreaming about making a raw vegan pumpkin pie, Lisa wondered if there was such a thing as a "raw vegan chef".  Her 2 a.m. wonderings led her to a Google search that pointed the way to Elaina Love's Pure Joy Planet.

After obtaining her yoga instructor certification at Vibrant Living Yoga, a teacher training program combining yoga and raw foods, Lisa decided to create a raw food kitchen at home and nurture her passion for raw vegan cuisine.  She then enhanced her skills and understanding by graduating from the Living Light Culinary Institute.  

Lisa describes the significance of her ongoing living food experience as the archetypal 'hero's journey.' Each step she takes on the path presents fascination, challenge, and growth. While she teaches raw foods in a place where there is lots of cold weather, she knows the tricks and tips to help raw food warm the heart as well as the stomach. Since roses are still blooming in much of the country, we are including a delightful rose milk recipe that Lisa created!  

Rose's Yukon Rapture

by Lisa Dymond

This coconut rose almond milk is eggnog's sexy summer cousin in a slinky dress. Locally harvested rose petals combine with the most alkaline of nuts to create this seasonal sensation. The flavors of honey, almond & vanilla all have a crush on Rose, blending their flavors perfectly into a delicate, sweet, floral elixir.

1/4 cup almonds (soak overnight & rinse until the water runs clear)

1 Tablespoon rose petals, packed

1 1/2 Tablespoon honey, unpasteurized

1 Tablespoon dessicated coconut

1 cup water

1/4 teaspoon vanilla or 1-inch piece vanilla bean

pinch sea salt

Blend on high for 2 minutes.

Recipes from Living Light     

Chocolate Mousse Tart with Fresh Berries

By Cherie Soria 

Crust

Filling

Fruit layers

1. For the crust: Place the coconut in a food processor outfitted with the "S" blade, and process to a fine powder. Add the nuts and salt and blend to a coarse meal.  
2. Loosely separate the dates and add them to the food processor. Process until the texture resembles a graham cracker crust. The mixture should be loose and crumbly, yet hold together when pressed tightly.  
3. Press the crust into a 9-inch ungreased tart pan. Press firmly so the crust holds together. Place it in the freezer or refrigerator to set up while making the filling.  
4. For the filling: Place the avocados, cocoa powder, evaporated cane juice, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon in a food processor outfitted with the "S" blade, and process until completely smooth.  
5. To assemble: Divide the filling into 3 equal parts. Place a layer of sliced bananas evenly on top of the crust. Spread a layer of filling on top of the bananas. Next, place one layer of strawberry slices on the filling. Spread another layer of filling on top of the strawberries, and then layer more strawberries, another layer of filling, and the remainder of the berries.  
6. Chill at least 1 hour prior to serving.  
7. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days, or in the freezer for up to two months.