Pure Cafe 2

A couple of weeks ago we received a lovely box from Pure to Go. For those of you who don't know - MOST RAW FOOD IS VEGAN. All of this was and it was wonderful. My photos are really about the mail-order experience and do not do her cafe justice. Please visit the site:http://www.purerawcafe.com/index.html

It came with a beautiful menu and each dish was presented in compost-able take-out ware. It is the loveliest presentation of raw foods I have ever seen - and I've seen quite a bit - and it was shipped from Tulsa. Not good from a petroleum stand point - but this woman Cynthia knows her stuff - she's a creative raw goddess. I had to try it.

I'm going to say upfront here that her food is excellent. Anything I mention an issue with is most-likely due to one of two factors; mail order food must be shipped with dry ice (frozen or very chilled) and I am extremely sensitive - some foods and I do not get along.

Here's the menu - in case you can't read because it is small - it says - Strawberry Soup, Pasta Alfredo, Mexican Tamales, Sun Burger, Tuscany Pizza, Cinnamon Vanilla Granola, Blueberry Banana Scones, Chocolate you RAWK Raspberry Breakfast Pie, Strawberry Banana Oatmeal, Smoothie of Choice (which I did not get), Strawberry Cheesecake, Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (which I did not get).

We got right into some of it - 

First: the Strawberry Soup

This was the crowd pleaser. Everybody LOVED it. I mean from the husband to the little man. It was gone gone gone. Even slightly frozen it was beautiful.Next we had to have a few bites of the Chocolate you RAWK Raspberry Breakfast Pie

I'll mention here that every dish was beautifully decorated with orchids or rose petals (seen here). We ate a few bites of the pie - it was absolutely dreamy - perfect balance of fruity raw cacao and raspberry with a lovely nut crust. Can't you see from the picture that it was magnificent? Then I put the pie in the freezer as instructed and continued to eat the pie for the next week or so...I actually finished it 2 nights ago - it was very rich, perfect and I prefer it to my RAW vegan ice cream.

Opening night for dinner I had the Pasta Alfredo with white truffle sauce and olive bread for dinner. The kids and I devoured the olive bread before we had a chance to take a photo of it, but trust me - it tasted awesome. The little man kept asking for more "pizza" - yes, that's what he thought it was.

Well - this was nice - however - there's a little issue with freezing zucchini - which is what RAW foodies use for pasta...it contains lots of water - and when it defrosts it loses lots of its integrity. It was good - but not as spectacular as I'm sure it is fresh from the cafe. The wonderful thing was the truffle sauce and how it mixed well but didn't mask the veggie flavors. Now my mouth loves truffle oil - but my tummy doesn't...I keep learning this lesson again and again.

In the morning I tried the Blueberry Scones with Strawberry Dipping Sauce.

I have to say - these did not agree with me. I think it might have been the truffle oil from the night before. They were very strong. the dipping sauce was excellent - but I just couldn't eat these. 

And then I had one of those moments that every foodie dreams of - a moment of food perfection -  I consumed the most remarkable RAW pizza I have ever tried. It kicks ass. It makes the pizza from euphoria loves rawvolution look like the dogs breakfast. It was so damn good. This is what it looks like when you get it at the cafe:

I took it for our picnic with the boys. All of the mothers and teachers were watching me eat it. I could literally see them drooling. No joke. Every single one asked me what it was, where did i get it, it smelled and look so good. I was pulled aside on three separate occasions for an explanation of what it was - with the final comment being - "It looked so amazingly delicious". AND IT WAS! this is what it looked like before I dressed it - an almond crust (that didn't bother me), nice veggie toppings, red sauce and magic macadamia cheese (not a dairy product). 

Next I had the Tamales.

Notice there is only one? I ate the other while preparing this one for the husband. He wasn't hungry since he had a late lunch so I had to eat this one too. DARN. I have no idea what she put in there but it was amazing. I had sworn off tamales - but if Cynthia is preparing the recipe - I'll take two. I don't know what was in there but something savory - probably the mushrooms - was totally amazing and moorish. The sauces - sour dream queso cheese and chunky red salsa and the avo puree was freaking over the top yummylicious.

And then the Sun Burger. I borrowed a photo from her site - Cynthia - please tell your photog not to get angry.

This was spectacular. Of course I loved it? I love veggie burgers, rice burgers, and any sort of raw burger type thing - but this one was fragrant, had a nice texture and really made me savor it. Some food you can just - well - woof down - this meal was one that you wanted to chew, take your time, let the flavors and texture mix and take time to breathe and experience - not just to satisfy your hunger.

I ate the Strawberry Banana Oatmeal for breakfast the next day. It was good - just what I expected - tasted like oatmeal - I put some amazake with it.

Cinnamon Vanilla Granola with Nut Milk was very crunchy - I like my granola this way. The nut milk was divine - heaven sent - it was sweet, nutty and thick - great alternative to yogurt. It took me 4 days to eat it all...I'm not complaining. I don't have a picture of the Strawberry Cheesecake. It was good. The Chocolate you RAWK Raspberry Breakfast Pie was better, but both had me wanting more.

I'd love to subscribe to her month of meals - especially since she has a special going on - buy 1 month - get one free...alas...it would be a very selfish move on my part - while the little man and I would totally enjoy it - the husband and 5 year old would be wondering what was going on....I could probably sway the 5 year old with breakfasts and desserts - but the husband likes his food cooked and hot for the most part.

Cynthia - I'll be ordering from you again soon. Thank you. Namaste.

A bit about Pure Cafe: http://www.purerawcafe.com/index.html

Owner: Cynthia Beavers

Euphoria Loves RAWvolution

Years ago I lived in Australia. I started changing my Standard American diet into something more beautiful - first by using Macrobiotics and then by incorporating more RAW food.

As I moved through life I found out I had Celiac Disease and dairy intolerance - coupled with egg sensitivity it was really time for me to change...

Now, a husband, house, garden and two children later I've started getting my diet back in order. Let me start by saying I don't use the term "diet" to by synonymous with weight loss - I don't need to lose weight - I mean - what and when I eat.

This RAW adventure started with a cooking class from Angelena Bosco - which was amazing (not to mention so nice to have somebody else cook for me). Continuing on...every time I was in Jimbo's buying groceries I picked up some RAW collard wraps or some RAW pizza - I just love all of the flavors combining like a symphony in my mouth!

So right now I can competently cook and serve Macrobiotics - but RAW is a completely different story. I'm no expert in this area so I decided to go to the experts and do some taste testing...

I've now had two weeks of "the box" form Euphoria loves RAWvolution. I can't go to their cafe so I've decided to order from them. This first entry is a review of the foods from my first two weeks.

My rating system:

Excellent: so delicious everybody wanted more

Good: good taste and texture

Average: edible, but an acquired taste

Poor: wrong ingredients, too strong, "off" taste

First week:

Tomato Basil Soup

Tomato, coconut water, celery, basil, lemon juice, tamari, olive oil, garlic, onion, sea salt.

Poor. Tomatoes are not in season during the winter - although we can grow them in hothouses and even outdoors - they are mealy - this was reflected in this too mealy too garlicy soup.

Thai Curry Soup

Coconut Water, basil, mint, cilantro, chives, shiitake mushrooms, garlic, lemon juice, tamari, olive oil, curry powder, ginger.

Good. This was a good lunch - I warmed it on the stove but not over 110 degrees - it was nice and fresh tasting - good balance

Cucumber Dill Salad
Cucumbers, onions, dill, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, sea salt.

Good. Another excellent lunch- I even put some on my husband's lamb sandwich - he liked it...

Mock Tuna Salad
Sunflower seeds, celery, onion, cashews, coconut water, mustard, garlic, lemon juice, dill, dulse, sea salt.

Good. I had a spoonful, then used it as dip, then I put this on some of my homemade gluten free bread (not RAW I know - but the point is to incorporate more into my diet).

Big Matt with Cheese
Flax seeds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, mushrooms, lettuce, onion, tomato, celery, parsley, olive oil, mustard, pickles, rosemary, cumin, garlic, tamari, lemon juice.

Good. This could be great if there was more of a "burger" instead of walnut spread...But the flavors were great - plenty of veggies and their "matt bread" is truly yummy.

Nut Loaf with BBQ Sauce
Flax seeds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, mushrooms, onion, celery, tomato, parsley, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, rosemary, cumin, garlic, tamari, chili powder.

Good. The loaf was great, nice texture, could have added some sea vegetable - it was filling enough for breakfast. The sauce was indistinguishable - needed something to make it more tangy-sweet (recommendations to come later).

Pizza Italiano
Collard green, onion, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, tamari, olive oil, tomato, lemon juice sea salt, garlic, mushrooms, bell pepper, oregano, basil, olives.

Excellent. Although it sort of fell apart as I ate it - the taste was amazing - love the taste of fresh pizza coming together in my mouth without cheese and grease.

Nut & Veggie Pate Wrap

Collard green, flax seeds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, mushrooms, onion, celery, parsley, avocado, clover sprouts, dulse, tomato, onion, olives, basil, cilantro, garlic, olive oil, tamari, rosemary, cumin.

Excellent. collard wraps are my favorite - they are so perfect for holding a myriad of ingredients and don't over-power the combinations.

Pecan Crumble

Pecans, almonds, raisins, coconut water.

Poor. Too liquid. Used it was a dip for apples - the kids weren't impressed - I'd use soaked dates, keep the raisins whole, and a combo of soaked pecans and raw.

Chocolate Coconut Haysatacks

Coconut, coconut oil, agave nectar, cacao.

Excellent. So delicious everybody wanted more. Of course, cacao is a hit at our house.

Second week:

Hearty Lentil Chili

Tomato, celery, dulse, cucumber, chili powder, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt, tamari, cilantro, cumin.

Good. I had this for breakfast this morning. It IS hearty - enough for two - dulse makes it so. Again a little mealy due to the tomato - but much better than the tomato-basil soup.

No-Bean Hummus

Zucchini, tahini, sesame seeds, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, cumin, sea salt.

Good. Makes a good dip for veggies - nice to use in sushi rolls with avocado and ume plum.

Mediterranean Tabouli

Parsley, onion, hemp seeds, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, sea salt.

Good. I missed Tabouli since typically it calls for couscous. This was a close second - although - I think I'd use some nuts for more texture and possibly cilantro to kick it up a bit.

Mock Chicken Salad

Sunflower seeds, celery, onion, cashews, coconut water, mustard, garlic, lemon juice, sage, oregano, thyme, sea salt.

Average. the mock tuna is way better...this was sort of "off" but edible. Maybe no coconut water?

Broccolini Salad

Broccoli, olive oil, sea salt.

Excellent. Even the kids and husband ate this one - the ingredients say it all.

Soft Tacos with Salsa Fresca

Collard green, walnuts, lettuce, tomato, cilantro, onion, lemon juice, olive oil, tamari, garlic, cayenne pepper, cumin, coriander, chili powder, sea salt.

Excellent. Even the toddler liked this one - again - the collard green wrap wins again.

Marinated Shiitake Sandwich

Shiitake mushroom, lettuce, tomato, onion, clover sprouts, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, olive oil, tamari, mustard.

Good. Nice taste - fell apart a little with the "matt" - but I'm not the biggest mushroom fan - shiitakes are my fave though.

Spinach & Cheese Quiche

Cashews, spinach, onion, bell pepper, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, garlic, lemon juice, tamari, olive oil.

Good. Had this one for breakfast Thursday. Too much garlic kids! But still tasty. The "matt" fell apart so I put the entire thing in a bowl...

Greek Pizza

Collard green, onion, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, tamari, olive oil, tomato, lemon juice sea salt, garlic, oregano, bell pepper, olives.

Good. Again, funky tomato and too much onion - but it did taste like Greek pizza.

Strawberry Cream Parfait

Strawberries, almonds, cashews, coconut water, agave nectar.

Good. The sitter liked it, toddler liked it, 5 year old - not so much - I ate it for breakfast and thought - wait - it is the start of strawberry season - if I made this fresh in the end of March it would be excellent.

Chocolate Coconut Fudge

Walnuts, coconut, cacao, agave nectar.

Excellent. This was the best thing so far.

Stay tuned.