Matthew Kenney - Raw Food/Real World: 100 Recipes to Get the Glow

RAW FOOD
real world

100 RECIPES TO GET THE GLOW

MATTHEW KENNEY AND
SARMA MELNGAILIS
WITH JEN KARETNICK

To Matthew

S.M

To Sarma

M.K

To Jon. Zoe, and Remy.
With love and mangos

J.K.

It Sounds like a promise made in an advertisement for a luxurious beauty cream-buy this and you, too, can have this fabulous glow-Something just a little too good be true. But for those Who live the raw food lifestyle and invest as much thought into the process as into product, its too true not to be good.

People who eat only raw, plant-based foods have an un-mistakes Shine, like a pregnant Woman in her second trimester or someone newly in love. They have a radiant, positive energy. Its easy to spot a raw foodist in a crowd of people living on the Standard American Diet (SAD an appropriate acronym!). Just look for unusually clear skin, glossy hair, and shining eyes.

When you cook foods, the colors and textures change and all the precious water is burned off. Eating raw food keeps you closer to the earth and connects you to the original product, the real thing. Think about biting into a perfectly sun-ripened peach just plucked from a tree. This is the ideal way to eatsensual, sexy, and energizing. If we just served fruits and vegetables on plates, of course, we would not have much of a restaurant or a book, nor any outlet to do what we love: preparing food that is creative, exciting, and satisfying. We may blend, chop, and even dehydrate, but still the integrity of the product, specifically the nutrients and enzymes, remain intact. Eating food that is alive keeps you feeling alive.

But more profoundly, living on raw foods enables you to effortlessly shed not only excess physical weight; other, less tangible burdens are lifted. For some, its that overall unhealthy relationship with food. For others, its the persistent and lingering fear of disease which we can begin to let go of with the reassurance of knowing that good health is our natural right and we are now armed to claim it. Further, there can be an indescribable happiness, along with the sense of communion, that comes from not eating animals anymore, being less taxing to the environment, and reducing the weight upon the medical communityin short, living in a way that lessens the burden on the rest of the world.

But before you slam this book shut and head for the nearest burger counter, keep in mind that our own transition to raw foods had nothing at all to do with animal rights or the environment. It was simply about wanting to feel our best physically. We had no idea about the bonuses that would come along with it, in particular the incredible increase in overall energy, somehow also accompanied by a greater sense of peace.

In this book we share our story, our advice, and our recipes in what we hope is a practical and accessible way. Our introduction to the world of raw foods was a sudden one. While we both felt like wed stumbled onto something extraordinary, it was not always a smooth ride. We are both classically trained chefs with a shared love of restaurants and good food. Then literally overnight, we went from cooking and eating all varieties of meat, fish, and fowl, plus dairy, sugar, flour, and everything in between, to working with and consuming only raw plant foodsand we did this without really knowing what we were doing or what to expect. We just recognized that we wanted to do it and that it felt right. We also happened to discover raw foods when we had the luxury of a great deal of free time, and so dove into it full force by reading and researching, attending seminars, participating in grueling and complicated cleanses, and getting to know the still predominantly underground world of raw foods. Some of these experiences were more than a little colorful, but throughout, we learned how ordinary people with regular jobs and social lives can incorporate raw foods into their daily routines in a meaningful, practical, and delicious way.

In short, it is our bold claim that raw foods can change your life. A raw food diet is not a trend, a tool, a religion, or some kind of cult. It doesnt have to be all about sacrifice or discipline. You can incorporate raw foods into your own lifestyle to what-ever degree, at whatever pace you wish. Just be prepared to feel happier, sexier, more vibrant, energetic, and at peace with yourself and the rest of the world, even if that isnt your intention. And, of course, be ready to exercise your right to glow.

The raw food movement, a plant-based, vegan lifestyle, has been around for a long time. It has a bunch of other nicknameslive food, living cuisine, sunfood cuisineand there are slight distinctions, though the polemics spring from the same essential source. But no matter the label, the connotation is the same: It is a diet comprising naturally grown wild or organically and sustainably raised fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and occasionally sprouted grains. Like vegans, raw foodists do not consume animal products of any kind (with the exception, in many cases, of honey and bee pollen). However, the raw food lifestyle goes further by excluding any foods with chemically processed or pasteurized ingredients. Finally, and most significantly, during the preparation of raw food dishes, nothing is cooked, at least in the traditional sense.

This may sound limiting to some. But for us, the possibilities that exist within the raw food lifestyle are both boundless and thoroughly satisfying. When you are able to enjoy a simple bowl of sweet cherries, or a creamy avocado with a splash of lime juice and coarse sea salt, it is easy to imagine how a little creativity can make this food exciting. In fact, raw food has its own cuisine identity, and it is very much a playful and inventive one. But the real benefit of raw food, aside from great flavor, is the unbelievable way it makes you feel, inside and out.

MK: I was raised on the coast of Maine, surrounded by fresh, seasonal foods, which became the foundation for the standards I have now developed. When I first moved to New York, I very quickly became fascinated and literally fell in love with restaurants. I started out waiting tables at a Sicilian restaurant, and then worked my way into the kitchen. The food at that restaurant exploded with flavor. I began to love the light yet intense Mediterranean way of cookingthe flavors of citrus, olive oil, seasonal fruits and vegetables, tons of fresh herbs and spices. I soon became aware, however, that I would need more than just restaurant experience, and I enrolled in culinary school.

When I finally had the opportunity to open my first restaurant, it was Mediterranean. In fact, the next four restaurants I opened after that were also Mediterranean. I traveled all over the world and brought influences from those travels into my kitchens. Although the restaurants I had opened were very well reviewed and did quite well, they did not have the critical mass that would be required to sustain them. Following a trend that was picking up in those days, my new partners and I began to shift the direction of my company toward American regional food, with an emphasis on heavier comfort foods. My heart was not in this in the least. My most successful restaurant was known for its Truffled Macaroni and Cheese, yet no one can ever claim to have seen me eat the dish, ever, because I never did. I didnt particularly enjoy that kind of food and did not like the way eating it made me feel. Nevertheless, the comfort food craze was lucrative and the restaurant business became just that to me, a businessno longer a passion.