Have you ever tried raw food “cooking”? Do you even know what it is? Neither did I until I took a workshop with Krista Santora, Certified Alissa Cohen Living on Live Food teacher. A few of us were invited to a fun hands-on workshop in Krista’s beautiful home (sorry, I forgot to take pictures) on Monday and it was not what I expected.

When I hear the term raw foods, I think of raw foods. You know, all the food you need to cook in order to eat. Well, it’s not. Here’s the scoop on the raw foods concept:

Raw and living foods are uncooked fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and sprouted grains. . Raw foods can be made into the most delicious meals that are so nutrient-dense, they keep you feeling full for hours. You get to eat fun foods like date nut torte, pasta (spiraled zucchini) with marinara sauce, and many more filling, satisfying and TASTY dishes!

Changes your whole perspective right? Now that I knew what was involved, I was all in for a fun day of preparing healthy meals and tasting everything that was put in front of me. And, Krista did not disappoint.

I was joined by my Aunt Gloria and Ellen Hennesy of Soulcology Coaching. We were first treated to an appetizer of Raw Flax Seed crackers and a spread of pate consisting of mushrooms and walnuts. My aunt said it reminded her of liver pate (I’ve never had it), Ellen wasn’t thrilled with it and I thought it was delicious. That was the extent of our tasting difference. Once we got into the meat of the workshop, our taste buds were very happy and in agreement.

We started our session with a brief lesson about wheatgrass and the proper way to drink it. Krista recommends 1 ounce two to three time a week. To get the full benefit of the drink, you want to hold the liquid under your tongue for 30 second to one minute. I gave it a try and…yeah I didn’t care for it. It wasn’t bad, but it’s not something I would happily drink every week. Krista is going to have her work cut out for her on that one. The next drink we tried was fresh coconut water from a young coconut. It was nice and light and, after tasting it, I’m wondering how it would taste in a smoothie. I feel a culinary experiment coming on.

The Dishes

The first dish Krista made was the Mock Salmon Pate. It took all of five minutes to make. I’m not kidding. Four ingredients and five minutes and we had a spread that could go on crackers or made into a roll for lunch. She told us how she uses an organic collard green leaf and, using the mock salmon pate as a main ingredient, she fills it with organic tomatoes, organic avocado and organic greens.

It wasn’t on the menu, but she made one for us to taste since we couldn’t imagine what raw collard greens would taste like (thanks Ellen!). Having eaten them all my life cooked, I expected it to be tough and bitter. I was completely wrong. The wrap was delicious and filling! This will be a light summer staple for me.

Next, we moved onto the Stuffed Portabella Mushroom Caps. Ok, honestly, it had two ingredients I’m not a big fan of. Mushrooms and avocado. Because they’re both healthy and full of nutritious things my body needs, I’m trying to change my culinary tastes. As I said, I was open to everything that was put in front of me and I have to admit, it was tasty one. I’m not sure I would make it often, but I could learn to like it.

Next up was the Angel Hair Pasta and Marinara Sauce. Ok, this one was my absolute favorite! The pasta is actually zucchini and the sauce is made fresh with sun dried tomatoes as one of the ingredients.

We all dug into this one and went back for seconds (and thirds). I want to buy a food processor just so I can make this dish. Yeah, it’s that good.

It’s perfect as a light summer dinner and took only a few minutes to make. Can you imagine coming home after a long day and not having to turn on the stove to make a dinner that’s filling, light and tastes good? This is that dish! I can’t wait to try it out on the family.

We ended our raw foods tasting tour with a Date Nut Torte. I know the slice on my plate seems small, but honestly, that’s all you need. We enjoyed this four ingredient dessert with a cup of herbal tea and it was the perfect ending to our day. Made with walnuts, raisins, dates and lemon juice, it’s rich, sweet and, for me, a cravings buster.

One of the benefits I discovered is that every dish is high in fiber, making that hungry feeling I normally get pretty much non-existent. No hunger, no over-eating. No over-eating, means I can actually lose a few unwanted pounds. That’s what I call a win-win!

We had such a blast, and we laughed so much, the time flew by. For me, the new experience of getting the full taste of each ingredient, and shedding preconceived taste opinions, was an eye opener. When combine all the ingredients, it’s like a flavor explosion in your mouth. I enjoyed it so much I’m going to take a 30 day challenge and substitute two of my daily meals with two raw food meals. I would say all three meals, but I’m being realistic. I don’t think that’s going to happen right from the word go. Look out for future posts on my progress.

The Workshop

In the meantime, if these dishes have tantalized your taste buds and you would like to learn more about raw foods, I would highly recommend taking Krista’s workshop on July 31st. It’s being offered at

ocean, earth, wind, fire Yoga Studio
122 Bridge Street
Phoenixville, PA 19460

For more information, or to register, contact Krista Santora at krista.santora@yahoo.com. Seats are limited and will go quickly. Trust me, you don’t want to miss out. Take this workshop!