Manly Food Co-Operative was packed to the rafters last Thursday evening with 40 members joining Amanda Brocket from the Raw Food Kitchen for a fabulous workshop. We were thrilled that Amanda agreed to share her experience and knowledge with our community and that so many of you joined us for the evening.

It was a hit.

We were all fascinated to hear how Amanda discovered raw food and how she has used it to change her health and her life for the better. The audience were treated with some raw food treats created by Amanda. Some that had been prepared beforehand and others that were made on the spot with a step-by-step demonstration by Amanda. First on the menu was a biscuit with a lovely crunch, made with ginger, goji, maca, almond pulp, xylitol and Irish moss… good for you and delicious! Amanda talked about the use of a dehydrator to add crunch, a must have for any serious raw foodie. (Until Santa brings you one, a good old fashion oven will do nicely).

Next on the menu was a Turmeric Chai Tonic – A great tasting medicinal smoothie, with home made almond milk, turmeric root, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and agave syrup (a full list of ingredients is below). There were many ”yums” and ”mmms” expressed as the volunteers served the tasters around the room. A refreshing smoothie was perfect for the hot and humid night.

Raw food treats

After some questions on how to make your own Almond milk to whether or not to leave the skin on your ginger Amanda moved on to making a raw food take on a cheese cracker; soak seeds, blend up your favourite veggies, combine and dehydrate…easy! The crackers in combination with the fermented macadamia nut cheese was a real hit.

Amanda really does have the raw food thing down pat.

The grand finale of the evening was the draw for a gift certificate to a Raw food Kitchen workshop kindly donated by Amanda for our event. The lucky winner was our own Volunteer Patricia Griffen – congratulations Patricia!

Amanda’s new book, The Raw Food Kitchen Book was on sale during the evening and was snapped up by many. It’s available online for anyone who missed out.

Amanda also offers a free e-book for all subscribers to her newsletter. Ideal for anyone wanting to stay inspired about raw food creations.

Raw Food Kitchen Book

A very big thank you to Amanda, and to our volunteers who helped out during the event; Lucy, Patricia, Jennie and Kara.

Thanks to everyone who joined us for this amazing evening. If you have any feedback on events you’d love to see at the Co-Op, contact events@manlyfoodcoop.org

Turmeric Chai Tonic

1 up Almonds

Turmeric root

Ground turmeric

Ginger

2 Medjool dates

2 tablespoons raw honey

1 teaspoon agave

Ground cinnamon

Ground cardamom

Ground star anise

Pinch himalayan crystal salt

Ground black pepper

Ground cloves