by AMANDA WINTERS
Sequim Gazette
A vegetable kabob browned on the edges looks grilled, the cracker-like chapati looks baked and there’s no way that carrot cake didn’t spend some time in an oven.
Think again.
Every Friday, Jane Bultedaob, of Sequim, a raw and living food coach with Common Sense Nutritional Therapy, prepares an array of uncooked foods to promote healthy eating and serves them at a reservations-only lunch at The Dove’s Nest.
The June 24 lunch had a Middle Eastern theme, a nod to Bultedaob’s upbringing in Saudi Arabia, with foods such as zucchini hummus, tabouli made with sprouted buckwheat, parsley and tomatoes, chapati made with almonds, dates and Middle Eastern spices, and falafel made with almonds and sesame seeds. The carrot cake, made of finely chopped ingredients chilled in the fridge overnight, isn’t Middle Eastern, it’s just Bultedaob’s favorite, she said.
None of the food was cooked, though some was dehydrated.
“Dehydration helps the food retain nutritional value,” said Sherry Fry, owner of Common Sense Nutritional Therapy. “It feels cooked, but it’s not.”
Bultedaob said she doesn’t heat anything to more than 120 degrees to avoid killing the enzymes that promote healthy digestion.
“There are healing qualities in food, that when you keep it raw, the body knows what to do with them,” she said.
Located at 139 W. Washington St., The Dove’s Nest began hosting the lunches this year in May and for several months last year as well.
The lunches started last year with Bultedaob serving the meals at the Common Sense Nutritional Therapy office in Carlsborg, until the office closed, Fry said.
Dovie Carson, owner of The Dove’s Nest, said hosting the lunch is a way for the two local businesses to support each other.
Between six and 12 people make reservations and attend the lunch, which requests a $7 donation to cover costs. Carson said she will continue to host the lunches as long as there is interest.
To make a reservation, call 683-8252. To find out more about Common Sense Nutritional Therapy, go to www.csntherapy.com.
Reach Amanda Winters at awinters@sequimgazette.com.
