Uncooked to perfection

Detroit Free Press (MCT) - The Red Pepper Deli's walls and floor are done in vibrant shades of red, orange, green and yellow. Artful photos of fruits and vegetables decorate the dining room walls. And the air is filled with wonderful food aromas.

What's cooking in this inviting new cafe?

Almost nothing.

Carolyn Simon's new restaurant in downtown Northville, Mich., is a raw foodist's paradise _ a place where the "pasta" is cut from raw zucchini, the sandwich bread is made of sprouted seeds, and the rich, creamy coconut pie has never felt the heat of an oven.

The cheerful, airy spot opened in September, and business has grown steadily as news about it spread through the mainstream media and metro Detroit's vegetarian, vegan and raw foods communities.

Raw foodists believe that heating food above 120 degrees Fahrenheit destroys nutrients and living enzymes that are necessary for the body to absorb nutrition. Raw food is "living," they say, while cooked food is "dead." Most adherents are vegan, meaning they eat no meat or animal products such as eggs and milk.

The diet, which dates to the early 1900s, has long been considered a fringe movement. But in the past decade, interest in it has grown dramatically as celebrities and other prominent people have tried it. Many praise it for helping them lose weight while improving their energy, stamina, mental clarity and mood.

Self-help guru Steven Pavlina, Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs, musician Jason Mraz and actor Robin Williams are among the well-known names who've tried the diet. Supermodel Carol Alt even posed nude in last month's Playboy to illustrate how good a 47-year-old can look by eating raw.

The popularity of the diet in metro Detroit surprised even Simon, who began eating mostly raw foods a year and a half ago.

"I didn't have any idea it was this big here until I opened" the restaurant, she says. She soon developed a loyal corps of regulars.

Simon, 48, of Westland, Mich., says she simply wanted to give people the opportunity to eat healthier food, no matter what kind of diet they followed. "I wanted people to have a choice. I have a lot of food allergies, and I just want people to have a place to eat, who eat like me," she says.

Her diet was about 70 percent raw, "and I just loved it. I wanted to be this way completely, but I was working in an Italian restaurant, and I really couldn't."

Then a little over a year ago, someone she knew casually asked her whether she wanted to open a raw food restaurant. "The instant it was said, I knew it was the right thing to do," she says.

Red Pepper Deli isn't the only raw or mostly raw food restaurant in metro Detroit, but its stylish decor and location on Northville's West Main Street make it arguably the most prominent.

Simon and her four employees make almost everything in house, and most of her recipes are original.

She offers a few cooked dishes, including some vegan soups now that the weather is cold. And she uses honey in a few items, which makes them unsuitable for vegans. But she posts ingredients of most dishes so people with allergies or other concerns can order appropriately.

Raw food may not be cooked, but its preparation can still be labor-intensive. The fruits, vegetables, nuts, herbs and spices _ fresh, frozen or dried _ can be cut, chopped, grated, shredded, pureed, mashed, dehydrated, juiced and combined in dozens of ways to create different textures and consistencies.

The dishes are packed with fresh, clean flavors even an omnivore would savor, from the unexpected richness of the raw beet slaw to the spicy kick of the snack crackers.

Some dishes are simple. Her zucchini pasta entree is made with raw zucchini cut into long, thin strands with a spiral slicer, tossed with fresh tomato, spinach, red pepper, basil and macadamia nut "cheese."

Others are complicated. The taco salad _ a customer favorite _ features uncooked, beanless "refried beans" made with sunflower seeds and spices. The "ground beef" is carrot-based and the "sour cream" is made from cashews.

The process can be time-consuming, but the delicious, interesting finished dishes make a raw foods diet much easier to follow, Simon says.

"We're making them into entrees and things, trying to create beauty. If all you did was give people a carrot on a plate, they'd be going down the street for dinner."

Like other people who "eat raw," as they say, the diet makes Simon feel dramatically different and better.

"You have no idea how bad I felt before. The first words out of my mouth every morning when I got up were 'Ahhh, ooh.' Everything hurt all the time." Now, she says, she can be on her feet 16 hours a day without an ache.

"I'm 48 and my skin is pretty amazing looking. I even have less gray hair now. ... You'll think I'm crazy, but it improves your attitude tremendously. It's amazing how much it changes you. It changes you from the inside out," she says.

Customers having lunch there one day last week had similar stories.

"It's more than a diet. It's a lifestyle," says Chuck Herr, 57, of Northville. He first tried raw foods in 1997, after he sold his automotive-supply company, American Drive Line in Detroit, and got out of the business. "I was exhausted," he says.

Over the years he has increasingly focused on his health and follows a mostly raw diet, typically drinking raw juices a couple of times a day and eating a small vegetarian meal.

"The beauty of it is that no matter what age you are when you start ... your body can start producing energy again," he says.

Many mainstream nutritionists and food scientists have doubts about the diet's benefits. They debate whether raw foods really provide more nutrients than cooked foods, and they point out that cooking can make food safer by killing dangerous food-borne bacteria.

But to Simon and many of her customers, the anecdotal evidence and their own experiences are evidence enough.

"It makes you sparkle. I'm not joking," she says. "Life is simpler or something. You can't discount it."

Before she tried it herself, she says, "I would have been like, 'Yeah, yeah, whatever.' But I don't believe that now."

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RED PEPPER DELI SWEET BEET SLAW

Serves: 6 (generously)

Preparation time: 15 minutes / Total time: 15 minutes

This slaw will keep 3-5 days in the refrigerator

5 medium beets, peeled, shredded

1 medium apple, peeled, cored, shredded

˝ to 1 cup raisins

˝ cup lemon juice to taste

2 to 3 tablespoons agave nectar to taste

In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir well. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

From Carolyn Simon, owner of Red Pepper Deli in Northville.

Tested by Susan Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen.

137 calories (2 percent from fat ), trace of fat (0 grams sat. fat ), 35 grams carbohydrates , 2 grams protein , 56 mg sodium , 0 mg cholesterol , 26 mg calcium , 3 grams fiber.

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RED PEPPER DELI APPLE PIE

Serves: 8 (generously)

Preparation time: 15 minutes / Total time: 15 minutes

This pie will keep 3-5 days in the refrigerator.

WALNUT CRUST

2 cups walnuts

˝ cup dates

ľ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

FILLING

3 to 4 medium-size apples (use a combination of sweet and tart apples), peeled, cored and sliced

3 tablespoons lemon juice, divided

˝ cup raisins, soaked in warm water

˝ cup chopped dates, soaked in warm water

2 medium-size apples (combination of sweet and sour apples) chopped

1 teaspoon apple pie spice

To make the crust: In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse to process all the crust ingredients to make a crumble. Do not allow it to form a paste. Press the mixture into a pie plate and set aside.

To make the filling: Place the sliced apples in a bowl and mix with 2 tablespoons lemon juice; set aside.

Drain the raisins and dates well.

In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, process the raisins, dates, chopped apples, remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice and apple pie spice until it forms a paste . Mix the paste with the sliced apples and transfer to the pie crust. Spread the mixture evenly over the crust.

From Carolyn Simon, owner of Red Pepper Deli in Northville.

Tested by Susan Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen.

348 calories (55 percent from fat ), 21 grams fat (4 grams sat. fat ), 41 grams carbohydrates , 6 grams protein , 3 mg sodium , 0 mg cholesterol , 51 mg calcium , 6 grams fiber.

(EDITORS: STORY CAN END HERE)

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WHERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT RAW FOODS

Lectures on the benefits of raw foods and classes in preparing it are offered by many instructors around metro Detroit. Check community college continuing education classes as well as community education programs run by public school districts.

Here's a short list of more specialized places . You're sure to find more as you network through the many raw food groups and Web sites:

Detroit Evolution Laboratory in Detroit's Eastern Market offers classes in vegan and raw food preparation, while stressing the importance of reducing waste and supporting sustainable agriculture. Owners Angela Kasmala and Gregg Newsom also cater raw foods for small and large events. www.detroitevolution.com

Living on Live Food instructor and chef Michael Dwyer, certified by nationally known raw food expert Alissa Cohen, teaches introductory food preparation classes as well as certification classes for other chefs. www.rawteacher.com/michaeldwyer

Southeast Michigan Raw Food Meetup Group: People interested in learning about the raw food diet and lifestyle are invited to attend meetings and potlucks in several cities including Detroit, Farmington, Southfield, Novi, South Lyon and Ann Arbor. www.rawfood.meetup.com/192

Michigan Raw Food Support: This Web site lists many area raw foods instructors and features a blog, message board, chat room, events calendar and store. www.michiganrawfood.com

The Tree House, a health food store in Farmington, hosts an organic food feast from 1-6 p.m. Sundays that features vegetarian, vegan, raw and cooked food. $15 per person; reservations suggested for groups. 22906 Mooney at Grand River and Orchard Lake Road; 248-473-0624.

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Red Pepper Deli

Serving mostly vegan and raw foods

116 W Main, Northville

248-773-7671

10:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Mon.-Wed., 10:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Thu.-Sat.

Closed Sun.

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© 2009, Detroit Free Press.