Do You Eat Rice and/or Quinoa?

I'm sprouting quinoa and millet as I type here. Perhaps putting the quinoa through a blender or food processor and then making dehydrated bread with it will help with digestion? I'm planning a quinoa millet pumpkin bread and I'll let you know how it turns out...and digests :) I've read that putting sprouts through the champion juicer once through or in a blender can help a little. It's also important to rinse rinse rinse to try to get any excess off the sprouts even after they've been harvested and in the fridge.

A lot of primarily raw restaurants serve "warm bowls" that use cooked grains because it appeals to a broader base.

Just a heads up, the rice and quinoa are not the only things at Café Gratitude that aren't raw. Their non-raw ingredients include toasted sesame oil, black beans, miso, a few types of vinegar, soy lecithin, nutritional yeast, sake, olives, tamari, agave and many of their spices. They also pasteurize their almonds and their cashews are not truly raw at all, which I think is a much bigger deal than any of the previous ingredients seeing as these are used is massive quantities there. Personally, I try to skip out on as many of the more optional cooked ingredients as possible when I go there. They are extremely healthy compared to nearly all restaurants, but now that I'm +95% raw, Café Gratitude is just about the least healthy food I still partake in.

Yes, I think there are a lot of questionable ingredients used in "Raw" restaurants such as tamari, agave, nutritional yeast, nama shoyu - plus it makes it hard for me to find something to eat because I"m allergic to the majority of these ingredients :) I still support them because they are exposing the SAD community to a tasty and healthful way of eating.

I know primarily raw restaurants tend to use cashews and almonds that are pasteurized or processed. Truly raw cashews and almonds are harder to stock and more expensive - most are pasteurized or processed over 115 during the shelling process. The raw restaurants I've been to in Seattle are already quite spendy and I have a sneaking suspicion they used whatever they can get their hands on that doesn't drive costs up any further. A good number of nuts available in stores are processed. Shelled pecans, brazil nuts, cashews, almonds, etc. are usually boiled or steamed. Cacao is usually fermented well above the ideal temperature. Raw vs processed cashews are usually a difference of $3 per pound and some have found a greater tendancy to become ill from raw cashews (probably a nut or two in the bunch that wasn't properly handled - the shell is very toxic).

Yeah, that's unfortunate. I would be happy to pay more for food that was actually raw, but I guess the majority would just be turned off by the price hike since they're used to their 99 cent cheeseburgers. It's just crazy that they don't even limit their use of these things when they know they're basically cooked. If you order a dessert at Café Gratitude it's basically a solid chunk of processed cashews, blue agave and soy lecithin with whatever flavoring they choose that day, served on a crust of pasteurized almonds and sugary dates. There's nut cheese/meat on nearly everything.
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Wow, thanks for the info you guys! I'm surprised to hear those things about Cafe Gratitude - I bought one of their cooks books and it was all about the raw except for some grains and almonds (you can't get those raw anymore can you?) There menu/cookbook doesn't mention soy lecithin - that I don't like and I'm not even "all raw"! I still love 'em : )

Camiheartsraw: Definitely let me know how the "bread" turns out!

Well, i finished soaking and sprouting my quinoa and it does have a familiar taste- of burnt rice. I won't think I would ever eat it again by itself but maybe as sprouts in a soup or salad. It kinda reminds me of brussel sprouts actually

How many times did you rinse? I soak for 3 hours and rinse at least once an hour. I rinse them at least once more before bed after I get them tilted and dry in the jar and then 3-4 times before I harvest them the next day after 15-18 hours sprouting. I only sprout them when I'm working from home or on the weekend. They sprout so fast they shed toxins quickly and it's important to rinse them a lot or the taste goes off.

Or maybe I like the taste of burnt rice :) It wouldn't surprise me.

There are a few pulses and grains, and I think quinoa is one of them, although I would have to check that need to be cooked for their nutritional value to become available - cooking denatures an enzyme that stops them from breaking down properly. It's kind of the reverse science to the raw philosophy.

I sprouted my quinoa from the directions on the SproutPeople's site...Just for a day or two, they said the longer you sprout the softer it gets but less time it lasts once you're done sprouting - maybe I'll just sprout it longer next time?

I was thinking I'd get more nutritional value from cooked brown rice since we (obviously) can't eat it raw - it can't be that denatured from cooking can it?

It sprouted in like a day but the strands grew really long the next day. I rinsed them every four or five hours. So what do they taste like to you Cami?

Hmmm... it was milder than broccoli sprouts but a little stronger than alfalfa. I don't have a good description really...

So it tastes like the average sprouted grain or vegetable but not legume? Legumes have a very pungent tastes, but grains and veggie sprouts taste like it's cooked counterpart. I love broccoli buy the way, and alfalfa are way milder than lentil sprouts. Thanks! I'll give it another try.

Well..the pumpkin bread turned into pumpkin crackers. They aren't bad, but aren't fabulous. I had forgotten that processed quinoa tastes pretty bitter as a flour, so there needs to be strong ingredients to mask the taste.

And if you eat much of the quinoa, it's a little overpowering. I could not do a full bowl. I'm sticking to a couple tablespoons in a live salad. Any more than that and I don't think I'd like it. So I take it back - it's not all that mild :P

Yeah, I find sprouted quinoa a bit bitter so tend to sprinkle it in salads with a strong dressing.
I've seen a sweet breakfast/porridge style recipe using quinoa but I've never gottern round to trying it.
(http://goneraw.com/recipe/sprouted-quinoa-breakfast)