The raw-food movement isn’t new to the Twin Cities — the restaurant Ecopolitan has been around for the better part of a decade, and you can find a bevy of classes and resources throughout the metro area. But with the establishment of Pure Market Express, a raw-food meal delivery service based in Chaska, it’s never been easier to bring the cuisine into your home. You just go to the website, add meals to your cart, and pay via credit card, and a day or two later a disposable cooler with your order arrives on your doorstep. The question, however, is: Would you want to? The Heavy Table recently sampled five of the service’s vegan offerings and found the food to be across the flavor spectrum, with some dishes bordering on inedible and others being quite tasty.
Before we give you the rundown, though, a primer on raw food: Followers choose natural, unprocessed foods, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and grains, that are not heated higher than 114°F. Why? According to Pure Market Express’ website:
Raw, plant-based foods are full of life and vitality. The diet by definition features no meat, dairy, refined sugar or preservatives. That right there makes a difference. Nor is there, obviously, any cooked food. Raw foods’ natural enzymes, vitamins, minerals and amino acids remain unzapped by cooking’s high temperatures, and so deliver maximum nutritional and digestive punch.
Regardless if you agree with the raw-food movement’s premise, you’d find it hard to argue that a raw-food delivery service will succeed without palate-pleasing options. Hence, the taste test:
Blueberry Pancake Dippers with Honey ($7)
Ingredients: pecans, pine nuts, water, bananas, blueberries, agave nectar, vanilla bean, sea salt
You know Fruit Roll-Ups? Imagine pancakes in that rubbery format and that’s what these dippers most resemble. Unfortunately, what was a fun childhood snack food doesn’t translate well to this dish. The overly sweet, gummy strips in no way reflected a warm, fluffy pancake, and despite the blueberry label, the dippers smelled and tasted more like bananas than any other ingredient. The chunks of nuts were hard to chew, and the honey dipping sauce remained solid and undippable more than three hours after removing it from the refrigerator.
Lasagna & Garlic Bread ($8)
Ingredients: zucchini, tomatoes, olive oil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, sea salt, cheese (pine nuts, water, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, sea salt), marinara (sundried tomatoes, tomato, onion, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, agave, cayenne), pesto (basil, pistachios, olive oil, sea salt, pepper)
Can lasagna without dairy or flour be rightfully called lasagna? (Discuss among yourselves.) But whatever you call this dish, it sure is tasty. The flavor of the fresh, colorful vegetables — particularly the tomatoes — came through with every bite, and the pesto sauce had a tangy zip that was easy to swallow. Lasagna purists may snark at the nut-based “cheese” or zucchini “noodles,” but the combination of ingredients works well together. As for that garlic bread, it went untasted, as none appeared with our sample.
Pineapple Slaw ($8)
Ingredients: sweet potato, pineapple, Granny Smith apples, pecans, mayonnaise, raisin, agave nectar, lemon juice
Though this dish calls out the pineapple in its name, the dominant flavor in the salad was carrot — and there are no carrots in the ingredient list. Hmmm. While not horrible, the soggy slaw was unremarkable both in flavor and texture. Isn’t traditional cole slaw really a raw food, too? It would be a better pick than this version.
Chili Lime Crackers ($7)
Ingredients: buckwheat, zucchini, tomatoes, pine nuts, golden flaxseed, sea salt, ground chiles, cumin seed, honey, lime, ground cayenne, garlic, olive oil, pumpkin seeds
These zesty crackers smelled like guacamole and tasted like it, too. If you’re a guac lover, that’s fantastic; if you’re not, you’d likely not be a fan. Though not as crisp as typical crackers, the little snackers retain a bit of snap when you bite into them. And if you like heat, you’re in luck. Thanks to the ground cayenne, the spice builds up in your mouth with each bite, making the crackers more potent the longer you eat them. Perhaps a little vegan sour cream (not included) would tamper the fire in your mouth if the flavor is too intense.
Chocolate Cheesecake ($7)
Ingredients: crust (almonds, lucuma, agave), filling (coconut meat, coconut butter, agave nectar, maple syrup, cashew butter, cacao, apple cider vinegar, sea salt)
The words “chocolate cheesecake” conjure up mighty high expectations — one would expect rich creaminess, deep chocolate flavor, and a crust that can stand up to the intense filling. This cheesecake gets one of the three factors right, but a delightfully nutty crust can’t compensate for the dessert’s gritty texture and lackluster chocolate notes. The accompanying strawberry sauce performed somewhat better, but it’s hard to improve upon a filling that tastes more sweet than chocolatey.
The verdict? Raw-food enthusiasts, who may be accustomed to the particular flavors and textures of the cuisine, may want to get Pure Market Express a try, particularly if a busy lifestyle prevents them from eating raw as much as they’d like. But if you’re looking to merely improve the nutrition in your diet, there are more delicious ways to go about it, such as adding a few servings of fresh fruits or vegetables each day. A locally grown Honeycrisp or SweeTango apple is sweet, raw, and wholesome — and doesn’t require special delivery.
I couldn’t help but notice that it had mayo in some of the ingredient lists? As most who read a site like this know mayo is made mostly from oil which is usually heated and extracted from seeds or vegetables. Would this not be cooked food?
Comment has been removed by request of the commenter. -A.L., Site Producer
Interesting. I, for one, would love to see another restaurant like Ecopolitan, serving either mostly or all raw food. Not sure if I would order a delivery service, though I will check out their website.
As a side note, who doesn’t love those new SweeTangos!? Deeelish~
I really like the idea of having pre-made raw, vegan meals available to order. I am lactose intolerant and sometimes wished I had better food than the processed ‘cheese’ substitutes I always end up getting. I tried a few of the Pure Market Express meals and I really liked them. I’m not a big raw foods person but this stuff is good. I like the fact that it is way healthier than processed soy stuff taking over my fridge.
My vote=Pure Market Express is good!
-Sarah
I’m a raw foodist and have eaten all kinds of raw cuisine. I find that Pure Market Express has the best raw vegan cuisine I’ve ever had. Apparently the author of this story is not into raw food, and does not understand what we have had to endure for years before a great place like Pure Market Express opened here locally. I suggest that anyone should try it and especially vegans.
The food comes in a disposable cooler? Sounds terrible for the environment. Let me guess, made of styrofoam? If so, it’s extremely difficult to find a place that recycles that. Shipping in a disposable cooler seems pretty irresponsible this day in age.
As a chef and foodie who can’t agree on which way to take his diet I myself had tried Pure Market Express and found the food not only beautiful but delicious. The time and attention to detail it takes to provide a food that not only meets the guidlines of raw vegans and foodies alike is a daunting task. Not all people are raw, but we should have good taste and understanding of all foo if we are going to review it. It takes a defined pallet to really appreciate transitional raw food as I call it. Rebecca and her staff at Pure Market have hit the mark, take it or leave it. In response to the coolers, ultimately it is the receivers responsability of the cooler as to its disposal.
I’ve been eating raw foods since June, and have lost about 25 lbs and feel great! I am so glad Pure Market Express opened locally – it is such a wonderful treat to have prepared raw foods available here in the SW suburbs, and via delivery service to our doorstep. Raw foods are much healthier, but they can be very time-consuming to prepare. Many of the crusts and crackers need to be dried in a dehydrator, some up to 1-2 days, and I always don’t have that kind of time, so Pure Market Express definitely makes my life easier. I’ve had several of their items including jalapeno poppers (awesome!!!), Ravioli & Garlic Bread (theirs was really good – I tried to make this once and it didn’t taste very good). Their doughnut holes are to die for — yummy, cinnamon-y, absolutely scrumptious. I can’t decide which I like better, their doughnut holes or cinnamon rolls – both are a real taste treat, so it’s really a toss-up. I had a taste of their pumpkin pie when I stopped in yesterday to pick up more items — guess where I’m getting my Thanksgiving pie this year?! To enjoy a luscious pie that not only tastes good, but is good for you!!! Life doesn’t get any better than that!
I have stopped in here a few times and have tried most of what has been reviewed. Here is my critical and hesitant eater opinion:
The food is tasty and saturated with zest. Much of it could even be considered crave inducing. Some of the textures are dissimilar to what we’ve become accustomed to with cooked food but it is well worth trying. I have certainly not tried it all, but what I have had has made me optimistic about the remainder of the menu.
While not a raw foodist, I am a vegetarian. My fears of a raw food cuisine were that meat would somehow be involved and that flavor would not. Words like pepperoni, bacon, and sushi are used in the menu labeling, but real meat is not used. Also no dairy, but the dairy inspired goods fully satisfied my dairy cravings. I think the nut ‘cheese’ may be my favorite.
Flavor is all but absent. The flavors presented here are so rich and satisfying. There are times when the food does taste like what one would expect with healthy food, so yes some of it tastes like vegetables. I don’t think this is a bad thing, just the opposite. If vegetables had been presented to me like this as a child, I think I would be more open to them now. For example, I love the spicy peanut noodle. The ‘noodles’ are zucchini. The sauce ingredients make me forget I am eating zucchini. Also, I much prefer the pineapple slaw over cole slaw.
There is talent here. The food combinations are unique and delicious. I left pleased and wanting more even though I was full. So yum! Do try.
I love their Thai Basil Fried Rice – delicious! I also once bought a whole raw chocolate cheescake from Pure Market and popped it in my freezer – perfect chocolate fix!!
I love their Thai Basil Fried Rice – delicious! I also once bought a whole raw chocolate cheesecake from Pure Market and popped it in my freezer – perfect chocolate fix!!
Comment has been removed by request of the commenter. -A.L., Site Producer
Thanks for the review of Pure Market Express, I’m thinking of trying them. I know they are a great innovation for the raw foodists, so it might be worth a shot. Are each of their meals single servings?
Pure Market Express offers transitional raw food, not pure raw food. Since they’ve opened, their prices have gone up, and their portion size has gone down. Quite a disappointment.
Sue – when is the last time you had Pure Market food – if ever?? They did have a slight increase in their prices after local growing season was over but that was to be expected for such a small business. I have been eating their food since they opened and if anything their portion sizes are bigger now than ever.
As far as “transitional” raw food, I’m not sure what you are referring to. Pure Market uses high quality organic ingredients, nothing heated over 118 degrees. In my book, it doesn’t get much purer than that.
I would highly recommend Pure Market Express to anyone. They have only gotten better as time has gone on.
We bought some Pure Market Express Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies at Lakewinds, they had an expiration date a couple months out. When we ate them, they were hard as a rock, and it wasn’t even close to the expiration date.
A friend bought some Pure Market Express crackers at Lakewinds and said the crackers didn’t taste good, plus they were stale. She said she wouldn’t be buying Pure Market Express items again, since she spent about $10.00 for something that was stale and didn’t taste good.
I agree with you Sue.
Kathy, they do not use all organic ingredients. No where on their site does it say they do or on their labels. Also please read more about agave. It is not a raw food not even a natural food. I also saw Sucanat on their ingredient list (that’s raw?) and what about the nuts and seeds, etc? Unless they are using truly raw nuts and seeds, it’s not really raw. And the portions did feel skimpy to me too. I was hungry all the time yet I ended up even gaining weight chowing down all that rich over-sweetened packaged food. Sorry but this is not how raw food health is supposed to be. I mean isn’t the bulk of your raw foods diet supposed to be fresh fruits and vegetables? I found myself craving that the whole time. I now go to the Farmers Market and have long stopped kidding myself that eating these complex over the top raw food concoctions are really good for me.
At Lakewinds today, instead of the cooler that normally holds their products, there was a sign that said, “Due to inaccurate nutritional info on the packaging we will no longer carry the Pure Market Express products.” Dated June 1, 2010.
Pure Market Express’ food is high in sugar. Yes I said sugar!. Agave is an processed sugar equal to high fructose corn syrup. Chef Rebecca claims there is no sugar in her food, wake up Chef.
I am hypoglycemic and I ate raw for 2 years and wondered why my blood sugar was getting worse. I also developed an abscessed tooth which I had never had before. I suspect it was all the agave, honey, fruit juice, maple syrup, kombucha, sweets I was consuming that just contains waay too much sugar. It has to take a toll on your system at some point. I also think Pure Market Express is not honest about what ingredients they use and have stopped buying from them. I started eating more fresh unprocessed fruits and veggies and feel much better. Don’t mess with nature!
Hi Lara here is a link to the truth about agave.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/07/03/can-this-popular-alternative-sweetener-spike-uric-acid-into-the-danger-zone.aspx?aid=CD945
Hi everyone –
Just thought I’d add a couple of clarifications. First, Sue (do we know each other? ;0) we do claim our food is free of REFINED sugars which it is. We also source our agave from Ultimate Superfoods which is the only minimally processed agave that I know of still approved by most raw food sources.
Our food absolutely has natural sugars and natural fats as well. Our mission is to provide healthy, convenient food NOT perfect food. Fresh fruits and veggies are always best no doubt about it. However in the world we live in today with our hectic schedules, I personally found it hard to maintain a healthy diet without some semblence of ease and convenience. That is why we created Pure Market Express.
We want to provide a healthier, more convenient option especially for people who are still eating a SAD diet.
As for our products and ingredients, Lara, I’m sorry that you have sensed dishonesty from us. We have an open kitchen and would be happy to give you a tour any time to show you exactly what we use or answer any questions you may have. I’m so glad you are feeling better – it is so amazing the wonderful effect simplifying one’s diet can have! ;0)
As a young company, we are learning new things all the time especially in the area of what is required to retail products in co-ops. We appreciate all the patience and support we have gotten from the community as we continue to grow and serve by providing the healthiest convenient food possible.
Warm regards to all,
Chef Rebecca
Sorry Pure Market Express but you lose on this one. I ordered some food for you and it arrived spoiled. I had called back the same day i placed the order just 15 minutes later and it had already been shipped! It wasn’t even made to order or fresh and was probably left over form the previous day or before that which is why it was spoiled. Anyway, no refund, no apoligies, nothing except an email from you defending your company. Sorry but my money means more to me than your “business” so you can take somebody else’s money from now on because i’ll never order from you again!
Hi Albert – I’m so sorry you had a bad experience. We try to do everything possible to avoid that but fresh food can definitely be finicky! We do have a very strict replace or refund policy though if any customer received any dish from us that is spoiled for any reason. I tried to find you in our customer records and my personal email as well since you mentioned I had emailed you but I couldn’t find any Albert. I would be more than happy to honor our guarantee if you would contact me.
As for making everything fresh, we definitely do. Our staff is in at 7 am each morning to prep the days’ food. The cool thing about that is that we are then able to fill the days’ orders very quickly and shipping slips are printed and sent as soon as we know an order will go out that day. In the last year, we have learned a ton about being fresh AND expedient. ;0)
Anyway, again, I do apologize that you had such a poor experience and am sorry to lose you as a customer but it’s very important to me to address any concerns brought up. If you are local to us, I’d love to give you a tour of the kitchen and show you our process from the time of order to ship – it’s pretty cool. If not, I totally understand and wish you the best.
Warmly,
Chef Rebecca
I found that I don’t do well with a lot of the prepared raw food (too many ingredients, too many spices, too much garlic and onion, too much sugar, too fatty, etc). I don’t think it’s healthy for anyone to eat this way on a regular basis. Back in the old days of raw, it was common advice to keep your foods simple and to not use more than 3 ingredients per meal. Chocolate was definitely not encouraged (carob was used then) or too much coconut or too much honey or any sweetener or salt either. What happened to those common sense days when going raw meant you ate a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables with a few dried fruits and some raw nuts and seeds? Also after reading about agave I went back to using raw honey and dates. I didn’t have amy problems with them like I did with the agave. Unfortunately a lot of the raw food preparations use agave so that rules most of them out for me anyway. It just looks to me like raw food is going down the same road as every other food in that the quality and health benefits are being compromised for flavor and convenience and profit.
Anna – isn’t it so true that the longer we eat a truly healthy diet the more our body craves simpler and fresher food? I know I have found that to be definitley true for me. Though I still eat gourmet raw dishes on special occasions, smoothies and salads definitely agree with me the most. Seems as though there is always a controversy whether it is cacao or agave or some other “superfood”. I always read all the data but then end up following my body and what it is telling me which is usually simple, simple, simple. ;0)
I will say though that when I first transitioned such was not always the case and gourmet foods really helped me over the hump from the SAD diet. I also find that not everyone seems destined for the 100% raw path and for those people gourmet raw dishes are still a quantum leap ahead of the standard American diet. If convenience helps, then I am happy to provide a convenient HEALTHY option to choose rather than all the convenient UNHEALTHY options that abound in today’s fast paced world.
As for profit, if becoming profitable means that more and more people are beginning to listen to their bodies and choose healthy fresh options versus the usual drive through standy bys, then my dearest wish is that Pure Market Express becomes profitable. It would be wonderful to see companies like ours thrive supporting a healthier America rather than billion dollar conglomerates peddling greasy burgers and fries that lead to high cholesterol, diabetes and heart attacks.
Warmly,
Chef Rebecca
You missed my point completely. I am saying that most people who eat this way on a regular basis do not do well and I know of several people who after eating all the fatty, sugary, calorie laden raw foods gave up due to weight gain, a feeling of being unbalanced and other health issues that developed after prolong eating of many of these foods. No one should advocate eating like this on a regular basis. It’s counterproductive to your health. As for the conglomerates, I used to eat burgers from little independent burger stands so I can’t blame that on corporations. Anyway, burgers used to be healthy until businesses began processing the food and I see the same thing happening to raw food. Your response is predictable in that you are simply defending your business and not letting anyone express their health concerns about eating this way on a regular basis or consuming some of the ingredients that you use. Your saying that it’s better than McDonald’s isn’t a very good argument either.
I have been following this conversation with great interest. I have eaten at Pure Market Express off and on since they opened. I have an avid interest in eating “raw” and have attended classes given by Chef Rebecca as well as at the Ecopolitan, and by other teachers.
That being said, I am surprised at the lack of support for a healthy business in our community. Especially on a food review site that also reviews “bacon championships”!
Anna – seems to me Chef Rebecca didn’t miss your point at all and in fact has said several times in this very thread that fresh fruits and veggies are always the best option. You keep referring to “these foods”. Have you even looked at the Pure Market Express Menu? Do they have a dessert line? Sure. Is everything they serve full of fats, sugars and agave? Of course not. That is just silly. The vast majority in my experience of menu items are not only full of fresh fruits and veggies but also pretty low on the sweeteners and nuts.
As for your comment that “no one should advocate eating like this on a regular basis”. Really? No one should advocate eating creative dishes made with fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds on a regular basis?
Seems to me that Chef Rebecca has not only heard but also agreed with many opposing viewpoints in this thread and tried to clarify misperceptions about Pure Market Express. Is she going to defend her little business? Sure. Is that wrong? I don’t think so.
Honestly so much of that last response is why I have never gone “all raw” and probably never will. Most people who go down that road seem to become proponents of no oil, no salt, no sweeteners, no fat. Sounds like eating my grass clippings to me. I love food which is one reason I read the reviews here. I will leave the grass clippings to all those “raw foodies” who think that Pure Market Express food isn’t healthy.
So all that said, from an omnivore who will continue to enjoy Pure Market food occasionally, I’m glad to have a place where healthy eating is encouraged in a way that is practical in the real world. If anyone hasn’t tried it, you should. It is delicious, nutritrious and convenient and the bac’un jalapeno poppers go great with a beer at the end of the day.
Sammie
Wow Sammie you sound like an ad for Pure Market Express. How much is your commission on sales?
Sue – LOL – I wish. I honestly only eat their food maybe once a month. I just get annoyed when great options come out and people have to rip them down because they don’t fit someone’s personal picture of “perfect”. We’d all be a lot healthier if we could be more supportive and less disparaging, IMHO.
Sammie/Rebecca,
There’s such a thing as integrity too. When companies refuse to address concerns and issues, that’s a big ding in their integrity in my eyes. I never saw you address what happened to Albert. He received spoiled food (raw spoils within 2 days?) and how his order could have been made to order when it was filled and shipped within 15 minutes? And when people are paying those kinds of prices for a certain kind of food they do expect more, just like when someone says “raw” and I spend more money for that label, it expect it to be really raw. Are all of your ingredients organic and truly raw or just raw in that they haven’t been cooked by you? Have you even read about agave nectar and all the controversy surrounding it? Are you going to continue to use agave or at least look into it or use another sweetener or feel that it’s a healthy sweetener? And if so please present reasons why you believe agave is truly raw and a healthy sweetener and why you use raw sugar which isn’t raw at all? With all the new info out there about so many raw food products being sold that are not really raw or even healthy (David Wolfe’s company Sunfood for instance sold cacao as raw that really wasn’t) it seems to me that most of us are starting to question what exactly is in the raw food we are have been paying dearly for and how healthy it really is. There does need to be some accountability by your company and others and some questions answered which you are avoiding.
Hi Anna~
I actually did address Albert’s concerns and I will address yours too one by one so I make sure I get them all. As far as Albert, all I could really do is apologize as I can find no orders from “Albert” in our system. I did offer to refund or replace his product if he could give me more details but I haven’t heard from him. I also explained that our shipping slips are printed first thing in the morning so it is entirely possible that he received confirmation that his order was shipping while it was still being made. Please see that response above.
Now for each of your concerns:
1. Are all of our ingredients organic? No. They are not. We have not as yet been able to source certified organic young coconuts. As well, during the growing season in Minnesota, we source much of our produce from local farmers who may or may not be certified. We take the time to visit their farms and see their practices before we purchase. Local produce and knowing where our veggies come from is very important to me personally, even more so than a little stamp that says “certified”. The answer to your question is no.
2. Are all of our ingredients truly raw? No. We use maple syrup and agave which both have similar processes and must be boiled down to create the sweetener. Tree sap and cactus drippings don’t taste good. ;0) We also use nutritional yeast and Bragg liquid aminos neither of which are considered truly raw. Our almonds have been heated to 145 degrees which is the lowest I have been able to find but I am always on the lookout for a farm that can supply our needs that uses low or no heat. All of our other nuts and seeds are unheated and truly raw.
3. Yes, I have read the controversy about agave nectar. I would encourage you to visit http://www.ultimatesuperfoods.com so you can a read a bit of both sides of that story. I personally have researched the product, expert reviews on both sides and my supplier and feel comfortable using agave. However, we do offer alternative sweeteners for those of our customers who do not have that comfort level. We offer to replace agave in any recipe with dates, honey, or maple syrup. We are also currently experimenting with using coconut crystals as another potential sweetener.
4. I can’t speak for David Wolfe or what he may or may not sell or have sold. I do know that some of our customers prefer not to consume cacao at all and we offer to substitute carob for any of those customers in any of our recipes.
5. I haven’t avoided any questions at all that I am aware of. I have also repeatedly offered tours of our kitchen and facility to those people who really want to know what happens in the production of our food. We have an open kitchen and are very proud of the fact that any of our customers is welcome in our kitchen at any time.
6. Almost missed this one ;0) Raw sugar. My guess is you are referring to the sucanat that is used in only one recipe on our menu which is our donut holes. We source our sucanat straight from a farm that actually sun dries the cane juice to create the sucanat. It is not cooked or artificially heated in any way.
I think I’ve been pretty open about what we use and what we don’t. Again, we have an open kitchen please visit us if you have questions or concerns. As far as integrity or accountability, I don’t think you would find any other chef or owner as open as I have been about exactly what happens in our kitchen.
However if for any reason, I did miss a question please let me know. I am more than happy to share – just let me know.
Thank you so much for your interest in Pure Market Express, Anna. If everyone took such an interest in what they put in their body, we would all be much healthier.
Warmly,
Chef Rebeccca
I stopped using agave and all “raw” sweeteners and went back to fresh dates and fruit for sweetening. In fact I stopped using all these so called “superfoods” and I have to say I feel much better. I don’t know what possessed me to think that something that was flown around the world and sitting in a plastic bag was better for me than what I get locally off a farm. I think all of those products are suspect as I don’t believe that many of them are really raw or even organic. I am noticing more and more living products not using the word “raw” or “organic” now which tells me that they never were to begin with. It was just a way for a few greedy individuals (and I do mean David Wolfe among many) to jump in and milk people in the movement for all they could before everybody wised up. I feel like a fool for having bought into the whole thing but at least I was smart enough to see through the sham and stop supporting them. Stick with natural and local foods, it’s far better than anything you will get in a plastic bag from who knows where.