By Guest Blogger on May 18, 2009
1. What has been your inspiration for becoming a raw foods chef?
Lately, it’s our kids. With obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and other health issues on the rise in the USA, I feel it’s important to start kids on a healthy track from a young age. All of my recipes are designed to be fast, simple, and easy enough for a child to create in the kitchen. I encourage everyone to invite kids into your kitchen. Have them help you make my recipes. This is real play food, and it’s fun for kids to use their hands to mix and form uniquely shaped cookies and treats. Kids begin to learn how to prepare foods, while learning about healthy ingredients. They’ll also love eating the food they’ve helped create.
2. What are the essential tools that you would suggest for someone just starting to experiment with a raw food recipes?
A food processor is not necessary, but will make your processing time a snap. If you don’t have a food processor, you can always chop by hand with a knife, but it will take you much longer. A high speed blender is also a great investment. A food processor chops and processes dry ingredients into a powder or pudding texture, while a blender mixes ingredients together with more water than a food processor to form a cream or liquid.
3. If you were making a dessert for someone unfamiliar with raw food dishes (and maybe a little skeptical), which recipe would you suggest to knock their socks off?
All of them, but if I had to choose, the Raspberry Ganache Fudge Cake. The frosting tastes like any you’d buy in the cake mix isle of the grocery store. But it’s made from avocado and dates. It’s delicious and beautiful too.
4. Summer seems like the perfect time to take advantage of fresh produce for your dessert recipes from Ani’s Raw Food Desserts! How does eating raw food desserts compare to baked goods and dairy desserts when it comes to our waistlines and our health?
Let’s take my Raspberry Ganache Fudge Cake as an example. The cake is made with walnuts, considered a superfood by the FDA for it’s high levels of omega-3. Walnuts provide amino acids, vitamins E, A, calcium, iron, and have been found to keep our blood cholesterol levels in check. Walnuts are mixed with raw cacao powder, which is defined as a superfood by the FDA for it’s high levels or antioxidants, which fight free radical damage, premature aging and illness. I use dates, a whole food fruit, to sweeten and to bind together the nuts and cacao powder into a flourless cake texture. Dates are full of fiber, potassium, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. All of the ingredients in my cake are good for you superfoods.
On the other hand, the baked version uses bleached white flour that’s been stripped of any nutrient value. It’s sweetened with refined white sugar and empty calories, and uses eggs and butter, which contribute to high cholesterol levels. The baked version doesn’t offer much nutritional value.
You can actually enjoy my desserts as a whole food meal on their own because they’re super healthy and nutritious. By substituting more of my delicious desserts for traditional baked versions, you’ll loose weight and feel healthier on the inside, which will translate on the outside as healthy, radiant skin, and a healthy glow.
5. Any other new projects that you would like to share with our readers?
I’m currently writing my next book, which will have over 200 recipes including chapters on dehydration and pickling, due out in spring 2010. I’m also about to launch a new product line of Ready Mixes, which should be ready for order in about 1 week. Please visit my website, AniPhyo.com, for more info. The first Ready Mixes will enable folks to make their own superfood gourmet chocolate truffles and also their own Raspberry Ganache Fudge Cake. The kits contain pre-measured ingredients to make shopping easy, while avoiding spending lots of money to buy mass quantities of ingredients.
6. Channeling the genius of James Lipton from Inside The Actor’s Studio, we would like to ask you a few of his famous interview questions.
What is your favorite word? Compassion
What is your least favorite word? Can’t
What sound or noise do you love? The sound of leaves rustling in the wind, and birds chirping
What sound or noise do you hate? Early morning beeping and clanking of the garbage trucks on garbage day
What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Helping and inspiring people
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By Kristen Suzanne on April 6, 2009
I’m often asked how I make my Raw vegan lifestyle seem so easy. Here are 7 things that help me…
1) Weekly Variation, Not Daily
I don’t make a bunch of different raw vegan recipes on a daily basis. I keep it simple. For the most part, I pick out 3-5 recipes I’ll make for the week and end up eating the same thing a couple days in a row. Boring? Heck no! The food is so fresh and delicious that I can’t imagine only having one meal from a recipe. I want multiple meals from it!
For example, this week I’m making Hearty Garden Burgers. This will be the main component of our dinner for a couple of nights. Later in the week, I’ll make a big batch of Zucchini Pasta with Marinara, which will probably last for two lunches and one dinner. And, because the last time I made Raw hummus, I put some in the freezer, I’m taking it out for snacking with chopped veggies (carrots and celery to make it simple) and we’ll have this for a couple of day’s worth of snacking. When I have an extra busy week, I make enough Green Smoothie mixture to last my husband and me for a couple of days at a time.
2) Keep Foods on Hand
I always have delicious raw vegan crackers, desserts (cookies, ice cream, mousse, cheesecake), nut/seed milks, dips, and pate in the freezer. All I have to do is take something out and thaw it. I pick one or two days a month to make some different recipes, and I freeze them. I store many things in glass mason jars, but I also use a Food Saver, which maximizes the use of my freezer space so I can keep it filled.
3) Liquid Love Affair
I can’t say enough about how healthy, easy, and high-energy liquids can be. In my house, it’s common for us to start our day with either fresh green juice or a nice big smoothie (usually green). I often stick with liquids for a good portion of the day. This helps ensure that I have extra energy, it’s healthy because it gives my digestive system a break, and it’s EASY.
4) Getting My Greens
When I first went Raw, I found that the more greens I added to my lifestyle, the less I craved unhealthy foods. Now, my attention is naturally focused on great and healthy choices all the time. My main green go-to options are fresh green smoothies, alkalizing green juices, and big-honking salads.
And, speaking of salads… to keep them super simple, I often use the pre-washed lettuce and also dice up a cucumber and a couple of carrots (I rotate the veggies/non-sweet fruit to get balanced variety, i.e. cucumbers and carrots one week, red bell peppers and radishes the next, etc). I toss in a handful of raisins or dried cranberries along with some hemp seeds, and top it with a quick and easy raw vegan dressing. Yum! Fresh! Easy!
5) “Organized” Is My Middle Name (not really)
For the most part, I keep my daily menu planned for a few days in a row at a time. I write it down, with lots of details (breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, dessert, etc). I have a special little notebook just for this, along with stickers and colored pens (I like to make it sparkly, fun, and loaded with personality). By listing everything I’m going to eat, I give myself something to look forward to, as well as a reason to stick to it. Plus, it helps motivate me to prep the food. Once it’s all planned out, much of the work is done!
6) Preparation Rocks – Snacks On Hand Save The Day
I’m known for always having food with me, no matter where I go! I keep a nice little travel cooler packed with goodies when I’m out running errands for the day. For example, I usually include a green smoothie, a couple of snack bars, fresh fruit and/or chopped veggies, dates, trail mix, dip, etc. My husband knows that we’re never more than an arm’s reach from some yummy Raw vegan snacks. This way I never let myself get famished when I’m away for the day, which would just result in me coming home starving and wanting to eat everything in sight.
If I’m not going to be gone for the majority of the day, I still pack a small cooler of snacks. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been out for just a couple of errands and I suddenly get hungry. Or, I mistakenly think I’m only going to be gone for an hour and end up being gone for three hours! Having snacks on hand saves the day!
7) Community Keeps Me Motivated
This is one of the most important aspects. I surround myself with others who value the same lifestyle. I have a few people close to me (husband, mom, and a couple of friends) who love the lifestyle, but I don’t stop there. I reach out into cyberspace and hook up with more people all the time. There are blogs, forums (ahem! My Crazy Sexy Life forum rocks!), social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook – all are great for meeting like-minded people and keeping you excited and on track. People make fun of Twitter being for nothing but hearing “what your friend had for breakfast.” Well for me, and my friends, that’s huge!
Kristen Suzanne (KristensRaw.com) is an accomplished Raw food chef and author with a passion for helping people live life to the fullest with the healthiest cuisine in the world. Through radio, television, books, and her popular blog and email newsletter, Chef Kristen Suzanne helps individuals live and love the Raw lifestyle.
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By Corinne on March 24, 2009
1. In your new book, Entertaining In The Raw, you write “On my own journey with raw food, I found challenge, excitement, flavor, health, and a new sense of creative direction.” What are the main differences you’ve noticed in your health since discovering a raw food lifestyle?
The principle difference is the lifestyle itself. Raw food introduced me to new worlds on both a personal and professional level. In these past few years, meeting and working with so many talented and inspiring people that I’ve come to know through my association with raw food has been life changing. I’m also incredibly thankful to have found a renewed passion and creative energy for my work, which all came about through being so personally connected to what I am doing.
2. You write about the influence of the seasons on the types of raw dishes you prepare. What types of dishes are you most excited about preparing this Spring?
I’m really interested in modernized techniques that allow us to enjoy raw vegetables that are easier to digest and full flavored. With Spring arriving soon, I’m thinking about fiddleheads, asparagus, leeks, ramps, Spring lettuces…among other methods, I am researching Sous Vide, low temperature cooking to create new dishes.
3. We read in your blog about a project that you are involved with in Oklahoma City. Can you give us the scoop?
105degrees is a dream project for a chef like myself. It has every element that I could ever wish for in a raw food venture – a beautiful, modern structure, great location, and what will be an extraordinary, state of the art facility. There are 3 components to the business – an upscale raw food restaurant, outdoor cafe and wine bar, a boutique living foods culinary academy, and a retail shop, which will also host an e-commerce site. I have amazing partners, Mandy Canistelle and Dara Prentice, and couldn’t be more excited about our September opening. This will be the most advanced raw food project I’ve ever been involved in by far.
4. In the last section of Entertaining In The Raw you write, “Over time, my style of raw food has become influenced by three factors: seasonal ingredients, various forms of art, and history.” We’ve already picked your brain about the seasons, but we are curious about how art and history have influenced your raw food recipes.
History and food have always interested me – I once opened a restaurant in New York called Monzu, which was inspired by the Italian Chefs who were taught French Cuisine after Napoleon’s invasion of Sicily. Without an understanding of where food originates (and this means not only historically and geographically, but also understanding the procurement of the ingredients themselves), I don’t believe that food can reach its highest level of potential. Art is another story – in the past, I would look to great chefs and restaurants for inspiration. However, most of them now promote food and a lifestyle that is hard for me to relate to, so I look where I can for inspiration. I find it in art, nature and all sorts of places actually. The freedom found in the work of great artists is something I aspire to achieve when writing about, or creating, food.
5. Lastly, what special tips can you give our readers on integrating raw food recipes like yours into their everyday lives?
Raw food, like any other cuisine, is really two-dimensional. There are everyday recipes that work for busy days when we’re on the go, and more upscale ones that are better suited for special occasions or entertaining. Smoothies, juices, salads and quick preparations like hummus and guacamole are the best for those hectic times – they are easy to make and still delicious. I find it really helpful to have a lot of staples, crackers, bases and even desserts, on hand at all times, just like one would with any other lifestyle. That way, its always easy to put together a quick meal, a travel picnic or a snack. I won’t pretend that great raw food comes easy – its still more work than fast food, but worth it in so many ways.
6. Channeling the genius of James Lipton from Inside The Actor’s Studio, we would like to ask you a few of his famous closing interview questions.
-What is your favorite word? “challenge”
-What is your least favorite word? “problem”
-What sound or noise do you love? birds in the morning
-What sound or noise do you hate? alarm clocks
-What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? formula one driver
-What profession would you not like to do? bus driver
-What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? My creative juices flow best when I am working on something so original that I know for a fact its never been done before. That represents most everything I do these days, so I’m quite satisfied on this level. Spiritually, I’m finding many lessons in patience, my own and that of others. Emotion turns me on, period. It didn’t always.
Thank you, Matthew! We’ll be giving away Matthew’s new book, Entertaining In The Raw to the winner of our Monthly Recipe Contest. Send your recipes to info@crazysexylife.com by Friday, March 27. We’ll announce the winner on Monday!
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