GreenChefs is the modern “G” Food Network. The new Organic Food Lifestyle featuring luscious organic and seasonal based recipes from the top Green Chefs around the world.
In caveman days, I think I actually would have done pretty well. While my un-evolved cohorts were off worrying about getting stampeded by woolly mammoths in their quest for a meaty entree, I would have stayed at home feasting on berries and nuts and nutritious greens, and feeling – yes – totally fabulous. I probably would have looked hot in my cavelady dress too.
Ironically, it’s some of the modern social settings that can, at times, be a wee bit problematic. Like barbecues. Oh yeah – the smokey grills full of animal-bits, bowls of greasy chips, and ubiquitous offerings of “mystery ingredient” coleslaw have me basically locked into the one thing I can share with everyone: beer. And while beer is great and all it’s not exactly my idea of a well-rounded meal . . . which is why I always BYOB.
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Ani and her delicious raw food recipes have been featured in everything from Boing-Boing, the world’s most popular blog, to the Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern.
Topics Covered:
Growing Up & her relationship to food
Her father’s experiences with raw food and mono eating
How she discovered gourmet raw food in San Francisco at Juliano’s Raw
How Ani’s mental alertness and energy was effected by her introduction to raw food
How raw food effects the process of being creative and why
Building Her Career in Raw Food
The story of how she became a raw food chef and transitioned out of her corporate career
Building the raw food community in Los Angeles with friends
The challenges Ani faced building her first company, Smart Monkey Foods
How Ani’s first book synchronistically came together
Practical Raw Food Tips
Everyone needs a healthy snack to curb cravings in between meals or a snack to carry along with you. This is a perfect snack to replace all the junk stuff you just might be tempted by. The Winter Mix is packed with energy dense ingredients, like the chocolate, cherries, goji berries, and the pumpkin seeds to just name a few. Now this is going to be quick, are you ready! Grab a handful of each ingredient and place in a small bowl. Toss and Mix. You’re done. Now you can say it, that was easy.
Pumpkins the quintessential Fall harvest. They always pop to mind when thinking about Halloween and the eerily glowing orange lanterns, or the traditional pumpkin pie served on Thanksgiving. However, pumpkins actually come in many shapes and colors with a tantalizing culinary versatility that takes on any flavor added to it — so it can be used in savory dishes just as well as sweet. You can incorporate pumpkin into everything from soups to ravioli, lasagna, risotto, pasta, salads, and tarts — to sweet pies, cheesecakes, breads and ice creams. Pumpkin marries well with warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves – as well as savory herbs like rosemary, sage and basil.
This autumn fruit (really a berry if you want to get technical) is in season from September – March and can be stored up to a month on your counter or up to 3 months in the fridge. For cooking, skip past the oversized watery pumpkins that are best left to carving funny faces into. Look for the smaller sugar-pie orange pumpkins or one of the various colored heirloom pumpkins for an adventurous and exotic twist.
This is one of my favorite flavor combinations. It reminds me of when I lived in Hawaii and had all the local fresh wild mangos, pineapples and coconuts I wanted. It has a very subtle yet tropical and refreshingly fragrant taste and smell. It will make you want to layer on suntan oil and lay out on a beach all day. Well at least it does for me. It’s not often that I get to buy fresh organic pineapple. It is fairly expensive and I try to buy mostly local foods from my local farmer’s market. I do miss the beautiful tropics though and these treats bring me right back. Please choose organic whenever possible.
This is an interesting dessert using one of my favorite fruits, the mango. Mango’s are just packed with flavor and are amazingly good for you. That makes this sherbet even more special as a refreshing treat.
Bartlett Pears with Cinnamon Cranberry Sauce and Spiced Ginger Cream (raw)
I am a fan of Pears, but I seem to be the only one, since you never hear about Pear recipes. It’s always the Apple who is the star, right. Apple this apple that. Not that I hate apples or anything, I just think people are over looking the subtle rich flavor a pear has to offer. That is why I think this beautiful recipe is exactly what the pear needed to steal a little bit of the apple’s spotlight.
To start this recipe you will need 4 good size pears.
This decadent Blackforest Chocolate Cheesecake by Chef Vanessa Sherwood drew quite a knockout reaction when she posted it on the forum. I’m sure you can see why. It is bursting with sweet cherries layered between a chocolate crust and a creamy chocolate cheesecake filling. Vanessa advised the members of the forum they can purchase raw cacao butter and coconut oil for great prices at Organic Living Food. She also said it can be replaced with a dark Green & Black’s chocolate bar. I know what some of you will be making your loved ones this Valentines!
Thick and creamy soup prepared with fresh local ears of young sweet corn, celery, carrots and young coconut water topped with diced cherry tomatoes and Italian parsley with a sprinkle of fresh crushed black pepper. Its natural sweet taste and creamy-chewy texture is just like the one of a country corn soup. Gabrielle was finishing work a little early today, and so I thought I should get something special ready for her. For inspiration I went to a the local farmers’ market to see what was happening. And there they were, smiling at me! A little early in the season a farmer was beaming with his young sweet corn. Perfect!
When I surprised her with this lovely creamy and refreshing soup, decorated with a corn flower (the purple flower) she said these words: “Purple and yellow, my favorite colors. Corn is such a treat but where did you find these treats so early in the season ?” “It’s a secret”, I replied. Continue Reading / Additional Photos / Videos
Crammed amongst a long but patient line outside of the Nuart Theater in Los Angeles, we stood and waited to view the new documentary FOOD, INC. I was excited to see a film chronicling the business-side of the food industry, and its relationship with the true benefit of what ends up on the fork.
My dear Food, Inc: you do not disappoint.
Tackling some familiar concerning concepts — the inhumanity of factory farming, the danger of pesticides, the fears about genetically modified seeds — Food, Inc. connects all the dots: composing a compelling narrative regarding the loss of Americana agronomics through the introduction of corrupt business, and its consequence of destroying our health for the sake of profit. But doom and gloom is not the only message here, and the film also does an excellent job in offering simple solutions, which can promote positive change in food safety, personal health, industry economics and environmental security.
Since its opening, the film has quickly become the darling of news outlets across the US — one after another praising the message as exceptionally relevant and compelling, while packaged in a well organized, researched, and grounded medium. Food, Inc. speaks our language: It’s pretty clear we want change. It’s pretty clear we want to feel good. And we obviously want to do the right thing. Continue Reading / Additional Photos / Videos
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