Food is an emotional topic for most people in some form or fashion. Many of our earliest memories are connected with some favorite food smell, like a dessert from a family Holiday gathering. Admittedly, some have trauma experiences around food as well … some adult insisting that the plate has to been clean before leaving the table or being forced to eat something that made one sick. Those types of experiences have long lasting impacts on our psyches.

Then too, there is so little support in our society for people actually eating well. The government subsidizes the meat and dairy industries, though not fruits and vegetables. It all ties back to the money trail, and keeping people chronically ill, and therefore usually taking a large quantity of pharmaceuticals, feeding into the big corporations bank accounts. When people are chronically ill, they have a hard time thinking clearly, and making good decisions for themselves, typically falling back into what is easiest, which usually turns out to be the societal norm. Also, that usually keeps them sick to death, literally.

As a foodie, I’ve insisted that food taste good, in addition to being healthy. Also, I understand that people will likely only stick with something if they can find an easy way to incorporate a change into their lives. Even when we make changes, no matter how strong our commitment, given the lack of support generally for anything other than the norm, we may fall off the wagon. How do you handle it when you fail to live up to something you value? That is a key to success. If you beat yourself up, feel guilty, those behaviors that I’ve experienced and find totally unproductive, I would ask you, if like me, perhaps there is a kinder, gentler, more compassionate way you could find with yourself to allow for the slip, and just stay committed to the overall direction. Sometimes it comes in giant leaps, and sometimes, despite a backward direction, the progress is in baby steps. We win as long as we keep our commitment, refusing to give up, and eventually, even though it might sometimes seem like we’re headed in the opposite direction, we move forward to success.

Related to raw foods, that might mean that you’re not 100% raw, even though you believe in it being the most optimal way of eating for the human body scientifically. Accept that, and perhaps agree to at least stay vegan for a while, even though it’s cooked. Or, whatever other step you need to take in order to live your life. Just remember to stay committed, keep reading about the topic, keep interacting with others going in the same direction, keep the faith that eventually you will reach your goal. We all have challenges to overcome, and food choices can be a major one for many of us. Please contact me if I can in any way be assistance with your journey.

All the Best,
Chef Allie

In the book, Raw for Desert/Easy Delights for Everyone, by Jennifer Cornbleet, in the introduction, she states that you’ll find recipes that are innovative, delicious, and easy. With that as her stated goal to share desserts, what do we find inside?

As a former school teacher, Jennifer is organized and thorough in her preparations, and instructions. She communicates the essential information needed for ingredients, equipment, and techniques. She starts out with the basics, from almond milk, creams, coulis, and sauces, to frosting and crust options. She covers Fruit Desserts, from strait fruit, to a soup, several compotes, a couple of ambrosias, and several ‘crumbles.’ Then she moves on to Sorbets, ice Creams, and Sundaes. The Pistachio Ice Cream looks especially good to me! Cakes, cookies, and bars is the next section, and wow, chocolate cupcakes?!! For those who like chocolate, that certainly sound like a treat! I’ve had the Chocolate Lava Cake, when I was training at the Living Light Culinary Arts Institute, and can definitely recommend that. And, the Ginger Spice Cookies sound like they might be good for the upcoming Holiday season. A section for Pies and Tarts comes next; while pretty standard fare here, the Cherry Custard Tart looks of special interest. She wraps up the last two sections of the book with Creamy Desserts and Candy. Having, in the days when I ate cooked food, a particular fondness for Creme Brulee, I’m looking forward to making the Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee recipe from the Creamy Desserts section.

Jennifer is great about being precise with her instructions, clearly spelling out what you need to prepare each item, with clear amounts – with her, you avoid having to guess from the recipe if that’s the amount of nuts or seeds you need before soaking or after soaking, and similar kinds of quandaries that often pop up in other food preparation books. I would say that she achieves her objective to share desserts that are delicious and easy. Take a look for yourself, and enjoy!

To comment or ask questions about this post, please leave your comment(s) here, or on the front page. I will personally respond to your inquiries.

To Your Most Vibrant Health, Chef Allie

Originally posted 2010-10-04 06:00:28. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Raw Food? How do you do it successfully? So many of my students bemoan making the change in their lifestyle. Alternately, many come to me complaining that they’ve tried to eat raw and just can’t seem to do it all the time like they want to, and they ask for help in figuring out how. What do you think is one of the biggest keys to implementing a change to raw food eating successfully? From the title, you’ve probably already guessed … it’s planning.

To increase your success, I challenge you to take at least one or two ideas from the Planning Tips list below and implement them right now. Remember that if you fail to plan, you are by default planning to fail.
• Schedule uninterrupted time every day to do your planning.
• Anticipate possible problems you could encounter in your project because of people, material, or mechanical failures. Purposely provide preventive actions and contingency plans in important high risk situations.
• Plan for tomorrow, tonight. Your subconscious will help organize while you sleep.
• Think about your entire week. How will important projects be sequenced?
• Do your planning on paper to capture all of your ideas and to be sure none of them get lost. We can only work mentally with about seven pieces of information without losing something. Write your thoughts down and you will be able to utilize everything you think of during your planning process.
• When developing a specific plan, list the activity steps individually, then write the whole plan out in sequential order.
• If you must, leave your office and get away to do your planning in a quiet place where you can think.
• Don’t hurry the process. Something will get overlooked.
• When things go wrong, it can generally be traced back to a poor job of planning or failing to follow an existing plan.
• List key words that relate to a project. They will fit into and help you in planning.
• Whether you call it planning time, thinking time, quiet time or meditation, the payoff in increased productivity is the same.
• Schedule one weekend away each quarter and make it a top priority. Mini-vacations are rejuvenating.
• Sit quietly and mentally rehearse the steps in your plan. Use your imagination to visualize the steps being taken. You will sense where additional steps need to be added and will anticipate problems to prevent.
• Use the first 10 minutes of each day to plan or review your plan for the day.
• When starting a new project or activity, take a moment to quietly review, mentally, the steps you will follow.
• Set your own due dates for projects earlier than the actual deadline.
• Put schedules in writing. Publish them and then follow up with them.
• If you cannot identify the objectives and steps to take to get to a goal, you need to spend more time visualizing it to make it real to you.
• Stick Post-It-Notes on paperwork to indicate or highlight scheduling and due dates.

These are just a few ideas to get you started.

Please post your comments or questions here or on the front page. I will personally answer your inquiries.

To Your Most Vibrant Health, Chef Allie

Originally posted 2010-09-30 15:30:51. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Mouthwatering Scrumptious Delectable Palate Pleasing Vibrant Raw Foods …THIS is what it’s truly all about – LIVE food adding LIFE to your body, because you are what you eat!

So, here’s one of my latest creations: a big YUM! for the chocolate lovers out there

Walnut Fudge
© Chef Allie
Equipment: Food Processor

Ingredients:
1/2 C walnuts, soaked and hand chopped
1/2 C coconut oil, liquefied
1/2 C raw cacao powder or raw carob powder
8 dates, soaked/pitted (alt = amount of raisins or apricots)
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract, or inside scrapings from 1 Vanilla bean pod
1 scoop (= 2 T) Mila [avail. via support@askchefallie.com ] (aka highest grade of Chia seed available anywhere)

Directions:
Very lightly, with pea size amount of olive oil, thoroughly wipe the sides and bottom of a glass 4×7 pan, to keep the fudge from sticking.

Then, mix all of the ingredients together, and spread 1/2 inch thick in the small glass pan.  Refrigerate until the coconut oil set and the batter becomes fudge-like.

This is SO good, you might want to make a Double batch!

Suggestion:  I also like this recipe with 1/4 C of raw organic cranberries hand mixed into the batter before spreading.

Enjoy! – Chef Allie

Originally posted 2010-06-20 10:45:32. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

This is a recipe that is tasty cold in the summer, or warmed in the winter – you’d probably warm it in the blender (avoid overheating with the blender by checking it after a minute or two) or the dehydrator to ensure that you avoid heating it over 118 degrees, and the enzymes stay intact.

I made this recipe, inspired by a salad a friend liked, and when I was in need of a liquid diet for several weeks after oral surgery a couple of years ago. Enjoy! – Chef Allie

Sweet & Sour Bok Choy Vegetable Soup ©
by Chef Allie

2 Cups Purified Water
1 large carrot, chopped in medium pieces
2 heads of baby bok choy (can use 1 small head of mature bok choy, though it’s not as tender, and usually it a bit more bitter, so might have to add additional sweetness to balance the bitter if use alternate)
juice of 1 lemon
juice of 2 limes
5 dates, soaked (10-20 min.)/pitted
1 – 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled/grated
1/4 Cup first press Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Tamari, wheat-free, low sodium
1 Tablespoon onion powder
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
*********************
Chopped/cut item options to put in liquid base:
1/2 avocado, diced
fresh corn kernels from one ear of corn
1/4 cup small broccoli floweretts
shredded carrot to taste
chopped Cilantro leaves to taste

Blend all of the items above the “*********” line in a Vitamix or other blender, and then pour over the chopped/cut items of your choice (suggestions for these are made below the “************” line.

This soup had an Asian Sweet & Sour flavoring, and would be well paired with an Asian style shredded cabbage dish, and perhaps a Vegetable Sushi / California roll in a seaweed Nori roll wrap sheet. If you use the avocado as part of the chopped/cut vegetables, this soup is also hearty enough to stand alone, since the fat in the avocado helps you to feel full and satisfied.

Please send any comments or questions about this recipe to me to http://www.askchefallie.com, and if you have any additional questions on anything else, I certainly welcome those as well, and will personally answer them myself.

Originally posted 2010-09-08 19:45:34. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

How do we learn best as children? First by watching other people, right?  And, likely, how is it that we continue to learn most things?  Same way probably, right?  So, if we’ve set a course for learning more about our health, and adding raw food, eating raw food, and doing it in a way that we will continue with a raw food diet, or lifestyle as I prefer to call it, then probably the best way to learn about it is to watch someone else who knows what they’re doing.  The other thing that I feel and think is so important with adopting more raw foods into our lives is that is tastes good too, so that we are encouraged to continue to eat this way, a way that can be so energy inducing, adding so much vibrancy to our lives.

So, learning options to watch someone else probably means taking a class, a training, or some type of coaching.  You can learn some from books – I did; of course, what I learned mostly is that a lot of the raw recipes weren’t very good in the majority of books overall.  Wouldn’t it be helpful to shortcut all of that yourself, and get right to the tasty, savory, juicy, delicious ones?  You can learn a little from watch a few YouTube videos, I have; these are typically one recipe, and again, how good is the recipe?.  You can learn some from going to a potluck and talking to some folks – have done that too; here, you get to taste the food, though they don’t actually give you the recipe usually, if they can even remember all of the ingredients, and you don’t get to see it being prepared either so that you have a sense of what to do.  Would you find it helpful to have lots of tricks, and tips, and nutritional information that will take you directly to the information that you’re looking for, and make it easy for you to incorporate this lifestyle into what you do daily?  Yes, of course it would help – I’ve been through the arduous, lengthy, trial and error method of adopting raw foods.  You can avoid all of that!  And, to get the quality level of information that will help keep you on track, it’s worth every penny to take classes of some sort, and the better training your instructor has had, the more likely that you’ll learn many things of value for the money that you pay.  If you remember that you’ll surely be saving on Doctors bills (I haven’t had the need to go to an MD since 2004, the year I switched to raw foods), then the money spent here is way more than covered by the savings.

I bring all of this up since I am teaching an Asian Fusion class today – great class for Summer fare, great recipes for hand foods appealing to kids, easy to fix when you’re short on time, and scrumptious flavors.  Now, the class is sold out, so I’m not angling for you to register an attend this one.  I’m just advocating, from the stand-point of common sense, that wherever you are, it’s important to take a class or more, get some training, and/or coaching.

There are many good raw food chefs available to work with.  For anyone interested in working with me, I do have a Forget Cooking! class coming up Saturday, August 28th, in Iowa City, Iowa as part of a joint seminar with Dr. Terry Wahls [she cured herself of MS with raw foods, plus a supplement regimen].  I’ll post more on that later.  And, my next Ethnics Flavors course (already almost 1/2 full) is ‘Flavors of the Mediterranean’ on Sunday, September 26th, in Houston, TX.   Shortly, I’ll also be rolling out a webinar class, and then DVD Course.  Also, I do offer coaching – some types can be done by phone and/or webinar, while other programs are done with you in your kitchen, in your home, with a personalized menu.  These are all options.  And, if any of these interest you, contact me at info@askchefallie.com if you’d like additional information.  Also, on the events, I will be posting these regularly in the events section here on the blog at: http://www.askchefallie.com ; so, just keep a look out for those.

Let me know if you have any questions, and I’ll be happy to respond personally.

In Friendship, Chef Allie

Originally posted 2010-07-17 09:00:47. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Excerpt from ‘7 Secrets to Living Raw Foods‘ [available from me (832-397-6296), rawveganbooks.com, or amazon.com]

“I can only speak for myself, and speaking for myself, I demand two criteria of my food.  First, I desire vibrant food that looks gorgeous on the plate, proving irresistible and tempting the palate.  Second, I expect food to smell great and taste wonderful.  Why settle for less, when you can get all of this?  And, the fast that it’s so nutritious and healthy just makes it all the much more attractive!

Spice can be one of the most fun parts of experiencing raw foods.  It helps elevate food from the mundane to the sublime.  In the culinary arts, flavorings are a good part of what makes up ‘gastronomy’.  According to Merriam-Webster’s on-line dictionary, gastronomy is the art or science of good eating.

Spices keep it fun and interesting.  Here is an opportunity to experiment and find new things that you like.  One fun thing you can do is play with food like we did at the Living Light Culinary Arts Institute (added to original - where I studied gourmet raw food preparation, and became certified as an Associate Raw Chef and Instructor).  For one of our sessions, we were provided with toothpicks, and small cups of various items that fit into the six flavor groups: Sweet, Salty, Tart, Pungent, Bitter, and Fat.  We then created mixtures of these (for flavor balancing, you’ll want to include at least one item from each group) to see what we liked.  For example, one that I put together and liked was Agave, Dark miso, Pineapple, Onion powder, Kale, and Tahini; another was apple, Celery, Tamarind, Green Onion and Mustard (both pungents), Basil, and Coconut Oil.

And remember, your flavoring preferences might be different from someone else’s.  Also, please be aware that the young and the old are more sensitive to spice than many others.  When you have guests, keep this in mind when you prepare your foods.

Spices and herbs have played a key role in the historical development of civilization.  Spices today are widely available and are used mostly as flavorings.  However, up until the 1900s, they were highly prized products, used for medicine, perfume, incense, and flavoring.  Our love affair with spices continues.  Today we have the spices of the world at our fingertips and we use them to create the dishes of many cultures.  We also continue to be interested in their medicinal value.

The great and wonderful thing about spices for the raw food lifestyle is that you can take the same base recipe and create a very different taste experience with it, just by changing the spices.  A good example is a nut or seed pate that can be flavored to taste like an Italian dish, or a Japanese dish, or a dish from India, depending on the spices you use.  Chef Chad Sarno put together a great resource for working with spices and creating different ethnic based flavor combinations.

FYI – another good resource for using herbs with raw foods, is Brigitte Mars.  She’s a Master Herbalist and Raw Food Chef out of Colorado; she wrote Rawsome!, which is one of my favorite raw food books for newbies, as well as experienced raw food enthusiasts.  She uses her knowledge of herbs in her recipes, while also keeping them simple, which makes her book delightful.  She also includes an encyclopedia of herbs, vegetables and fruits at the front of the book, which is a great resource!  For more information on raw foods, please see my other posts here at http://www.askchefallie.com, and or post a question yourself.  I will be happy to help you in any manner that I can as you explore raw foods and journey forward to have the best, most VIBRANT life you can!

Originally posted 2010-07-07 11:30:51. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Sixty (60) days on a juice fast …

That was my first experience with extended  juicing, and the raw food diet.  I lost over 25 lb.s during that juice fast, and all except the initial week while detoxing, felt AWESOME!  Energy, Energy, Energy!!!  Now, I do my best to do at least a 30 day juice fast every year; it helps re-set the body systems, give them a rest, and clean out anything that’s just not quite what it should be.  Other than a water fast, a juice fast is the quickest way to clean out the body.  Now, while I HIGHLY recommend juice fasting, if you’re already ill, especially, you must be careful how fast you detoxify (clean out the body) since the illness is already an indicator that your body is too overloaded.  It took a while for your body to get that ill, and if you go too fast, there could be serious impacts for you.  So, the first time you do a long juice fast, I would recommend that you work with someone who knows what they’re doing.  I can recommend John Rose, who has been helping people from all over the world, some even famous, with juice fasts for over twenty years now.  John can be reached at 713-789-2223.  Let him know that I sent you.

With a good juicer, and single auger style is best at an affordable price to help keep the enzymes intact, you can make a juice and clean up in about 20 – 25 minutes, making a Quart of juice.  I personally use an Omega 8003, the Greenstar is another good one, and so is the Sampson.  A website that I like with good prices on juicers is EZJuicer.com, and I can also help anyone interested in purchasing a Sampson http://tinyurl.com/nhgxx3.

On a juice fast, you drink about four quarts of juice each day – could be five for guys or gals who are working out strenuously.  Of these quarts, I preferred three quarts be green, vegetable juices, and one quart be fruit.  The fruit was usually just too sweet for me generally, that first juice fast.  Though, this last fast that I did in the fall for 45 days, I wanted more fruit.  Your body will be a good guide for what you need.  In big cities, juicing can sometimes be made even easier by purchasing quarts of FRESH juice from the store or at a juice bar – and, make sure it’s fresh, rather than pasteurized.  The enzymes are killed in the pasteurized juice, and that doesn’t do you any good.

Juicing doesn’t have to be part of the Raw Food Diet, though is it a great support, and generally a good way to start and/or end the day.  Jay Kordich (he’s one of my friends on Facebook; you can connect with him there) is an example of someone who has lived by this example, and he’s vital and active still in his 90s.  Another great resource for information, besides Jay, are books from Dr. N.W. Walker, D.Sc.; Dr. Walker wrote, ‘Become Younger’ and “Fresh Vegetable & Fruit Juices’, two wonderful, short books, that are a wealth of support information for anyone interested in juicing.  It’s all for the purpose of living, truly living, a VIBRANT life!  If you are curious about more information on the raw food diet, please see the other posts here at http://www.askchefallie.com, or feel free to post any questions that you have.  I am always happy to assist you with additional information and resources as you explore and educate your self on ways to feel better and live the best life you can live!

Originally posted 2010-07-08 13:15:53. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

The new Raw Food DVD “7 Day Raw Food Challenge” filmed this week, is in editing. This DVD set is designed for those who are either new to raw food, and feel they need help getting started, or for those who have attempted to eat more raw, though found it difficult to stick to this way of eating. The DVD set is a day-by-day, working together, hands-on experience of a week eating raw foods, a jump start to your efforts. Along with the DVD set, you’re given the recipes, the equipment list, the shopping list, advance preparation information, and additional resources.

Editing for this new raw food DVD “7 Day Raw Food Challenge” will be complete shortly, and the DVD set will be available via: http://www.7dayrawfoodchallenge.com

Chef Allie says, “I’m so excited to offer this DVD set to help all those who have struggled the way I did initially with raw, and to help those who are new shortcut the struggles. With this information, each of you who have a curiosity, can experience this awesome way of eating … it tastes great, it’s easy, and it’s fast. I’d like each of you to be able to experience it for yourself, and gain the incredible health and energy for yourself, that comes from eating this way at least 75% of the time. This DVD set makes it accessible to those of you who can’t or don’t want to spend thousands of dollars like I did to go to the best culinary school for raw foods, and to give you tips, tricks, information, resources, and that can make this work for you!”

It’s coming soon, so get on Chef Allie’s email subscriber list today to make sure you get notified of the release of the “7 Day Raw Food Challenge” DVD set; just send a quick email to support@askchefallie.com and in the subject line, write “Add Me”. We’ll make sure you’re receive the information you’d like about raw foods and the raw food lifestyle. Also, in the interim, visit the other pages and posts here at http://www.askchefallie.com and see additional articles, free recipes, and other information that can support you in your raw food journey today.

Originally posted 2010-11-14 15:38:40. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

I’m getting ready for another trip on Monday – family get together for Dad’s 80th birthday celebration! Until February of this year (2010), I worked for a major automotive group, covering 5 states in the Southern US (not particularly Vegan friendly) and 154 dealerships, traveling every week for four years. So, I was on the road a good deal. I’ve been 100% raw for over 6 years now. So, I had to figure out a way to do this while traveling, how to get a rhythm for the road that worked, which I will share with you here. I also have many students ask me how to “do” raw while traveling; they’re thinking that it’s a difficult thing. While can take equipment with you, simpler is better usually.

Actually, eating raw while traveling is relatively easy generally, and I’ll give you some tips here. There are a few things to know depending on the type of travel you’re doing. Are you going by car? That’s super easy … make a few of your favorite dehydrated and pate type dishes with some fruit and romaine lettuce (it keeps well with little refrigeration) thrown in to make sandwiches. and your set.

Are you flying? Well, as long as it’s not liquid, you can take already prepared foods on board with you. So, make up your favorite non-liquid item, put it in a to-go container, along with a piece of fruit, and some seasoned nuts and/or seeds, and you’re good for the flight.

Then, when you get where you’re going, find a way to go to the grocery or health food store. Always best to check your destination on-line before you go, maybe even calling ahead to check on supplies for smaller, unknown shopping options. A little planning goes a long way to make your trip easy. At the grocery/health food store, it’s usually easy to find at the very least those pre-washed bags of organic salad greens, an avocado, and perhaps some carrots, or herbs or something else that you can add that will help make it interesting. A small bottle of good quality olive oil and a lemon serve as your dressing.

And then, I also carry in my purse (or a couple in the wallet for you guys) a few pre-printed menu request sheets that indicate to the chef that I’m on a special diet, and requests an entree size salad with my favorite ingredients (avoiding iceberg lettuce since it has no nutritional value much at all). While unable to count on the quality of results with this option, I’ve often been happily surprised by the results of the chef’s creativity when they truly do their best to please.

Please leave your comments or questions on this post here, or on the front page. I will personally answer your questions.

To Your Most Vibrant Health, Chef Allie

Originally posted 2010-10-02 17:00:23. Republished by Blog Post Promoter