Last week’s dinner at the Test Kitchen was a chance for me to introduce my latest Raw Food 3.0, inspired by molecular gastronomy without the chemicals, vegan and raw. My 6 courses were presented to a main stream foodie audience in a fine dining atmosphere. And it RAWked!

Truffle Flan
black sesame tuile / calamata / pomegranate / golden & goji berries
I dehydrated the olives, then ground them into powder to intensify the flavor. The berries were soaked in a palm sugar syrup. And the Tuffle Flan’s smooth, light texture comes from Irish Sea Moss. The green are shards of perrilla, aka shiso or sesame leaf.

Smoked Anaheim Chili
cacao mole / avocado / chipotle cucumber / kalahari salt / omega chips
Anaheim chilis were stuffed with a cold-smoked cashew cheeze. Using a vaporizer, apple and cedar chips fed smoke into a bag filled with cashews. Avocado marble was made using a cryovac, which sucks out all the air in a plastic bag to preserve and seal. Cucumbers were compressed in the cryovac with chipotle oil. The cryovac pressed the liquid oil flavor into the cucumbers.

Lapsang Souschong Wild Mushroom
fresh corn polenta / hemp maqui berry / kale chip / english pea dust
Mixed wild mushrooms were infused with a smoked black tea for a rich, earthy flavor and used to top a fresh corn polenta. English peas were freeze dried, then crushed into dust. And my mayonnaise was made with hemp oil for nutty flavor and maqui berry for beautiful purple full of antioxidants.

Fauxlafel
lemon mousseline / cilantro gelee / red earth acai / yuzu garden
Fauxlafel was seasoned with fresh dill and made with carrot pulp from juicing 150 pounds of organic carrots. Luckily, I didn’t have to juice all those carrots myself, and instead just picked up the pulp from Beverly Juice Club. It sat on a mousseline kream of lemon and cashews. Cilantro was juiced and mixed with Irish Sea Moss to create a bright green, intensely flavored gelee. Micro greens and baby orchids were tossed in yuzu juice.

Molten Cookie Dough
lucuma yacon gelato / tart cherry / persimmon gastrique
Cacao cookie dough tartlet was filled with liquid, warm cacao sauce. Served with lucuma gelato sweetened with yacon syrup, flavored with fresh vanilla beans. Topped with freeze fried cherries and dried persimmon slice. Served on a sauce of persimmon and tart vinegar.

Pumpkin Gelee
strawberry leather / candied rosemary & cacao nibs / sweet corn / mango shards
Pumpkin was blended with fresh vanilla and Irish Sea Moss, then placed on a crust of dates and cashews. Strawberries and mangos were each blended and dehydrated into leathers. Rosemary and cacao nibs were candied with palm sugar, then dehydrated. Corn was freeze dried for a sweet, light, crisp texture.

It was so much fun to get to feed everyone my new style of Gastrawnomique cuisine in such a beautiful setting with amazing staff. It was a packed house both nights. Celebrities who came to dine included Frances Fisher, John Salley, Jarad Butler, and Diane Warren.

In the kitchen were some of the most amazing chefs assisting me and making sure my dinners were successful both nights including Bravo Top Chef Alex Reznik and Next Food Network Stars Doreen Fang and DAS. I’ll post up more behind the scenes and kitchen photos next….

Generous sponsors included Excalibur Dehydrators, Earth Circle Organic, Big Tree Farms, Sunfood, Gold Mine Natural Foods, and Sambazon.

These photos were all taken by Maria Loewenstein, except for the Lapsang Souschong Wild Mushroom which was taken by Rogelio Marhx.

A super easy salad to make, this is my go to when traveling. Made by massaging avocado into torn leaves of kale and then adding a squeeze of lemon to soften the leaves, and then tossing in sprouts.

Full of vitamins, minerals, chlorophyll, and antioxidants to combat travel stress (including time zone changes, sitting on airplanes, and living in hotel rooms) while boosting my immune system. I carried this yummy creation onto my last flight from NJ to LA, and took it with me to Las Vegas for my raw food debut at ACAM’s medical conference at the Paris Hotel last week, where they served up 5 of my raw food vegan recipes to over 500 doctors!

Kale, Avocado, Sprouts
Makes 2 servings

• 1/2 bunch of kale, de-stem, and tear leaves into bite sized pieces
• 1 avocado
• 1 lemon’s juice
• 1 container of sprouts, any type
• sea salt, to taste

Into large mixing bowl, place kale and massage with avocado. Squeeze lemon juice, and massage. Add sprouts and salt, if using. Massage and toss to mix well.

Will keep for several hours at room temperature. Store in fridge for a day or 2.

On day 2 of my SF book tour I joined Dixie Mahy and Sharon at their combined SF Life and SF Vegetarian Society potluck in the Mission District for a book signing. I demonstrated my recipe for Pad Thai with Kelp Noodles, from page 227 of Ani’s Raw Food Essentials (recipe is below). Dixie, the host, is well into her 70s, and full of fire and good energy. She’s a testament to the vegan lifestyle.

The Mission was my old stomping ground in the early 90s, I lived at Treat Street and 24^th Street. I was happy to see that much of the neighborhood seems to have kept its charm over the years.

Three beautiful ladies were excited to recently discover raw foods. Common questions were about weight loss and ingredients like agave. What I answer is to be happy, live in moderation, and have an attitude of gratitude. Stressing out about whether a goji berry has been dried 10 degrees too hot adds stress. We are blessed to have the knowledge we do to make informed decisions when it comes to what we choose to eat. We’re privileged be able to decline food when people are starving in other countries. Keep perspective, and be happy. Happiness is a reflection of our inner health.

This lovely lady told me how her mom had been sent home to die over 40 years prior. Her mom instantly changed her diet to raw vegan, and has been thriving ever since! I believe illnesses comes from the accumulation of garbage in our body. Enjoying more raw vegan food, which are naturally cleansing and detoxifying, helps to decrease our toxic load along with our overall stress, boosts are immune system, and fuels longevity.

Here she is, thriving after 40+ years on raw vegan foods! She made by day by telling me I was going to save the world. That’s a tall order.

A great group of people in SF, where I lived 8 years through the 90s. I miss all my friends and the culture of SF including electronic music, design, fashion, art, and the vibrant community culture. I didn’t get to go dancing this trip, so I’ll need to visit again soon, socially next time, just to hang out and absorb the beauty of SF.

Pad Thai with Kelp Noodles
(page 227 of Ani’s Raw Food Essentials)

sauce:

• 1/2 c almond butter
• 1 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup braggs
• 1/2 cup lemon juice (please prepare juice for me from fresh lemons)
• 2 Tablespoons jalapeno pepper, fresh
• 2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 1/2 cup filtered water

noodles:

• 1/2 cup fresh basil
• 2 cup shredded cabbage (pre shredding will be helpful)
• 4 x 12 oz packages kelp noodles

Blend all sauce ingredients and toss with noodle ingredients. Enjoy!

For organic ingredients, visit my estore GoSuperLife.com, where we are running specials on Cashews and Kelp Noodles to celebrate my new book!

Cauliflower is one of my favorite vegetables, and it was abundant at the farmers’ market today. So, I picked up a big, beautiful head to whip up my mash for dinner. Cauliflower comes in white, green, and purple varieties, and works wonderfully processed into a mash. This is my version of mashed potatoes. Cauliflower has a kick to it, which I love. But if it’s too strong for you, try the following trick:

To soften the kick of raw cauliflower, process on it’s own first with 1 cup of filtered water. Strain through a cheese cloth or nut milk bag. Some of the pungent flavor will run off with the water. Or, you can also substitute with broccoli, which is much milder.

Serve with a gravy on it’s own, or alongside your favorite recipe(s).

Cauliflower Mash
Makes 4 servings, about 4 cups

To keep your mash lighter in color, you can use white miso paste. I used a red paste, and it was still light in color. I added a touch of olive oil, but for even more creaminess, I use avocado. Avocado creates spots of slight green, which I don’t mind, since I love the color green. Besides, the gravy will cover it up anyways.

I used to use Psyllium Seed Husk powder in this recipe, but this batch didn’t seem to need any stiffening up, so I skipped it. If your mash is too runny, add a teaspoon at at a time, up to a tablespoon, of Psyllium to thicken.

• 1 head cauliflower, broken into small pieces, about 6 c
• 1/4 cup avocado, cubed
• 2 tablespoons miso, any unpasteurized color
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons thyme or sage, dry

Place all ingredients into your food processor. Process until smooth.

Mushroom Gravy
(from Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen, page 190)

A rich and creamy gravy that’s easy-to-make in your blender.

Place all ingredients into your blender. Blend smooth.

Watch video: 4 min, 41 sec

This is a video shot during my workshop at Mom Tri’s Villa Royale in January. In it, I’ll show you how easy it is to make delicious, nutritious Thai Spring Rolls with an Almond Dipping Sauce. My yummy, super healthy, raw food version of a peanut inspired sauce is made using kaffir lime leaves, chilies, and almonds. The rolls are made by filling collard leaves with julienne zucchini, mung bean sprouts, and fresh herbs like cilantro, mint, and basil.

Thai chilies are spicy hot, so you’ll want to adjust the spice level to suit your tastes. Removing the seeds will help to decrease the spice level. Capsicum is what makes chilies hot, and is the ingredient found in most diet pills for its metabolism boosting properties. Capsicum increases circulation, decreases inflammation, and boost our immune system.

Thai Spring Rolls with Almond Dipping Sauce
(makes 4 servings)

Thai Dipping Sauce

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 kaffir lime leaves
• 1 Tablespoon Nama Shoyu
• 2 Thai red chilies, to taste
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons  raw almonds
• 1 lemon’s juice
• 1 cup water,  as needed

Fillings

• 1 zucchini, julienne
• 1 cup mung bean sprouts
• 1/2 bunch basil, de-stem
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, de-stem
• 1/4 bunch mint, de-stem
• 1-2 Thai chili, finely chop

Wrapper

• 3 large collard green leaves, de-stem and half

To make dipping sauce, place sauce ingredients into your blender, adding water as needed. Blend smooth.

To wrap, place leaves onto flat surface. Layer with fillings, and roll.

Serve with dipping sauce.