Jennifer Cornbleet is a nationally recognized raw food chef and instructor. She offers lectures, classes, hands-on workshops, and consultations in the Chicago area and nationwide. Her first book, Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People, has already sold over 50,000 copies. She has recently released the companion DVD, Raw Food Made Easy. She lectures extensively in natural food markets, bookstores, culinary schools, and colleges throughout the world. Jennifer also is a faculty instructor at the Living Light Culinary Arts Institute, a raw food chef school in Northern California.
She regularly appears on television and her recipes have been featured in the Chicago Tribune, Conscious Choice, the New York Press, and Cooking Light Magazine.
BOOK INFO:
Raw food is a culinary craze that more and more people are adopting in their own homes. Chef and Author Jennifer Cornbleet of Chicago has traveled the country, showing people how simple it can be to prepare delicious meals that take 30 minutes or less.
Known as the "Rachel Ray of Raw Food," Jennifer's recipes are perfect for busy professionals that want to eat healthy foods that are intensely flavorful and pleasurable.
Her book, Raw Food Made Easy, is consistently on the Amazon.com bestselling cookbook lists. A recently released companion DVD provides a visual feast of raw foods and shows specifically how to prepare them. Cornbleet includes recipes for every meal, including scrumptious desserts, showing how to use the right equipment and which staple ingredients you need on hand.
Why Raw Food?
Getting five servings of fruits and veggies has never been so easy. When you prepare natural ingredients without cooking, you preserve the maximum nutrition in these foods, save time and create some of the most delicious meals ever.
Raw Food Cuisine:
Dinner party ideas and meals for every night including recipes such as tuna pate, tomato stacks, blueberry crisp, flourless chocolate cake, California rolls, Mediterranean kale, zucchini noodles with marinara sauce.
Travel in the Raw:
Kid Friendly Foods:
You can encourage both fruit and vegetable eating by enlisting your children's help in preparing easy recipes, especially brightly-colored dishes and finger foods. Some of Jennifer's kid-friendly favorites include green smoothies, veggie chips with ranch dressing, chocolate chip cookies with almond milk, mango sorbet and blueberry pie.
RECIPES:
Tomato Stacks
Makes 1 serving
Juicy tomatoes complement a rich pâté or pesto perfectly. Serve with a knife and fork for easy eating.
2 slices large ripe tomato
2 tablespoons Not Tuna Pâté (see below)
2 tablespoons Pesto (see below)
2 tablespoons alfalfa or clover sprouts
1 teaspoon sliced black olives
Place one tomato slice on a plate and spread 2 tablespoons of the pâté over it. Place the second tomato slice on top, and spread with 2 tablespoons of pesto. Top with the alfalfa sprouts and black olives. Serve immediately.
Not Tuna Pâté
Makes 2 servings
This pate is my daily staple-it's delicious, versatile, and filling. Not Tuna Pâté is the perfect way to turn a salad into a main dish. You can also serve it as a dip or use it as filling for rolls, stacks, and sandwiches. You may wish to make a larger batch, since it keeps for five days.
1/2 cup soaked raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup soaked raw almonds
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons minced celery
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
Place the sunflower seeds, almonds, water, lemon juice and salt into a food processor fitted with the S blade and process into a paste. Stop occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Transfer to a small mixing bowl and stir in the celery, onion, and parsley. Mix well. Stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator, Not Tuna Pâté will keep for five days.
Variation: For Not Salmon Pate, add 1/4 cup grated carrot to the food processor along with the almonds, sunflower seeds, water, lemon juice, and salt. Replace the parsley with 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill weed or 1 teaspoon dried.
Pesto
Makes 4 servings
This aromatic sauce gives meals an authentic Italian flavor. It's delicious as a dip or topping for any raw or cooked entrée. If you eat cooked food, try the sauce over whole grain pasta. My pesto used slightly less oil than traditional recipes; increase the oil for a richer sauce.
2 cups basil leaves (stems removed), tightly packed
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon crushed garlic (2 cloves)
1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup raw pine nuts
Place the basil, olive oil, garlic and salt in a food processor fitted with the S blade and process until the basil is chopped. Add the pine nuts and process until smooth. Stop occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Do not over-process; you should still see flecks of pine nuts throughout. Stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator, Pesto will keep for five days.
Mediterranean Kale
Makes 6 servings
When kale is cut into thin strips and marinated in a dressing, it has a wonderfully soft and juicy texture that makes it delightful in salads. This nutritious salad is visually beautiful, and sure to become a staple recipe for your family and friends.
2 small bunches lacinato or curly kale, stems removed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup golden raisins, soaked 10 minutes, drained, and rinsed
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Stack the kale leaves a couple of leaves at a time, and slice into very thin strips. Place the kale in a mixing bowl along with the olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. Toss well with your hands, working the dressing into the greens. Add the pine nuts and raisins and toss gently. Season to taste with black pepper. Stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator, Mediterranean Kale Salad will keep for three days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Variation: Substitute 1/4 cup sliced kalamata olives for the raisins and add 1 diced red bell pepper.
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Makes one 9-inch cake; 8 servings
This decadent dessert will delight chocolate lovers.
3 cups walnuts
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
20 pitted medjool dates
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder or raw chocolate powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
4 teaspoons water
1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries for garnish
Place the walnuts and salt in a food processor fitted with the S blade and process until finely ground. Add the dates, cocoa powder, and vanilla and process until the mixture begins to stick together. Add the water and process briefly.
Transfer to a serving plate and form into a 9-inch round cake. Chill for 2 hours. Decorate the cake and plate with fresh raspberries or top before serving. Covered with plastic wrap, Flourless Chocolate Cake will keep for three days in the refrigerator or two weeks in the freezer. Bring to room temperature before serving.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
April 21, Monday, 6:00-8:30 pm
Transitions Bookplace
1000 W North Ave
Chicago, IL 60622
(312) 951-7323
Cost: $35 members, $40 nonmembers
Contact: Gayle Mandel
gayle@transitionsbookplace.com
Includes tasting of Green Smoothies, Tomato Stacks, and Blueberry Crisp!
June 5, Thursday, 7-9 pm
Cousins Incredible Vitality
3038 W Irving Park Rd
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 478-6868
Contact: Mehmet
mehmet@cousinsiv.com
Includes tasting of Not Meat Balls and Marinara Sauce
