Ani's Raw Food Essentials

Over the past fifteen years, I've gone from making the simplest raw meals to starting my own raw foods company, SmartMonkey Foods. I've always focused on fast, fresh, unfussy—and ultimately, delicious—food. Along the way, I've developed some more complicated recipes but always keep an eye on what is quick to assemble and use seasonal ingredients whenever possible. I've designed these recipes with simplicity in mind, based on how I feed my busy self. Most recipes require only a few easy-to-find ingredients that are blended or processed quickly. Most of the recipes are ready to eat right away.

This book is for anyone who's new to raw foods—if you're curious and not sure where to start, I'll tell you what utensils you need and which ingredients to stock in your essential raw pantry. You'll also learn a lot of basic techniques—from how to split a fresh coconut to working with a dehydrator (and how to experiment if you don't own your own Excalibur Dehydrator just yet!). If you've been around the raw foods block a few times, you'll find some new tips to make your time in the kitchen less complicated and more enjoyable, as well as recipes you can use as templates to develop your own unique raw foods kitchen. It's easy—and the rewards are endless.

We all would benefit from eating more unprocessed whole foods—fresh, unheated fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds are what the FDA calls "superfoods," which have been shown to increase our overall health. Superfoods help us ward off diseases and illness, give us more energy and stamina, keep us at our ideal body weight, and help us look and feel our best.

Whole, fresh, unheated, unprocessed, organic fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds are rocket fuel for our body. This turbo-charged, nutrient-dense food fills us up with the vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and enzymes our body needs to hum like a well-oiled machine.

A properly fueled brain can take charge and orchestrate the trillions of cells in our body to fight illness and disease. As our health and stamina increase, we may shed unwanted extra pounds, our complexion may clear up . . . all while we tread lightly on our planet. And, when we feel great, anything is possible!

My recipes are designed to help you enjoy more healthy, whole, fresh food, which is the key building block for living life well.

My father was a raw fooder, and mono dieted frequently. He'd eat a whole bell pepper like an apple, and I had thought this was because he was from the "Old Country." That era of raw foods is what I now label "Raw Food 1.0." Raw food was eaten functionally back then, because it was good for you, not necessarily for taste.

My parents, having come from what was considered a third-world country in those days, were frugal. Having grown up poor, Koreans were good at conserving and using less . . . which are essential for treading lightly on our planet and living eco-green.

Although I grew up in a raw foods family, my eating habits changed when I got to college: the dining halls were full of new types of food, such as fried cheese, pasta, cake, and cookies. I loved trying all these new tastes. Unfortunately, I was eating mostly white flour, sugar, and dairy, and this newfound "diet" took its toll. I gained the Freshman 15 in just a few months' time and my cholesterol was almost at 300, which is too high for anyone. My mom put me back on a vegan, whole food diet—and immediately, my cholesterol dropped. I began exercising again. That was the turning point on my path back to an active, healthy lifestyle.

After college, I discovered vegan raw foods in San Francisco. A friend took me to a raw restaurant that had delicious food served like I'd never experienced before. It was what I call "Raw Food 2.0" and was beautiful, delicious, and healthy.

I had so much energy after my first Raw Food 2.0 meal, I couldn't sleep. I felt fine the next day and carried on with work as if I'd rested. Soon, I began to eat more of this raw gourmet food for energy, stamina, mental clarity, and focus. I could work more efficiently, be more productive, feel great, and sleep less without getting sick. I began making and incorporating more gourmet raw foods into my diet, and the people around me were interested in learning more. When I moved to Los Angeles for work a few years later, a few other raw chefs and I offered weekly dinners around town; their popularity grew quickly. This was when I realized I wanted to focus only on raw foods to help people and our planet.

Portland was cold and damp probably ten months out of the year, with gorgeous summers, wild blackberries, and no humidity. Eating all uncooked, cold, damp foods in that cold, damp climate took its toll on me over time without my even realizing it.

I didn't listen to my friends who told me to consider the climate in relation to my diet—that I couldn't eat the same way in the cold months in Portland as I did in warm Los Angeles. I was into being fully raw, and it worked for me for a while. What I learned wasn't that it's impossible to be 100 percent raw in a cold climate; rather, that it's important to find what works for each of us. We all come from different ethnic backgrounds, have a unique genetic makeup, and have grown up and live in various climates.

When people ask me how important it is to be 100 percent raw, I remind them to have an attitude of gratitude instead. We are lucky to have the option to decline food because it's not raw, organic, or vegan, for example, while people in other parts of our world are starving. If someone makes a meal filled with good intentions that happens to not be all organic or raw, it may just be healthier to choose to accept it graciously, rather than being extreme. Extremes cause stress.

There are many days when I enjoy all raw foods, especially if I'm really busy or it's super hot outside. But, on cold, overcast, damp days, I may crave a hot soup, and so I'll have one.

I've actually found as I've let go of my reins of extremeness, people are more open and willing to try my style of eating and living. The pressure to be 100 percent perfect is gone. Instead, having gratitude for the foods I have to eat helps me make the right choices.

We are indeed privileged to have the choice to decline food that is not organic, vegan, or fresh. We are blessed. Let's remember to give thanks for this. On your own path, you may want to go 100 percent raw, or you may find it's best for you to try adding raw dishes to your diet daily or weekly. What's important to remember is that you don't need to be rigid and you don't have to go to extremes. The recipes in this book were created with those thoughts in mind.

Toxins in our living and working environments can be decreased by using toxin-free cleaners, choosing organic materials for furnishings whenever possible, and opening windows to air rooms. The EPA estimates indoor air can have two to five times more pollution than outside air.

In Korea, shoes are left at the door, which avoids tracking in residual pesticides. I use a HEPA filter vacuum to filter out dust, bacteria, pollen, and dog dander from my pooch, Kanga. My shower curtains are PVC-free to avoid toxins that can disrupt my hormones, and I have green plants that help clean and filter my indoor air. A NASA study found plants remove 96 percent of harmful carbon monoxide from a closed room.

Toxin-free living also means abandoning toxic thoughts. A positive outlook makes it easier to feel happier. Focus on what you want, and don't waste energy worrying about what you don't want.

Our body was designed to run away from predators in the wild, and to gather our food. Today, we work all day at our desk in an office and buy our food at the market. So, it's important to include cardio, stretching, and weight-bearing exercises, to build strong, lean muscles and a healthy body that's less prone to injury and pain.

I've got to sweat every day to detox and clean myself from the inside out—even if it means going to a sauna on days when I've got less energy. Meditation is exercise for my brain muscle, and I do my best to meditate, even if only for five minutes, every morning upon rising and every evening before bed.

Eating more whole, fresh, organic foods increases overall health from the inside out to give us a glow of health. In Los Angeles, we have clothing recycling stores, where you can trade about three stylish fashion items for credit toward another item in the store. I love shopping at these fashion recycleries and find one-of-a-kind gems that create my fashion statement. Plus, it's a cost-effective way to get new clothes. When buying new clothing, I do my best to choose organic fabrics that help me avoid chemicals on my skin.

Research has found toxic chemicals called parabens, used as preservatives in makeup, shampoos, deodorants, and nail polish, in cancer cells. Choosing poison-free beauty options will decrease your exposure to toxic chemicals that build up on your body over time. Our skin is our largest organ, and what we put on it is the same as if we are drinking or eating the substance. I make sure everything I put on my body is safe to eat, such as lemon juice to lighten, and coconut oil and jojoba oil to moisturize my hair and skin.

When we feel happy, we are less stressed, and our overall sense of well-being is increased. I've found being happy takes practice, but the rewards are endless. Happy people win favors, receive kind gestures, laugh more, have fewer wrinkles, and even make others smile.

Even though I eat a nutrient-rich diet of fresh, organic, whole foods, I still have days when I need to work on feeling happy. It helps me to make a list of ten to twenty blessings I'm thankful for today. I may be grateful for something as basic as a new day, a good night's rest, a strong body, a beating heart, and my family and friends. I try not to think about what I don't have, once had, or wish I had, and focus on this moment and all that's good in my life.

To increase happiness, be kind, take a minute to help someone out, and give compliments freely. Give it a try, and you'll see how good it makes you feel. Spend more time with your family. Our family and friends are the most important thing in life. At the end of your life, you won't wish you'd worked harder, or made more money. You'll wish you'd spent more time with the people you love.

I haven't had a TV in years, and I avoid gossip. Living without these leaves me with more time to make nourishing food, meditate, contemplate, and feel gratitude and bliss. And, I make sure to give my dog, Kanga, as much love as possible.

What we choose to eat has the largest impact on our planet, and the right foods can help us feel and look our best. By enjoying more organic raw foods, we're contributing to a green planet by decreasing the production and use of toxic chemicals and their contamination of our natural environment. We ingest less poisonous chemicals, and place less stress on our immune system. We provide nutrient-rich food to fuel our optimal physical, mental, and emotional performance.

When I started eating more whole foods, I noticed an immediate decrease in kitchen garbage, as most of it comes from food packaging. The stuff we throw away is what we're paying for . . . the packaging, printing, manufacturing, warehousing, refrigeration, and distribution. After all this has been paid off, there's not much money left for the actual ingredients in the food. This is why most processed, packaged, and prepared foods are full of chemical flavors, colors, and empty calories created to make actual food ingredients go further. Another reason for enjoying more whole, fresh, raw foods straight from the source.

Whole, unprocessed, fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds are mixed together in a blender or food processor, or simply tossed together in a bowl, to create delicious, nutrient-rich dishes that taste better than the cooked versions. Good for you and good for the planet, my recipes support eco-green living, health, and overall well-being.

I consider my food to be living foods, which is a bit different from the "classic" definition of raw foods. A dehydrated cracker can be raw but has less enzyme activity, so its shelf life is longer than, say, a living apple, which contains water and enzymes and will ripen more and more over time until it eventually composts back into the earth. I recommend enjoying dehydrated foods in moderation, and drinking plenty of water with it to keep hydrated. Remember, water is the basis of all things living.

I prefer soaking all my nuts and seeds, and even sprouting them, whenever possible. It can be challenging to soak and sprout when busy or traveling, though, so I do the best I can each day. Personally, I don't eat much dehydrated food. But these foods are definitely fun to eat and are a great way to transition away from wheat, breads, and crackers. Dehydrated treats are a good way to incorporate more raw foods into any diet.

Genetically modified foods (GMOs) have been altered by science to be resistant to pests and to produce greater crop yields, artificially. GMO foods contain less nutrients, so you're actually getting less for your money. They are far from natural or healthy and it's wise to avoid them.

Here are some tips for reading the PLU codes on fruit and vegetable labels.

As we increase the amount of nutrient-dense foods into any diet, the amount of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and antioxidants we feed our body increases, and the healthier we become. The water and fiber from fresh, whole fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds shower and sweep our insides clean, detoxifying us in a healthy way from the inside out.

Our skin is our largest organ, and its health reflects the purity of our body on the inside. Eating healthy raw foods will give you the shine of glowing skin and the radiance of overall vitality and natural beauty.