As promised, throughout the next few months, I will be sharing interviews and stories with PUREmamas readers in hopes of inspiring and motivating you all to keep up your health goals and find joy in a more plant-based diet.
Today I'm excited to introduce you all to Shernell Cooke. She is a food writer and blogger. Her culinary education has been a mix of on-the-job training, formal classes at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York, and private kitchen experiments.
Here's what Shernell has to say about her brand.
I created the Raw Food Beginner Chef brand to be a safe haven for anyone interested in adding more raw foods to their diet. I believe that raw food isn’t a religion or a cult in which 100 percent raw is always the goal. I’m not a “health coach” or certified nutritionist; I’m simply someone who has benefited from incorporating more raw foods into her diet and has a strong passion for the culinary arts. I purposely only speak about raw foods through my own perspective, and I realize and respect that others are on their own raw food journey - Shernell Cooke
I had the opportunity of interviewing Shernell {below} and she is also sharing one of her favorite recipe with us today as well.
Juli: Tell us what you notice about yourself and how you feel when you eat mainly raw foods?
Shernell: Raw foods means more to me than clear skin or weight loss. When I'm high raw, I feel like I can take on the world. I feel at peace with my creator and in alignment with nature. There's also a joy that comes along with being high raw. This joy isn't unbalanced or based on outside circumstances,it's based on an inner equilibrium that's rooted in the wisdom of God.
Juli: Very cool. I often feel the exact same way. As you have said before, raw food is an art, and that's for SURE. Which recipes is your most artistic so far?
Shernell: It's definitely an art, but it's an art that's best kept simple. As a chef, I know that the best tasting foods, are the most simple. This rule is especially true for anyone who wants to begin a raw food diet. Don't go crazy buying special "super foods", a trip to your local farmers market, a blender and a knife can yield you some great results. My recipe for creamy kale stands the test for being delicious,easy to prepare and could be considered artistic because it got pinned over sixty times on Pinterest. {ha}
CREAMY KALE
This is my go-to raw food recipe that I make when “ah hungry”. It’s creamy, dense and filling.
Ingredients
1 bunch of kale De-stemmed and washed thoroughly
2 ½ cups of cashews
1 red pepper roughly chopped
3 lemons juiced
1 tablespoon of salt
1 clove of garlic or ½ tablespoon of garlic powder
⅓ cup of nutritional yeast (optional)
1 teaspoon of maple syrup or liquid sweetener
1 cup of water
Instructions
Placed washed kale into a large bowl.
Blend the remaining ingredients until creamy and pour over the kale then massage in and serve.
Juli: Do you have any tips for people who want to go raw tomorrow? any advice or thoughts on that? to keep us all motivated and not discouraged?
Shernell: The best way to start a raw food diet is with the right attitude even if you’re sick. Enjoying the life you already have and looking to build on it should be your starting point. Food is important, but like a car after you find out which gas is the right fit for your vehicle, you focus more on the ride than the gas. I get frustrated when I see people nit picking about how many calories are in an avocado and how many phytonutrients are in a pear. Really? We each have about 701.000 hours to live and that’s your focus? Making raw food fit into your life and making it as simple and delicious as you can should be the focus for the beginner. Also your aim should never be to be 100 percent raw, this sets you up for failure right away. You can’t be 100 percent raw when you just start a raw food diet. You haven’t practiced any of the recipes for a sustained period of time to be able to tailor fit them to your taste buds. Having ten or more tried and true beginner raw food recipes is the prerequisite for a successful raw food lifestyle.
Juli: What's your favorite thing to do outside of your cooking passion?
Shernell: My favorite thing to do? That would be laugh, I love to be around genuine, funny people. My favorite stress reviler is watching reruns of the TV series Good a Times. If Jay Jay was a real person he would be my husband. Too much information right? This was a great interview!
Juli: You are SO welcome. I loved your answers and all that you're doing. Keep up the good work.
Leave a Reply