Matthew Kenney's Lifestyle

From the very beginning of my personal raw food journey, I've been inspired, delighted and stylishly well feed on the culinary brilliance of chef, restaurateur, caterer and food writer, Matthew Kenney. Kenney became a notable and celebrated chef/author in the cooked food world well before he was indoctrinated into raw foods, with his initial passions directed towards the light yet intense flavors of Mediterranean cuisine. In the summer of 2002, after having created and operated a number of successful gourmet restaurants, Matthew was introduced to the splendor of raw food, being struck by how alert, open-minded, energetic and very clear he felt after eating such a meal. It didn't take long for him to realize that this way of eating was something he needed to learn and explore for himself. Since that night, over 6 years ago, Matthew Kenney has been one of the key players in changing the way the world thinks of and enjoys raw food. If you have had the pleasure of dining in one of his restaurants, or if you have perused the pages of either of his masterfully done raw books, Raw Food Real World or Everyday Raw, you quickly come to understand that raw food isn't just a pile of celery, carrots and lettuce.

Currently Matthew is involved in a number of personal and professional endeavors, and is presently away in Spain, traveling for business. Recently I've had the fortune of communicating with Matthew, and have found him to be a rare combination of gracious generosity, humility and tremendous creativity in motion. In my observation, until the release of his most recent book, Everyday Raw, it seemed that Matthew had been keeping a relatively low profile for the last couple of years. However, I learned that he has passionately and diligently been working on a number of professional projects including a new recipe book, Entertaining In The Raw, due to be released in early 2009 and is involved in the launch of several new restaurants (La Mucca - Madrid, Cafe' 118 - Florida, and Freefoods NYC - in Manhattan).

One of the projects that I'm most excited about is the recent birthing of Matthew's new online magazine, Matthew Kenney Lifestyle. In this currently bi-weekly publication, Matthew shares a more personal, transparent side of his otherwise professional life. It's an intimate look into his currently beloved recipes, interests, travels, as well as a place in which he will feature restaurant reviews and guest editor profiles. If you haven't visited his initial issue, you'll want to do so right away since his 2nd issue will be up this coming Monday, in which Matthew will include material from his European travels. This stylish, fresh and inspirational e-zine will be bi-weekly through the end of this year and will go weekly at the start of 2009.

Matthew was kind enough to allow me to share with you his feature recipe from Issue 1. I can't wait to warm and tantalize my friends and family on Halloween evening with this gorgeous, decadent, yet healthy, version of a timeless classic:

RAW SMORES

Serves 4–6

Graham Cookie

5 cups cashew flour

2 1/2 cups oat flour

3/4 cup water

1 3/4 cups maple syrup

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons cinnamon

Cookie Instructions

Mix ingredients in medium size bowl by hand. Spread flat on dehydrator screens, about 1/8″ thick. Dehydrate at 115 degrees for 4 hours. Make an incision with the back of a knife for six rectangles. Dehydrate another 6 hours and separate the pieces. Keep well sealed, at room temperature until ready to serve.

marshmallow crème

2 cups cashews, soaked

1 cup coconut meat

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup agave

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 small bottle Lorann Marshmallow Concentrated Oil

Instructions for Creme

Blend until smooth in Vita-Mix. Pour into plastic lined half sheet pan; refrigerate overnight or freeze if prepared 1–2 hours prior to serving.

Dark Chocolate Butter

4 cups maple syrup

2 1/2 cups cocoa powder

2 cups coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

Butter Instructions

Whisk all ingredients in large bowl. Blend in batches in Vita-mix. Pour into half sheet pan and store in freezer.

ASSEMBLY

2 tbs. cinnamon

Bring Crème to room temperature at least 20 minutes prior to serving. Warm chocolate and grahams slightly in dehydrator.

Lie one graham on a plate. Carefully spread a generous amount of marshmallow crème on top and pour an even more generous amount of chocolate over that, allowing it to slightly run off onto the plate. Set another graham on top, but off center, exposing the crème and chocolate. Sprinkle the plate with cinnamon powder.

Tim VanOrden of Running Raw to Visit Tulsa

Real Food Tulsa Proudly Announces an Evening with Tim VanOrden

DIET AND PEAK PERFORMANCE

Sunday, November 2nd, 2008

University Club Tower
1722 South Carson Avenue

Raw Food Tasting at 5:00 PM

Presentation at 5:30 PM (Doors locked at 6:00 PM - arrive promptly)

Come join Tim VanOrden as he discusses his Running Raw Project (www.runningraw.com) which is a grand experiment in diet and athletic performance. It was started by Tim in November of 2005 with a simple question: Can one be an athlete while eating a 100% raw vegan diet? That curiosity was quickly answered with a resounding YES!

What Tim has discovered could change the world of sport forever. But why stop there? Why not try to change the world along the way? This is the mission of the Running Raw Project.

The world is taking notice of Tim VanOrden, elite athlete and creator of The Running Raw Project. Tim is a raw vegan athlete who has an international reputation for excelling in some of the world's most grueling sports. He's recently been crowned the New England Master's Mountain Running Champion and his achievements in stair climbing, or tower racing, have just been featured in GQ magazine and the London Guardian. The Food Network is also doing a documentary on Tim and his endeavors that will be out soon!

Join Tim as he discusses Diet and Peak Performance...

• Stress and the Body
• Nutritional Stress
• Human Fuel System
• Become a Better Fat Burner
• Food Preparation and Nutrient Availability
• Secrets of the Elites
• Emotions and Eating
  
• Success Strategies

I've had the opportunity to speak with Tim several times and I couldn't be more excited about this event. Tim has the heart of a teacher, the mind of a true scientist and the fitness of a healthy 20 year old, although he just celebrated his 40th birthday. Tim's reputation, gentle spirit, infectious sense of humor and dynamic message will certainly draw a crowd from outside of the raw community. Tim's visit will be an opportunity to create interest and educate others who have previously been unexposed to the healing attributes of raw and living foods.

Here is one of my favorite YouTube clips of Tim creating his Running Raw morning smoothie:

A donation of $10 at the door is requested.

Please RSVP to Penni at realfood.tulsa@yahoo.com

Raw Vs. Cooked - Chili Night

Every year as our weather in Tulsa begins to gently shift towards autumn, my family starts thinking about warm foods like chili. When I first went raw over 3 years ago, the desire for warm food in the fall was the very thing that seemed to challenge my diet. I have been experimenting with different raw chili recipes for a couple of years now and what I've been able to come up with will rival any cooked recipe and it's WAY healthier. Yesterday I decided it was time to do a chili smack down....preparing both a traditional cooked chili and my raw chili recipe.....just so that my family could experience the difference. I used a variety of ingredients, as you can see from the photograph, and the blending of these flavors created a rich, meaty version of a classic chili recipe. Raw chili and cooked chili have one thing in common, they're both even better the next day once the flavors have had time to combine and enrich. I also like topping my raw chili with fresh acutriments like these:

Although I live with serious foodies who don't share my same passion of the raw food diet, they're always up for trying any of my culinary creations. A chili smack down was tons of fun and the results were totally satisfying. I encourage you to try this rich, savory, vegan chili recipe:

Penni's Rawkin' Raw Chili

1 cup soaked almonds (walnuts would also work well)

1 cup carrots

1 med portabello mushroom (or 6 shiitake)

1/2 cup finely minced red bell pepper

1/3 cup finely minced red onion

1-2 finely minced jalapeno, without the seeds

1 cup sundried tomatoes, soaked (reserve 1 cup soak water)

1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes

1/3 cup soaked golden raisins

2 T fresh leeks (yellow or white onion would work)

3 T chili powder

2 cloves garlic

1 T olive oil

2 t Alder Smoked Sea Salt (Celtic is also fine)

2 t apple cider vinegar

2 t dried oregano

1 tsp. cumin

Optional toppings:

black olives

fresh cilantro

red onion

avocado

Put nuts and carrots into a food processor and run until well blended. This will be your "meat base," so don't over process. Once ground, place into a large bowl and set aside.

Either on a cutting board or in your food processor, chop the mushroom, red bell pepper, red onion, and jalapeno. Add this to the bowl.

In a high powered blender, such as a Vita Mix, add all of the remaining ingredients and blend until you have everything well combined and liquefied. Stir this mixture into the bowl with the existing ingredients to complete the chili.

I recommend placing this into a dehydrator set at 145 degrees for about one hour. Stirring the chili every 15 minutes will help to warm it evenly. Although your dehydrator will feel hot, the temperature of the food will not exceed 110 degrees in this amount of time.

Serve the chili warm and top with the fresh ingredients of your choice. Enjoy!

(Note: Last night's recipe also included 1/2 cup minced celery, but my dad and I agreed that it made it too crunchy. Although my dad was really impressed with the flavor, he says chili shouldn't be crunchy, so I've omitted the celery from my original recipe for that reason.)

Warning....this video is totally irreverent and it's what you get when you allow your 11 year old to watch Talladega Nights one too many times.....

Little Black Dress

Many of you already know that my father has recently moved into our home and joined as part of our family. I've been busy trying to help make the transition as smooth as possible, and it's been such a blessing having him here, even though he channels Paula Dean in the kitchen. My father is the person who first taught me to cook, so having him here conjures up all kinds of warm & fuzzy, albeit less than healthful, food memories. I'm pretty sure I've already gained a few pounds just remembering our circa 1970's chocolate Jello-O Instant Pudding pies poured into a graham cracker crust. Can you say, coagulation?

Needless to day, I've been feeling a bit out of sorts with my raw food diet as of late. So much so that I have been waking in the night, dreaming about not fitting into my clothes and feeling exhausted upon awaking. It was no coincidence that I received a timely email today from my lovely friend, Jo Thomas, of the UK. Jo's story is one of triumph......just look at her before she made her lifestyle transition into whole, organic and raw foods.Although I had known and respected Jo for sometime in our online relationship, I finally had the pleasure of meeting her in person this past September in Sedona. She is far more lovely and captivating than I had imagined in real life. During our time together, we were able to share our goals and dreams, so I am delighted to now share with you the brilliant program that Jo has put together which is perfectly geared to help those of us that might be feeling a bit frumpy combat those feelings of pudginess and pre-holiday dread. And here is Jo after a few short months of going raw.....

The Little Black Dress Program!

I'd love to have you consider joining with me in enlisting Jo Thomas' help and expert guidance to help us become more sexy, sassy, sparkly and simply stunning for the upcoming holiday season- now doesn't that sound like a whole lot of fun?

As you can see, Jo has undergone a massive rawsome transformation, and because she's so excited about slipping into her dream Little Black Dress this Christmas, she's ready to share her hard won secrets so that you too can burst upon the party scene with a new found confidence and zest for life!

I think each of us, deep down, want that "WOW" factor, don't you?

So, if you're ready to step into your own total rawsome transformation this Christmas - please join me in fine tuning things and getting fabulous! My good friend Bunny Berry will also be joining me on this experience and we'd love to have you along with us for the ride!

Here is a detailed breakdown of what's involved in this smashing, not to be missed, exciting program:

1) A 90 minute group preview call to connect with each other and ensure everything is in place before kick off!

2) Six 90 minute weekly group coaching calls. Recordings of the calls will be made available to those that cannot always join in, so fear not, you won't ever have to miss out on anything, regardless of your schedule!

3) A weekly work book and accompanying video explaining the week's focus - there will be different internal and external beauty topics each week. We'll be glamming you up, inside and out and from top to toe!

4) Access to an interactive and fun forum where you can chat to your heart's content to fellow members, swap stories, successes and photos

5) Access to Jo and her extensive knowledge of raw food, nutrition, raw food inspiration, weight loss transformation and motivation! She is a living example of what can be achieved on the raw food diet in just a short space of time and she will be at your service throughout the 6 week program!

6) The option of adding extra 1:1 coaching time with Jo to your package - for those who would like some extra special attention

7) The night out of your dreams, looking and feeling like a million dollars!

8) The night in of your dreams, my Virtual Little Black Dress Cocktail Party, where we can swap stories of our night out, celebrate our successes and transformations, drink cocktails, eat chocolate and have oodles of girly fun!

Places are limited and are filling up fast so if you think this program is for you then visit www.discoverrawblog.com for more information, pricing details and booking details. If you are sitting on the fence then Jo will be hosting a live teleclass about the program this Wednesday 8th October at 9pm UK time (4pm EST or 1pm PST). Jo is offering an early bird booking price until 10th October, after which the price will increase so I would encourage you to act quickly...!!

This program is totally international. Even though Jo is based in the UK, you can be anywhere in the world to join in - (she has the cutest English accent!!)

The program runs from 30th October to 15th December, for full details on the dates see www.discoverrawblog.com

This really could be the best early Christmas present you ever give yourself. If you have any questions you can contact Jo directly - jo@discoverraw.com

I adore Jo and she has really put her heart and soul into this program and wants to help give you the best Christmas feeling ever - sparkling raw radiance and total body confidence!

Do You Have Natural Zing?

One of the highlights during my time in Sedona was meeting Jeff Rose, CEO of Natural Zing. Upon meeting Jeff, I quite honestly had no real striking first impression at all. He's a very calm, quiet, gentle presence, but as the days of Raw Spirit Festival progressed, I found that my lack of first impression was quickly replaced with professional admiration and respect. I spent a good amount of time at the Natural Zing booth because my friends, Bunny Berry, Rawbin and Wendi Dee were Jeff's volunteers and helped to keep things running smoothly at the booth. Natural Zing quickly became known as the "information desk" of RSF...largely in part because of Bunny's infectious presence and her expert ability to connect people, places and things. All of us grew in our brotherly affection for Jeff and enjoyed hearing his personal journey to health and how he began NZ. Also we loved the stories he shared of his lovely wife, Helen....co-owner of Natural Zing, his young child and soon to be born baby on the way. After observing Jeff for 3 days, I found him to be a gentle giant.....a dynamic, innovative, soulful business & family man who genuinely walks the walk, much more than just talking the talk.

While at Raw Spirit Festival, I had the opportunity to meet and listen to lectures by some of the world's leading raw food pioneers, leaders and gurus. Many of them are highly respected and have contributed so much to this healing, deeply impactful lifestyle....but sadly, a few others left me feeling like I'd just been bamboozled by a smarmy sales pitch or even worse, completely disappointed by harshly cruel criticisms of others and over-inflated egos. Jeff isn't one of those raw food personalities that's drawn to the limelight, but I did watched him spend hour upon hour, talking with the public and giving away more products than any other vendor in attendance. People were deeply struck by his generosity and I heard many stories from loyal and satisfied customers from across the globe. I began to realize that Natural Zing is one of the raw food world's best kept secrets....at least in my neck of the woods.

So what is Natural Zing? First and foremost, they're a company that's dedicated to feeding your mind, body and spirit. Two decades of research and consulting with numerous nutritionists and vegetarian specialists have gone into gathering the very best products to develop one's natural energy and health....your natural zing! Long time staff members have been 90 - 100% raw foodists for many years and they are committed to helping those who are just beginning to transition, or others who are more advanced in this healthful lifestyle path.

Within Natural Zing's online market, they specialize in selling organic, raw, vegetarian and vegan foods as well as related chef tools and personal care products. Their equipment includes juicers, kitchen equipment and a variety of other products that meet the needs of various lifestyle and dietary choices. The website also has an Education link that takes you to health, lifestyle, vegetarian, living and raw food knowledge. Their health related book section takes you to abundant health and alternative knowledge resources that are updated regularly.

I have added a link to the Natural Zing online store at the right of this blog so you can go browse for yourself. I just placed my first order today and am looking forward to getting my Natural Zing on!!

A Funny Thing Happened On My Way to the Raw Spirit Festival

(disclaimer....some of the names within this post have been changed to protect the innocent....I saw that on Dragnet and thought I should include it for this entry.)
Throughout this week I hope to share some of the stories from my experiences at the Raw Spirit Festival. There are so many tales from the vortex that it's hard to focus on where to start, however, one particular episode easily stands out as the most memorable in my overview of our long weekend.

About three weeks ago, I was exposed to the craziest YouTube video I had seen in a long time. One of the members of Raw Fu posted it in a forum on our online community and I had to show my whole family this crazy cat because I couldn't believe my eyes. Was this guy for real?......

Uh, yeah. So, fast forward three weeks. As my plane landed in Sedona, I receive a text message from Bunny Berry, one of my roomies, asking if I minded if we give her new found RSF friend, Marcheeba, a ride into Sedona from the airport. Bunny, Angela and I agreed that it would be good to help out a raw food sister in need, not to mention that carpooling is good for the environment, so sure, why not? Hop in, Marcheeba!

The next 8 hours proved to be very interesting. Apparently, Marcheeba took a liking to us Southern girls and seemed to take pleasure in educating us along the 2 hour drive into Sedona about the vortex energy in this region. Marcheeba explained that we should be on the alert because the spiritual nature of the area creates lots of openings in one's soul, allowing things to "bubble up and release." Marcheeba shared stories of her numerous mystic travels to Sedona and of the many synchronistic happenings of years past. There were tales of Chakras, past life regression, reiki, and a certain man named Nacom, with whom Marcheeba had experienced an intense, spontaneous, spiritual and tantric connection with in Sedona over 10 years ago, but hadn't seen since. She told us to get ready because once in Sedona.....things just happen. I found myself tightening my seat belt.

One of our first stops was the local health food store, New Frontiers. With the exception of the flagship Whole Foods store in Austin, I've never in my life seen such a glorious selection of organic, raw food goodies and provisions. We rambled around this store like euphoric ADHD children in a toy store until we suddenly realized that Marcheeba was missing. We knew we couldn't just leave her there because we had her luggage in our car. Nearly at our wits end, we finally rounded the last corner and there she was, speaking with a man that she promptly introduced to us as, Nacom. Oh Babaji, let the synchronicities begin.

One thing led to another, and I won't bore you with all of the details of our evening, which seemed to be an endless comedy of errors, but I must share our final encounter. A group decision was made to leave Bunny in our hotel room to upload pictures and video, while Angela & I trekked out into the dark, starry night to try to find the host home where Marcheeba would be staying. Navigation wasn't easy since neither Angela or I knew the terrain nor were we proficient night drivers. Eventually, through group effort, we found the address and pulled up outside Lawrence's impressive Sedona house. The following videos detail the rest of our encounter......


Be sure to stay tuned for more tales from Raw Spirit Festival 2008 in Sedona, Arizona.

Raw Spirit Festival - Day 3

Parting from the festival on Sunday around 1 pm was bittersweet, but we were able to capture some last minute magic with some beloved friends before returning to Phoenix to fly home. Ahem....what a beautiful, life altering weekend.