Celebrity Chef - Ann Gentry

Ann Gentry - chef, restaurateur, food educator and visionary - has spent the past twenty years learning, discovering, and striving to raise the standard of vegetarian cooking. By combining macrobiotic food preparation with the ambience and richness of her southern upbringing, she created, founded and continues to helm Real Food Daily - the only restaurant in the Los Angeles area that serves a 100% vegetarian menu using foods grown exclusively with organic farming methods. Now boasting two locations in Santa Monica and West Hollywood, the trailblazing proprietress and former head chef, is the owner of LA's most progressive and highly lauded gourmet vegan eatery.

The Real Food Daily Cookbook:
Really Fresh, Really Good, Really Vegetarian by Ann Gentry.

In the book, you’ll find recipes for 150 of the restaurants’ most popular dishes, such as Lentil-Walnut Pâté; Country-Style Miso Soup; Tuscan Bean Salad with Herb Vinaigrette; Southern-Style Skillet Cornbread; Tofu Quiche with Leeks and Asparagus; Acorn Squash Stuffed with Sweet Rice, Currants, and Vegetables; and Coconut Cream Pie with Chocolate Sauce. You can order online at Amazon or find it in bookstores.

Alternative Medicine Magazine included RFD in its list of Top-10 veggie restaurants. "Real Food Daily has achieved the ultimate in natural-foods: all vegan, all organic, all fresh." Alternative Medicine May 2006

Double Chocolate Layer Cake
You can turn this decadent double-layer cake into a four-layer cake by cutting each cake horizontally in half with a serrated knife. Use raspberry preserves to fill the extra layers.

For the Cake:
3 cups barley flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup instant decaffeinated coffee powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. sea salt
2 cups plain soy milk
1 1/2 cups pure maple syrup
3/4 cup canola oil
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

• Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly oil 2 9-inch cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Line the bottoms with parchment paper. Lightly oil the paper.
• Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, coffee powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• Using an electric mixer, beat the soy milk, maple syrup, oil, vinegar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Mix in the flour mixture until just blended.
• Pour into the prepared pans, dividing equally. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean and the cakes begin to pull away from the sides of the pans. Cool in the pans on cooling racks for 20 minutes. Turn out onto the racks and cool completely.

For the Frosting:
2 12.3-oz. containers vacuum-packed extra-firm silken tofu (try Mori-Nu brand)
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup agave nectar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet vegan chocolate chips

• Blend the tofu, cocoa powder, agave nectar, and vanilla in a food processor until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
• Stir the chocolate chips in a large metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until melted.
• With the food processor running, blend the melted chocolate into the tofu mixture. Transfer to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, or just until firm enough to spread.

Makes 8 to 10 servings

Raw Cashew-Cheese
Soaking nuts not only makes them softer and easier to blend, it also makes them easier to digest, especially when they remain uncooked. It is very important to take the time to allow the raw cashew-cheese to set up for at least a day.

1 1/2 cups raw cashews
Cold water sufficient to cover the cashews by 2 inches
1/3 cup water
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp. sea salt

• Place the cashews in a medium bowl. Add the cold water and let soak for 2 hours. Drain.
• Combine the cashews, 1/3 cup of water, lemon juice, garlic, and salt in a food processor and blend, scraping down the sides occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until very smooth.
• Transfer to a small bowl. Cover and let stand at room temperature for at least 1 day and up to 2 days. Refrigerate until ready to use or for up to 5 days. Makes 1 1/4 cups

Tags: vegan cakes Real Food Daily Vegan Diet vegan recipes Raw Food