I’m very
excited to be introducing Chef Ramses Bravo. Chef Bravo is the Executive Chef
at TrueNorth Health Center. For over 30 years, TrueNorth has helped over 10,000
people regain their health through water fasting, plant-based vegan diets, and plant-based
nutrition education. In 2007, Chef Bravo joined the team and has since then been
demonstrating on a daily basis that one does not have to sacrifice taste for optimum
health.
His book, appropriately
titled, BRAVO!
was released about 6 months ago. With a Forward from Dr.
T. Collin Campbell and an introduction from Dr. Alan Goldhamer this book is
stocked full of helpful tid-bits of proper nutrition.
Unlike many other
vegan and plant-based cookbooks, BRAVO!
is an SOS-free, or recipes without added Salt, Oil, or Sugar. In the book, Chef
Bravo has included tips for cooking without oil, basic recipes such as a vegetable
broth which he says is the building block of healthy cooking, as well as a
full, two-week meal plan for someone who wants to completely immerse themselves
into the diet.
Most of the
recipes are pretty simply to make and use easy-to-find and inexpensive
ingredients. Besides the large collection of delicious and nutritious recipes,
each recipe has nutritional information, including calories per serving,
protein, carbohydrates, and even Omega-3. If there is a single flaw with the
work, it is that there are only a dozen or so colored photographs; however, the
content more than makes up for this.
After having
tried several of the recipes, including the breakfast potatoes, the banana-kale
breakfast smoothie and polenta pizza, I reached out to Chef Bravo and he agreed
to do an interview with me and to giveaway a copy of his book to one of my readers!
Before arriving at TrueNorth
Health, you worked as a more traditional chef making Standard American Diet
(SAD) dishes. How did you first learn about True North Health and whole-food
vegan diet?
I learned about TN through a friend of
the family. Once she knew I was no
longer working at my previous job, she called me and put me in touch with Alan
(my boss) and we began talking about me joining the staff here. Once I got here I was then introduced
to the whole-food vegan diet.
You say in your cookbook’s
Introduction that you yourself were not in great health when you first arrived
at TrueNorth. Can you describe
your personal transformation? Has your experience changed your relationship
with food? Do you now identify as a vegan or eat mostly plant-based?
I’m 30 lbs lighter compared to what I
weighed at my previous job. My
energy level is much higher than it used to be. I do identify myself as mostly plant-based vegan, except on
holidays.
Were you surprised that you got
the job at TrueNorth even though you didn’t have experience in creating
plant-based foods? Was it a challenge switching from creating and preparing
traditional SAD food to vegan food?
No one has actually asked this before,
but I actually was surprised to be offered this job. I really did not have any experience with vegan cooking, and truthfully I
didn’t expect to be here for more than 6 months to a year. I am very glad to have made the
decision to take the job because I was very close to turning it down. Yes, it was a tremendous challenge to
switch from conventional cooking to SOS free vegan cooking. The biggest adjustment for me was to
decrease my salt tolerance; that was a tough transition.
Care to share an inspiring story
you’ve witnessed about the healing powers of diet?
We see so much change and improvement
everyday in our clients. People
loose weight, drop their meds, lower their blood pressure, etc. It’s gotten to the point where it’s so
normal I don’t get surprised anymore, we simply expect everyone to get better.
You use the term vegan throughout
your cookbook. Recently however there is a growing trend moving away from using
that term. What are your thoughts on the differences between veganism and
plant-based.
I am actually not aware of this
trend. To me plant-based is a form
of veganism. Like a
sub-category. There are many forms
of veganism.
The dangers of consuming animal
products have been well documented, but why do you think ditching Sugar, Oil,
and Salt is important?
Ditching sugar, oil and salt is not the
point. What’s really important is
to ditch the excess sugar, oil and salt. These three ingredients are found naturally in a plant-based
vegan diet. But not consuming
these three in a refined form. By
not eating any sugar, oil or salt that comes in a bag, bottle, can, jar, etc,
then the objective is accomplished.
What are some of your favorite
ingredients to cook with? As always, extra credit will be given if you say
lentils. What do you look for when you are picking good flavorful produce?
Well I do love lentils (see below). But personally any fully
ripe and in-season fruit is hard to beat.
I’m a fruit monkey.
Can you describe your process for
when you are creating a new dish?
My process for any dish is stimulating
the palate by combining different
flavor profiles, (sweet, sour, salty), different textures (soft, crunchy,
chewy) and different colors to give the dish good contrast.
What do you think of water
fasting that the TrueNorth Health Center is famous for? Have you done one?
I think it’s a great way to let the body
heal and restore itself. It is a
great way to lower salt tolerance which is crucial to switch to a nutrient rich
vegan diet. I have done one myself
here at TN and was very happy to have done it.
What is, in your opinion, the most vital kitchen tool or gadget?
Sharp knives.
Besides your own book, what are some other cookbooks that have
inspired you, or that you recommend for healthy vegan food?
Forks Over Knives cookbook, Unprocessed by Chef AJ, Ingredients by Aliza Green, Artisan Vegan Cheese by Miyoko Schinner.
All of these books are a great starting point for people who are afraid of
“veganism”. I also have
created an e-book which is part of a program called Switch to Nutrient Rich program. The cookbook is
designed to have 5 ingredients or less, 3 steps or less. This is a great tool for people who
want to eat healthy but don’t have a lot of time to cook. You can find this at
cheframsesbravo.com
If you were going to prepare a meal for President Clinton, what would
it be?
I’d have to ask him what are his favorite flavors,
and check if he doesn’t have any allergies. But assuming he’d be ok with anything then I would make:
Fresh herb and strawberry salad
page 58
Red Lentil loaf with bell pepper
coulis page 96
Mango-Banana pie page 129
Chef Bravo,
Thank you so much for taking the time to correspond with me. It’s been an
absolute pleasure. What is the
best way for everyone to follow you and keep up with the amazing work you are
doing? Are you on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter ect?
You can look up Bravo Cookbook on FB and you will find lots of
pictures that are not in the book.
I do have my own website, but
it’s not all about cooking.
Finally, care
to share a new recipe?
Sure, here’s
another lentil recipe for you. It
comes from my switch to nutrient rich program.
Yellow Lentil Curry Soup
2 cups yellow lentils, red lentils will work too
8 cups vegetable broth
2 cups sliced oyster mushrooms
1 yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoon yellow curry
powder
2 cups loose baby arugula (optional)
1. In a dry pot sauté the onions, garlic and
mushrooms for 3 minutes over medium heat
2. Add the curry powder and vegetable broth
and bring to a simmer
3. Add the lentils and simmer until they are
fully cooked stirring occasionally
Optional- Mix in the arugula right before serving
GIVEAWAY
Here are the rules. First, the winner needs to live in the United States (sorry international readers, no disrespect). The contest will end on Valentines Day, February 14th at midnight. To enter, you must be a subscribed reader to BYOL. To increase your chances of winning leave a comment on this post or/and "like" BRAVO Cookbook on facebook. You will also gain a point if you "like" the new Bring Your Own Lentils facebook page.
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