Get Inspired to Cook: The Hutong’s Winter Special

I never cook. For someone who enjoys eating food as much as me, it probably sounds a bit odd that I never do.

For the record, I can cook and I used to cook all the time during my college years, but I rarely do it in Beijing.  Especially in a city where it’s so easy and so affordable to eat out, maybe I’ve just gotten lazy.  But I think the main reason behind my lack of cooking is that meals have become such a social event that I would feel quite odd cooking and eating a meal alone in my little apartment.

Although this has become my lifestyle in Beijing, I have actually grown more of an appreciation for home-cooked meals and I have more of a preference towards hanging out with a close group of friends at a home rather than in a restaurant or public setting.

With the weather getting colder, the idea of spending more time indoors becomes more appealing.  Perhaps now is a perfect time to get cozy and spend more time at home making soups and health-nourishing foods.

On this note, The Hutong has just released a “Winter Long Special”, an opportunity to experience up to eight cooking classes for two people at just RMB 1,280 (33% discount).  You can also sign up for 3 cooking classes in one winter month for RMB 480.

This really is the perfect opportunity for those who already love to cook or for those (like me) who want to start learning and getting in the groove of cooking again.

The Hutong’s cooking classes and workshops include (but are not limited to) the following:

About The Hutong:

Healthy Japanese Obentos is NOW Open in Central Park!

Beijing’s dining scene is getting bigger and better by the day.  Most recently, I had the best pulled pork sandwich of my life at Home Plate BBQ and now that Nathan’s Famous just opened their newest branch at Dongzhimen Raffles City, I’m eating their chili cheese dogs, Phillycheese steak sandwiches and onion rings on a daily basis.  Don’t get me wrong, this food is all fantastic, but eating this every day can take it’s toll.

In an effort to be healthier, I’ve recently been trying to eat more salads and lighter meals. On the prowl for a greater variety of high-quality, healthy cuisine, I’ve been eagerly waiting in anticipation for OBENTOS 本之味to finally open it’s doors in Central Park.

Located on the left side of The Place Cafe in Central Park, Obentos is a new, healthy and simple Japanese food concept centered on fresh salads, quality bento boxes and simple maki rolls. They officially opened their doors to public yesterday, September 15 and the place looks fantastic!  Simple, clean and pretty, I love their look and I love their Bento Box and take-away packaging!

Some dishes I’m extremely excited to try:

• Obentos Salad (RMB 28/48 for small/large size): Mixed greens, cucumber, red and yellow cherry tomatoes, julianne carrot, apple, Asian pear, daikon shoots, avocado, white and black sesame seeds and oven roasted pumpkin seeds with citrus ginger dressing.
• Fresh Tofu Salad (RMB 25/48 for small/large size): Mixed greens, cucumber, red and yellow cherry tomatoes, Ohitashi, julianne carrot, sushi ginger, sunflower seeds, bonito flakes, white and black sesame seeds with sesame dressing
• Beef Sukiyaki Classic Bento Box (RMB 56): Comes with choice of rice/salad, Sesame Ohitashi & egg, wasabi potato mash and mixed vegetables.
• Seared Sashimi Tuna Gourmet Bento Box (RMB 78): comes with choice of rice/salad, Kinpira lotus root & egg, miso ginger shiitake mushroom and braised root vegetables.
• Obentos Special Onigiri Rice Balls (RMB 15)
• Chocolate Tofu  and Green Tea Panna Cotta Desserts (RMB 20 each)

*Lunch bonus: All bento boxes and large salads include a complimentary miso soup and soft drink.

For all those close to the Central Park CBD area, Obentos starts delivery on Monday, September 19.

LumDimSum Snapshots of OBENTOS:

Stay tuned for a full restaurant review of OBENTOS coming soon!

The Healthy Benefits of Sprouting

Fat and oil have bad reputations for being unhealthy, and while most available fat and oil products sold to the mass consumer market is generally toxic, you should know that healthy fats, especially omega 3 fatty acids found in walnuts, flaxseed and fish oils are very beneficial.

But to get the benefit of these nuts, they must be cold-pressed (unheated) and go through a soaking process to get the most nutrients and enzymes.

Did you know that sprouting and soaking nuts and seeds increases nutrients, enzymes and absorption? Nuts and seeds are naturally acidic and the sprouting and soaking process removes phytic acid, which increases assimilation of their minerals, especially zinc.

- Jennifer McClelland , Raw Food Chef

To learn how to easily sprout seeds, Raw Foods Chef & Health Expert Jennifer McClelland will give short demos on sprouting buckwheat (a gluten free grain) and flaxseed (high source of ALA, an important Omega 3 fatty acid) at the World Health Store in SOHO Shangdu.

Buckwheat Sprouts

Upcoming Sprouting Demo Event Details:

• Dates: Saturday, November 20^th & Sunday, November 28^th
  
• Time: 2:00PM to 2:30PM
• Location: World Health Store at SOHO Shangdu branch
• Contact: 5900-2209, www.worldhealthstore.com.cn

Go Raw: Vegan Sushi Rolls & Chocolate Macaroons

One of my favorite things about Raw Food Chef Jennifer McClelland’s monthly raw foods classes are that you not only get to try some delicious raw food recipes, but you also get to learn how to make simple recipes that taste super good and can easily be reproduced in the comfort of your own home!

This month’s World Health Store raw foods class by Jennifer featured Raw Vegan Sushi Rolls & Chocolate-Orange Macaroons.

Using only fresh vegetables, leafy greens and marinated mushrooms, the raw vegan sushi rolls were the very first time I’d tried sushi rolls without any rice or fish! The marinated mushrooms (soaked in sesame soy sauce) were the key ingredient to having a filling and satisfying roll and the extra sauce was perfect for dipping.

LumDimSum Snapshots of Raw Vegan Sushi Roll Ingredients & Prep Stages:

Final Product & Everyone Digging In:

Chocolate-Orange Macaroons:

Consisting of the following ingredients: Raw Cacao Powder, Shredded Coconut, Raw Honey, Coconut Oil, Orange Juice, Vanilla, and Cinnamon, Jennifer mixed everything into a massive bowl and then rolled little balls to and flattened onto a dehydrator for several hours.  Lucky for us, Jennifer had previously prepared the final product for all of her audience members to sample.

LumDimSum Snapshots of Chocolate-Orange Macaroons:

Final Product: A delicious chocolate dessert that you don’t have to feel guilty about.

…really doesn’t get much better than that!

Note: Next Raw Food Cooking Class is Saturday, December 4 from 2:00PM-3:15PM

Perfect for the winter season, Jennifer McClelland teaches the art of “unbaking” with a food dehydrator to make comfort foods in the raw. Featuring Scones & Honey Butter and Warmed Chocolate Flaxseed Pudding, all dishes are meat and dairy free.

To Sign Up:

• Date: Saturday, December 4
• Time: 2:00PM-3:15PM
• Tickets:  RMB 120 for Advanced registration (1 week before event), 150 RMB regular fee and RMB 180 walk-in fee.
• Register at the nearest World Health Store (WHS) by you!
• Contact: 5900-2209, www.worldhealthstore.com.cn

Green Smoothies & Healthy Chocolate Truffles

The World Health Store’s monthly raw foods class is such an addictive experience.

You not only get to try some delicious raw food recipes, you also get to learn how to make simple recipes that actually taste so good and best of all, they can easily be reproduced in the comfort of your own home!

In previous classes, Raw Food Chef Jennifer McClelland has made summer bisque, cherry tomato and basil pizza, and a chocolate mousse made out of avocados and raw cacao. This last Saturday, Jennifer treated us to Green Smoothies and Chocolate Truffles in the Raw.

A twist on the standard fruit smoothie, Jennifer introduces fresh organic leafy greens to widen your range of nutrients. The smoothie we tasted in class was a combination of bananas, mango, lemon, kale with a combination of both Chlorella and Spirulina powder.

Green snoothies will give you a cleaner intestinal tract, more mental clarity, increased energy, healthier hair, suppler skin and stronger nails!”

-Jennifer McClelland on Green Smoothies

Before & After Shot (A Whole Lot of Goodness Packed into One Bowl)

See the Master Herself at Work:

Jennifer’s Secret to Healthy Chocolate Truffles –

Raw Cacao Powder, Walnuts, Cashews, Raisins, Coconut Oil & a Blender

Note: Next Raw Food Cooking Class is Saturday, October 23: Learn to make Raw Vegan Sushi Rolls & Orange Chocolate Macaroons

To Sign Up:

• Contact: 5900-2209, www.worldhealthstore.com.cn

Learn the Secret Behind Healthy Chocolate Truffles

For anyone with a serious sweet tooth with a chocolate addiction, Jennifer McClelland may be your savior.

A raw foods chef and expert, Jennifer will be sharing her secret to making Chocolate Truffles in the Raw – meaning they will be vegetarian friendly, lactose and gluten free.

The secret ingredient to healthy chocolate is to just consume it in its purest form: raw cacao aka raw chocolate. (available for purchase at the World Health Store)

Did you know raw cacao is one of the highest sources of Vitamin C (and antioxidants, iron and magnesium)?  But that the heating process destroys much of the nutrients and all of the Vitamin C and enzymes in chocolate?  This class we will learn how to have our cake and eat it too!

- Jennifer McClelland on raw cacao.

Event Details:

• Date: Saturday, September 4
• Time: 2:00PM-3:30PM
• Location: World Health Store in CBD (Shangdu Soho)
• Price: Regular RMB 150; Walk-in RMB 180
• Contact: 5900-2209, www.worldhealthstore.com.cn

Raw Goodness: Round 2

After my first raw foods class at the World Health Store with Raw Food Chef Jennifer McClelland, I was hooked.

I never knew eating healthy could be so simple and more importantly, taste so good.

With Jennifer’s raw food cooking classes, you’re guaranteed to learn some easy-to-make recipes that are so tasty and so healthy, you’ll want to immediately start incorporating raw foods into your daily diet and hopefully begin your journey towards a healthier lifestyle.

This past Saturday, Jennifer hosted her Great Raw of China Cooking Class spotlighting refreshing summer treats – a Yellow Bell Pepper Bisque with Basil and a Berry & Cream Tart with Bitter Sweet Dark Cacao in a Walnut Crust.

A combination of blended tomatoes, bell peppers, cashews, olive oil and basil, the bisque was both satisfying and refreshing – a great summer alternative to soup and the berry tart was seriously too mouth-watering delicious to be healthy, but it absolutely is.  The crust is made from walnuts, coconut flakes and raisins, the cream was made from cashew nuts, vanilla and pure maple syrup and the chocolate sauce made from coconut oil, raw cacao powder and cinnamon.

If you’re wondering how complicated it must be to make a summer bisque and a berry tart out of raw food, it’s really quite simple as everything was made using just a blender! And an extra bonus – recipes are vegetarian-friendly, plus dairy and gluten free!

The highlight was the chocolate sauce which reminded me of the amazing chocolate mousse Jennifer made in her previous raw foods class.

Did you know that raw cacao (chocolate) is one of the richest sources of Vitamin C?  But all heat processed chocolate loses vitamin C and other nutrients the body needs to stay in prime health.

- Jennifer McClelland on Raw Cacao

Watch the Master at Work:

Finished Products:

Jennifer regularly hosts raw food cuisine courses at the World Health Store in SOHO Shangdu where she educates her classes on the health benefits of incorporating more raw foods into their daily diet and providing mouth-watering recipes to prove to you just how good “healthy” meals can be.

Next raw food class on Saturday, August 14, “Make Raw Not War” will feature Raw Vegan Burgers and Dairy-Free Chocolate Milkshakes!

• Date: Saturday, August 14
• Time: 2:00PM-4:00PM
• Location:  World Health Store in CBD
• Price: RMB 150 per person
• Contact:  5900-2209, www.worldhealthstore.com.cn

If you are interested in learning more, I recommend the “Raw for Life” viewing at Kocoon Spa and a Green Smoothie Demo! Hosted at Kocoon Spa, Jennifer will be giving an introduction to the health benefits of a raw food lifestyle along with a free green smoothie demo!

For more information about raw foods & the health benefits of eating “living” foods, visit Jennifer McClelland’s website and the World Health Store Blog.

Raw Goodness

Raw Food Chef & Natural Health Guru, Jennifer McClelland

Summer time means more sun and less clothing.

And there’s no better way to work off the long winter and get in shape in time for summer than eating a healthier diet.

Generally, eating healthy means no junk food and more greens. But have you ever considered going raw?

For those who are not familiar with the raw food diet:

“Raw food is literally “living” fruits, vegetables, nuts & seeds in their unprocessed, unrefined and uncooked state preserving essential vitamins, enzymes and micro-nutrients the body needs for optimal health.  And preserving all this goodness in food is believed to be the answer to weight management and the prevention of many diseases, including cancer and diabetes.”

- Jennifer McClelland, Raw Food Chef

Raw Food Chef Jennifer McClelland regularly hosts raw food cuisine courses at the World Health Store in SOHO Shangdu where she educates her classes on the health benefits of incorporating more raw foods into their daily diet and providing mouth-watering recipes to prove to you just how good “healthy” meals can be!

Most recently, Jennifer hosted a “Raw Raw for Roma” class where she prepared a Cherry Tomato & Basil Pizza with a Flax Seed & Zucchini Pizza Crust (cooked in dehydrator) and Pumpkin Seed Cheese Spread (made with a blender).  For dessert, Jennifer created a Chocolate Mousse Mint Cream Parfait from just blending avocados, raw cacao, honey, coconut oil, cinnamon, a dab of mint extract, Spirulina (blue-green algae that is the world’s richest source of protein) and organic strawberry for garnish.

All recipes were lactose and gluten-free and still 100% delicious.

Jennifer, on easy ways to gradually add raw foods to your daily diet:

“If your diet consists of mostly cooked, processed and refined foods, begin to add some fresh choices to each meal.  You can start off with an apple a day and move to a fruit and vegetable smoothie.  Adding a salad to your meal is so easy.  Gradually increase the amount of fresh you eat.  Remember it does not have to be an all or nothing approach and slow changes are often the most long-lasting.”

LumDimSum Photo Gallery of the “Raw Raw for Roma” Raw Food Class:

For more information about raw foods & the health benefits of eating “living” foods, visit Jennifer McClelland’s website and the World Health Store Blog.