Latest / UNCHAINEDTV'S Truth Files with Jane Velez-Mitchell / UnchainedTV: Chef AJ's Insanely Delicious, Guilt-Free, Dessert Cookbook

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UnchainedTV: Chef AJ's Insanely Delicious, Guilt-Free, Dessert Cookbook · UNCHAINEDTV'S Truth Files with Jane Velez-Mitchell

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Author, TV journalist, and the founder of the
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Unchained TV free streaming network, Jane Velez Mitchell.
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You're about to hear a secret solution to
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the problems that plague our world.
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If you want to revolutionise your health, get
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truly joyful, and jump to the next phase
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of human evolution, all it takes is one
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simple choice.
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Now, here's your host, Jane Velez Mitchell.
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And we've got breaking news, wait for it,
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wait for it, who's our guest today?
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The amazing chef AJ, the one and only,
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and she's out with a new book.
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This woman has written multiple, multiple, multiple bestsellers,
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but this one is my personal favourite because
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I don't know about you, but I have
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a sweet tooth.
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And this book with over 150 vegan and
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gluten-free dessert recipes shows that you can
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have your sweet tooth guilt-free, naturally sweetened
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with just fruit.
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I want to say it again, this is
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a miracle book.
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It will change your life.
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If you're like me, I've gained and lost
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those same 10 pounds over and over again,
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because I've never met a cupcake I didn't
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like or a pie.
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Well, guess what?
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You now have a solution because chef AJ
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is famous for having lost, well, she's going
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to tell you in a second, how many
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pounds by simply getting rid of the sugar
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and replacing it with fruit.
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And I have personally tasted her desserts and
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they are crazy good.
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They are insanely good.
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They taste decadent.
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They taste like you should feel really, really
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guilty about them, but they are totally good
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for you.
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In fact, many of them are packed with
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super foods.
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So without further ado, I would like to
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introduce a woman who is my hero, who
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has literally turned more people vegan than, well,
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almost anyone and done it in a sweet,
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sweet way.
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Chef AJ out with her new book called
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Sweet Indulgence.
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All right, Chef AJ, tell us why is
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this book so extraordinary?
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Well, I think it's extraordinary because first of
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all, like you say, it's vegan, Jane, and
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you know, in four days I will have
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been vegan for 47 years.
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So even that might be enough, but it
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hits a lot of other notes that people
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feel are important to them.
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So for example, it's gluten-free, it is
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oil-free, it is salt-free and it
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is refined sugar-free and of the 157
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recipes, only two actually contain flour.
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So I think there's a little something for
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everybody in this book.
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Well, I got to tell you, you are
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my hero because, okay, behind me is Unchained
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TV, where I am proud to say Chef
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AJ has a whole bunch of cooking shows
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that you can watch.
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She's got a channel on Unchained TV.
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She also starred in Unchained TV's award-winning
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series, New Day, New Chef.
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In fact, she was the very first chef
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up at bat ever.
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And I personally watched her make one of
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these incredible dishes in, I believe it was
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the German chocolate cake with the strawberries on
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top.
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I don't know what it was, but I
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never forget how when the taping ended, as
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soon as they yelled cut, the crew just
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swarmed in and literally it was a fight
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for every single piece.
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And I was right in there with them.
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And these guys who were in the crew
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weren't vegan.
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I certainly am.
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I've been for 29 years, but those guys
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just wanted something that looked really delicious.
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And it was delicious.
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So for those who don't believe that you
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can get the great, great taste without using
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actual sugar or stuff that's bad for you,
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what would you tell them?
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Because, I mean, this is a huge issue,
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huge operative word.
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Two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese.
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And I don't say that looking down.
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I fight with my weight constantly because, precisely
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because I have a sweet tooth.
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Tell us, AJ.
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Yeah, well, absolutely.
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And I've heard statistics that most Americans eat
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anywhere between 100 to 150 pounds of sugar
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per person per year.
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So even if you don't have a weight
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problem, sugar is just not a health-promoting
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food.
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I don't even think of it as a
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food.
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I think of it really more as a
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drug, or maybe even in some cases a
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poison.
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So I would tell people that don't believe
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that you can have delicious desserts made from
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fruit, the whole fruit, nothing but the whole
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fruit, to make a date with dessert.
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In other words, taste a date.
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If you haven't tried dates, dates are nature's
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candy.
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They are so sweet.
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There's so many varieties.
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Some of them taste like Kraft caramels, but
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they're a whole food.
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And so instead of being a processed food
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like sugar, they are a whole food, which
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means they have water and fibre, vitamins, minerals,
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phytochemicals, antioxidants, micronutrients.
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They're health-promoting, and you will experience satiety
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when you eat food or desserts made from
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whole foods.
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You can keep eating sugar and flour and
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oil all day.
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That's what a traditional cake is.
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And you will never feel full, and you
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will always continue to eat.
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But when you eat desserts that are made
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from actual food, your brain and your stretch
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receptors recognise that this is a real food,
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and it puts the brakes on so that
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you will eventually stop eating, I'm pretty sure.
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And Jane, the dessert that I made on
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your wonderful show was the strawberry chocolate cheesecake.
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And the German chocolate cake that you're remembering
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is, I made it for your birthday once
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when I lived in Los Angeles.
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Well, they're all so delicious.
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Honestly, you do not know that this is
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fruit sweetened.
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You think, your mind is telling you, oh
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my God, this is a real decadent dessert.
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But the great part about it, it's totally
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100% guilt-free.
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The phone line's already lighting up.
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Michael in Culver City, your question or thought
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for Chef AJ.
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Oh, hey, so great to talk to you,
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Chef AJ.
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And my question is, I have a really
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bad sweet tooth.
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And so there are times when I cannot
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really access natural sugar.
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But my question is, what do you think
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about stevia, which is plant-based, and also
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just a regular cane sugar, which is not
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with no bone added to it or anything?
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Are those OK once in a while?
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OK, so it's funny because I was a
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communication speech major in college.
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So the word OK, you need to clarify.
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OK for what?
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OK for health, OK for weight loss, OK
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if you're suffering from food addiction.
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So I believe that sugar is sugar, oil
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is oil, salt is salt.
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And just because some are less bad doesn't
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mean they're good.
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But if you are happy with your health,
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with your weight, who am I to tell
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you not to eat these things?
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The thing is, when you say you can't
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access natural sugars, do you live somewhere where
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you don't have Amazon or Walmart?
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Because date syrup and date sugar are available
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even at Walmart now, for example.
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So I would rather have people eat sugar
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and, of course, vegan sugar over stevia.
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Because unless you're just eating the green leaf
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from a plant you're growing, stevia is highly,
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highly processed.
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Most people are eating the powders or the
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liquid.
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And it's thousands of times sweeter than sugar.
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And what happens when you eat stevia, it
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actually perpetuates your cravings and desire for more
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sweet, because there's nothing that sweet in nature.
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And the problem with stevia or erythritol, xylitol,
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mannitol, aspartame, saccharin, any of the zero-calorie
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sweeteners, is that you have taste buds on
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the tip of your tongue.
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And when you taste sweet, your brain gets
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really excited, because in nature you found some
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fruit, you're going to get some calories, you're
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going to survive.
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So you taste something with stevia and you
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have no calories, but you get this intensely
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sweet taste.
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So the brain is making you hungrier because
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it wants calories.
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So I would not recommend stevia or any
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of the other fake or zero-calorie sweeteners.
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It just really depends on what your goals
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are.
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Wow.
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Okay.
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We've got yet another caller.
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Steve in Dallas, Texas.
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Your question or thought for the one and
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only Chef AJ.
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Hi there.
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Yes.
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I wanted to say thank you.
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I also have a sweet tooth, James.
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It's great to get ideas for healthier sweet
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options for myself.
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But also just wanted to comment.
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Like when we do outreach, a lot of
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people are expecting to taste food right there
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on the spot.
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When we reach out to them, try to
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teach them about compassion towards animals, having that
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sweet treat there on spot to show them
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a great example of how veganism can be
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amazing and delicious.
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I passed around cookies at work.
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I think I blew this guy's mind.
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He looked at it as if it could
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not exist.
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It was impossible for a vegan treat to
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taste so good.
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It changed his world with just a cookie.
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So real powerful stuff.
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Thank you so much for creating this wonderful
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book and these ideas.
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Thank you.
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Fantastic.
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And I want to go to the next
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caller.
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That was a comment, but a compliment is
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always nice.
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Nilo Farr, also in Texas.
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Hi.
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It's such a pleasure.
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Was there, two questions.
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Was there any vegan physician who influenced you
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the most in order to make healthy vegan
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treats without adding plaque to our arteries?
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And question two, I used the link on
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Chain TV to purchase, to try to purchase
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the sweet indulgence.
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And I guess I got stuck where after
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it asked for the name and email browse
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file, you have to upload a file to
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submit.
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If you could clarify that.
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Thanks.
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All right, go for it.
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Okay, sure.
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If I understand your second question correctly, you're
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probably talking about how to get the bonuses
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because anyone that orders the book anytime up
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until August 31st, if they submit their receipt
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to sweetindulgencebook.com, they will get over a
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thousand dollars worth of bonuses, including a video
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of every single recipe and much more.
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If you're not able to do that or
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having trouble, please contact our help desk, which
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is help at chefaj.com.
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Now, as far as who influenced me, there
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are so many giants on whose shoulders I
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stand.
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But if I had to pick the three
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that were most influential, I would say first
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was Dr. John McDougal, who sadly passed away
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this year, Dr. Alan Goldhammer, and probably Dr.
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Caldwell B.
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Esselstyn, because even before I met Dr. Goldhammer,
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Dr. McDougal, in August of 2008, I had
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heard a lecture by Dr. Esselstyn talking about
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how to become bulletproof against heart disease simply
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by giving up oil.
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And I never had heard that oil was
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not a health food.
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And it made sense to me having a
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family that had heart disease, and it didn't
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seem like it was that big of an
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ask.
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And truthfully, of sugar, oil, and salt, I
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think oil is actually the easiest.
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So he was the one that really had
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me understand why to give up oil.
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And then Dr. McDougal was the one that
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had me understand, like, you got to have
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starch.
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If you don't have enough starch, you're going
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to be hungry.
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And Dr. Goldhammer, along with Dr. Weil, who
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wrote The Pleasure Trap, really helped me understand
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that sugar, oil, and salt really aren't foods,
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but they're chemicals that are added to the
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food that fool our brain satiety mechanisms and
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cause us to overeat.
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So, of course, there's so many wonderful people
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like Dr. Barnard and Dr. Campbell.
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And again, I stand Dr. Ornish, Dr. Greger,
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but I think those are the three that
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I've had the most direct experience with.
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Yeah.
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And guys, just go to chefaj.com.
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Obviously, you can buy the book on Amazon.
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Very easy.
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You just put in sweet indulgence.
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You can get it.
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Then you submit that receipt to the link,
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and you can get a thousand dollars worth
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of bonuses.
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But just go to chefaj.com and get
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involved in this.
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Super, super fun.
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And it's a whole new world, honestly.
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If I hadn't experienced it for myself firsthand,
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I wouldn't necessarily be as enthusiastic about it
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because I'm one of these people, honestly, never
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seen something that's bad for you that I
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didn't want, except for me.
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But if it's candy, if it's cigarettes, I'm
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in recovery from alcohol for 29 years.
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I'm happy to say I'm about to turn
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knock on wood 30 years sober one day
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at a time, but I have those cravings
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and I recognise them.
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And I was always like, oh yeah, fruit,
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fruit.
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Yeah.
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But honestly, when I tasted Chef AJ's desserts,
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it was sinful.
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It was sweet.
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It blew my mind.
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And that's why this book is so important
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because this is 150 recipes.
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So you've got the cupcakes, but you've got
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the pies.
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You've got the cakes.
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You've got the nice cream, which is vegan
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ice cream.
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You've got the puddings.
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I mean, it goes on and on and
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on.
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And what I also love about it, Chef
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AJ, is that I'm somebody who literally still
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has the tape on my oven because I
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either use air fryer or a microwave and
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you have recipes that you can do with
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your air fryer.
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Tell us about that.
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Yeah, absolutely.
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And it's funny because yesterday I did a
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podcast and I showed all the recipes in
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the book that could be done with a
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microwave.
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And there's a few with the air fryer
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because I want people to use what they
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have and not necessarily have to buy things.
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There's some also with a dehydrator, but when
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you take fruit and put it in the
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air fryer, it makes it even sweeter.
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I don't know if you've ever tried to
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air fry apples or bananas or, oh my
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goodness, plantains or pears.
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Just like when you roast things in an
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oven, air frying is just quicker and it
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brings out the natural sweetness and caramelisation in
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the fruit.
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And so that's a great way to even
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intensify the sweetness without using sugar, especially if
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you have a piece of fruit that's not
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ripe.
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Pears, sometimes they're just not sweet, but when
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you put them in the air fryer, I
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don't know, something magical happens.
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All right, I want to play a clip
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where you actually show strawberries and you kind
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of explain how they become sweeter and that
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they become a little bit more malleable.
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So you're going to see the difference between
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how berries look before they're macerated because I
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have some right here that I macerated a
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few hours ago.
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So you can see it's almost like they
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get a cooked texture or a texture like
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they would have if they've been frozen.
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But the main thing is by macerating them,
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they just get very, very soft and that's
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what we're looking for.
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I will put in probably a tablespoon or
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two of the California balsamic vinegar.
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I really don't measure, you can, but usually
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I just eyeball it.
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Any fruit that's in season will work.
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When a fruit is hard though, like an
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apple, you want to cut it very small
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because it's not going to macerate the same
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way as a berry.
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Yes, it's not going to give up the
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juice or the liquid when there's not much
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juice or liquid in it.
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Oh, mango was another fruit I've used in
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here.
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Really, really delicious.
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Now I have to tell you, I always
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go for mango because it is for me
15:41
the easiest to take to make something sweet.
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Like I've nailed mango smoothies.
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I mean, obviously some fruit is sweeter than
15:51
others.
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Yeah, absolutely.
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And the ripeness will affect how sweet the
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fruit is.
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For example, bananas come in the store and
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they're generally a little bit green on top.
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And while they might be suitable for eating,
16:04
like I prefer them less sweet if I'm
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eating them.
16:07
If you're using them in recipes, you want
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to go to the section where they're selling
16:10
the older produce when they're nice and speckled
16:13
and brown, especially if you're going to use
16:15
them for desserts or smoothies.
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Of you bring them home, other fruits kind
16:21
of stay the same amount of ripeness.
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I like grapes, for example, don't change.
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But when you think about frozen fruit, sometimes
16:28
frozen fruit is actually sweeter than fresh food.
16:31
I know that for me, sometimes when I
16:33
buy berries, like blueberries or blackberries, they're not
16:36
always that sweet.
16:37
But for some reason, when they're frozen, they
16:38
are.
16:39
Raspberries, I find to be the opposite.
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I find often frozen raspberries are much more
16:43
tart than fresh raspberries.
16:44
But you're dealing with a whole natural food,
16:46
so you cannot guarantee the level of sweetness
16:48
like you can with fresh fruit, with one
16:50
exception, dates.
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Dates are intensely sweet.
16:54
They're about 70% sugar.
16:56
They're low water, but they're full of fibre
16:57
and nutrients.
16:58
And that's why I use them as my
17:00
primary sweetener, because of the consistency in the
17:03
recipes.
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All right, we've got more callers.
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I have some date questions, not dating questions,
17:08
but date questions in a second.
17:11
We've got Tiffany in Santa Monica, and we'll
17:16
then go to Annie in Sherman Oaks.
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Tiffany?
17:20
Thank you, Jane, for taking my call.
17:22
And Chef AJ, I discovered you on Unchained,
17:26
watching one of your cooking clips.
17:28
And I bought one of your cookbooks.
17:30
I think it was one of the first
17:31
ones.
17:32
I love it.
17:33
But I can never get past the, you
17:37
do a brussels sprouts with mustard and balsamic
17:41
vinegar.
17:41
I love it so much.
17:43
That's all I make now.
17:45
And I was wondering if there's something like
17:47
that in the new cookbook, something simple like
17:50
that one that you're really crazy about.
17:53
Yeah, that's a great question.
17:55
And thank you.
17:56
So I agree, you know, balsamic vinegar, especially
17:59
the good quality, reduced kind, kind of fixes
18:01
everything.
18:02
So there are a lot of easy recipes
18:04
in the book.
18:04
I would say that, honestly, off the top
18:07
of my head, I can only think of
18:08
three that are a little bit more challenging.
18:10
And there are the ones that made the
18:11
cover, the peanut butter and chocolate cheesecake, which
18:14
was a favourite of actress Heather Graham when
18:16
I was in LA, the stuffed peanut butter
18:18
cupcake with a peanut butter chocolate ganache, which
18:22
was a favourite of Dr. Neil Barnard, and
18:24
the German chocolate cake.
18:25
I have a history of teaching cooking to
18:28
the blind at the Braille Institute.
18:29
And I find that if it's easy for
18:31
the blind, it's going to be easier for
18:32
the sighted.
18:33
So I try to keep things to seven
18:35
or even fewer ingredients and as few steps
18:37
as possible.
18:38
The strawberry chocolate cheesecake that Jane was talking
18:41
about, this is a photo in my book
18:43
of Luca, he was seven years old, two
18:45
years ago, when he took my sweet indulgence
18:47
dessert masterclass, and he was able to make
18:50
that recipe.
18:51
So I'm trying to think there's some of
18:53
some really well, I mean, some of the
18:55
easy ones, for example, like, like the waffle,
18:58
I mean, there's three ingredients in my waffle,
19:00
it's bananas, applesauce, and oats.
19:03
I mean, what could be easier than that,
19:04
putting them in the blender and making a
19:06
waffle.
19:06
And of course, you can always add spices
19:08
like cinnamon or vanilla, even my cookies, like
19:10
my snickerdoodle dates, cinnamon, vanilla powder, and oats.
19:15
So I really do try to keep it
19:16
simple.
19:17
And I have a lot of recipes that
19:18
don't even require an oven, which makes it
19:21
even simpler.
19:22
So they are like recipes that would be
19:24
suitable for a raw foodist.
19:25
And they're pretty easy to make with just
19:27
combining, you know, fruits with things like oats
19:30
or nuts with things like oats, and making
19:34
crusts, making fillings.
19:36
You know, a lot of the fillings of
19:39
the sweet potato mousse, it's roasted sweet potatoes
19:42
and bananas with cinnamon and vanilla.
19:44
So I think you'll find that most of
19:46
the recipes are fairly easy.
19:48
And hopefully you'll find that all of them
19:49
are delicious.
19:50
All right, Andy, your question or thought for
19:52
Chef AJ?
19:56
Oh, thank you.
19:56
Thank you for having me.
19:57
So Dana, thank you, Chef AJ for being
19:59
here.
20:00
I love you so much.
20:01
Been following you for years.
20:03
And you're amazing.
20:05
And I love your how you lost the
20:08
weight, you've gone through it, you're the experiential
20:11
chef, you're not just a chef.
20:13
And you speak from all the experiences you
20:15
changed your life.
20:17
And I love Dr. McDougal you had on
20:19
the show and how I was touched and
20:21
crying with you, by the way, was for
20:23
the late Dr. McDougal blesses so you know,
20:26
may he live in power.
20:27
And all the doctors, Dr. Goldhamer, everyone you
20:30
mentioned, I adore them all and adore you
20:32
the most because you are a living example.
20:36
You healed yourself, you went to North.
20:38
And what I love is that how you
20:40
simplify, but you use science-based and yummy
20:44
taste buds to make these amazing recipes.
20:48
I am waiting to see your book.
20:50
I know you're going to order it, Annie,
20:52
but Annie raises a very good question.
20:56
Tell us your backstory.
20:59
Tell us how much weight you lost, how
21:02
you were able to do it and keep
21:03
it off.
21:04
Because you know, losing weight is one thing,
21:07
but then it creeps right back up if
21:09
you don't change your lifestyle.
21:12
Absolutely.
21:13
Okay, so from my highest weight, I'm 70
21:15
pounds down.
21:16
But from my, my most typical adult weight,
21:19
I'm 55 pounds down.
21:20
And the funny thing is, I was able
21:22
to sustain obesity.
21:24
Oh, there's a doggie, you know, just by
21:26
being a junk food vegan, I was obese.
21:29
Well, not the day I was born, but
21:31
by the age of five, for sure, because
21:32
that's what I remember.
21:34
And you know, by the age of 11,
21:35
I'm only five, five.
21:36
At the age of 11, I was only
21:37
five feet tall, and I weighed about 160
21:40
pounds.
21:40
And that itself is obese, because at five,
21:42
six, 160 is technically obese.
21:45
And I stayed that way really until about
21:48
the age of 51, which was 14 years
21:50
ago.
21:51
And I was able to do that as
21:52
a vegan because I was eating processed food.
21:55
You know, French fries are vegan, Dr. Pepper's
21:58
vegan, Coke Slurpees are vegan.
22:01
Potato chips are vegan, cotton candy is vegan.
22:03
And we live in a day now where
22:04
there are so many analogues of food that
22:07
are vegan that didn't exist 47 years ago,
22:10
that are calorically dense, that I don't really
22:12
think are health promoting, you know, full of
22:14
sugar, fat and salt.
22:15
And at the age of 51, I went
22:17
to the TrueNorth Health Centre.
22:19
And that's where I really got the information
22:21
about something that I often teach called calorie
22:24
density.
22:25
And when I change the calorie density of
22:26
the food on my plate, focussing on just
22:28
the whole foods, like fruits, vegetables, whole grains
22:31
and legumes, I didn't have to weigh or
22:33
measure my food or count calories, carbs or
22:35
points, I really could eat to ad libitum
22:37
or to satiation.
22:38
And slowly and surely, I took off the
22:40
weight.
22:40
And this wasn't a quick fix.
22:42
It wasn't like Ozempic.
22:43
It took about two years, actually 27 months
22:46
for me to lose 47 pounds.
22:47
But I did it without starving.
22:50
I did it deliciously eating as much as
22:53
I want of the right food.
22:54
And I've been able to keep that weight
22:56
off now.
22:56
It's been 13 years.
23:01
Oh, I can't hear Jane now.
23:05
To that end, you use ingredients like millet.
23:08
And I want to play a clip of
23:10
you turning millet, which is not something you
23:13
would normally think as of sweet, you think
23:16
that is some sort of mediaeval brain that
23:19
nobody eats anymore.
23:21
But you turn it into a fabulous pudding.
23:23
Let's watch.
23:24
So what we're going to do is we're
23:25
going to take a cup of millet, you
23:26
could toast it if you like.
23:27
And in the Instant Pot, I have three
23:29
cups of a non-dairy milk.
23:30
I'm using unsweetened almond milk.
23:32
So I'm just going to pour it in
23:33
just like that.
23:34
I'm going to make it a little sweet
23:35
because it's going to be, you know, sort
23:37
of a dessert-y type thing.
23:38
It could be a breakfast.
23:39
This is date syrup.
23:40
And I'm using six tablespoons.
23:43
And what I like about date syrup, Dr.
23:45
Diehl, is that it's really a whole food.
23:47
It's made only from dates.
23:48
That's the only ingredient.
23:49
So it has the fibre and the vitamins,
23:51
minerals, phytochemicals, antioxidants.
23:52
What I like about date syrup as opposed
23:54
to refined sugar is I can actually make
23:56
this in my own kitchen.
23:57
And I have.
23:57
This is a wonderful company, Organic.
23:59
It's called I Love Date Lady.
24:01
And they don't put any sugar in their
24:02
date syrup.
24:03
Believe it or not, some companies do, which
24:04
kind of defeats the purpose.
24:06
My spices are a teaspoon of roasted cinnamon
24:08
and a half a teaspoon of cardamom.
24:09
Wait till you start smelling it.
24:11
A tablespoon of alcohol-free vanilla.
24:14
And then all I do is I put
24:16
the top on.
24:17
And I'm going to put it on for
24:19
10 minutes.
24:20
So you would have time to do this
24:21
in the morning.
24:22
Make it for your breakfast porridge.
24:24
Walk the dog if you have one.
24:25
Take a shower.
24:27
Set it.
24:27
Forget it.
24:28
So porridge, that is certainly a phrase I
24:32
haven't heard in a long time.
24:34
I mean, are you taking us back to
24:36
the basics?
24:37
This sounds like a dish that could have
24:39
been in the 14th or 13th century.
24:42
But hey, that's so funny.
24:45
Yeah, that's funny.
24:46
I don't use the word too often.
24:48
It makes me think of the three bears.
24:50
But people have heard of millet.
24:52
They've probably seen it if they have a
24:53
bird.
24:54
It's basically bird seed.
24:55
It is a whole grain.
24:57
It's an ancient grain, and in my opinion,
24:58
an underused grain.
24:59
And it's very delicious.
25:01
And you're right, most people think of it
25:02
as savoury.
25:03
But any grain can be used to be
25:06
sweetened.
25:06
Like most people that eat oats in the
25:08
morning, they're putting some kind of sweetener, if
25:10
not sugar, bananas, or blueberries.
25:12
People have heard of rice pudding.
25:14
People have heard maybe buckwheat granola.
25:16
So grains are a great way to get
25:19
some healthy calories in, full of starch, whether
25:22
you sweeten them or not.
25:23
And I think millet is really delicious.
25:25
So what was that dish?
25:27
Because it turned into something that looked really
25:32
decadent.
25:33
You had it in some kind of champagne
25:35
glass layered.
25:37
And again, here's something with millet and dates
25:41
that seems like very granola, in quotes.
25:45
But the actual recipe itself, when it's done,
25:48
looks amazing.
25:49
Just like behind me, you're making something with
25:53
strawberries and dates that looks super decadent, super
25:56
colourful.
25:57
I mean, we eat with our eyes.
25:59
And suffice it to say, Chef AJ, it's
26:03
in this book.
26:04
It's in this book.
26:06
Yeah.
26:07
And so this is the Creamy Blueberry Millet
26:09
Parfait.
26:10
And it's really delicious.
26:11
And, you know, the thing is, if you
26:13
are used to eating the standard American diet
26:15
or a junk food vegan diet, this recipe
26:17
may not be sweet enough for you, which
26:20
is why we have a rating in the
26:21
book of the levels of sweetness.
26:24
We use a strawberry, which is my favourite
26:26
fruit.
26:27
One strawberry, if it's subtly sweet.
26:30
Two strawberries, if it's nice and sweet.
26:33
And three strawberries, like for the rich chocolate
26:35
desserts, which is superbly sweet.
26:37
We similarly do the same thing with the
26:39
amount of fat, letting you know whether it's
26:41
a low-fat dessert, suitable for people following,
26:44
say, a McDougal, Ornish, Esselstyn, Pritikin-type programme,
26:47
if it has a moderate amount of fat,
26:49
or if it's rich and decadent.
26:51
And of the 157 recipes in the book,
26:54
108 are low-fat.
26:56
Wow, that is absolutely amazing.
26:59
So let me ask you this.
27:02
I'll be quite honest with you.
27:05
I have tried, like, I actually cook because
27:08
being, well, having started Unshamed TV, which is
27:13
the world's only plant-based nonprofit streaming network,
27:16
we have hundreds and hundreds of recipes and
27:19
cooking videos, and we're honoured to have some
27:22
of yours amongst ours.
27:23
Some of the most popular, actually, are the
27:26
Chef AJ videos.
27:28
But I've had to cook, but I hit
27:31
a wall when it comes to anything involving
27:33
baking.
27:34
I'm very intimidated, and I have a feeling
27:37
a lot of other people are intimidated as
27:40
well.
27:41
So what would you say about your book
27:44
that helps people a breakthrough?
27:46
Because I would love to break through, but
27:48
every single time, while I can do a
27:51
stir-fry and I can do this, that,
27:53
and the other, every single time I try
27:55
to do baking, it's a bleepin' disaster.
27:59
Yeah, well, I think, you know, there's a
28:01
learning curve with any new skill, and the
28:03
more you do it, the better you get.
28:05
You know, that saying, repetition is a mother
28:06
of skill.
28:07
I started baking when I was seven, because
28:09
that's when I got my Easy-Bake Oven.
28:11
But you're right, baking can be a little
28:12
bit daunting, because it's a science.
28:14
There's chemistry.
28:15
You do need to follow a recipe, whereas
28:17
cooking, or some of the recipes in the
28:18
book that don't require baking, are more improvisational.
28:22
That is why, for people that buy before
28:24
the 31st, I did a video for every
28:27
single recipe, because I think sometimes watching a
28:30
video can really help you understand what you
28:32
need to do in the kitchen.
28:34
The thing with baking is, pretty much, if
28:36
you read the recipe once, twice, and maybe
28:38
three times, and follow it exactly, it's usually
28:41
foolproof.
28:42
One of the things I recommend, whether you're
28:44
making my recipes, your own recipes, is to
28:47
do something we learned the first day of
28:48
culinary school called mise en place, everything in
28:51
its place.
28:51
When you make a recipe, instead of running
28:54
willy-nilly to your refrigerator, your cabinets, your
28:57
pantry, read the recipe, assemble all the ingredients,
29:00
and then measure all the ingredients, and put
29:03
them in little different dishes.
29:05
I think that makes every recipe go quicker,
29:08
and it's almost foolproof that way, because then
29:10
you're not as distracted, like, well, did I
29:12
put this in?
29:13
Did I put that in?
29:14
So, that's just something I recommend for everyone,
29:16
and it seems to help a lot of
29:17
people.
29:18
Also, get your oven calibrated.
29:20
This is another important point, and I talk
29:22
about it in the book.
29:23
You know, I used to be an apartment
29:24
manager back in the day when I lived
29:26
in Sherman Oaks, and when we would have
29:28
a new move in, they would get a
29:29
new oven from a very reputable appliance store,
29:33
and oftentimes, the resident would say, my oven's
29:35
not working, my oven's not working.
29:36
I would go down with my trusty oven
29:38
thermometer that costs maybe $10 in a hardware
29:41
store, and even a brand new oven may
29:43
be improperly calibrated.
29:45
So, while it may say 350 on the
29:47
oven, it might be 290.
29:49
So, that's the thing.
29:50
You need to know what your true 350
29:52
or 325 is to get your oven calibrated,
29:55
or to at least know what your oven
29:57
temperature is, because I've seen a lot of
29:59
mistakes happen that way.
30:00
You know, all chef coats have this little
30:02
pocket in it, and traditionally, you will see
30:05
a thermometer in there, you know, for chefs
30:07
that are working in a restaurant, and when
30:09
I was the pastry chef, that little thermometer
30:12
was hanging in there so that regardless of
30:14
what the knob said, we knew what the
30:16
temperature really was.
30:18
Well, listen, I think this is all wonderful.
30:21
I'm going to do it gradually.
30:23
I want to know the simplest recipe in
30:28
your, like, Jane, you can't screw this up
30:32
kind of recipe.
30:33
All right.
30:34
Okay.
30:36
Well, then the simplest recipe has got to
30:38
be...
30:40
I mean, if you're listening, I got to
30:42
tell you, get this book, Sweet Indulgence, 150
30:45
plus vegan gluten-free desserts.
30:48
You can get it on Amazon.
30:50
Just get it delivered right away, and then
30:52
you can also take advantage of $1,000
30:55
worth of value-added bonuses if you order
30:58
it immediately.
30:59
But, I mean, my gosh, there are, there's
31:02
doughnuts, there's pies, there's custards, there's caramel nut
31:07
tart, there's hockey pucks, there's...
31:11
How about this?
31:15
Air fry apple pie.
31:17
It sounds like something I might be able
31:18
to do.
31:20
What about that?
31:21
What about air fry apple pie?
31:25
Yeah, air fry apple pie is super, super
31:28
easy.
31:29
And, but not everybody has an air fryer,
31:31
which is why I have two apple pie
31:33
recipes, like apple pie that won't make you
31:36
die, and the world's healthiest apple pie, as
31:38
well as apple pie fries.
31:40
You asked for the simplest recipe.
31:42
So how about this?
31:43
One ingredient, banana ice cream.
31:46
You have to take a banana that's ripe,
31:48
you peel it, you freeze it, and then
31:50
through a variety of machines, and I outline
31:52
many of the machines, you turn it into
31:54
the most delicious ice cream.
31:56
How about a two-ingredient recipe?
31:59
Game-changing granola.
32:00
Very ripe bananas mixed with oats.
32:02
Maybe you're putting in some cinnamon and vanilla,
32:04
and you dehydrate it.
32:06
This is one of my favourite recipes in
32:08
the book, and it's only, whoa, it's only
32:11
four ingredients, and I make these all the
32:14
time.
32:14
All you really need is a food processor.
32:17
These are called thumbprint cookies.
32:19
They are so delicious.
32:21
You can fill them with any fruit jam
32:22
you want.
32:23
And by the way, you don't have to
32:24
make fruit jam, even though there is a
32:26
recipe in my book for chia jam, which
32:28
is just fruit and chia seeds.
32:29
You can buy it commercially everywhere, even Walmart.
32:32
And the cookie part is just dates and
32:36
oats and vanilla powder.
32:37
And these are so delicious, and they only
32:39
bake for five minutes.
32:41
This is a very popular recipe from my
32:43
book.
32:44
These are called Goodman peanut chews.
32:46
Goodman was my name before I was married.
32:48
There are three ingredients in the base, peanuts,
32:52
dates, and vanilla powder.
32:53
And the top is just melted 100%
32:57
cacao, or you can get date sweetened chocolate
32:59
now, and peanuts.
33:01
These are just like amazing.
33:04
And I don't know, these remind me of
33:07
Golden Girl peanut chews.
33:08
Talk us through this, because this is precisely
33:11
the kind of thing I would like to
33:13
make, because my sweet tooth kicks up at
33:15
night, right around 9 30.
33:17
I've worked all day.
33:18
I feel like I deserve something, and one
33:21
of those would just be screaming, eat me.
33:24
And you can keep these in the freezer.
33:26
If you can see, I cut them very
33:27
small, and these just came from the freezer.
33:29
So you can just take it out, and
33:31
actually they're delicious frozen.
33:33
They taste like a frozen snicker bar.
33:35
So these are great, and I keep these
33:36
on hand.
33:37
And I think sometimes if you have a
33:39
healthy treat on hand, you won't eat something
33:41
less healthy.
33:42
So that's why it's always good to have
33:44
something in your fridge.
33:46
Talk us through those snicker type cubes.
33:50
Well, okay.
33:51
So really easy to make.
33:53
You need a food processor fitted with the
33:55
S blade.
33:56
I recommend one that's larger rather than one
33:59
that's super tiny.
34:00
A Breville is the one I like.
34:02
You can not know affiliation to the company,
34:04
Cuisinart, any food processor that you like is
34:07
good.
34:07
And you simply take the peanuts that are
34:09
unsalted but roasted, and you process them in
34:12
your food processor, not to the point where
34:15
they become peanut butter, but just so they
34:16
become like crumbs, like breadcrumbs.
34:19
And then you're going to add your dates.
34:20
I prefer the deglutinor that are pitted because
34:22
they're a little bit drier than the medjool.
34:24
And then as you process them, a ball
34:26
starts to form, and it starts to stick
34:28
together.
34:28
That's kind of the idea of a Larabar,
34:31
which is a confection that some of you
34:33
may have heard of, widely available at many,
34:35
many stores.
34:36
And I like to add vanilla bean powder,
34:38
pure vanilla bean powder to almost all my
34:40
desserts.
34:40
And then you just press it.
34:42
I like to use a silicone pan because
34:44
then I don't have to use parchment paper,
34:45
and you certainly don't have to use any
34:47
kind of oil or spray oil to grease
34:49
it.
34:50
And you press it down.
34:51
And then on the stove, you take either
34:53
100% cacao, which you can get at
34:56
Walmart and most stores.
34:57
People have heard of baker's chocolate, for example.
34:59
And if you're using the unsweetened, you'll have
35:01
to add a little bit of date syrup.
35:03
If you're getting date-sweetened chocolate, then you
35:05
don't.
35:06
And then you're going to add a little
35:06
bit of non-dairy milk just to help
35:08
it melt.
35:08
And you spread it over the top and
35:10
sprinkle it with peanuts.
35:11
It really is a very quick and easy
35:13
recipe.
35:14
And people just go nuts for these.
35:16
We have a huge vegan community in Northern
35:19
California.
35:20
And when I take these to the potluck,
35:22
I mean, you put them out, and the
35:23
plate is empty.
35:24
And people haven't even eaten their entree yet.
35:26
So people do really love these.
35:28
Well, I've seen it with my own eyes,
35:30
as I've said before, when we did the
35:32
cooking show.
35:33
Literally, there were a lot of great chefs,
35:35
and people did sample the food.
35:36
But nope, it was the only time where
35:39
the second we yelled cut, people literally swarmed
35:43
in like, I've never seen any.
35:45
I was one of them, fighting for these
35:48
incredible desserts that look so decadent.
35:52
OK, I'm going to admit something that I'm
35:55
not proud of.
35:56
I got inspired, and I ordered a big
36:00
slab of date paste.
36:02
And then when I got the date paste,
36:05
I froze.
36:07
I froze.
36:08
It froze.
36:09
I stared at it for about six months,
36:12
and I never did anything with it.
36:16
For somebody who doesn't want to do the
36:18
paste, because honestly, I looked at that paste,
36:21
and it was like a psych.
36:23
I needed a therapist, a date therapist, not
36:25
a dating therapist.
36:28
What about just the liquid date for those
36:30
who can't?
36:32
Yeah.
36:33
OK, so what date paste is commercially, what
36:37
you bought, is basically just dates that have
36:40
gone through a machine called an extruder.
36:42
If you think about your showerhead, how the
36:44
water comes through different holes, or if you
36:46
think, you know, bad analogy, but when people
36:48
would make chopped liver, and they put the
36:50
meat in the grinder, things coming through holes.
36:53
I wouldn't know.
36:53
I wouldn't know.
36:54
Yeah, right.
36:55
But if you've ever seen a movie back
36:57
in the day about delicatessens, but think of
37:00
the showerhead then.
37:01
So you're taking whole dates, and you're putting
37:03
it through this machine, and now it's coming
37:05
out through these holes, and then that's how
37:06
you got this brick.
37:08
So when you buy date paste commercially, there's
37:10
nothing wrong with it.
37:11
But you're right, it is a brick, because
37:13
there's no liquid in it.
37:15
So when I make date paste, and when
37:17
I tell people to make the date paste
37:18
for my recipes, I'm taking one pound of
37:20
dates, eight ounces of water, I'm soaking it,
37:23
and then I'm pureeing it in the food
37:25
processor fitted with the Esplay.
37:27
There's also, this is mind-blowing, Jane, there's
37:30
a recipe in the book to make it
37:31
in your instant pot.
37:32
The ratio of water is different, but it
37:34
takes only one minute.
37:36
So my date paste is really more of
37:37
a semi-swell, and it's not as liquidy
37:39
as date syrup.
37:41
The thing is, yes, you can do it,
37:43
but in my recipes, I put them so
37:46
that, realising that not everybody was going to
37:49
want to buy date syrup, because maybe they
37:51
don't have a Walmart, maybe they're in another
37:53
country, maybe they feel it's too processed.
37:56
So I did concentrate mostly on whole dates
37:59
and date paste, just because it is the
38:01
most whole of the whole foods.
38:04
That said, realise that a date is more
38:06
of a solid, date syrup is more of
38:08
a liquid.
38:08
But I will tell you this, any vegan
38:11
recipe, or really any recipe you have that
38:13
calls for liquid sweetener, honey, maple syrup, agave,
38:16
barley malt, rice syrup, coconut syrup, you can
38:18
substitute date syrup in a one-to-one
38:21
ratio.
38:21
So that is absolutely doable.
38:23
But I can't tell you how to substitute
38:25
a solid for a liquid without doing some
38:28
kind of math in my head or making
38:30
the recipe.
38:31
But date syrup is wonderful anytime you're needing
38:34
a liquid sweetener.
38:35
So when we're doing things like mousses in
38:37
the book, like the decadent chocolate mousse, which
38:39
is one of the most popular recipes I
38:41
have, I demonstrated it on my YouTube channel
38:43
yesterday.
38:44
When I cook at Rancho La Puerta, this
38:46
world-class spa in Mexico, people, their minds
38:49
are blown.
38:49
They're not vegan there, and they can't believe
38:51
it's dairy-free or refined sugar-free or
38:54
made of tofu, for example.
38:56
And so I tend to use syrup more
38:58
when it's a creamy texture than I'm looking
39:01
for.
39:01
And you can use it in cakes, but,
39:03
you know, absolutely, if that's easier for you,
39:06
just know that it's not a one-to
39:08
-one ratio of date paste to date syrup
39:09
because of the amount of liquid.
39:12
Somebody's asking, what about date sugar?
39:15
Is it an appropriate replacement for date syrup
39:18
or date paste?
39:19
Well, you see, it's not.
39:20
And the reason is, so what date sugar
39:23
is, are dates that have been dried in
39:26
a dehydrator or by other means and then
39:29
ground.
39:30
So basically, what date sugar is, is very
39:33
finely pulverised dates.
39:34
So it's not a liquid.
39:36
If you think about it, if you have
39:37
a cup of tea and you put some
39:39
date syrup in and you stir it, it
39:41
will dissolve.
39:42
If you put date sugar in it, it
39:44
will sink to the bottom because it doesn't
39:46
dissolve.
39:47
So as I mentioned, you can't really substitute
39:49
a solid for a liquid.
39:51
It just doesn't work.
39:53
Oh my gosh, we got more callers, do
39:55
we?
39:56
Is Lauren in Indiana there?
39:59
Lauren is gone, but we have Tiffany.
40:01
Great, Tiffany, go for it.
40:06
Hello?
40:07
Hi, ask your question, my dear.
40:10
Yes, hey, I'm on the road.
40:12
I'm driving back to L.A. from Sacramento
40:14
and Chef AJ, I think you live in
40:17
Folsom or you're from Northern California?
40:20
Yes, I live in the Roseville area.
40:24
Roseville, okay, that's right.
40:25
I'm up there every couple months.
40:27
Do you have any classes coming up or
40:30
any workshops or are you going to be
40:32
at the clinic in Sonoma so I could
40:35
sign up for something or what's on your
40:37
schedule?
40:38
Wait, so you live up here?
40:41
Do you live in Northern California?
40:43
No, she's in L.A. I happen to
40:44
know her, but she travels.
40:46
Oh, okay.
40:46
So in L.A., the only thing I
40:48
have coming up is October 6th, a Sunday,
40:52
I'll be presenting recipes for my new book
40:54
that you can sample at the Best of
40:56
Nature Cooking School with Dr. Matt Letterman at
40:59
7 p.m. on Sunday, October 6th at
41:02
the South Bay Adventist Church at 401 South
41:05
Prospect in Redondo Beach.
41:08
And, you know, in general, thank you for
41:10
that, Tiffany.
41:11
I know she's a huge fan.
41:13
In general, Chef AJ, people can learn.
41:17
There's a lot of courses.
41:18
Like every couple of days, I get an
41:20
email from you saying, I'm going to this
41:22
conference.
41:23
I'm going to that conference.
41:24
I mean, you are one busy lady.
41:28
Trying to make the world vegan, one person
41:31
at a time.
41:32
How are you doing?
41:33
You know, veganism has been under attack lately.
41:36
You mentioned process, but, you know, I'm always
41:40
fond of pointing out this isn't desserts necessarily,
41:43
but having been vegan going on 29 years,
41:48
you know, the health food restaurants and the
41:50
vegan restaurants 30 years ago were brown rice,
41:54
beans, and all sorts of good stuff.
41:56
And then people say, I would never eat
41:57
that.
41:58
So we created, not me personally, but the
42:01
industry created veggie burgers and all sorts of
42:04
things to mimic what people were demanding.
42:07
And then they turn around and go, it's
42:08
processed.
42:09
Never mentioning that processed meat is officially cancer
42:13
causing a level one carcinogen, according to the
42:16
World Health Organisation.
42:17
So I try to eat a whole food
42:21
plant-based diet.
42:22
I'm not perfect.
42:23
I go out and have desserts and have
42:25
dinners at fancy restaurants.
42:28
As long as it's plant-based, I'm cool
42:30
with it as a treat.
42:32
But the point is that inherently there is
42:37
the word processed has been thrown around by
42:41
the meat industry, which has a war room,
42:43
the size of Fox news in Colorado, where
42:46
they send out negative, negative, negative, negative, negative
42:49
stuff about veganism.
42:51
Never mentioning that there's a lot of processing
42:54
that goes into animal products.
42:57
And that processed meat is officially cancer causing.
43:02
How do you balance all of that?
43:05
It's really hard.
43:07
And because at the end of the day,
43:08
I am an ethical vegan first and foremost.
43:11
I'm also somebody that struggled with my weight
43:14
for most of my life because I wasn't
43:16
eating the whole food plant-based diet.
43:18
And I also developed pre colon cancer at
43:20
the age of 43, because up until then
43:23
I didn't eat any fruits and vegetables.
43:25
So I can see both sides of the
43:27
equation.
43:28
And I don't think the word processed is
43:29
necessarily accurate with the food that you're talking
43:33
about, because it's ultra processed, it's refined food.
43:36
So when I take beans and put them
43:38
in my food processor with a little tahini,
43:40
lemon, and garlic and make hummus, it's processed.
43:44
But that doesn't mean that all processing is
43:45
bad.
43:46
It's when you refine it to the degree
43:48
that your grandmother doesn't recognise what it is
43:51
or the ingredients it was made for.
43:53
And also, I don't really care if it's
43:56
processed or not.
43:57
Is it health promoting or not health promoting
43:59
for you?
44:00
If you are Robert Cheek, and you are
44:03
at a wonderful weight, and you have wonderful
44:06
health, and you go and eat a Buddha
44:08
belly burger or whatever, it's fine.
44:10
But if you're the kind of person that
44:12
I'm working with, that has 18 stents in
44:15
their heart that is about to go on
44:16
diabetes medication, it's a whole different story.
44:19
And that's why we have to treat everyone
44:21
as an individual and not paint everyone with
44:24
the same brush.
44:25
I always tell people, do the least restrictive
44:28
diet, eat the least restrictive diet that you
44:31
can that will work for you.
44:33
And it's going to be different for everyone.
44:35
There's some people that are one restaurant meal
44:36
away from a heart attack.
44:38
There's other people who, through better genetics or
44:41
for whatever reason, can get away with a
44:43
little bit more.
44:44
And again, it's what is right for you.
44:46
I would much rather have people eat vegan
44:48
processed food or junk food than eat animal
44:51
products any day.
44:53
But it's really going to depend on the
44:54
degree of processing, your genetics, your health goals,
44:58
what works for you.
44:59
Very good point.
45:00
Now, somebody wants to know does Chef AJ
45:03
recommend monk sugar?
45:05
I don't.
45:06
And I can tell you why.
45:07
And if you have Instagram available, was it
45:10
yesterday or Monday that I did an Instagram
45:13
live with Dr. Michael Gorin, a paediatric obesity
45:16
specialist at USC, who actually wrote the introduction
45:18
to the book.
45:20
It is not a health food.
45:21
If it is not found in nature in
45:23
its whole food form, so leaf stevia, the
45:26
green leaf, that's a whole food, the liquid
45:28
in the powder isn't, then it's not health
45:31
promoting.
45:32
You can't make monk sugar.
45:34
It's not the same as eating monk fruit.
45:36
You can't make maple syrup.
45:38
Of course, I always meet a couple of
45:40
people who are from Canada that can.
45:41
But even if you can make maple syrup,
45:43
do you really know how to tap the
45:45
maple tree to get the 40 gallons of
45:47
sap to boil it down to one gallon
45:49
of maple syrup?
45:51
You can make date syrup in your kitchen.
45:53
Before the brand that I use was available
45:56
readily, I made it all the time.
45:58
It just took me an hour, which I
45:59
really don't have time to do anymore.
46:01
So no, I don't recommend monk sugar or
46:04
monk fruit or lohan or anything.
46:06
I recommend the fruit, the whole fruit and
46:08
nothing but the whole fruit.
46:10
You also are a huge fan of the
46:13
Instant Pot.
46:14
And you have many, many recipes using the
46:17
Instant Pot.
46:18
And I want to know why you are
46:21
so in love with the Instant Pot.
46:23
Yeah, and it doesn't have to be Instant
46:25
Pot.
46:25
That's just the brand I have.
46:26
I have the three quart and the eight
46:28
quart.
46:28
They also make a six quart and a
46:29
10 quart, because I love to save time.
46:33
And when I cook on the stove, you
46:35
know, you had mentioned that to you, Jane,
46:36
baking is daunting.
46:37
To me, it's not because you put it
46:40
in and then you can do whatever you
46:41
want, as long as you set the timer.
46:43
Cooking to me is much more stressful, because
46:45
I got to be watching the stove, it
46:47
could boil over, it could burn.
46:49
With the Instant Pot, you literally dump everything
46:52
in and set it, forget it.
46:53
We actually have many Instant Pot recipes in
46:56
Sweet Indulgence.
46:57
We have a cauliflower rice pudding, we have
46:59
an apple pie rice pudding, there is many,
47:02
many recipes that use it.
47:03
But I love that it helps you get
47:05
meals prepared quickly.
47:07
One of my favourite things to eat for
47:08
dinner are soups, stews and chillies.
47:10
And I can just literally put all the
47:12
ingredients in like one of my cauliflower bisque,
47:14
I take a two pound head of cauliflower,
47:16
don't even cut it up, take a two
47:18
pound hand of yam, don't cut it up,
47:20
take a huge softball size sweet onion, just
47:23
peel it, I throw it in with some
47:26
liquid, with some spices, I push a button,
47:28
I walk my dog, I take a bath,
47:30
I come back when I want, I zhuzh
47:32
it with the stick blender.
47:34
I can't think of any way easier to
47:35
cook than using a pressure cooker.
47:37
And I prefer the electric to the stovetop,
47:39
because the stovetop you have to babysit, the
47:41
electric, you just go about your business.
47:43
I can't think of anything easier.
47:45
I'm actually doing a course for forks over
47:47
knives, instant pot made simple, because I think
47:50
it's the easiest way to get healthy food
47:52
in your mouth quickly.
47:53
You are a busy lady.
47:54
And I know you have something to go
47:56
to soon.
47:57
So I want to ask you some important
47:58
questions.
48:00
You've been watching the vegan movement for many,
48:02
many years, as I mentioned a second ago,
48:04
because we've made so many advances, and because
48:07
plant based is everywhere.
48:10
There's pushback from the industries that you know,
48:13
they're thinking about money in their pocket.
48:16
Where do you see the vegan movement, the
48:19
plant based movement, however you want to describe
48:21
it today, based on your personal experience?
48:23
Are you hopeful?
48:27
I mean, I don't know if I'm hopeful
48:29
for the world in general, with a lot
48:30
that's going on.
48:31
But I am hopeful because more and more
48:34
young people are understanding that it's not just
48:37
about animal ethics, or your health, but that
48:41
if we don't do something, they're not going
48:43
to have a planet to live on.
48:44
So I am hopeful, because I, you know,
48:47
when I went vegan 47 years ago, nobody
48:49
talked about the environment.
48:50
That wasn't even a thing, right.
48:52
And nobody really even talked about health.
48:54
But you see more and more documentaries coming
48:56
out, you know, forks over knives, kind of
48:58
got the ball rolling that, hey, this is
49:00
actually good for you, you're going to live
49:02
healthier, better reverse diseases, lose weight.
49:05
And then we started seeing things like conspiracy
49:07
and things about the environment, and inconvenient truth.
49:10
And so I think people are getting the
49:13
wake up call, but some people still aren't
49:15
going to wake up.
49:17
Yeah, I agree with you.
49:19
I mean, I'm a hopeful person by nature.
49:21
And I believe in the law of unintended
49:24
consequences.
49:25
And we do everything we can to show
49:29
people on a daily basis on a minute
49:32
by minute basis with the network we have
49:35
that veganism is not a sacrifice.
49:37
It's a joyous, fun way of cooking is
49:42
cooking more fun when you cook it meat
49:45
free and dairy free and that includes eggs.
49:50
Absolutely.
49:50
Well, it's not just that it's more fun,
49:51
because those things are gross anyway, but it
49:55
tastes better.
49:55
I mean, you know, think about it, Jane,
49:59
people that eat meat.
50:00
How many people really eat raw meat?
50:02
Yeah, you could argue that some people eat
50:04
sushi, but they're not just eating the fish,
50:06
they're eating it with the rice and the
50:07
rice has sugar and salt in it.
50:10
And they're eating with like avocado and all
50:12
kinds of dipping sauces.
50:14
It's the flavour that makes whatever you're eating
50:16
delicious.
50:17
And same thing for me, you got to
50:19
put a heck of a lot of salt
50:20
and flavour on it just to be able
50:22
to choke it down.
50:23
So I even when I wasn't vegan, because
50:26
you know, my mom, that's all she had.
50:28
I never I never understood like the big
50:30
deal about it doesn't taste very good to
50:32
me personally.
50:33
So what's next for you?
50:36
How many books have you written?
50:38
And why is this one I personally feel
50:41
this is perhaps the most significant, although all
50:45
of your books are amazing.
50:46
Because so many people in America, including myself,
50:50
look, everywhere you turn, there's a seduction.
50:55
I even on my computer, I'm working my
50:58
computer and all this bad stuff pops up.
51:01
And I keep saying ad was inappropriate ad
51:03
was inappropriate, and it comes right back.
51:07
This is sort of the escape hatch, sweet
51:10
indulgence.
51:11
And if you're listening to this on the
51:13
radio, sweet indulgence is the name of the
51:16
book.
51:17
You can just go on Amazon, write in
51:19
sweet indulgence and order it, you can have
51:22
it tomorrow and get involved because every single
51:26
recipe in this book also has a video
51:30
attached explaining exactly how to do it.
51:33
Yeah, if they buy the book by August
51:35
31.
51:36
And, you know, thank you, I guess I've
51:37
written four books.
51:38
And I'm hoping this book won't just be
51:40
for vegans.
51:40
I work places like spas, where people are
51:43
never going to become vegan.
51:44
But for whatever reason, they need to be
51:46
gluten free, or they just don't want to
51:48
eat refined sugar.
51:49
So I'm hoping that many of those people
51:51
will get the book on purpose or accidentally.
51:53
And that might open a door for them
51:55
to become either fully vegan, or at least
51:58
more vegan.
51:59
That is my hope.
52:00
Well, I would never disagree with you normally.
52:04
But I never say never.
52:05
I always call everybody a pre vegan and
52:08
say there's always hope for every single person
52:10
I've had people I thought would never go
52:11
and then boom.
52:13
Yeah.
52:14
I wish it could be.
52:16
Yeah, I can tell you my brother's never
52:19
going vegan.
52:20
But other than that, no, I do hold
52:21
hope that people will, will eventually do the
52:25
right thing.
52:26
Well, chef, I just want you to know,
52:29
Chef AJ, that you're my hero.
52:31
You make cooking the ethical way the sustainable
52:35
way, the healthy way, the delicious way so
52:39
much fun.
52:40
And it is an adventure.
52:42
You epitomise you embody the joyousness of plant
52:47
based cooking.
52:48
And I just would love you and your
52:52
videos and your books to be in every
52:54
home, not only in America, but the world.
52:57
The book is sweet indulgence, right there, get
53:01
it on Amazon.
53:02
And, you know, start having fun without any
53:06
that's the point.
53:08
So I want to say thank you to
53:09
you, and wishing you the very best.
53:12
And I know you're going to have more,
53:14
more, more, more books, more recipes, more films,
53:17
more everything.
53:19
Look, thank you so much.
53:20
And thank you everyone for watching or listening
53:22
and realise you don't have to desert desert
53:25
when you make it from the fruit, the
53:27
whole fruit and nothing but the whole fruit.
53:30
Perfect way to end it.
53:31
Thank you, Chef AJ.
53:34
Now I'm going to tell you a little
53:36
bit about Unchained TV in the minute that
53:38
we have remaining.
53:40
You are if you're watching, you're watching Unchained
53:42
TV on my Samsung TV, one of Chef
53:49
AJ's many videos that are on Unchained TV.
53:52
And you can also download Unchained TV right
53:55
on your phone.
53:56
It's all free.
53:57
We are a 501 c three nonprofit.
54:01
I don't take a salary.
54:02
This is a labour of love.
54:04
You just go to your app store and
54:05
put in the word Unchained TV.
54:08
And there you go.
54:09
Look, the the interview that we're doing right
54:12
now is live on Unchained TV.
54:16
So there it is.
54:18
You can get access to hundreds of documentaries
54:22
and cooking shows and biographies, interview shows, live
54:26
events.
54:27
And it's all free.
54:29
And sometimes people go, what's the catch?
54:31
What's the hook?
54:32
Well, there is no catch.
54:33
There is no book.
54:35
It's a huge group of us who are
54:37
doing this because we know that this is
54:39
the missing piece of the puzzle when it
54:41
comes to environmentalism, saving our planet from an
54:47
ecological collapse, which is really what we're facing.
54:51
So it's a vegan Netflix.
54:53
Okay, that's the craziest thing I've ever heard.
54:55
I love Unchained TV.
54:57
Unchained.
54:58
Unchained TV.
54:59
Your life will change.
55:00
It's just that easy.
55:01
Unchained TV has all sorts of content for
55:03
everybody.
55:04
Unchained TV changed my life.
55:06
Unchained TV is crushing it.
55:10
I love Unchained TV.
55:11
Unchained TV is my go-to.
55:14
Unchained TV.
55:15
Who knew?
55:19
So we'll just say download Unchained TV for
55:28
free on your phone.
55:30
It's right there on your phone.
55:32
You can also download it on any Samsung
55:35
TV.
55:36
And you can also download it on any
55:38
TV if you have an Amazon Fire Stick,
55:42
a Roku device or an Apple TV device.
55:45
And you can also watch it online.
55:46
Just go to unchainedtv.com.
55:49
I want to thank you for joining us.
55:51
And I hope you do order the book
55:53
Sweet Indulgence.
55:55
I'm going to start making some of these
55:57
recipes right away.
55:58
See you next time.