Kuri Squash Soup with Chef Julia Dunaway
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Julie Dunaway is a plant-based chef who does both on-line and live programs. I have a YouTube channel with over I served for 30 years in the uniformed service (air force and United States Public Health Service) as a clinical social worker and social work administrator. I retired in 2015 at the rank of 0-6, Captain. I hold a master’s degree in social work from the University of Utah. While on active duty I attended culinary school at night and on the weekends, graduating in 2009. I wanted to have some type of culinary business when I retired and really enjoyed cooking.
Fast forward to 2017 when I started conducting demonstrations for the city of Fort Worth, Blue Zones Project. I became more interested in following a plant-based diet due to increasing cholesterol levels and high blood pressure and knew I had to make a change. Starting in 2018 I made all my cooking classes plant-based. It wasn’t until May 2020 when I really got serious about the whole food plant-based no oil way of eating. Even though I was following the whole food plant-based no oil diet I was still overweight, had a total cholesterol of 211 and my blood pressure was often 140/80. I decided to challenge myself to 21 days of eating only the foods listed in Dr. Michael Greger’s “daily dozen” and eliminate the vegan processed food I occasionally ate, the extra servings of sweets (all compliant plant-based but just too much), and restaurant meals. I also started exercising 90 minutes every day. Within three weeks my cholesterol dropped from 211 to 170 and I lost a couple pounds.
I decided to keep doing the 21-day challenges and share what I was doing with my Facebook support group, Chef Julia Support Group. Since May 2020, my support group has grown to over 6,200 members and we start a new 21 day challenge every 3 weeks. I post photos of what I eat every day and encourage others. Anyone can join at no cost. By the end of 2020 I had lost all the weight I needed to lose, from 163-140 pounds and I’ve kept the weight off by continuing to follow the daily dozen, walk 5 miles a day most days, and lift weights two times a week. My cholesterol level and blood pressure have improved to the point that my doctor told me that people like me will put him out of business.
teach Zoom classes and my schedule is posted on chef-julia.com. There are 50 past classes available on my website as well. I also conduct in-person retreats on a regular basis. These 8-hour retreats focus on food preparation and cooking as well as preparing your home to be successful in this lifestyle. I have written several ebooks, a cookbook called Plant-Based Breakfast Favorites, have a YouTube channel, close to 15,000 followers on my Chef Julia Facebook business page, TikTok account, Instagram and the support group previously mentioned. I’m active in my community on the board of the Fort Worth Japanese Society, The Fort Worth chapter of the Texas Chefs Association and I contribute to charities and local community events.
Please subscribe to my YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLGwdCz2aFk
http://chef-julia.com/
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Chef Julia 21 Day Challenge Ebook
50 Recipes in 50 Days of Facebook Live Ebook
Plant-Based Holiday Table Ebook
Plant-Based Basics EBook
Plant-Based Gourmet Ebook
Plant-Based Holiday Desserts
Chef Julia Amazon Store https://www.amazon.com/shop/chefjuliadunaway
Japanese Greens
One 10-ounce package or bag of mixed greens such as spinach, chard, and baby kale or “power greens”, “super-greens” as they are sometimes labeled in the grocery store.
Large pot of boiling water
½ tablespoon tahini (I used Mighty Sesame Tahini.)
½ tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
Gomaiso (see recipe above)
Place the contents of the bag in the boiling water and cook it for 30 seconds. Remove to a bowl of ice water. Drain in a colander. Squeeze all the water out of the greens. Place the greens in a large bowl. Drizzle with tahini and soy sauce and toss to combine. Sprinkle with desired amount of Gomaiso.
Gomaiso (Roasted Sesame Seeds)
3 tablespoons roasted sesame seeds
½ tablespoon organic cane sugar or date sugar
½ teaspoon sea salt
Toast the sesame seeds in a 12-inch skillet on medium heat. Be careful not to burn them by staying close by and shaking the pan from time to time. Place the sesame seeds, about a tablespoon at a time, into a suribachi (Japanese seed grinder). Use the wooden tool to grind the sesame seeds to a crumbled consistency, not a powder. Place them in a small bowl and continue grinding until all the seeds have been ground. Add the sugar and salt and mix well. I always keep a small container of Gomaiso next to the spices by my stove and use them on my morning greens and on almost any Japanese dish.