When I was asked recently to review Chef Ramses Bravo‘s new cookbook, Bravo!, I have to admit, I had not heard of Chef Ramses or his book. Ramses Bravo is the executive chef at True North’s Health Center in Santa Rosa, California. Through his vegan cuisine, Ramses—who has worked in numerous hotels and restaurants over his 14-year career, including a position as executive chef for the renowned Kenwood Inn and Spa in Sonoma County—has helped thousands of people heal from diabetes, high-cholesterol, and other chronic illnesses. I truly admire people who dedicate their lives to helping others improve their own lives, especially through vegan cuisine, so I readily agreed to review his new cookbook.
All of the nearly 100 recipes in Bravo! are SOS Free, meaning that they contain no salt, oil, or sugar. According to Chef Ramses, removing these three non-nutrtious elements from one’s diet and replacing them with more nutrient-dense ingredients is the key to finding perfect health. Eating an unprocessed diet, full of whole, plant-based foods will free you from any other “diets” you may have tried and help you find your true, healthy, natural self.
“When you focus on what you eat and not on how much, you’ll never have to count calories again. Enjoying the right foods in abundance will leave you feeling satisfied, not hungry or deprived. Before long, you’ll grow accustomed to this new “normal.” In fact, after just a few weeks of eating whole, natural foods, your taste buds will readapt. You’ll remember what real food tastes like, and you’ll love it.”
Chef Ramses not only provides a huge variety of helpful recipes to begin your healthy lifestyle full of whole foods, he provides two weeks of menus to help you plan your meals. He also provides a list of cooking equipment you should use, as well as tips on how to run an efficient kitchen. There is also a section dedicated to instructions for vegan kitchen basics such as steaming vegetables and soaking nuts.
There are so many good-looking recipes in Bravo!, that I had a hard time choosing one to test. I decided to be risky and try the Eggplant Cannelloni with Bravo Tomato Sauce. It may not sound risky, but the only food that Chris would prefer not to eat is eggplant but the picture in the book looked so good, I thought he would have a hard time not liking it. If you attempt this recipe, I should tell you that I found a few of the measurements to be off. The recipe calls for 2 large eggplants, peeled and sliced into 1/8 inch slices. I did that and got 14 slices. Then later, it tells you to fill a total of 6 slices with the filling, each receiving one-sixth of the filling. I ended up doing 12 rolls, each with about a 1/4 – 1/3 cup of filling, and still ended up with over half of the filling left. I would recommend cutting the filling recipe in half and doing 12 rolls, rather than 6. Or follow the recipe and use the tasty filling for something else (Hint: I plan on making a soup!). I should also say I did not make my own broth, as the recipe called for (I’m lazy), and I topped it with kale, rather than spinach, because that’s what I had on hand. Other than the confusion with making the recipe, we both liked (yes, we both liked) the meal and as Chef Ramses predicted, we didn’t miss the salt or the oil.
I think Bravo! is a great resource for people who are trying to improve their health through a plant-based diet. Chef Ramses does a great job of motivating and encouraging people to a healthy lifestyle in addition to providing the steps they need to reach that goal. Thank you so much to Chef Ramses and Book Publishing Company for providing me with a copy to review… and an additional copy to giveaway!
That’s right, very soon, one of you lucky readers could be the proud new owner of a copy of Bravo! by Ramses Bravo! To enter, all you need to do is:
- Leave a comment below telling me what you do in your day-to-day life to improve your health, dietary or otherwise.
- “Like” Keepin’ It Kind on Facebook
- “Like” Bravo Cookbook on Facebook
- Follow Keepin’ It Kind on Pinterest
- Pin an image from this review, with “Bravo! Cookbook Review” in the description.
Disclaimer: I was kindly given this book by Book Publishing Company, but my opinions are my own.
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Unless otherwise stated, all photos by Chris Miller
© Kristy Turner and Keepin’ It Kind, 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material (content and images) without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kristy Turner and Keepin’ It Kind with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
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i’d love to have this book! i eat very healthy every single day and also exercise everyday.
You are so hard-core, Caitlin!
I love it! Thank you for all of your entries!
i like you on facebook.
i follow you on pinterest.
Mmm, that eggplant cannelloni looks pretty as a picture! Eggplant is one of those foods that I find tricky to cook. Sometimes it works out for me, and sometimes it doesn’t. I’m glad your risk paid off, and Chris enjoyed dinner!
To stay healthy, every day I eat a big raw salad. I feel like I’m a pretty healthy eater in general, but those large salads push me over the top!
Thanks, Cadry! It’s actually even better the next day, and all of the extra filling made an incredible potato corn chowder!
A raw salad everyday is a great idea! I imagine you get a super-dose of nutrients with each one of those salads!
Woohoo! Got ALL of my entries in. I’m winning this thing
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Awesome! Thank you for entering!
My bet is on you, I all ready have it, so not entering! Great Review Kristy!
Thanks, Somer!
I know I do so many things daily to keep myself healthy but I find them so easy and enjoyable I don’t think about them anymore! I eat mostly vegan with the exception of local eggs from chickens I’ve seen in person that have names and sweet owners. I eat TONS of fruit and veggies, so much of them that I try and do my grocery shopping at wholesale stores like costco and I live alone. I also try to get in movement every day, whether thats a run, yoga, kickboxing, weightlifting, pilates, a walk, a bike ride, anything! And I read lovely blogs like yours to get recipe ideas and inspiration
YOU are an inspiration! I love how dedicated you are to a healthy lifestyle!
Thank you for entering- Good luck!
I liked you on facebook
And now pinterest too!
I exercise and make sure to drink lots of water.
Right on! Thank you for entering, Heather!
To improve my health, I’ve cut out sugar from my diet. I eat a vegan diet and cut out all the white stuff including white rice and white flour.
That’s so impressive, Megan! I’ve pretty much cut sugar out but it’s a work in progress.
I eat vegan everyday, I rarely eat anything with sugar and I try to workout 4-5 x a week. I follow you on pinterest, FB and liked Bravo cookbook. I am always looking for new and healthy recipes!
That’s fantastic, Michelle! Good luck with the giveaway!
I love Eggplant Cannelloni- this version looks so good & YAY for Chris for trying it and liking!!! Super High Five
Super high five right back at ya! Then, if I was coordinated enough, I would attempt to do the spin around, behind the back “low-five,” but sadly, I was not blessed with the coordination genes.
besides doing my best to eat less sugar in general, and to seriously cut down on the oil that i use while cooking, i’ve been walking almost 5 miles a day total, to and from work! it feels super healthy, but i have to admit that when i feel lazy, part of the motivation comes from remembering every day how much i dislike the public transportation system, and so i walk to avoid it, haha… thanks for the review, and give-away!
5 miles a day! Wow! I guess I would be doing the same if I had to rely on public transportation. If I can, I will usually ride my bike, but if I have to leave this part of town, a car comes in handy when trying to go anywhere in LA. I’m so impressed with you! Good luck with the giveaway and thank you for entering!
Well … I’m excited about this book because we’ve recently given up oil and sugar. Actually, we haven’t missed it at all. In order to stay healthy, we avoid processed foods and cool with whole, plant-based foods. We also try to get outside for some exercise and sunshine on a daily basis. Thanks, so much, for this opportunity!
I forgot to mention … we call these “Rollatini” and I’ve stuffed them with mushrooms & spinach, tofu, rice … just about anything works. Then I top them with diced tomatoes from our garden. They have such a clean, wonderful flavor … like munching our way through the veggie patch.
I love these ideas! SInce these were such a success, I’m looking forward to trying more versions! Thank you for entering!
I eat a 99% vegan diet every day (sometimes I just need a cookie!) and try to gently nudge my loved ones toward a similar vegan lifestyle. I also track calories to help myself stay fit!
Great job! Thanks for entering!
I don’t want to be entered in the giveaway because I already have the book and am in the process of writing a review. Just want to say I enjoyed your review — and kind of wish I’d chosen the eggplant recipe to try!
I can’t wait to read your review! Thank you for stopping by, Andrea!
Oh my goodness, I would *love* to win this book! It sounds perfect. I already try to avoid all salt, refined sugar and oil, so this would be amazing! That is how I try to improve my health daily, too–by avoiding the SOS (I love that, lol!)
Courtney
This book would be perfect for you! Good luck, Courtney!
Do we need to leave a comment for each thing we do? I followed your board on pinterest…
I also pinned your giveaway
And I like you on facebook
Daily exercise (except my rest day), super-clean diet, and enough sleep (or I try, anyway!) I think lack of sleep runs in high school, haha!
Yeah, high school is notorious for causing insomnia.
Sounds like you’re doing a great job of taking care of yourself- I love that!
I stay away from sodas as much as I can and stick to only water or tea. As for food, I’m still working on it
That’s why I think the book would be a tremendous help 
Great giveaway Kristy!
Thanks, Richgail! Sodas are a tough one to break- sparkling water helped me get over my soda addiction years ago. I just liked the carbonation, I guess.
I walk to my classes instead of take the bus (:
That’s great, Jess! Thanks for entering!
that Eggplant Cannelloni looks ah-mazing!hmm i dont know how i would cut out the sugar from all the desserts. how does chef ramses go about that?
we eat very limited salt and sugar. i can tell because mom keeps salt, chili powder and sugar on the table to add to everything that i make whenever she visits.
we are trying to eliminate the refined oils too. i do my balance exercises everyday!
Thank you, Richa. For sugar, it seems that all of his desserts are sweetened with fruit or fruit juice. I think his concept is a great idea, but since I don’t use a lot of any of those things, I think having them in moderation is ok.
I’m so happy that your balance exercises are working for you. When I was a personal trainer, I had a client who had vertigo, and it was debilitating at times. She was trying to lose weight but couldn’t move very quickly or do any exercises on her back. She had such a rough time with it, so it makes me very happy to hear that you’ve found something that works for you.
LOVING all these entries and comments Kristy! I am not entering (and of course I already like you on Facebook!) – that is a very lovely looking feast
Yum!
Isn’t it inspiring hearing about how all of these people are working so hard to be healthy! I love reading all of these comments! Thank you for stopping by!
Recently, I’ve been eating multigrain oats and peaches as a healthy breakfast instead of many other sugary and fattening options.
I always start my days with a good workout at the gym at least 4 times a week. This helps keep my mind and body healthy for the rest of the day. As for my diet, I make to always pack my lunch with healthy foods so I’m not tempted with buying my lunch elsewhere. This way, I’ll always know what I’m feeding my body. My body is my temple, and I need to make sure that I support it well!
I’m all for working out in the morning too! If I put it off till later, I’m very good at finding excuses not to go.
I couldn’t agree with you more- we have to take care of our body so it takes care of us.
I exercise 6 days a week, love my vegan diet, take a yoga class once a week for both the physical and mental health aspects.
That sounds like my routine too!
I’ve been trying to reduce the amount of processed food that I eat so winning this would be awesome! Thank you!
That’s a great place to start! Good luck!
To improve my health, I’ve cut out sugar from my diet.
Bravo! That’s a tough one to break! Thanks for entering!
I try to get plenty of rest.
That’s one I need to work on!
Thanks for entering, Audrey!
I eat whole foods, exercise, and try to be as compassionate as possible
Compassion is a HUGE part of living a healthful life, isn’t it?
I’ve been vegan for almost a year and vegetarian for over 6. I love that this book features recipes that are full of nutrients and doesn’t have any added oil, sugar, or salt! I try to cook that way
Congrats on making the switch to veganism! I’m sure that your body and your health thanks you!
i try to keep veggies and fruits cut and ready so i have no excuse but to eat them
That is such a great tip! Good luck, Gail!
Looks great I did all the entries.
Yay! Thank you!
I eat lots of fruits, veggies, and beans
We also live mostly chemical free using mostly natural products like vinegar and oils to clean.
That’s so awesome! And I’m sure it’s less expensive and takes less of a toll on the environment too! Great job, Debbie!
I try not to eat/feed my family processed foods. The less additives food coloring the best
I completely agree, Andrea! My stepson always, jokingly, says “Well, what if we want to eat chemicals?” (He’s 12) My husband and I always respond with “We love you too much to let you put the kind of stuff into your body.” Thanks for entering!
I’ve already pretty much eliminated sugar and oil- but can’t seem to kick the salt habit! I keep hearing about this book and hope it would help do just that.
Thanks for the contest!
Salt is a tough one and most people don’t even realize they have a salt addiction! It’s awesome that you are aware of it and trying to make a change! Thanks for entering, Lea!
My life changed for the better when I started making a concerted to eat a healthy breakfast, every single day, always protein-rich, free of refined sugar and unhealthy fats.
Breakfast is so important, and healthy sugar-free breakfast is even better! Thanks for entering, Shannon!
I started running 3 months ago and just ran my first 5K last week. I have also changed my eating habits and cut way back on sweets and caffeine.
That’s awesome! Congrats, Jen! Thank you so much for entering!
I also “liked” Keepin it kind on facebook.
Thank you!
I follow a vegan lifestyle, work-out 6 days a week and try to eliminate all sugar and processed foods from my diet.
That’s pretty amazing, Denise! Good for you! And thank you for entering!