When we feel great, life is sweet.

When we don't, we wanna curl up on the sofa and watch old sitcom reruns and hope for a better day tomorrow.

You wanna live the sweet life?

You have to take care of yourself.

And it begins in the kitchen.

Time to live the good life, today on Christina Cooks.

(theme music) ♪ (announcer) Underwriting for Christina Cooks is provided by Suzanne's Specialties, offering a full line of alternative vegan and organic sweeteners and toppings.

Suzanne's Specialties.

Sweetness the way Mother Nature intended.

♪ Jonathan's Spoons, individually handcrafted from cherry wood, each designed with your hand and purpose in mind.

♪ Additional funding is also provided by: ♪ Hi, I'm Christina Pirello, and this is Christina Cooks, where each week we take fresh, seasonal ingredients and whip them into amazing dishes.

Will it all be plant-based?

Yep.

Will it all be delicious?

Yep.

I hear a lot about people wanting quality of life and a sweet life and enjoying life.

You can't do that unless you feel really well.

So the choice of ingredients that you make, the choice of foods you decide to cook, the choice of foods you decide to eat determine whether or not you feel great.

And if you want to have a sweet life, you've gotta make room for dessert, which is where we're gonna start, because if everything else falls away, start with dessert first.

These are spiced miniature chocolate Bundt cakes, and they are simple, easy, anybody can make 'em, even if you're not a baker, completely delicious.

We're gonna start with a quarter cup of olive oil.

First of all, make sure you oil your little mini Bundts.

And, yeah, you can do this as a big Bundt, but these are really designed to be minis, so get yourself a couple of these little mini pans.

What's cool about them is, number one, the cakes are adorable.

And number two, you won't eat so much cake, you know what I mean, you can freeze a couple of 'em.

So, quarter cup of olive oil.

We're gonna take about six or seven tablespoons of coconut sugar.

The thing to remember about baking is that, hang on, I can't talk and measure at the same time.

I'm gonna use seven.

The thing to remember about baking is that it's not a precise science.

Baking is driven by passion.

If you have a passion for it, you're good.

If you don't, you can become competent but not fabulous.

In goes some vanilla extract.

Use really good vanilla.

A pinch of salt.

And we're gonna whisk these ingredients together before we add anything else.

And it's gonna create almost like a slurry, right?

So it's kind of a coarse mixture because of the coconut sugar, which is a low glycemic index sweetener, making it great.

The next thing to go in is, this is an egg replacer, 'cause I want the cakes to rise.

And it's a combination of tapioca and flax and baking soda.

And you just soak it in a little bit of water and you have egg replacer.

Then we'll add to that a half teaspoon of baking powder.

And now the cake will rise.

Then we'll add our spices, which is ground cinnamon and chili spice.

Now, don't add so much chili spice that you taste the heat.

Add enough chili spice to lift the chocolate up onto your palate and create a lovely, chocolatey flavor.

Then we'll add some cocoa powder, between three and four tablespoons.

You want a cocoa powder that is amazingly dark.

So we're gonna use three.

You want these cakes to look as rich as they taste.

Next we'll add our flour, and I'm using, as usual... ...sprouted whole wheat flour.

I'm gonna use one cup.

That goes in.

And sprouted whole wheat flour digests in the body like a vegetable instead of a grain, so it's really, really nice.

Then we'll add to that... ...a half cup of water.

Actually, three quarters of a cup of water.

I make these cakes so many times that I actually forget to measure, so... And then we'll go in here and whisk until you have a nice, smooth batter.

Don't overmix.

I know mixing is fun, I get it, I get it.

But don't mix like a lunatic.

As soon as the batter comes together and it's smooth and silky: Stop.

Please stop.

Or your cake will be like a hockey puck.

Next we'll take about a third cup of dark chocolate chips.

I'm using a Stevia-sweetened fair trade chocolate chip, which I really love, but you want to make sure it's a nice, dark non-dairy chocolate, whatever you use.

And then you fold them in so that none sink to the bottom.

Then you're gonna take this and you're gonna divide it evenly among the three pans so that you have a nice, even fill.

And you're gonna fill these pans probably two thirds of the way or three quarters.

The good news is, without egg, these are not gonna overcook, but you wanna make sure that you get enough that they rise.

And you want to make sure that it's nice and even.

And anything left over you can eat 'cause there's no egg so we're good.

Then you're gonna take... ...and just with a spoon, delicately make sure that the batter's even and that there's no air bubbles.

And these are gonna go into the oven for exactly 23 minutes at 350.

♪ So, after 23 minutes, you want to let the cakes cool for about a minute and then we're gonna glaze them.

And what we're gonna do is simply take, I have brown rice syrup and water, which we're gonna bring to a high-rolling boil.

And you can add some vanilla to this if you want, some cinnamon, but all you want to do is get it to boil.

So once you have a nice boil, you're gonna take and pour this mixture.

You can also use like an oat or an almond milk, but I have found that water works perfectly well.

And we're just gonna take this and mix the chocolate until it's creamy and smooth.

Now at first you think, "Oh, boy, this is not working.

This looks like a bunch of lumpy I-don't-know-what."

But just keep whisking, be patient.

Be patient.

What happens is, under your whisk, if you're patient and loving and you think, "This is the most beautiful thing I've ever done in my life," the chocolate will turn shiny and smooth and gorgeous, and you'll have an amazing glaze to pour over your cake that'll turn this beautiful glassy dark brown.

There you go.

Now we're just gonna take this, I'm not one for delicacy here, so we're just gonna quickly pour this glaze right over each little cake.

♪ You can garnish the platter with fruit.

♪ (exhales) And if that's not la dolce vita, I'm not really sure what is.

♪ We get a lot of email questions, and so I thought I'd take a couple seconds and answer one.

This one's from Rick from South Texas.

And Rick wants to know about carbohydrates because all he hears is that carbohydrates are evil.

Well, the problem with that thinking, Rick, is that carbohydrates are something that we need.

The body wants to break everything we eat down into glucose which fuels our brains.

So eating carbohydrates are good for us.

Of course, it depends on the quality of that carbohydrate.

If you're eating white bread, white flour, white sugar, mm, not so good.

If you're eating whole grains, some beans, vegetables that are a little starchy like carrots and winter squash, whole grain breads, whole grain pastas, you're gonna do just fine when it comes to carbohydrates.

Many people struggle with type 2 diabetes and they're not sure what to do with carbohydrates, and that's gonna be individually based on your condition and how you manage your blood sugars in your life naturally, whether you use medications or not.

But carbohydrates are not the bad guy.

It's the quality of the carbohydrate, how we eat them, and, of course, how much.

So you have to keep your carbohydrates in check and then you should be just fine, Rick.

So, enjoy a bowl of pasta now and then.

♪ (crickets chirring) Guys, guys, come on, is this everything?

Chef Paris is waiting, he's on set.

Okay, I'm going.

Thanks, guys.

♪ (crickets chirring) ♪ (crickets chirring) ♪ Chef, Chef, I'm here, I'm here.

I was just getting your mise en place tray!

-I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

-Absolutely.

-Thank you.

-Okay, we got it.

All right.

-Welcome, Chef Al Paris.

-Thank you.

So, um, we've known each other for how long?

-Many decades.

-Many decades.

And I prefer to think of Chef Paris as the philosopher chef because I've had many conversations, they start around food and then they move into the universe.

So we are gonna make today a vegan bouillabaisse, a vegan bouillabaisse.

I'm just sayin'.

So, I would love for you to talk about your thoughts about food, but direct me in the making of part of your bouillabaisse -if you don't mind.

-Certainly.

-Okay.

-Well, absolutely, this dish is, like all my restaurants were, you need to start with a story.

This starts with the story of Niko, who's a Japanese grandmother whose daughter marries a Frenchman and they move to Marseille.

-Are you kidding?

-And in the process, it's the texture and the nuance we're looking for to create the fusion dish.

In the process, she learns to use kombu -in place of fish bones.

-Right.

(Al) And this is how this dish proceeds.

(Christina) Wow.

Okay, so I've got olive oil.

(Al) So we're gonna go through with the hard vegetables, -the ginger, the garlic.

-Ginger, but whole, right?

-Yes.

-Okay.

(Al) And then we'll go with the fennel, the celery, -the potatoes.

-Okay.

Am I adding any pinches of salt at this point, Chef?

(Al) Not at this point, we're gonna finish.

Salt is such a critical part of a sea dish, right?

So the kombu is also gonna bring the flavor of the sea, and the salt, as we know, is from the sea.

(Christina) That's right.

(Al) So this is all gonna soften.

-And I'm stirring?

-Absolutely.

(Christina) Okay.

And we're gonna let the sizzle build 'cause it's olive oil, you know me, olive oil, I want to keep the flavor, so it has to build.

Esatto.

Okay.

-So it's building already.

-Right.

(Christina) So this is gonna give me the bit-- like the flavor of the broth, the--sort of the base, the fennel and the leaf and-- -Yes.

-Okay.

(Al) Once again, it is a bouillabaisse.

(Christina) Right, of course.

We can't lose the total character.

(Al) Now, we're not looking for color, so we can really go forward with-- with the wine and the potatoes and the kombu and the saffron.

-So just a dry white wine.

-Yeah.

(Christina) And please tell me you agree.

Don't cook with wine you wouldn't drink.

-Absolutely.

-Okay.

(Al) You're looking for that fruitiness.

(Christina) Exactly.

-Potatoes.

-Mm-hm.

(Christina) When do you want your saffron in?

-Now.

-Now.

Now, I soak my saffron, you do not.

-You let it bloom in the broth?

-Yes, right in the broth.

-Beautiful.

-If you're doing a risotto or dried mushrooms, saffron, you want to get that water out, you can do it, but we want everything to go into the pot right now.

-And water.

-Mm-hm.

-About four cups you say?

-Mm-hm, absolutely.

(Christina) Carefully measured.

Never in my world, yeah, never in my world or yours.

-There we go.

-Okay.

-And then, of course-- -When do the tomatoes go?

-Right now.

-Okay.

And bay leaf?

-Yes.

-Okay.

(Christina) And so this is two cups of tomatoes.

-Mm-hm.

-So this is a red broth.

(Al) Yes.

The bouillabaisse in Marseille is.

And the difference-- the differential is the potato in the Marseille bouillabaisse.

(Christina) Right.

And that--oh, really?

-Oh, really?

-Mm-hm, yes.

(Christina) So this is gonna cook for an hour to let all the flavors develop, and then we'll come back and season it.

And I love that you're seasoning it with miso.

I love that you're seasoning with miso.

(Al) Well, we put it in at the end 'cause we want it to dance and stay fresh.

(Christina) All right, so now we're gonna make the-- (Al) We're gonna make the bouillabaisse.

-Okay.

-And just so we're, you know, when she went to Marseille, she said, "I'm not using scallops because I'm a-- I'm a Buddhist from Kyoto, so how can I make this dish?"

So what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna take king oysters, that you're very, very used to, and make them into these beautiful scallops.

And they draw in the broth so wonderfully.

(Christina) Because you scored them and they're porous anyway, so it's really gonna pull.

(Al) Even if you don't score them, it's incredible, but the score makes them look just like-- just like a sea scallop.

And they really taste, when the broth is finished, -they really taste that way.

-Because of the kombu.

-Absolutely.

-Right.

So what we're gonna do, and we're gonna keep the caps in when we put the shiitake.

-Okay.

-And then we'll brown these beautifully.

I'm thinking about eight scallops.

(Christina) Yeah, why not?

(Al) And those.

(Christina) Wow.

And you want them flat, you know, flat side down and then they get flipped I'm gonna guess.

(Al) So we're gonna get some color on them.

-Okay.

-And I'm not gonna salt them.

You salt them, they won't get color.

-Is that true?

-Yeah, because the water -gets drawn out.

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Oh, then you're cooking 'em in broth.

-Yes.

-Nice.

Do you want the flame that high, Chef?

(Al) No.

(laughing) Save me, Christina, save me.

(Christina) Do you want the flame that high, Chef?

(Al) So we're gonna--these are all representative of-- of--of bass and scallops, and when we put it in the bouillabaisse, they're all gonna have this wonderful body.

(Christina) And it's because you have this big-- these sort of big, thick chunks, right?

(Al) And the same thing goes with the Japanese eggplant.

-They'll look like so.

-Right.

Japanese eggplant are sort of my favorite thing in the world at the moment.

-So we'll just go-- -I love them because they're not so acidic as other eggplant are.

-Mm-hm.

-And then are we, uh, -broth or no?

-Now, look.

(Christina) Oh my goodness.

-That is amazing.

-Mm-hm.

-I love this.

-So we'll do one flip here.

And then what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna put in my shiitake.

-Okay.

-Now look at those colors -that are already developing.

-Gorgeous.

It's gorgeous.

(Al) And now we're gonna let this dance a little.

(sizzling) And then we're gonna let 'em drink because we need drunken fish for our bouillabaisse.

(Christina) All right, so what are we doin'?

A bit of Pernod.

Whee, lovely.

Wait, are you gonna flame it?

Are you gonna flame it, Chef?

(flames billow) (clapping) Bravo!

Wow.

I love it.

(Al) And it's a classic bouillabaisse.

(Christina) And now the broth goes after the flaming is done, -correct?

-Yeah, we're ready.

(Christina) Okay, here we go.

(Al) You see how beautiful the fish is?

(Christina) Wow.

The non-fish.

(laughs) So this is gonna cook for about six or eight minutes, -correct?

-Yes.

(Christina) And then when we come back, we're gonna put this together and you'll see the most amazingly beautiful vegan bouillabaisse you've ever seen.

♪ -Can a vegetable be a fruit?

-A fruit can be a vegetable.

(boy) What?

It can be both?

(girl) What happens if you swallow the seeds?

(unintelligible) -I don't get it.

-I am so confused.

♪ So, when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle, people get very confused, very confounded, "Where do I start?

What do I do?

How do I put all these elements together to live well?"

So I thought in these segments I'd invite a series of experts who can help clear things up, and people who have questions that I might help them clear up so that they can move forward living a healthy life.

So, today I'm with Nicole Andreola, who's a certified fitness instructor from actually the gym I go to in Philadelphia.

And, um, so the question I have for you as a fitness instructor and a young mom who's busy, you have two boys, two boys, right?

-Mm-hm, two boys.

-So, and you manage to spin us into the ground twice a week, -three times a week.

-Yes.

How do you--'cause I hear this a lot from people, how do you as a young parent, busy parent with young children, how do you manage to stay fit?

Like, how do you work that into your life, like brushing your teeth?

It's a priority.

-It's just a must.

-I know, but how do you do that?

People say--I say that to people and they go, "Yeah, but how do you actually do it?"

(Nicole) So you have to make the time.

It's a lot of preparation too.

I mean, it's--it's a commitment, it's a choice.

-Okay.

-So once you acknowledge that you want to do something different... Um, my husband's father passed away at 52, let's backstory, my husband's father passed away at 52 -of a heart attack.

-Right.

Since learning that, I think it's our job, my husband and I, to create this environment for my children so we can be around for as long as possible.

How do I do that?

-We eat dinner at home.

-Right.

(Nicole) Even if it's a half an hour, you know, something on the grill, something easy, um, we try to make it a priority.

And I think that I want to be an example to my children, and that is the priority for me to have a healthy family and to be an example for them.

So, we make time.

You have to go the grocery store, you have to get fresh produce.

You have to think ahead, maybe, of what you're gonna make, -but it doesn't have to be-- -A big deal.

It doesn't have to be this big deal.

(Christina) So when you say you plan, like, you prioritize it, like, do you, I don't know, write menus, you know, is it elaborate as writing a menu or do you just see seasonal and this is what my kids like and so, right, -you build it that way.

-I build it that way, yes.

I try to simplify it because when it's too big, -it becomes too much.

-Can't do it, right.

And it's--listen, you're busy, you're running around.

So, like I said, if it's something as an easy salad or something easy on the grill, um, and fitness ties in with that.

Fitness and health go hand in hand.

If you're working out and healthy, you're gonna want to eat healthy, and vice versa.

So I feel like the two roads merge.

And it's worked really well for us.

And like I said, it's a priority.

So, for me, it's "we have to do it."

-Yeah, I agree.

-We have to do it.

-Um... -I mean, we have to set this example for the next generation -or it's not gonna happen.

-Absolutely.

-Okay.

-Yeah, 100%.

-So-- -So it's really, the beginning of it is your mindset.

(Nicole) Yeah, you make a choice.

That's where, I mean, that's where everything starts, right?

You see something, you make a choice, you want to do something different.

Something different than we were taught -just how to do.

-Right, exactly.

(Nicole) And that's what it is.

I mean, how I live my life is completely different -than how I grew up.

-Right.

I wanted it to be different for my children.

And that's what I do.

And my children are my number one priority, -which starts with yourself.

-Right.

(Nicole) So, exercise.

So that's-- that's a big key, right?

So, yes, I take time out to exercise and fitness, but it makes me a better mother, it makes me a better person, it makes me a better human, same as the food that we put in our body, which I know you believe in.

-It makes us better.

-Perfect.

All right, guys, it's not as hard as it sounds.

Just make it a priority and make the choice.

♪ All right, so, Chef, it's been cooking.

What do we do now?

'Cause I have to make the rouille.

(Al) Mmm.

-Look how beautiful.

-Oh, mamma mia.

-That's bouillabaisse.

-That's amazing, -that's bouillabaisse.

-That brings families together.

(Christina) Always, 'cause you eat out of the same pot.

So you finish it off, I'm gonna make the rouille.

So I'm just gonna take some-- we're gonna use vegan mayo, -okay?

-Mm-hm.

(Christina) And some Dijon mustard.

Is there--do you want salt in this?

(Al) You'll finish with salt.

-In the rouille?

-Mm-hm.

(Christina) A little bit of cayenne.

-You know what I also like-- -Paprika.

(Al) Paprika.

I also like a little, um, a little fresh saffron in the end if you'd like to.

(Christina) Sure, why not?

How much chili paste do you want, Chef?

(Al) Well, it calls for a tablespoon, so you can go two tablespoons.

(Christina) And then just a pinch of saffron?

(Al) Just so you can see it in the rouille.

-Yep.

-Sometimes they use potato.

I like bread in mine sometimes just to thicken, but the way this is workin' with the vegan menu.

(Christina) Oh my goodness, look at that.

And we just whip this up, right?

-Mm-hm.

-And then we're gonna put it -right on bread.

-Yep.

I could put anything on bread, actually.

-Oh my goodness.

-Look at these scallops.

(gasps) -Ahh.

-Oh my goodness.

(Al) So, we were talking a little bit about the philosophy of cuisine.

-Yeah.

-When I bring my people in, I get them to be inquisitive.

Before I show them a brunoise, I tell them why.

And then they'll--they'll assimilate the information.

You're only gonna be as good as you can be at cooking by developing your senses, and you need to-- one of the senses, -taste is just a sense.

-That's right.

(Al) Flavor is all the senses, including thought.

-That's right.

-And intuition is the way thought shows up when you master it.

-Right.

-So the idea is that if you have humility in the realm of thought, you immediately start to be intuitive.

Then you start to look at your product -and you understand it.

-Right.

(Al) Because we don't create flavor, we catch it like an outfielder.

(Christina) But you also, then, when you open your intuition and become vulnerable to nature, you instantly understand seasonality.

You're no longer looking for strawberries in February because they might sell better.

(Al) And you're not muscling the food.

(Christina) That's right, you're never pushing the food around.

-I love this.

-When it comes to the back door, -you ask it what it wants to be.

-Exactly.

(Al) The way Chez Panisse did it with Alice Waters, and the way all new chefs know how to-- great chefs know how to do it, all grandmothers always knew how to do.

-Grandmothers always knew.

-You look at the tomato and you say, "How do you want to be used?"

If you don't ask the question, you'll muscle it into any recipe -that you want to make-- -Well, if you don't ask the question, you don't know the answer.

(Al) And if you do ask the question, the tomato will answer you.

It will say, "I want to be cooked, I want to be fresh."

(Christina) "I want to be marinated."

-Exactly.

-When I do this exercise with my cooks, they look at it and it literally changes in front of them.

-It's true.

It's true.

-And it's the way -you need to change.

-Whenever I teach here, I always say, "If you're not excited by every garlic clove that comes across your plate, go do something else."

Now where would you like the toast, Chef?

(Al) We'll put 'em right off to the side -so you show the scallops.

-I know, -I wanna see the scallops.

-Mm-hm.

And then we'll finish with our zest, a little fennel fronds, all right?

♪ (Christina) Uh, Chef, wee celebration of this dish?

It should be served with a sparkling rosé, I think.

(Al) Absolutely.

(Christina) Because this is summer at its finest, yeah?

-Yes, it is.

-Woof.

-Summer in Marseille.

-This dish.

Summer in Marseille, I wish.

(cork pops, laughs) Lovely, nice pop.

♪ (liquid glugging) Chef Paris, this is a gorgeous dish.

Thank you so much.

I love cooking with you and spending time with you and, uh, I learn from you every time we spend time together.

(Al) Thank you.

I am vulnerable to your cooking.

(Christina) Mm.

♪ So what are you waiting for?

Let's get back to the cutting board, and I'll see you next time on Christina Cooks, the macroterranean way.

(exhales) Lovely.

♪ This is just...oh my goodness.

I can't wait to eat these scallops.

♪ ♪ (announcer) Underwriting for Christina Cooks is provided by Suzanne's Specialties, offering a full line of alternative vegan and organic sweeteners and toppings.

Suzanne's Specialties.

Sweetness the way Mother Nature intended.

♪ Jonathan's Spoons, individually handcrafted from cherry wood, each designed with your hand and purpose in mind.

♪ Additional funding is also provided by: ♪ You can find today's recipes and learn more by visiting our website at: And by following Christina on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

♪ The companion cookbook, "The Macroterranean Way," combines the Mediterranean diet with the ancient wisdom of Chinese medicine, allowing us to understand how food affects us so we can cook deliciously while creating the wellness we want.

To order your copy for $14.95 plus handling, call: Add "Back to the Cutting Board" and Christina's iconic "Cooking the Whole Foods Way," and get all three books for $49.95 plus handling, call: ♪ ♪