During my recent stay in Los Angeles, I frequented one of my favorite spots in the city:
SunCafe Organic Cuisine!
Located right on Cahuenga Blvd. down the hill from Universal Studios, this cozy restaurant serves amazing (and ridiculously healthy) food.
They’ve been voted #1 Raw Restaurant in Los Angeles by BestOfRaw.net and #3 in the World! Most of their dishes and all our desserts are gluten free, or they have that option.
I always feel that restaurants that serve raw food are a bit more creative, and this place does not disappoint! Take a look at their menu!
I highly recommend checking out their shakes, salads, and raw nachos!
When I found out that they ALSO offer raw cooking classes, I got kinda giddy! :)
I know that many people, including myself, if we’re looking for gluten-free or lighter fare, that Mexican food is traditionally challenging: lots of rice, beans, tortillas, etc.
I had a feeling SunCafe would be whipping up something different… get ready for some nutritional fun!
Everything was RAW and VEGAN.
We made Avocado Cilantro Soup, Taco “Meat,” and Raw Spinach Enchiladas (with the filling, Nacho “Cheese,” sauce, and wraps).
As SunCafe is working on a cookbook, we can’t divulge all the secrets here—hopefully the recipe below will whet your appetite for the book— or you could always go there for a meal!
What You’ll Need
- Blender (high-powered or Vitamix would be good)
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
Prep & Skill
We covered all three main recipes in about an hour (and the enchiladas have 4 parts), so everything can be done fairly quickly.
I would estimate about 15-20 minutes for the soup.
All this is EASY—you’re essentially dropping everything into a blender! :)
The Recipe
Avocado Cilantro Soup (serves 2-4)
- 1 Avocado (medium)
- 1/2 Zucchini
- 1/2 tsp Chili powder
- 1 Lime
- 1/2 c Cilantro (press it down to measure)
- 2 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Coriander
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 cups Water
- 1 Date
- 1/2 Tomato, small (diced)
Mix all ingredients (except tomato) in blender until warm, about 2 minutes. Garnish with diced tomatoes.
**you want to serve this as soon as it’s done, as the avocados oxidize quickly!
Ron in action with the Zucchini!
The ingredients!
Ron, his Vitamix, and the soup!
And here’s the sampling plate we all had…
From left to right, we have the taco meat on a lettuce leaf, the avocado cilantro soup, and a wrapped enchilada with sauce! YUM!
Info on the Classes
- Every Saturday morning
- From 9:00 – 10:30 am at the restaurant
- $20 per person
- Everyone samples all the food made
(if you’re in the LA area, they’re doing classes on French Provincial Cuisine on 9/8 and Italian Fusion on 9/15!)
For the class I attended, we all sat and watched the food being made, and I expect that is typical. (Personally, I like the hands-on approach, so I can’t wait to try these recipes out!)
About
3711 Cahuenga Blvd.
Studio City, CA 91604
818.308.7420
Mon-Sat 11 am – 10 pm
Sun 10 am – 10 pm
Ron Russell, owner and a chef of SunCafe, began cheffing during college, leading to him becoming a vegetarian. It’s been 35 years since he’s eaten any meat.
Final Thoughts
Toward the end of the class, I was talking with Ron about the restaurant and he said that while he’s thrilled that people who are already juicing or eating raw are coming to SunCafe, what he’s really excited about are bringing in the people who are going to the In N’ Out across the street.
The people who wander over because they are really curious what “raw food” is all about, who wonder if it’ll taste any good—and whose lives can be transformed because of this experience!
Now THAT’S a mission I think we can all get behind!! :)
Way to go, SunCafe. Way to go.
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What do you think about SunCafe’s recipe and approach to food?
And let me know when you make this and how it tasted! :)
Looking forward to learning more!
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**In the interest of full disclosure, I attended the class for free in exchange for sharing my experience. However, for this class, and at this price, I would have happily paid. :)
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