Parisa Z. Ambwani stands in her kitchen with an array of spices, herbs, vegetables and grains displayed before her. She spends hours at a time crafting and trying out new recipes to see what can amount to the most nutritious, delicious and meaningful meals.
Ambwani, a Danville-based author and philosopher, has spent decades refining her method of cooking intertwined with spirituality. Since 1997 she has developed eight books highlighting vegetarian and plant-based diets, with sprinkles of philosophical advice. Her most recent piece “Enlightened Home-Chef III”, published earlier this year, shares over 140 dishes for the everyday chef to try.
“My efforts have been more than 30-plus years to create this content (eight books and an online library),” Ambwani said. “I’m trying to do a lot of research, and I’m trying to understand how nature and food can work together.”
The latest book is the third installment of the “Enlightened Home-Chef” series.
Ambwani believes cooking and eating can be much more than the mainstream food industry leads people to believe, involving spirituality and a connection with nature. With dishes like “honest vegetable pizza”, “zucchini walnut bread” and “peach oat cookies”, she strongly believes in living a holistic lifestyle.
Ambwani says food can be healing — she even titled one of her cookbooks “Green Pharmacy” to emphasize this sentiment.
“Using holistic ways of living can help us improve our immune systems and increase our overall positive energy. Meditation and eating nutritious foods can go a very long way,” Ambwani said. “If you have a healthy body, you have a healthy mind.”
As to why she opts for a vegetarian and more plant-based diet, Ambwani emphasizes her appreciation of nature and its gifts.
“When I am eating more vegetarian, I find myself more connected with nature,” Ambwani said. “But of course people can be vegetarian for other reasons, maybe there is a diet issue or something like that, but for me it’s because I love nature.”
“I would say nature is everything, to me it is happiness, and people should be taking better care of it. The true beauty of human beings is to have an open heart and the ability of this love of living nature,” Ambwani added.
One of the main beliefs conveyed throughout her work is that eating unhealthy foods can cause toxicities in the body, mind and spirit. People can combat this and create healthier patterns in their lives by forming better relationships with food and nature. She encourages people to avoid food additives, deep-fried foods and excessive animal fats.
“On nutrition, people can get protein through foods like yogurt or eggs,” Ambwani said. “It’s hard to find 100% grass-fed meat, which is best.”
The author stresses that cooking should feel like a great joy, rather than a chore or nuisance.
“I feel like people tend to get involved in so many things because there’s so many new machines, but they deserve to have good lives and live with more consciousness,” Ambwani said.
Aside from her cookbooks, the author has also published a number of books on philosophy and spirituality. She runs an online library at www.enlightenedrecipes.com that offers a host of recipes, tips and personal reflections for the public to learn from.
“I hope (I can help people) to be happy, to see eating can be spiritual no matter what religion they believe in,” said Ambwani, who already has plans for her next book which will focus on philosophy and spirituality only.
Readers can find “Enlightened Home-Chef III (Vegetarian Cookbook)” available for purchase online or at retailers like Towne Center Books in downtown Pleasanton.