iEat Green - 01.07.21 - Sanjay Rawal

Sanjay Rawal is a documentary film director who lives in New York City. He spent 15 years working on human rights campaigns globally, before making his first feature film Food Chains in 2014. Food Chains premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in its Culinary Cinema Programme and had its US premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival.[2] Food Chains was produced by Smriti Keshari, Eva Longoria, Eric Schlosser, and Rawal himself. Forest Whitaker narrates.[3] Rawal was a winner of the 2015 James Beard Foundation Award for Special/Documentary for Food Chains.[4] The film itself shared the 2016 BritDoc Documentary Impact Award, and has been acquired by Netflix.

Rawal's second movie 3100: Run and Become took a sharp turn into non-traditional filmmaking. Applying narrative cinematic technique, Sanjay directed a sweeping expedition film. 3100: Run And Become was released theatrically in the US in 2018.

 “Running unites us. At one point, every culture on Earth relied on running. It’s baked into our DNA,” Rawal said.[6] The film received generally positive reviews including by Kimber Myers of the Los Angeles Times. "Rawal's well-shot film is engaging - particularly for those with an interest in running and/or meditation," she wrote.[7] Critic Pamela Powell went further, writing "3100: Run and Become beautifully captures the heart and inspiration of all who close their eyes, take a breath, and open their hearts to life."[8] 

Rawal's third film, Gather, was released straight-to-digital in September 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic. It received a New York Times Critic's Pick selection. Reviewer Lovia Gyarkye wrote, "The film wonderfully weaves personal stories with archival footage that contextualizes the continued violence against Native Americans. Rawal covers a substantial amount of ground and deftly balances the dense material without losing sight of the mission driving the bigger story: Healing from generational trauma sometimes starts with just one person."

 

 

Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup 

¼ cup olive oil 

10 Shiitake Mushrooms, stems removed, sliced 

12 Baby Bella or Crimini Mushrooms, sliced 

½ cup dried mushrooms, (pour boiling water over and soak for 2 hours ) 1 Onion, chopped 

2 cups chopped Leeks 

2 shallots 

2 t. plus 2 t. chopped garlic 

1 t. plus 1 t. Herbs de Provence 

½ cup white wine 

1 t. salt + ½ t. pepper 

½ cup cashews, soaked for 2 hours 

2 Tbs. white miso 

6 cups water 

¼ cup Aji Mirin 

2 Tbs. Tamari 

Fresh chopped parsley for garnish 

1. In a large stockpot, sauté the Leeks, shallots, and onions with the 2 t. garlic.  Drain the soaked mushrooms, chop them, and add them to the pot with the  onions.  
2. Sauté for 10 minutes, until soft. Add the water, bring to a boil, and reduce the  heat to a simmer, and add the salt and Herbs de Provence. Let cook for 10  minutes.  
3. Meanwhile, in a heavy sauté pan, sauté the mushrooms in a little olive oil with 2  t. minced garlic. Add the Herbs de Provence. Sauté for 10 minutes, add the  Mirin and Tamari. Cook for a few more minutes until all the liquid is absorbed.  Set aside.  
4. Drain the cashews. In a blender, add the cashews, miso, and 3 cups of the soup  and puree until smooth.  
5. Return soup to pot and add the sautéed mushrooms. Taste for salt 6. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley