Best Review on Practically Raw Flexible Recipes Anyone
I was lucky enough to hear Amber speak at the Dallas Veggie Fair in the fall of 2011. I am a fan of her blog, and was very excited to see she was one of the speakers. Amber introduced us to her Five Minute Blondies and Tahini Kale salad, both were easy to make and were fabulous. I've made her blondies so many times I can't even count, and I have to hide them from my omnivore family so I can have some. The Kale-Tahini salad is great too. I've made it plenty of times and am love how easy it is to make. At the Veggie Fair Amber said she had a book coming out that included a whole chapter on KALE CHIPS! I'm pretty sure I pre-ordered the book the minute I got home.
I didn't realize how much I would appreciate the "cooked" options. While I eat high raw, I don't own a dehydrator. Making kale chips are still possible without the fancy dehydrators that are used. In addition to the cooking options, if you don't have an item in a recipe, check out the substitutions at the end of the recipe that Amber includes.
Out of my raw cookbooks, Amber's is my favorite. Easy to comprehend, and full of information, you need this book! Almond Butter Ice Cream is amazing, I can't wait until it's 100 degrees--I will make it every day! I never thought I'd eat, let alone be able to create Vermicelli with Pecan Cream sauce, but I did and it is out of this world. Deconstructed sushi bowls are wonderful and a staple every other day or so for my lunch, and just wait for the Rice Pilaf recipe! By far the best cookbook in my collection.
I don't hold to a raw or vegan diet, but I like to incorporate it when I can. I don't have a dehydrator or time to spend on time-consuming recipes. I am almost always out of some ingredient or other and have to substitute.
BalasHapusSo this cookbook is a fantastic resource. With cooked options, substitutions and tips, it is truly flexible. If you want 100% all-raw, Chef Amber's cookbook delivers. If you want to dabble with raw/vegan, she also delivers. If you want to experiment and try new things without getting overwhelmed, once again, it's delivery time.
So unless you are simply terrified of making way more hummus than is good for you (guilty! I've made all three base recipes and two additional variations), Amber's cookbook is a great resource for anyone wanting more healthy choices in their diet, especially if you're under the impression that raw or vegan means lettuce for life!
(Pssst. It doesn't by the way and Amber can prove it).
This cookbook is charming and very well composed. There are great photographs, creative and tasty recipes and ideas, and most of them offer extreme flexibility in terms of ingredients as well as options for cooking (yes, cooking!). The emphasis here is healthy food and the idea of "Practically Raw" really applies to many raw foodists who occasionally eat a cooked cracker here and a cooked soup there. What makes this book so special is that it really applies to everyone who wants to eat healthy, raw foods. It offers am open-option, rather than closed-restriction. It is one of the first books that I've read that actually reflects the way I personally eat and live, and that is...practically raw.
BalasHapusAlthough I am a raw food chef and have a lot of experience with raw foods, I was surprised to learn a few things from this book that I never thought to question! For example, I've always considered coconut butter something expensive that has to be purchased in a glass bottle. To see the inclusion of a recipe for coconut butter, I literally could not believe I never made it myself, nor thought that it was possible to do at home! (The same can be said for some nut butters.) I'm really excited to try so many of the wonderful recipes that I've found myself bookmarking page after page, after page. There are so many flavors and textures, combinations and techniques that I get the feeling these recipes have been used, tasted, tested, and implemented from the vantage point of someone that actually makes these recipes for herself. This cookbook is not simply an exhaustive list of recipes/ingredients that happen to temp the reader with familiar ''cooked'' food flavors and/or creative ideas of all things possible while cooking in the raw. It is, instead, a wonderful addition to any raw food cookbook collection that will surely offer many great surprises, tasty recipes and certainly accurate information. Very creative, inspiring, and provoking. I hope to see more from this author in the future!
I was lucky enough to hear Amber speak at the Dallas Veggie Fair in the fall of 2011. I am a fan of her blog, and was very excited to see she was one of the speakers. Amber introduced us to her Five Minute Blondies and Tahini Kale salad, both were easy to make and were fabulous. I've made her blondies so many times I can't even count, and I have to hide them from my omnivore family so I can have some. The Kale-Tahini salad is great too. I've made it plenty of times and am love how easy it is to make. At the Veggie Fair Amber said she had a book coming out that included a whole chapter on KALE CHIPS! I'm pretty sure I pre-ordered the book the minute I got home.
BalasHapusI didn't realize how much I would appreciate the "cooked" options. While I eat high raw, I don't own a dehydrator. Making kale chips are still possible without the fancy dehydrators that are used. In addition to the cooking options, if you don't have an item in a recipe, check out the substitutions at the end of the recipe that Amber includes.
Out of my raw cookbooks, Amber's is my favorite. Easy to comprehend, and full of information, you need this book! Almond Butter Ice Cream is amazing, I can't wait until it's 100 degrees--I will make it every day! I never thought I'd eat, let alone be able to create Vermicelli with Pecan Cream sauce, but I did and it is out of this world. Deconstructed sushi bowls are wonderful and a staple every other day or so for my lunch, and just wait for the Rice Pilaf recipe! By far the best cookbook in my collection.
BalasHapusI'm so in love with this book! Amazingly easy to follow recipes! Everything I've tried so far came out delicious!
BalasHapusBig highlights are the substitutions suggestions which inspire your creativity and the nutrition information in every recipe.
This book will please everyone looking for healthy and tasty food, even my non raw friends thought the food was delicious.
Thanks for all the inspiration, Amber!!
I love the idea of eating raw but most recipes are too off-putting to me. Not so with Amber! She makes raw accessible and easy by including recipes for both raw and cooked (or semi-cooked) versions of all her tasty treats. This book is very inspiring and I also like the fact that it's not dogmatic--many raw food books are "either/or" but this one incorporates a realistic middle ground.
BalasHapusThe food and photos are gorgeous and so is Amber! You'll love this cookbook.