Article first published as Book Review: Eat Raw, Eat Well: 400 Raw, Vegan and Gluten-Free Recipes by Douglas McNish on Blogcritics.
If you are a raw-food foodie, “Eat Raw, Eat Well” by Douglas McNish is for you! And, if you are just embarking on the raw food tract, this book is for you also. There are many benefits of a raw food diet; for one, it is believed high heat necessary for cooking food kills enzymes that help you digest food. As well, it is believed high cooking destroys vitamins and the life force of food which basically means eating dead food. It is also believed eating raw foods gives more energy to the body thus requiring less sleep, improves the immune system and prevents or reverses diabetes. If all that is in your realm, I encourage you to try recipes from this cookbook and see for yourself.
For the purpose of the review, we are asked to test three recipes. I chose “Banana Cinnamon Goji Berry Cookies.” Raw cashews and raw almonds as well as cinnamon, goji berries, chopped banana, coconut oil and agave nectar were placed into a food processor until the mixture came together. The cookies were placed on a sheet and refrigerated for 2 hours and then served. Yum!!! There were soooo good!
The second recipe I tested was “Pasta Bolognese.” “Zucchini Noodles” were first made using a spiralizer. The sauce was a combination of “Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce,” “Walnut Mince” and “Almond Parmesan Cheese.” The marinara sauce was a combination of sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, basil leaves, and chopped tomatoes. The mince was a combination of walnut pieces, cumin, chili powder, salt, wheat-free tamari, and olive oil. (This was processed until it resembled meat.) All this was tossed together which chiffonade basil leaves. Topped with “cheese” made from raw almonds and nutritional yeast, this made a very delicious dinner. It sounds like there was a lot to make but essentially it wasn’t. The end result was to die for! I highly recommend this recipe and I will be making it again.
The third recipe I made was “Eat Your Greens Smoothie.” What a great way to get your green in a fun and delicious way! Using Hemp milk I added mango, kale, romaine lettuce, parsley, banana and a pitted date. Blend all this together and you have a thick slurry that is scrumptious, easy to digest, and has fiber. It is so good! Since I made the original recipe I’ve also used papaya instead of mango, and dandelion greens instead of kale. This was also a good combination.
With summer coming, “Eat Raw, Eat Well” by Douglas McNish would be a perfect cookbook to invest in; not only to keep the kitchen from heating up during cooking, but to incorporate a healthier eating style. As I perused the remainder of the recipes I saw many that I’m going to be making. I also noted the ingredients are ones you can purchase at any local grocery story (providing they are organic) and found in the kitchen pantry. Recommended!!
Eat Raw, Eat Well: 400 Raw, Vegan & Gluten-Free Recipes
Douglas McNish
Robert Rose Publishing (2012)
ISBN 9780778802952
Reviewed by Irene Watson for Reader Views (4/12)
Eat Raw, Eat Well: 400 Raw, Vegan & Gluten-Free Recipes
Douglas McNish
Robert Rose Publishing (2012)
ISBN 9780778802952
Reviewed by Irene Watson for Reader Views (4/12)
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