I have been over 10 years raw and over 10 years macrobiotic before that. During this time I have viewed countless cook books. Ani's Raw Food Essentials is one of the best. By design, it's an impressive book. It has a beautiful layout along with the strength and feel of a high quality text book. It provides detailed instruction for basic raw food staples (salads, soups, smoothies, cereal, wraps, sandwiches, and rolls), comfort food favorites (pizzas, pasta, cheezes, scrambles, pancakes, pies, cakes, cookies, and ice kream), and innovative creations that will leave you and your friend's heads shaking in amazement (tortilla soup with jalapeno-lime kream, Korean dumplings, vanilla and lemon Kream crepes, and scones!!). Whether you are a beginner or advanced student, you will find that it does all these things, and it does them all very, very well. A couple distinguishing factors make her book stand out from all the rest. First, instead of limiting itself to a series of recipes, it provides the theory and concepts behind each of them to a far greater extent than I've seen before. Whether it's the basics of salad dressings, cheezes, soups, pizzas, smoothies, wraps, or deserts, Ani provides detailed instruction that will give you the power to develop your own creations. Second, she incorporates a broader range of ingredients and by doing so lessens the reliance upon high fat seeds and nuts that some people may be concerned about with raw food. You will learn how to utilize fruits, veggies and sprouted grains in places where you may have previously used seeds or nuts. By way of example, her mock tuna salad is made with carrots instead of sunflower seeds, and her onion ring batter is made with a buckwheat base. Of course seeds and nuts are still used in good proportion throughout as they provide essential oils and protein, but you will be pleasantly surprised to learn how to utilize more fruits, veggies and grains in your courses. Finally, there is a most charming 2 page chapter on how to incorporate raw food for our canine friends. In the beginning pages, Ani discusses how this is her version of "Raw Foods 2.0." She is being modest. Her book reaches the next level beyond that. Ani's Raw Food Essentials: Recipes and Techniques for Mastering the Art of Live Food
I like all of Ani Phyo's books, but her latest effort is the best yet. Ani's RAW FOOD ESSENTIALS is a hard bound raw food cookbook sure to be a classic tome on every healthy kitchen shelf.
ARFE is well organized and fun to read. Ani's tone is upbeat, conversational, and you can see how passionate she is about this lifestyle. It's an all encompassing lifestyle, embracing chemical free living, reducing our carbon footprint, in addition to eating a healthy organic (as local as possible) diet.
I really appreciate the little icons at the beginning of each recipie so you can see what you need for food prep during a pre-dinner thumb-through. There are shadowboxes throughout with various tips and information, and several tanalizing color photos in the center of the book, with black and white photos throughout.
Ani's recipes are known for being accessible. What I like is that she still manages to keep the flavors interesting and complex while keeping the work to a minimum. The noodle dishes are a great example. I can whip up a raw noodle dish with complex Thai undertones in a matter of a few minutes.
Being a big fan of the noodle bowl, I was excited to see several raw noodle recipes as I'm always interested in interesting variations. Carrot Angel Hair With Sun Dried Tomatoes in Cheddar Cheeze Sauce is a great example--I would have never thought of making carrot noodles and combining them with sun dried tomatoes, arugula, and a cheeze sauce---Yum.
I also love the way she gives you the basics and then lets you run with it--basic salad dressing, basic cake, etc. You get a solid foundation and then are encouraged to come up with your own variations.
You do need the basics--high speed blender, food processor, and dehydrator. Ani recommends the Excalibur, but I suggest the TSM dehydrator instead if you have a little extra to spend. This may seem like a big expense to some, but I use my equipment daily and consider it an investment in my health and well being. There are enough recipes here that do not require the dehydrator, but the first two items are really essential.
This is a perfect book for people just starting out with raw foods, people who have been at it for a while, and just for anyone looking to amp up their nutritional value and taste of their meals and snacks. There are a ton of wonderful recipes for pretty much every occasion. It's a classic, highly recommended.
I have read and enjoyed all of Ani's book and this one is no different. It does have some black and white photos, and some recipes that seem similar to the ones in her first book - but I have already made 5 recipes in the first week I bought it! I would recommend this to anyone venturing into the raw food world and the recipes are simple and easy to understand.
I was recently diagnosed, but have been suffering with Lupus and M.S. sympotmatic. As a health guru and Personal Trainer I am big on not taking any over the counter medication or prescribed meds. Unfortunately my situation was so bad I gave in to taking what my Doctor perscribed me, which made me gain incredible weight despite the fact that I was a vegan. I decided to go raw once again. I tried in the past years ago when there just wasnt enough info out there and the food was...well, gross.
I knew of Ani Phyo, but I thought it would be a great expense to buy all the products and machines. I have to be honest, there is an upfront cost for this lifestyle, but it is so worth it.
Ani Phyo's books are an easy read and very informative. The ingredients may be stuff you have in your home and if not, there is a small cost up front, but they last a while. If you have a Costco or Bj's close by, I suggest you go there and buy in bulk if you plan to make this your everyday lifestyle. Food goes fast especially when feeding a family.
Since purchasing this book, I have lost 10lbs in a week, I am more clear minded, I feel so lite weight, my inflamation has calmed down, and my husband loves the food and has lost 8lbs. We eat all day long and we are losing weight. It's incredible.
I buy lots of books and items from Amazon and never really bother to write a review, but this book is so fantastic that if my review can help get someone else on the road to health and delicious food through Ani phyo's books, then I had to write a review.
Buy this book! you wont regret it. - Raw Food Recipes - Healthy Living - Raw Foods - Vegan'
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