Fresh The Ultimate Live Food Cookbook
Cookbooks need not—indeed, should not—involve cooking, say the authors of this authoritative, beautifully illustrated book. And they should know. Sergei and Vayla Boutenko bring fifteen years’ experience to this collection of scrumptious, sophisticated recipes and comprehensive guide to the raw life.
Fresh covers the whole range of recipes, including savory dishes, desserts, fermented foods, drinks, and wild foods. Techniques common to the recipes are introduced and clearly explained, including an inventory of uncommon fruits and how to handle and prepare them, as well as an immersion into the five basic flavors and the herbs, fruits, vegetables, and grains that help chefs bring out each flavor best. The authors introduce the three stages of adaptation to this lifestyle and provide a concise review of minimal equipment requirements and ideal appliance additions for the well-stocked raw kitchen.
User Ratings and Reviews
1 Star Not A Cookbook
This book claims to be a cookbook however the book actually contains over fifty pages of why you should eat raw food and how amazing it will make your life. Even with the verbose and lengthy introduction, which should have been deleted the “recipes” basically consists of a list of ingredients and fails to provide adequate instructions aside from chop and mix. The few pictures in the book including that shown on the cover do not have detailed enough instructions to make the recipe look anything like the picture. Lastly some of the ingredients like dulse flakes and nutritional yeast which are in numerous recipes in this book are not described anywhere in the book nor can I find these ingredients anywhere, including the health food store. Rather than discuss all about blenders and food processors which, most people already have both try describing the recipes and ingredients in a little more detail. My recommendation is don’t but this book if you want a cookbook, but only if you a few decent salad and dressing recipes and one man’s account of the benefits of a raw diet. Wish I would have returned it.
5 Stars really nice surprise
It is a bold move to include words like “ultimate” in the title of a non-fiction book of any kind. On first look, I was disappointed by the seeming simplicity of the recipes, but after 6 months of ownership, this is the raw foods un-cookbook that I come back to on a daily basis for quick, tasty eats and “weekday” meals. I believe that is definitely one of the “ultimate” in accessible raw food recipes for a few reasons, the first being that the ingredients may be obtained at any well-stocked market. That is great when you are on a budget! Second, the recipes are quick and are only time-consuming if “dehydrate” is part of directions. Third, raw foods is about playing with ingredients and taste! We all have different taste buds and I have grown to really like the fact that the authors purposefully stay away from exact amounts in the recipes. It leaves one free to play with different combos while having nice guidelines to guide the overall flavor of the dishes. Because of this collection of recipes, I am now able to combine my own raw foods dishes based on the flavor teachings of the authors. All of the recipes that I have tried (and re-tried!) have been delicious and satisfying. I am especially fond of the russian carrot salad, gorilla burgers, chocolate pudding, and a variety of bar cookies.
5 Stars Find a bulk food store.
I’ve had health issues for years, and discovered a few years ago that most of my problems were due to celiac disease, a condition in which your body has an auto-immune reaction to gluten, a substance found in wheat, rye and barley. I completely changed my eating habits and felt much better. Over the last couple of years, I’ve continued to not only avoid wheat, rye and barley, but to add in healthier foods and ways of preparing them. This was my first experience with raw food preparation, and I have been pleased with the results. When I first opened the book, I was a little overwhelmed by the types of ingredients needed. Some were expensive here (mostly the nuts and fresh tropical fruits) and most were out of season (it was the dead of winter). I found a bulk foods store near me which stocked many of the items I needed as far as raw nuts, dried fruits, herbs and spices were concerned, and planned my garden around many of the other ingredients I would need. You’ll also need a dehydrator, blender and food processor to make many of the recipes. While I haven’t been able to go completely raw due to expense and location, I plan on eating that way as much as possible during the growing season this year. I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone with an interest in raw food preparation. It’s packed with great information and tons of recipes.
4 Stars good for ideas
I love Sergei’s description of “invisible tools” that you learn to make up your own recipes. Intuition is the best friend of a cook, true, but I find the actual recipes in here usually involve more esoteric ingredients or tools than your average new-to-raw type person (like me) might have on hand. While this book is fun to read and insightful, I find Jennifer Cornbleet’s book a little easier to use.
5 Stars Great Service and Great Book
The service was to the point and efficient. I love the receipes and the philosophy offered. Educational.
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Tags: Adequate Instructions, Blenders, Comprehensive Guide, Cookbooks, Desserts, Fifteen Years, Flavors, Food Cookbook, Food Processors, Fruits Vegetables, Grains, Health Food Store, Immersion, Lengthy Introduction, Minimal Equipment, Nutritional Yeast, Raw Food, Raw Life, Savory Dishes, Uncommon Fruits