"Choosing Raw" by Gena Hamshaw Cookbook Review

Gena Hamshaw's "Choosing Raw"

http://www.choosingraw.com/recipes/

Is there an index?

Yes, by components and ingredients.

Is there a Contents/Chapter section?

There's a LOT of non-recipe pages in this cookbook.  She has a huge beginner/how-to section.

What is the “Beginner’s Intro” volume?

94 pages, or 34% of the book is the introduction, including a Q&A section.

To her credit, I did find the 21 day meal plans, starting on page 83, interesting.  For those people who are organized enough to create (or desire to start creating) and follow such, this gets you off to the right start.

What is the presentation like?

Many recipes have full page+ color photographs.  Only a few recipes cross to the next page, which indicates some careful editing.

Comments -

She does have 4 recipes listed under winter squash, but only one could be raw.

And I would guess that half the recipes have nuts or seeds as an ingredient, so it seems as (or no more) nut heavy as any other of the titles I've explored.

Ultimately, this is a transition to and learning how to cook vegetarian/vegan and incorporate raw food.  If you have other cookbooks, especially with any vegetable centric leanings, you already have many of these recipes.

If your library were wiped out tomorrow, would this make your cannot live without immediate re-buy list?

As my goal is a completely raw cookbook, I will not be purchasing this title.  

However, if you are just starting out, and have no cookbooks, this is a starter option.

Recipes -

Raw Carrot Falafel, pg 188

Falafel is not extraordinarily tasty, and neither are these.  But they make a great addition to salad and a bit of tahini drizzled on top turns this into a flavorful and texture-ful meal.

They are easy to shape and keep in the fridge.  

Himself commented that the falafel is not to his taste and not crunchy.  Which I interpret as, "This is not a potato chip."  

Rosemary Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes, pg 198

Except for the fact that I ate this on a chilly day, and would have preferred more warmth in my mouth, I loved this recipe.  

She includes some ingredients that I rarely see in Cauly mashed recipes.  And these give the dish a creamy, more flavorful experience than is typical.

I will keep this in rotation.  I think the miniature humans in my life would like it also.  Maybe I need to test it?

Raw Vegan Blueberry Ginger Ice Cream, pg 240

A banana based ice cream, I was short a banana and chowing down before realizing I'd mishalved the recipe.

However, I do find the halved banana recipe a bit, um, banana-y.  It would be a great dessert for those who love banana flavor.  For me, it is OK.  

"Live Raw" by Mimi Kirk Cookbook Review

Mimi Kirk's "Live Raw"

http://youngonrawfood.com/category/raw-food-recipes/

Is there an index?

Yes, 2 pages of mostly recipe titles, not the ingredients index I prefer.  However, the recipes are well titled (straightforward) to indicate major ingredients.

Is there a Contents/Chapter section?

Yes, 4 excellent pages.

What is the “Beginner’s Intro” volume?

Comprises 27% of the book, including some preachy bits.  Yikes, I'd rather have more recipes.

But, there are 165 pages of recipes.

What is the presentation like?

There is not a great deal of empty space in this book, notetaking will be restricted. On the other hand, the space is taken up with a bunch of recipes, none of this "each recipe gets 2 or 3 pages."  Indeed, such as with the smoothie section, she may have 2 or 3 recipes per page.

The recipes are presented on one of two colored and textured pages: light green or yellow.  This is fairly easy on my eyes.

Mimi Kirk includes rather delectable photographs of at least 1/3 of the recipes ... she does not highlight each smoothie recipe with a photo, but all the entree recipes are represented.  A good mix of knowing the audience and what we want to see, in my opinion.

If your library were wiped out tomorrow, would this make your cannot live without immediate re-buy list?

Maybe, I want to compare it to her International title, and will probably buy one or the other.

Comments -

I suppose this is the first raw cookbook I can see myself buying; I do think it is a bit preachy in the beginning, but 3 out of 3 recipes has us off to a good start.

Recipes -

Mango Smoothie pg 71

Oh, this was a good smoothie; a bright olived lime green.  I thoroughly enjoyed it, even with the sweetener I did not add.  :)  I have a green themed party coming up, and I can see serving this as the "opener."

Ms. Kirk has a couple unusual additions to the smoothie recipe than what I typically see, and this makes me want to try out more of her offerings.

I will add this into regular rotation.  Yum.

Upscale Kale Salad and Dressing pg 131

Besides cutting the oil and sugar by more than half, I made this according to the book. It is a citrus delight, and we made use of home grown greens.  There's an interesting combination of dried and fresh fruit, as well as a sprinkling of nuts.

The ingredient combo was delicious and enjoyed by both family members.

Himself said, "I like it.  Put it on the re-make list."  He is very salad and dressing picky, preferring balsamic vinegar usually.  This is quite the recommendation. 

Banana Pudding pg 207

Tasty and good, I made half a recipe for dessert and find this a more acceptable "regular" dessert than the highly over-the-top desserts I've seen in other cookbooks ... not that she is deficient in this realm (Mike's Birthday BRAWnie on page 218 looks sinful), just that variety is offered.

I did cut down the sweetener by half.


Conclusion - 
Yes, it is in my Amazon cart.  I'm not ready to buy just yet, because I want to check out two other titles: "Live Raw Around the World" by Mimi Kirk and "Raw & Simple" by Judita Wignall.  Both were requested from the library, and I'm simply playing the waiting game until they arrive from far flung parts of the US.

"Everyday RAW Express" by Matthew Kenney Cookbook Review

Matthew Kenney's "Everyday Raw Express Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less"

Is there an Index?
Yes.  But recipes are not listed, only components.


Is there a contents/chapters section?
Yes.  The chapter titles are clearly delineated.

What is the “Beginner’s Intro” volume?

Consists of 2% volume.  There is a 3 page (with one photo) "How to use this book and our recipes" section.  Definitely NOT a beginner's book, which I encourage.

What is the presentation like?
Most of the recipes have appealing photographs.

The recipes are consistently presented on a white background, with plenty of room for note-taking (important as my own cookbooks develop an interesting splatter and pen/pencil patina with time).

Each chapter is titled by its own colorful page.


If your library were wiped out tomorrow, would this make your cannot live without immediate re-buy list?
No.  It does not fit an everyday need, only irregular.


Comments -
I thought this one, like Wignall's "Going Raw," was approaching what I seek.  But the restauranteur within the author is glaringly obvious in many of the included recipes.  For me, this is high-falutin' raw food for rare occasions, as it is not flavorful, homey, ethnic (which is my preference).

I found Kenney's acknowledgments section describing Meredith Baird as a primary driver of "Everyday Raw Express" interesting.  I am left to wonder, should the author on the title page be Meredith Baird, rather than Matthew Kenney?

Additionally, a comment from the "Introduction," along the lines of we will help you incorporate more gourmet food in your diet is very descriptive of the contents.  These are not warm, cheery, comfort foods.  You do not find yourself dreaming of leftovers with this collection. 

This is, in fact, the book you pull out to impress guests with marvelous presentation.  A way to begin your meal with a feast for the eyes.


Recipes -

Red Beet Sangria (page 20)
Admittedly, I do not like beets.  It does not matter how recently they were pulled from the ground, or how tenderly Grandma massaged them for Thanksgiving dinner.  I do not like beets.  I know this is due to the geosmin content within, and I look forward to varieties that contain all the nutrients of our current beets but without the geosmin concentration (but I do not want them GMOed)!

As to Red Beet Sangria, I like the citrusy punch the oranges give the beet juice.  If you like beets, and the other contents of this recipe, I expect you will love this sangria.

I will finish my half recipe over the next couple days, i.e I will drink it dagnabit.  But it will likely never be remade in my household.  I do look forward to how the apple chunks change while absorbing the flavor and color of the liquid.  But that is more in the line of scientific, rather than gastronomic, inquiry.

Wild Mushroom Lasagna, Butternut Squash, Wilted Spinach (page 116)
This is the type of recipe I am seeking.  A couple components: squash, nut/seed cheez, marinated mushrooms, and marinated spinach.  There is no way I could get this recipe ready in 30 minutes or less (as per the subtitle), but it was worth the time investment.  Tasty blend of flavors.  However, this would not be a meal.  I made myself two stacks, but could only eat 1.5 of them.  It can be too much and may be best as an appetizer.  A half recipe left me with days of leftovers.



Kelp Udon, Mushroom Broth, Cabbage, Shiitakes (page 102)
As the family holds mushroom appreciation next to godliness, I figured this recipe was a shoo-in.  Instead I found it somewhat sickeningly sweet, offering little in the way of interesting flavors.  Confession, I ate half my serving and placed everything that remains in the compost.  (Shudder)



Himself - 
The SO's comment on the fare, "Do not take this the wrong way, these are good, but they are not very filling."

However, he used the last of the nut/seed cheez from the "Wild Mushroom Lasagna, Butternut Squash, Wilted Spinach" recipe on crackers and requested more.


Conclusion - 
Back to the library it goes.

"Rawmazing" by Susan Powers Cookbook Review

Susan Powers' "Rawmazing"

http://www.rawmazing.com/

Is there an index?

No.  And this is simply unacceptable.  You end up leafing through the entire book to find one recipe.

Is there a Contents/Chapter section?

Yes.  Two pages before the introduction sequence, with several recipe photos.

What is the “Beginner’s Intro” volume?

Consists of 5% volume.  Thirteen page of hints, tips, and how-tos at the beginning of the book.

What is the presentation like?

Photographs - There are small to full page color photographs of a large portion of the recipes.  They are all appetizing to the eyes.

However, I found the physical book visually jangling.  Recipes are on paisley or plaid like textured backgrounds, or wildly colored solids.  You never know what color the next page will be and this keeps the recipes from having any continuity.  This is not a restful book to page through.

If your library were wiped out tomorrow, would this make your cannot live without immediate re-buy list?

No.  The missing index is the biggest strike against this title.  I usually begin at the index when I pull a cookbook with the intention of cooking.  And this is why I prefer an index that includes both recipe components as well as recipe titles.

Additionally, every single breakfast recipe in this book (and each recipe I tried) is found in Susan's website.  It appears that the cookbook may, in fact, be a direct port from her website.  As such, with a website being searchable, I'd reach for that before an index-less book.

Comments -

My issues with this publication include: presentation/art direction wackiness, index absence, and editing failures.

Editing is hit or miss.  Recipe "Banana Cream Tart with Walnut Crust" (which is presented on two yellow pages) calls for a "Raw Chocolate" recipe directing you to page 91.  Page 91 offers you a recipe for "Onion Flax Crackers" (on one griege page).  I suspect you should, instead, flip to page 212 where "Raw Chocolate" is listed as part of the "Hazelnut and Mint Truffle" selection (three pages, blue gray in color).  However, you must seek this via a hunt and peck method as, listed above, no index was prepared and printed in this book.

Additionally, there are two recipes back to back "Mushroom Walnut Veggie Burgers" (page 133, plaid) and "Spaghetti and "Sausage"" (page 134, sky blue) that have the exact same ingredients and "mostly" directions for the burgers and sausage (you dehydrate the sausage for longer).  I would have written, for sausage, use the recipe for "Mushroom Walnut Veggie Burgers on page x" and dehydrate for x hours total to create a drier result.  As it is, we have a second recipe, much like the first, that takes up two pages.

Some recipes are incomplete, such as the Raw Cinnamon Bun that starts on page 18. 

And, finally, many of these recipes are stretched out over two or more pages, which means you are flipping while cooking.  This is due to the recipe introduction section (or the "how I came up with this recipe" descriptor).  These are quite "talky" and give the book a personality ... not that it really needs any assistance at this point in the game.  I suppose with this being a raw cookbook, and therefore time not necessarily being a huge factor, the page flipping may not actually cause many problems.

Recipes -

Jicama Salad, page 97
http://www.rawmazing.com/jicama-salad-with-peanut-curry-sauce/

This was an -ish.  I used this recipe more as a guideline (I always hear Geoffrey Rush in my head when that word comes up).

On a bed of spinach, I placed chopped jicama, dried cranberries, and walnut cauliflower taco "meat" - topping it all off with some leftover almond sauce (no peanuts on the diet).

This was extraordinarily tasty.  Mmm.  I hesitate to include this bastardization of the recipe, but the book is due back in 3 days, and I have weekend plans.

"Pirates of the Caribbean Geoffrey Rush (5729499465)" by Eva Rinaldi Celebrity and Live Music Photographer - Flickr. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pirates_of_the_Caribbean_Geoffrey_Rush_(5729499465).jpg#mediaviewer/File:Pirates_of_the_Caribbean_Geoffrey_Rush_(5729499465).jpg

 Onion Flax Crackers, page 91
http://www.rawmazing.com/flat-bread-sampler/
I made a 1/2 batch, but it was too much for my toaster oven, I would do a 1/4 recipe next time to cut down on the thickness of the crackers and reduce drying time (this is not a problem with the recipe, just knowledge of serving size).

We needed to use up some ground flax seed before their expiration, and I just happened across this recipe.

These took all day to dry.  There are 11 hours written into the recipe, but my thicker crackers took longer.

I like the flavor and appreciate having a restricted diet friendly cracker recipe in my repertoire.  It will not pull those basic old saltines out of Himself's grasp, but it is an option.  His flavor comment was: "kinda green" and "needs more salt".  The latter being his mantra.

Raw Cinnamon Buns, page 18
http://www.rawmazing.com/raw-cinnamon-buns/

And you are going along and find the bun recipe on page 19 (paisley-like pattern), and the filling recipe on page 20 (taupe solid).  The last direction in the "Assembly" section is "4.  Slice and top with icing."  Okay, what icing?  Where is that recipe?  Ah, whoops, it is not included.

A check of the website recipe reveals the icing recipe.  I guess it was lost in the port?


I attempted the recipe, but did not have a young coconut.  I substituted dehydrated coconut meat as an alternative - a couple turns in the blender and a little moisture gave me a tasty filling.

I substituted dried cranberries for the raisins, and did not include the icing - as that portion was missing from the cookbook.

Additionally, I dehydrated the bun for twice as long as the recipe suggests as the recommended timing produced only a sticky mess.

The final flavor combination left much to be desired.  The bun had no flavor, while the filling had enough flavor I ate the leftovers with a spoon.  Almost a coconut pudding.

I even placed them in the freezer for a while to see how the texture change might affect the flavor and my opinion.  No change, I will not be finishing this recipe.

I had planned to toss this in the compost, but the dogs loved it.  So they got a rare dessert this evening.

The RAW Food Cookbook Search Begins

Borrowed from http://baobab-supply.blogspot.com/

I appreciate some of the theories and science behind the RAW food movement (RFM).  Living foods are nutrient dense, the closer to nature your food the healthier your body, and eat seasonally for best health.  Granted, these tenants are shared by various other parties, not being restricted to RFM.

And so, since I have a small, well curated cookbook collection, and it has an empty space for RAW specific title(s), I began searching for just such a book.  This involves borrowing everything my library has on the subject, and requesting all other interesting titles via Inter Library Loan (whereupon I even have access to the Library of Congress).

Unfortunately, my search is not going well.  My typical requirement of a cookbook is one in which I start marking about half the recipes as interesting or "must tries."  I have not reached anywhere close to such with any of the raw food cookbooks I have borrowed from the library.

Additionally, with raw food cookbooks, I am hampered:

- not by dehydrator requirements or low temperature cooking instructions, but by sheer cooking time.  Dehydrate for 24+ hours?  You have got to be kidding me!

- recipe complexity, I am seeking a book that is in the middle, a baby bear book, not too involved but not too simple ... and most of the books have these two spectra covered, but not much in the middle

In fact, most RAW food cookbooks have a "how to go raw" "beginner's raw" or "dehydrator how to" section that takes up 1/4 or less of the book.  I've been cooking, baking, and experimenting in the kitchen for (eh) approaching 20 years, and I do not need any beginner information.  I need the intermediate cookbook. 

And well, I admit I began this search as winter was setting in down here.  And that may not be the best time of year to be looking at photo upon photo (and recipe upon recipe) of summery salads.  The search continues ...

On a personal note, as a cookbook reader and user, I appreciate those authors that have recipes on their blog.  It is a great way to test out their approach, and get an idea of what else they might have to offer.  So to those authors who do not have a blog, or do not put recipes on their blog, I have little exposure to them, their philosophy, or their output.  For my experience with those authors, I have to thoroughly thank my local library system.

At this time, I have these titles strewn about my kitchen:

Ani Phy's "Ani's Raw Food Essentials"

Brenda Davis' "Becoming Raw"
http://brendadavisrd.com/index.php?code=Breakfast

Gena Hamshaw's "Choosing Raw"

http://www.choosingraw.com/recipes/

Stacy Stower's "Eat Raw Not Cooked"

Kate Wood's "EatSmart EatRaw"

Carol Alt's "Easy, Sexy Raw"

Matthew Kenney's "Everyday Raw"

Matthew Kenney's "Everyday Raw Express"



 

Judita Wignall's "Going Raw"

Mimi Kirk's "Live Raw"

http://youngonrawfood.com/category/raw-food-recipes/

Jennifer Cornbleet's "Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People"

http://www.learnrawfood.com/recipes/

Susan Power's "Rawmazing"

http://www.rawmazing.com/

Matt Amsden's "The Rawvolution Continues"