Customer Reviews

Alive in 5: Raw Gourmet Meals in Five Minutes

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I think the title of this book is quite misleading. I'm giving it two stars because I think the author is representing it as something it's not: "gourmet food".

While the recipes are not complicated, most of them are far TOO simple. Over and over, I kept asking myself, "for THIS I need a recipe book??" For example, "Cucumber Pizza", which sounds intriguing, is nothing more than chopped olives on slices of cucumber. "Scrambled Eggs", which sounds like something you wouldn't find in any ordinary raw food recipe book is -- are you ready for this? -- 3 ripe avocados mashed in a bowl, add salt and pepper! The "salad" recipes are the most basic of salads ... if you can chop some vegetables and lettuce into a bowl, add some lemon juice, olive oil and your favorite seasonings, you already know how to make most of the salads in this book.

There are several different nut milk recipes, each with a fancy, delicious-sounding name, but they're all the exact same recipe ... only the kind of nut you use is different.

Many of the recipes call for the pulp left over from making nut milk, and some of the soup recipes require nut milk. So unless you've taken the time to make nut milk, and have saved a supply of the pulp, you're out of luck.

One problem I have with many raw food recipe books is the inordinate amount of nuts, seeds and avocados called for. One recipe in this book calls for 5 avocados to make a dish that serves 3 people (just about all the recipes in the book make 3 servings). A taco recipe calls for 2 cups of soaked sunflower seeds in the pate', plus an avocado in the filling, and another cup of sunflower seeds to make the "sour cream" topping ... serves 3. I don't like gorging on fats, even if they are the healthy kind.

Some recipes call for coconuts, which is a no-go for me, because I don't want to have to deal with cracking coconuts and scraping out the flesh, etc. One recipe (that makes 3 servings) calls for 3 young coconuts.

I'm a big proponent of raw foods, and have a large collection of raw food recipe books. For "quick and simple" recipes, I especially like Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People, by Jennifer Cornbleet. Raw Foods for Busy People by Jordan Maerin is another favorite. But I cannot recommend Alive in 5, for all the reasons mentioned above. Perhaps if it were titled more honestly, something like "Dishes You Really Don't Need a Recipe Book For", I wouldn't have been so disappointed with it. I'm not saying there aren't some tasty combinations of foods in this book, but many of them are just TOO simple. To call it "Gourmet Meals" is misleading.

I recently purchased three raw cookbooks, this is the first I have tried.

I have tried all but two recipes of the first three days menu plan, plus two extras, sometimes they took a little longer than 5 minutes but I have enjoyed every recipes.

This is my fourth try going raw and I may make it this time because the foods in the book are readily available (except maybe one or two).

There is not a lot planning days ahead to soak, sprout, grind, dehydrate for three days so maybe it will be ready and hopefully you will still want it and remember what you were trying to make in the first place! With this book you see it, you check the frig and find the ingrediants, you make it, you love it!

I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking into or transitioning to raw food and anyone who is a busy person. It is simple, easy and the recipes really are ready fairly quickly. The food itself is very tasty and as long as you plan ahead you can be eating within 10 minutes of walking in the door. The "high fat" content alluded to in another review is much lower than a typical mainstream meal and it is my belief that when you transition to raw foods you need to have as much of the heavier foods around as possible, so that you feel satisfied as your body is getting used to the change. Worry about the fat later, when you are an experienced raw foodist. Chances are your body will tell you by then anyway! Enjoy this delightful little book and enjoy all the time you have not cooking!

Elaborate gourmet dishes are fun on occasional but this to me provided practical ways to make fabulous raw dishes every day. So far I'm made more out of this book than other raw books and some are destined to be family favorites that we make over and over. And yes, even the simplest ones were appreciated because when starting raw, it's not always easy or clear where to get started, what flavors combine well, what you can make without buying expensive equipment, and where to get a lot of unusual ingredients seen in other raw books. It can be overwhelming and sadly, stressful and this book makes eating raw enjoyable and liberating.

I really like this book for it's simplicity and yet great tasting recipes. While some of them may be very simple - such as the cucumber pizza - I would have never tried it without the guidance provided. I made those simple little pizzas and took them to a party and they were not only a hit, but they totally disappeared - and fast!!

I have about 12-15 raw books and find this one to be right at the top of the list (along with Jennifer Cornbleets too) due to the ease of the recipes without a lot of upfront prep time. This is definitely one of my "weekday" recipe books! Granted, on a raw lifetstyle one does have to remember that soaking nuts/seeds is part of the deal so keep that in mind.

Enjoy and eat your veggies!

This is a great book for those who want a quick,healthy meal that looks good and taste YUMM too. Bought this book for my daughter who has been doing the "raw lifestyle" for 2 years now. She loves all the easy to make recipes. Angela Elliott(the Author) makes the process so easy that even a person who can't find herself around the kitchen (like my daughter) could even create a great looking meal. Gourmet without the works. What a concept.
Dr.H

This book is a Godsend for those of us who have to work! I have found lots of quick and easy recipes that are very satisfying. I have many raw cookbooks, but I refer to this one the most, as I know it won't take too long to prepare! Thanks to the author for making my raw life easier...cause we know it can really be a rough transition! I highly recommend this if you are new to raw and even for those who have been doing raw for a long time.

This book is a great place to start for anyone making the transition to raw food. I recommend it to my neophyte raw food friends. It's not overwhelming and most recipes don't have long prep times.

I am looking forward to eventually making some of the meals in here. However, the author has a list of appliances she recommends owning to prepare most of the food (including a food processor which I do not own). She also suggests having certain nuts or seeds sitting in chilled water in your refrigerator. However, she states these are only good for 3 days. Sometimes I have one meal planned in my head in the morning but when I get home from work, I decide to go with a quicker meal. I can't have seeds and nuts sitting in my refrigerator on the off chance that I might use them. If I don't, they'll quickly go bad and that's a waste of money.

I guess for someone who is committed to going raw all the way, this book offers quite a few ideas. However, for someone just trying to start a healthier lifestyle, this might not be an ideal book to jump to.

Some really lovely recipes for dressings which we are always looking for to pour on our many salads and wraps. Also, a couple of soups I hadn't tried yet were very good. We don't eat many sweet things, but this book has a great sounding lemon pudding I want to try. A nice investment for the busy raw foodist.