Ani's Raw Food Essentials: Recipes and Techniques for Mastering the Art of Live Food [Hardcover]

Ani Phyo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2010

Chef Ani Phyo is back with Ani’s Raw Food Essentials, full of everything you need to know to master the art of live food. Phyo shows you how to whip up simple, fresh recipes using what you’ve already got in your kitchen while also offering tips on dehyrating and more sophisticated techniques. Looking for innovative meals that are healthy and delicious? Phyo offers everything from classic comfort foods like nachos and burgers to Reuben sandwiches and bacon, along with more gourmet dishes like risotto, angel hair pasta, and her “you-won’t-believe-they’re-raw” desserts.

Ani’s Raw Food Essentials once again proves that you don’t have to sacrifice taste to reap the benefits of raw foods, all while living a greener lifestyle. Recipes include: Broccoli and Cheeze Quiche, Kalamata Olive Crostini, Cashew “Tofu” in Miso Broth, Grilled Cheeze and Tomato Sandwiches, Cheeze Enchilada with Ranchero and Mole Sauce, Pad Thai, Pesto Pizza, and many more.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Named a “Top Ten Vegan Cookbook” by VegNews, July/August 2010

 

VegNews, May/June 2010
“The raw-food styling’s of the uncook queen Ani Phyo return for her most must-have volume yet. Ani’s Raw Food Essentials hits all of the basics—and beyond—in its hefty 300+ pages. Written with the beginner in mind, Phyo’s comprehensive content makes it perfect for anyone interested in adding more raw, unprocessed, delicious, and healthy meals to their life…Phyo’s tone is nothing but positive and supportive, encouraging small steps toward a healthier lifestyle and never demanding a 100-percent raw diet—especially not overnight.”

Library Journal, 5/15/10 “If you've avoided raw cookbooks in the past, this is a great starter title.”

 

VegDaily.com, 6/22/10

“Ani Phyo guides readers through the fundamentals of raw food preparation in a simple and user-friendly manner.”

 

Copley’s News Service

“The foods are raw but her techniques are exceptionally polished”

 

Healthy Magazine (UK)

“Ani Phyo is fast becoming the go-to girl for all things raw. This book provides over 250 recipes and tips that prove that you don’t have to sacrifice flavour to reap the benefits of a raw food diet. Phyo explains that raw food is more than just a diet – it is a way of life. She teaches readers how eating fresh, organic ingredients can affect the way we look, feel and interact with the earth. If you’ve been thinking about going raw, this book provides easy transitional recipes and techniques to help you painlessly make the change.”

 

Funky Raw Magazine (UK)

“If you are a beginner to raw food, this would make an excellent first recipe book, and even if you consider yourself an expert, you will find lots of ideas and inspiration within the 320 pages of this book.”

 

Discovery’s PlanetGreen.Com, 10/21/10
“[Ani is a] change-maker.”

 

Top Sante Health and Beauty (UK), July 2011

“[R]aw food bible.”

About the Author

Ani Phyo is one of the nation’s premier raw food chefs. The author of Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen, Ani’s Raw Food Desserts, and Return on Design and founder of SmartMonkey Foods, she lives in Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books (June 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738213772
• ISBN-13: 978-0738213774
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 1.1 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (89 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #51,545 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ani Phyo is on a mission to show you how easy it is to enjoy healthy, organic, whole foods that are delicious, simple, and fast to prepare. Using seasonal, local, organic, fresh produce coupled with nuts and seeds, Ani creates tantalizing recipes that taste amazing, are good for you, and healthy for our planet. She teaches us why eating more organic, fresh, whole foods helps us maintain our ideal weight, lowers cholesterol, boosts our immune system, and helps us look and feel our best.

Ani learned these principles as a child. Growing up in upstate New York, her family had their own organic farm. She was raised on fresh, green juices and seasonal produce which cultivated the relationship she maintains with food today. She spent many years in the catering business and stumbled upon raw foods as a gourmet treat. After realizing the impact on her mental clarity and focus, she was hooked. She continued to notice positive changes in her energy level, productivity and sleep, and recognized there was more to raw foods than meets the eye. She's been dedicated to the raw foods lifestyle ever since.

Ani's the author of "Ani's Raw Food Essentials", "Ani's Raw Food Desserts", and "Ani's Raw Food Kitchen," awarded "Best Vegetarian Cookbook USA 2007". Ani has received 4 Best of Raw 2008 Awards for Best Chef, Favorite Cookbook, Favorite Educator, and won Sexiest Raw Vegan Woman in both 2008 and 2009.

Ani is the host of "Ani's Raw Food Kitchen Show", the award winning #1 uncooking show on 'YouTube'. Ani has been seen on the Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods, Channel 7 ABC, and has been featured in numerous magazines including Food & Wine, Alternative Medicine, Oxygen, VegNews, Delicious Living, Vegetarian Times, and Get Fresh.

Additionally, Ani has developed living food vegan menus for Carnival Cruise Lines, Adidas headquarters, STOMP, and Whole Foods Markets, amongst others. Adidas fitness center depends on Ani to consult their athletes on how to 'fuel up' with raw nutrition for optimal performance. Being an athlete herself and excelling in fields such as gymnastics and track and field in high school, Ani has a thorough knowledge of nutrition and understands the importance of fueling your body well in order to achieve maximum performance.

Her charity work includes teaching and speaking at events to help raise money and awareness for organizations like In Defense of Animals, Animal Acres, Farm Sanctuary and organizing cooking play shops for children ages 5-16. In addition, Ani volunteers at Project Angel Food, a non-profit organization providing 1,300 free meals per week to HIV and cancer patients, and teaches underprivileged kids how to garden and make food in urban areas at Community Services Unlimited in South Central LA.

Ani lives in Los Angeles with her Rhodesian Ridgeback, Kanga, who she rescued 9 years ago. Fifty pounds underweight at the time, Ani healed Kanga back to health with raw foods, applying the same principles that she uses for humans to her dog. She is currently working on her next book along with planning projects for TV, DVD, and Web. To watch Ani's videos, for free recipes, and to keep track of her latest projects, visit her at: http://www.AniPhyo.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

174 of 179 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Cutting edge and destined to become a raw food classic May 12, 2010

By Kurt

Format:Hardcover

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.

55 of 55 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Ani Does it Again! October 19, 2010

By I. Rodriguez

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

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.

56 of 57 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Ani's Best Book Yet--Classic! September 12, 2010

By Eco Mama's Guide To Living Green

Format:Hardcover

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.