Customer Reviews

The Blue Heron Ranch Cookbook: Recipes and Stories from a Zen Retreat Center

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is a must have. Simple recipes that I will use over and over. I'm a huge cookbook fan, my husband and I read them like fiction. This one is always at my fingertips and never intimidating.

This book gets me in the mood to spend time in the kitchen, relaxing with my children, and inviting guests over... A mood I like!

This beautiful book has both heart and spirit stored within its pages. It was the only cookbook I took to Holland as a bride, because the aspect of love in food was what I wished to bring to my new marriage.

With a stunning narrative about a family in the wilderness (with challenges few of us face, living as we do in sheltered towns and cities) interwoven with delicious recipes, the combination of food and place brings a sense of cool canyon winds, flowering orchards, and an abundance of living into our kitchens.

Though many of us would like to experience life in the wilderness, few have the opportunity. Family members at Blue Heron Ranch have honed their sensitivities through immersion into nature, and share this quality through their Zen workshops and retreats, and through these food offerings.

Taste these foods with reverence, delight, and joy. You will find unexpected treasure on your plate.

Specialty cookbooks from unique restaurants are always popular additions to personal and community library reference collections. Just such a one is Nadia Natali's "The Blue Heron Ranch: Recipes And Stories From A Zen Retreat Center". Featuring charming color illustrations by Marica Natali Thompson, the featured 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes for healthy and tasty dishes range from Sauteed Vegetables with Rice; Miso Pine Salmon; Blue Heron Chicken Stew; and Blue Heron Salad Dressing; to Home-Baked Granola; Persian Mulberry Peach Pie; Carob Coconut Brownies; and Teepee Hot Cider. An invaluable source of inspiring and unique menu ideas, "The Blue Heron Ranch Cookbook" is a prize addition for any cookbook shelf!

I just got this book out again, as much for the story as for the recipes. This is a book for those who like a conversation with their creations in the kitchen---if you enjoy hearing and reading about what is going on with other people and you like that connection to your own sustenance, this book is for you. Simple, healthful and tasty, I would take issue with the person who felt it took them back to a negative association with 60's cooking. We all need the alliance in our lives that Blue Heron Ranch Cookbook makes possible ----from the recipes to the charming artwork, it is straightforward, accessible and lyrical. What could be more alluring than a Meyer Lemon Half-Pound Cake or Early Morning Rice Cream? A fabulous gift for the beginning chef or a more experienced one with an imagination and a desire to read a story while cooking,(and possibly creating their own), consciously.

As a collector of cookbooks for 40 years, I believe this is one of the most beautiful, useful cookbooks I have ever owned. Beyond it's delicious and easy-to-follow recipes, the book's heart-centered stories and joyful illustrations provide a portal to a beautiful, natural world that feeds one's soul. A work of art, love and wisdom - thank you!

What a Great Cookbook!!! The recipes in this book are not only scrumptious, but the whole book is so aesthetically pleasing and easy to follow. The author Nadia has adapted various flavors from other cultures to merge with the healthy, California cuisine that she offers to her family, friends and retreat participants. I loved reading the stories that preceded some of the recipes, which gave me a true taste of the colorful and interesting world she created.

The early vegetarian and whole foods cookbooks contained very basic recipes with ingredients mostly found at health food stores. The resulting dishes were often bland and unappealing. This cookbook reminds me very much of those. The recipes have few seasonings and honestly don't look very appetizing to me. I've placed my copy in the Goodwill box.

If you're a vegetarian looking for interesting, innovative recipes, try Veganomicon or Vegan Planet. For omnivores, I'm sure there are many wonderful cookbooks to choose from.

The cookbook does describe an interesting alternative way to live. The author and her family live on a 40-acre parcel in the midst of a national forest.