Everyday Raw [Paperback]

Matthew Kenney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 28, 2008

Everyday Raw is an exciting new cookbook that will introduce the benefits and pleasure of eating healthful food that is organic, fresh and good for you! Preparing and eating raw food does not mean bland, whether it is a smoothie, a salad, or a mid-morning snack, you will love the tantalizing and delicious recipes included here.

Chef Matthew Kenney has been preparing raw food for years and offers up a variety of delectable recipes including-Chocolate-Cherry Smoothie, Red-Chile Pineapple Dipping Sauce, Sesame Cashew Dumplings, Portobello Fajitas, and a Lemon Macaroon Cheesecake Tartlet that will leave you wondering why you haven't started eating raw food sooner!

Contents Include:

• Smoothies and Juices
• Snacks
• Unbaked (Crackers and Breads)
• Spreads, Dips, and Sauces
• Starters
• Salads and Dressings
• Main Dishes
• Desserts

Recipes Include:

• Key Lime Tartlets
• Pumpkin Pie with Thyme
• Pad Thai
• Tomato, Basil and Ricotta Pizza
• Blood Orange and Crispy Fennel Salad
• Blueberry Pancakes
• Raspberry Vanilla-Almond Granola

Author Bio: Acclaimed chef Matthew Kenney is a restaurateur, caterer, and food writer. Matthew has been the chef and co-owner of Pure Food and Wine restaurant in NYC as well as the chef and partner of numerous successful restaurants including Matthew's, Canteen, Commune, Commissary, and Mezze. In 1994 Food and Wine included him as one of their Ten Best New Chefs of the Year. He's been featured on the Today Show, The Food Network, as well as a variety of other morning talk shows. Matthew was nominated for the James Beard Rising Star Award.

(20110310)

Editorial Reviews

Review

In this ambitious, well-designed cookbook, New York chef and restaurateur Kenney relies on some fairly hefty assumptions: "By now, most of us realize that heating foods above 118 degrees does destroy valuable enzymes and nutrients." Whether or not one "realizes" the benefits, the raw-food-curious will find some intriguing recipes in this book. Juices are especially appealing; Mango Raspberry employs a sweet hit of vanilla, and Sweet Green Juice is a sprightly concoction of carrots, cucumbers, apples and herbs.

More substantial recipes include a simple, tasty Cucumber-White Grape Gazpacho, a lighter take on the traditional tomato-based soup, and seasoned, dried mushroom caps called Portobello Steaks. But once dishes become more complicated, they also start to require specialized equipment, myriad substitutes and a lot of patience. Baked Macaroni and Cheese, for instance, is nothing of the sort-it's squash covered in a cashew sauce flavored with lemon juice and nutritional yeast; like most of the recipes here, it requires a Vita-Mix food processor and a dehydrator. Tomato Torta with Pesto and Macadamia Ricotta substitutes nuts for cheese, and Pad Thai uses jicama instead of vermicelli. These substitutions should be tempting to people who believe that nutritional philosophy trumps ease and taste; others will find cooking macaroni and cheese simpler and more satisfying with actual macaroni and cheese.

(Publishers Weekly )

From the Inside Flap

Enjoy raw food every day! This book is simple, straightforward, and easy to use. The recipes are for everyone interested in fresh, healthy, local, and organic food that tastes great. Whether it is a smoothie, a salad, or a midmorning snack, you will love the fresh and delicious recipes Matthew Kenney has created. The book also includes substantial main dishes, like Pad Thai and Tomato, Basil, and Ricotta Pizza, as well as decadent desserts like Frozen Goji Berry Soufflé and Chocolate Hazelnut Tart. The chapter Unbaked teaches you to make crackers and breads using raw food techniques and ingredients, and the chapter on Spreads, Dips, and Sauces is filled with favorites like Pineapple Mango Salsa and Roasted Pepper Hummus with Lime. Many of the recipes require no additional equipment, and others something as simple as a blender.

Everyday Raw is for everyday people who want healthy food and great flavor. If you want to eat well and feel great, this book is for you. Matthew Kenney is a chef, restaurateur, caterer, and food writer. He has appeared on the Today Show, the Food Network, and numerous morning and talk shows. He has been nominated for the James Beard Rising Star Award. Matthew has been the chef and partner of numerous successful restaurants, including Matthew's, Canteen, Commune, Mezze, and The Plant. Matthew's passion for raw food has taken him into new realms of creativity, flavor, and healthy living. He is the author of several cookbooks, including Raw Food Real World and Matthew Kenney's Mediterranean Cooking.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Gibbs Smith (March 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423602072
• ISBN-13: 978-1423602071
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,535 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #20 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Vegetables & Vegetarian > Vegetables
  • #46 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Natural Foods

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

293 of 306 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tools, Skills, Time Required, May 2, 2008

By 

studying student - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Everyday Raw (Paperback)

Good recipes but some unconventional ingredients and tools are needed.

1. Coconut Meat + Ability to Cut Coconuts (required for many smoothies)

2. Blue green algae, agave, acai, ginger, goji berries, cacao nibs, tocotrienols, hemp protein, mesquite pod meal, maple powder, ancho chile powder, shoyu, lecithin (for nut milk drinks)

3. Soaked nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts, macadamia, etc)

4. Tools: Dehydrator, Juicer (especially for vegetables such as cucumbers, carrots, and ginger), Strong Blender (author uses Vita Mix)

There are very few recipes which do not require these ingredients and tools.

78 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not for those on a budget, May 16, 2008

By 

P. Townsend (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Everyday Raw (Paperback)

I was very excited to get this book after owning RAW FOOD REAL WORLD.
While I was struck by some original recipes, I found myself a bit dissapointed. Overall I thought as if the book lacked a certain polish I expected. The food photos are ok (and a few confusing, sesame cashew dumplings- why is there another plate of untitled food in this photo?), the interior page colors were harsh, one recipe is not complete in the book (ice cream cone), several recipes were rehashed from RFRW, and I even found a exact quote about mangos from RWRF in this book again.
This is definitley not for those on a limited budget.
There are many out of the ordinary ingredients and large amounts used(some not completely raw either).

Prepare to use a lot of coconut meat, cashews and dehydration (one cracker recipe calls for 2-3 days of dehydration).

Good points - the price of the book, originality and taste of recipes -some simply wonderful(although he does hint they are not all his creations), lack of filler info (which is a major plus). Its straight up recipes. The font makes the recipes and ingredients easy to read. Most are also easy enough to make for everday(minus those needing dehydration).

I own several raw recipe books, and while this is in my top ten its not my absolute favorite. I do appreciate having a fresh new recipe book though and its good to see Matthew back on the scene, so maybe it will grow on me.

81 of 83 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Starter Book for Raw Food, but not 100% Raw, May 13, 2008

By 

Laura Bruno "Laura" (North San Francisco Bay) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Everyday Raw (Paperback)

I received this book a few days ago and looked forward to making many of the recipes. I love gourmet raw food but don't have much time to prepare it, so this book seemed like a great idea.

So far, I have made the Triple C smoothie, the tortilla chips, the white grape and tomatillo gazpacho, and a variation of the fennel and orange salad. The items have all tasted good. If I had had every single ingredient on hand, they likely would have tasted excellent, but the reason I give only 4 stars is because some ingredients are not the most commonly available in a raw food kitchen. I am a raw foodist, so the ingredients I'm missing tend to be things like nutritional yeast, white pepper, chili powder, and maple syrup--all non-raw items. The recipes tasted fine without these ingredients, and I improvised with ones I had on hand, but some hard core raw foodists might take issue with the frequent use of non-raw items.

I appreciate that this book makes raw food accessible to less hard core raw foodists, though. Most vegan kitchens would contain at least maple syrup, nutritional yeast and chili powder. The only other reason for the 4-star instead of 5-star rating is that some of the recipes still take a long time to prepare. I spent about an hour and a 1/2 in the kitchen yesterday, not counting 24 hours of dehydrating time for the tortilla chips. It's faster and tastier than many raw food books but definitely not near-instantaneous food prep unless you just happen to have all the ingredients pre-chopped and on-hand.