Customer Reviews

Living Cuisine: The Art and Spirit of Raw Foods (Avery Health Guides)

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A wonderful addition to the growing raw-foods cookbook list! This is a delightfully written, very engaging book that would be an excellent introduction for anyone interested in a living foods lifestyle.

The first half of the book is a compilation of information, from advice and the benefits of going raw to a comprehensive list of foods, tools and techniques. Very useful for the beginner (even veteran raw foodists might learn a thing or two).

The second part of the book consists of Renee's delicious vegan recipes (no animal products or dairy). Everything I have tried is tasty, elegant and nicely balanced and her desserts are outrageous!

Unlike Trotter and Klein's wonderful but complex "Raw", the offerings here are very easy to assemble. My one complaint is that many of the side notes and paragraph headings are printed in very pale gray. The lack of contrast makes these very difficult to read... it's a design flaw but doesn't diminish the overall quality of the book.

As a raw chef, myself, I think Renee has done a masterful job of creating a book that will appeal to everyone. Simple, straight forward and delicious. There is a real sense of love and joy that pervades this book. Highly recommended!!

Bon appetit!

I took 2 classes with the author in NYC this fall, and her food was amazing, so I eagerly awaited the book! So far, my boyfriend (who is not raw) and I love everything we have made. The pies are especially fabulous, and better than all cooked pies I have had. They are incredibly rich and delicious. I have also made the pasta puttanesca and linguine alfredo, sundried tomato flax crackers, caesar dressing, ginger miso dressing, strawberry and cream smoothie, and zucchinni spelt flatbread. The two pies we made were the Mango Papaya Coconut Creme with Raspberry Frosting, and the Walnut Pear Torte. Amazing.
She does include some recipes for steamed vegetable side dishes, as she writes that some harder veggies may be difficult for some people to digest and assimilate in their raw form. Even if, as a strict raw-foodist, you were against this, I would still recommend buying this book. Everything is delicious, and very creative. The food is rich and luxurious, and if you are serving non-rawfood people, these are recipes that will really impress them. The first half of the book has in-depth information about raw food ingredients and techniques, such as sprouting, culturing, and fermenting. good for a raw foods introduction, as well as "advanced" cooks. If you are not a raw-foodist, you will still love the recipes, so if you would like to eat more fresh food, this is a great book. Some gadgets like a dehydrator and blender are necessary for some recipes, but others don't require them. Enjoy!

Compiled by Renee Loux Underkoffler, Living Cuisine: The Art And Spirit Of Raw Foods presents more than 300 sumptuous gourmet recipes. Tut this is far more than just another cookbook. Living Cuisine explains in detail the techniques and methods to healthfully and safely prepare raw foods and deftly bring out their flavor. Underkoffler (an expert raw-food chef and the former co-owner of the Raw Experience restaurant in Maui) offers professional techniques for balancing flavors, juicing, sprouting, fermenting, dehydrating, blanching, garnishing, and so much more. These high quality recipes include Vanilla Bean Cookies; Basic Buckwheat Crunch Cereal; and Layered Nueva Corntillas among many more delicious favorites. A superb guide for those seeking to explore the health benefits and fine culinary taste of raw foods, Living Cuisine is a welcome and much appreciated addition to any gourmet cookbook collection.

If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would.
I have several Raw Food Books - this is simply the best!
The first half of the book is full of information - layout is easy to understand and follow. The second half - what a delicious treat - the recipes - it is almost sinful how good healthy raw food can taste - the pies and cookies are a must not to mention the delicious salad dressings - the salad dressings are soooo gooood! - you will just want to eat them straight out of the blender - who cares about the salad part!!!
I have even e-mailed Renee with questions - really not expecting a quick answer - if an answer at all. She e-mailed me back within 24 hrs. She has another book coming out this spring which I have pre-ordered myself called "The Balanced Plate". I also have the DVD "Go Further" which is very inspirational - so check that out also. If you are a Raw Fooder or a Vegan or just thinking about eating a little healthier - shame on you if you do not get this book!!!

I have read several raw foods book and must say this is the absolute best one I have seen. It is much more than a cook-book.

It is like a comprehensive reference encyclopedia of raw foods. It explains all the obscure ingredients you hear about and breaks down the different kinds of vegetables and the vitamins they contain and so on. I always wanted to know which bean has the most protein? Which veggies are the healthiest to eat? What needs to be bought organic and what can I just get at the local supermarket? What machines do i need to purchase for my kitchen and which ones are just hype? SHould I really buy a $200 Juicer or a $350 Vita-Mix?? Should I get a dehydrator? Whats the healthiest sweetner to use? How do I sprout my own beans or grow my own wheatgrass? Well, you get the idea.....She answers pretty much every question you could ever ask about being a vegetarian or being a vegan or being a raw-foods vegetarian.

I highly recommend this book, the recipes themselves are FANTASTIC, she is actually a world-renowned raw foods chef and gives away many of her secrets here. If you know nothing about raw foods this is the perfect book to buy to get started and even experts will enjoy the recipes. I am a cheap-skate that checks books out from the library and never buys them, but I bought a copy of this one because I use it all the time as a reference book and as a cookbook.

The best Raw Food book I have seen yet. I hope she writes another one. The recipes are easy to follow and taste really good. It helps make a very gentle transition from cooked to raw foods. My meat eating, cooked food loving, husband even loves the recipes (especially the choc-o-not pie!). Brilliant! I would give this book my highest recommendation. The author's passion really shines through on these pages.

Coming from someone who loves to be in the kitchen, it's important to have a great cookbook as a reference and as inspiration. I am a raw foodist, and I own many many raw cookbooks. This is the one I use the most. I have tried several of her recipes, and have yet to find one that isn't amazing. Renee offers a little bit for everyone, including several dressings, salads and soups that take no time at all and very few prep tools. She also has some more challenging entree recipes for those who are looking to impress.

The thing I like most about this book is how much of it she dedicates to the lifestyle of a rawfoodist, describing unusual foods, connecting food to spirituality and yoga, and bringing a wonderful uplifting flow of energy to the reader. This one is definitely a must have among raw foodists and an enjoyable read for anyone interested in the wellbeing of themselves and the wellbeing of the planet.

Recently, I ordered another raw cookbook (which I won't mention here) that just didn't "do it" for me. Thinking about Living Cuisine, I realize why. The best cookbooks (or uncookbooks as the case may be) have that perfect blend of both art & spirit. My new book was missing the spirit.

On the contrary, Living Cuisine is full of sensible, practical philosophy presented in a spirit of grace. I believe this is important for those Raw-Food hopefuls who want to do more in this area but don't feel they'll ever move "all the way." It's also just plain inviting for those of us who want to savor the beauties of raw food without a lot of "tssk tssk" talk.

But, when it comes to savoring, this book offers more than great philosophy and incredible information... it also gives artful, mouth-watering recipes that give us a craving for what's best. (Oh, a gorgeous chocolate pie to die for is included!)

Over time, my only difficulty with LC has been the preparation time. So, I often save the recipes for summer time (when I have more time) or gourmet moments (when I want to woo my friends into healthiness). For simpler recipes I've relied on Rainbow Green, Live-Food Cuisine and Eating Without Heating.

This is a very intelligent, well written book. However, I found the recipes too complex for daily use. I believe it is a great text to have in my library, but I thought it would be more friendly to the raw dabbler. Her reputation is well deserved as the book is filled with great information on all types of raw foods. It is a a bit of a "raw" encyclopedia I suppose. Overall, I'm glad I have it but it sits on the shelf as a reference book.

Living Cuisine provides a great education on the raw food way of life. It is one cookbook that you will actually read. The recipes are definitely at the gourmet end of the raw food spectrum. I would highly recommend this book for individuals moving from a novice to advanced raw food diet. The book uses advanced preparation techniques and the recipes require extensive ingredients, many are hard to find.

While an intriguing read, this is not a good first book for those just starting a raw food way of life.