Customer Reviews

Lucid Food: Cooking for an Eco-Conscious Life

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4 star:		(1)
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My assessment of "Lucid Food" is two-fold, both as a cookbook and as a book-book. As a cookbook it has some inspiring recipes and great suggestions, but recipes like "Persian Stuffed Dumpling Squash with Rose Petals" all but defeat any locavore tendencies, and have some far-fetched, hard to secure ingredients. I love any cookbook organized by season though, and am a sucker for beautiful photography, both of which "Lucid Food" offers. If you are willing to improvise, feel secure in the kitchen, and are interested in some imaginative recipes it is a good read.

As a traditional book I'm highly impressed with the depth of knowledge, clear manner in which is is conveyed, and most of all how concise the author was able to be when discussing sometimes complicated food issues. Within 2 pages Shafia is able to both shed light on some of the issues with 'traditional' white sugar and offer a myriad of solutions/alternatives. She is able, in only a few paragraphs, to discuss why you should seek out organic bananas, discuss their seemingly imminent demise, genetic diversity, and offer alternatives. While I used to have a very good memory for irrelevant data, like page numbers for certain information in books, I've all but lost that in distraction with 'real life'. When discussing "Lucid Food" with my husband, I was able to recall page numbers for him for information that struck me - a testament to the quality of information and intriguing presentation.

If you want good food-related info, enjoy food-porn photography, or seek a new diverse set of recipes I say check "Lucid Food".

What a great book! I really enjoyed the mix of recipes and eco entertaining tips. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for healthy, delicious dishes and helpful tips for having a greener kitchen (that are actually easy).
My favorite recipes include the Fall Fruit Focaccia, Fesenjan (Chicken in Pomegranate Walnut Sauce), Indian Spiced Scrambled Eggs, and Miso-Glazed Striped Bass with Shiso Cucumber Salad. The Tamarind Ketchup is a new staple condiment in my house. The gorgeous photographs bring the recipes to life and help readers to visualize the interesting combinations of ingredients suggested in the book. I have expanded my repertoire and pantry as a result. I'm looking forward to more exciting things from Lucid Food!

Gorgeous with scrolling artwork and vibrant images, Lucid Food arrives, a present, wrapped and ready. I am enamored. Also, I am hungry. Thumbing past photography for Chickpea Cakes with a verdant green Cilantro-Jalapeno Sauce, Fall Fruit Focaccia succulent with apple wedges, Crispy Yuba Rolls that look toasty brown and crunchy, ready to dip, I confess to some absent-minded lip licking. On the second pass, I'm stuck on the Ash-e-reshteh, or Persian New Year's Soup with Beans, Noodles and Herbs, all the colorful, herby bits crowded into a steaming bowl.

Louisa Shafia knows how to eat well, fashioning meals from quality produce and local fare. Nestled amid the recipes are the nuggets of valuable health information that expand Lucid Food from a mere (heavenly) cookbook to kitchen notebook. Shafia's voice, warm and genuine, weaves her decades of food knowledge throughout the book, sharing her notes on sustainability, locality, and old-fashioned DIY values.

I'll admit I am obsessed with the new wave of seasonal collections. Particularly, I enjoy the variety of produce that pop up in these, even if it isn't always available in rural Kansas. These are people bedeviled by produce. (My kind of people.) Shafia adds a rich reference to the home cook's stash, reimagining tired winter vegetables into savory staples.

Poised to win a spot on my shelf of beloved, dog-eared cookbooks, Lucid Food serves up nearly 100 delectable recipes, only about a dozen featuring fish or meat. (It's not frowned upon, don't worry about harsh words; it's simply not the focus here.) There aren't photos of every recipe, but the photos included showcase lush preparations of plump, perfectly-cooked veggies with occasional animal proteins tucked in.

Shafia is one of the rare chefs able to communicate her intensity about quality, seasonal ingredients in amiable terms. No lectures here, simply facts and considerable inspiration for making dinnertime shine. And extraordinary food, with a little help from Shafia, speaks for itself.

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I was given this book as a gift - I don't think anybody has ever given me a cookbook before. Most of my cookbooks have been picked up second hand, and they are usually something I poke my nose into for occasional guidance. Not so much with this one. It's a book I've found in my hands in my living room (not the kitchen!) reading and enjoying while making occasional "ooh" and "ahh" sounds. Kind of strange. These are sounds I tend to make looking through travel guides and backpacking magazines. Which is kind of what this book reminds me of - something that gets me excited to see and do new things, and plan new adventures.

Of course, planning a dinner is a bit easier than an expedition, but it's still exciting. The recipes are fun, exotic and from what I've managed to create - Delicious. I'm pretty far from a gourmet chef. My stove top usually looks like something has exploded on it. But even a bungling bonehead like me has been able to make some glorious meals from this book.
[wow, I used the word 'glorious' and I don't feel like I'm exaggerating!]

Sometimes the ingredients listed can seem a little intimidating - especially if you aren't sure what they are. But don't worry about it, go with the flow and make substitutions for things you can't find. Part of the fun has been learning about new foods I've never cooked with before.
I took a stab at the "chicken paillars with tomato puree over arugula" (page 156) the other day. Oh man, it turned out so wonderful I'm not even sure what superlative to use here. I'll go with YOWZA! A word that describes the look on my girlfriend's face as we bit into this dish and sat there smiling at each other - simply amazed that We had created a dish so moist and succulent and tantalizing and - well you get the idea. It was damn good, and pretty to look at!

I'll stop here. I'm a fan. Buy local, eat local is a great idea. Buy local, eat local and make it delicious is an even better idea. As I lack creativity when it comes to gifts, I'm here buying another copy. I've been using this as my default gift book this year. Thanks to a good friend who gave me this book, I'm making my other friends think I've got taste and style. Whether that is true or not, doesn't matter. I've got my own copy of Lucid Food, which means I'll have something amazing for dinner tonight.

I came upon this book in an usual way: I won it at an event where I also had the opportunity to taste some of Louisa Shaffia's food in person. I expressly remember the tangy crisp of the Red Cabbage, Apple and Dulse Salad (p. 86) even though almost a year has passed. I got a chance to speak with Ms Shaffia and I really felt her authentic dedication to eco-conscious food that is at once simple and delicious. These qualities really carry over into the cookbook, with clear writing, helpful hints, and suggestions for substitutions which support local and environmentally friendly cooking - an approach that inherently demands flexibility with ingredients.

The book is beautifully laid out with warm, friendly colors, and pictures that are good enough to eat. Tips and advice are sprinkled throughout the book, both within the recipes and in sidebars that tackle specific topics ranging from composting and foraging to starting your own potluck group with friends. This book is great for someone who is new to organic/local cooking with a handy glossary of eco-kitchen basics. Cooks who are already elbow deep in sustainable cooking practices will still find useful tidbits and inspiration embedded in the recipes.

My business partner and I run a cooking website dedicated to expanding creativity in the kitchen using organic, local and sustainably raised ingredients. We have both found Lucid Food to be an invaluable resource. We have cooked from it together and individually, and we use it often to expand our boundaries in regards to using spices and layering flavors in unexpected ways. Our favorites include the Warming Asian Rutabaga Soup (p. 89) and the Stuffed Poblano Chile Peppers (pg.165). We recently made a variation of the Stuffed Poblano Peppers on our site which received rave reviews. Whether you follow Shaffia's recipes exactly or use them as a jumping off point - you invariably get delicious results!

Many thanks to Louisa for creating a delightful and inspiring cookbook!
We are looking forward to more tasty editions to come,
Sarah & Brianna
[...]

This is a cook's cookbook with an important eco message. It is a joy to read because it's so well written and interesting. And the photography is beautiful. I received it as a gift and I have been buying and sharing copies with friends and family ever since.

I love this cookbook - it's the best one I've bought in the past few years (and I have a LOT of cookbooks). Recipes are organized by season which is really helpful. In addition to savory and sweet dishes, there are also drink ideas (Rhubarb Spritzer, genius!). I made the Blueberry Cobbler with Oat Scone Topping for breakfasts this summer and got raves.

Fall is coming and I can't wait to try the Mediterranean Shepherd's Pie which features butternut squash, and the Roasted Fennel Stuffed with White Beans and Chestnuts. However this book is not just for vegetarians, there are several wonderful chicken, fish, and seafood recipes. Everything you'll make from this book will be delicious - and you'll realize that all the recipes are clearly well-tested, in home kitchens.

p.s. I just went out and bought three more copies to give as gifts to friends who are deep into fruit and vegetables like I am. Can't wait for Louisa's next book :-)

While there have been a number of cookbooks extolling the merits of the seasonal and local food approach recently, few will strike you as quite as appealing and thought-provoking as this first-time tome by chef and author Shafia. If it were merely a smart collection of highly original, veg-leaning (but not entirely meat-free) recipes that suggest a kind of wholesome synthesis of Persian, Eastern European, Asian and Southwestern cuisines, that would be enough. (That seems to have been enough to warrant a nomination from the IACP...) But the author's revealing opening memoir, her urgent but never proselytizing calls to better environmental ethics, and her welcome assembly of easy eco-conscious tips, makes this a "cookbook plus"; it's likewise rare that a book that looks this visually delicious actually boasts recipes that are even more so. While Ms. Shafia's pro-Farmers Market stance may make some of these dishes a bit more labor-intensive for supermarket stalwarts, anyone with access to a good, preferably organic or fair-trade produce section and a selection of fresh herbs won't find it hard to get things like "Creamy Red Kuri Squash Soup," "Rhubarb Spritzer" and "Miso Glazed Striped Bass" up and running in their own kitchen. And if things like "Banh Mi Sandwiches" and "Matzoh Brei" aren't in your food vocabulary yet, they should be: Ms. Shafia shows you how to prepare these ethnic classics using a fresh, creative spirit and back-to-basics ingredients. (It's also refreshing to find a book that clearly comes from a vegan bent, but doesn't eschew dishes with chicken and seafood.) Devoid of culinary cliches, Lucid Food suggests a very promising future for its author, and four seasons of attractive, healthful, human-friendly food for those readers lucky enough to come across it.

Look, I'm a guy who's had several cookbooks in his life but has never actually used a single one of them. They sit there, daunting, taunting me, with tons of recipes that seem way to complicated for a non-Julia Child-like bachelor to pull off. That's not the case with Lucid Food. It's a beautiful book with recipes that are clear and easy to follow. I really like how it's divided into seasons so you can cook according to what's in your local farmer's market. I also appreciate Louisa's friendly, informative tone and attitude. It helps you be healthy and happy without ever preaching certain culinary dogmas (ie: must eat totally vegan, etc). And the eco-friendly pointers are super helpful. The quality of the meals will match the stunning images that appear in the book. If you're going to get just one cookbook for someone, even semi-health conscious bachelors like me, this is the one!

Lucid Food outlines eco-conscious living with so much life affirming insight, beauty, and easy to put into practice tips. This book is a real feast.

I also loved the recipes. I tried out many of them and found that the dishes are delicious. They also inspire more creativity in the kitchen along with a wonderful sense of connection to where the food came from in the first place.

As more people embrace eco-conscious lifestyles, Lucid Food shows how such a choice can be beautiful and festive as well as good for us and all life on earth.