Customer Reviews

Raw Food/Real World: 100 Recipes to Get the Glow

5 star:		(94)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I based my purchase of this book on the reviews listed here; however, I fear they may not be a good representation of this culinary book.
I agree that the book is full of beautifully photographed and mouth-watering delights and include detailed recipes to exotic looking meals.
My perception from a raw foodist point of view is that whist these raw food recipes require no cooking, please expect a lot of preparation time, particularly days in advance. Many dishes require a dehydrator, which apart from being an expensive piece of equipment, does require dehydrating for 6-12 hours.
There are also uses of heated foods (such as maple syrup) but the authors suggest strict raw foodists to try other ingredients. I also have a concern with the use of a lot of salt (the authors say they love the coarse nature of it in their recipes) and nut butters, which both ultimately are not a good thing to have in large proportions, whether it be via cooked or raw means. There is also mention of a lot of specific types of vegetables and greens, which is not easy to get a hold of by the general public.
The book is certainly written by talented artists of food, but from my point of view, a lot of the recipes (but not all)are beyond the typical householder.
If you are wanting to spend some creative time in the kitchen, finding exotic ingredients, then this exploration will lead you into culinary passion. But if you're looking for raw food dishes to whip up after work, you will have limited choices. I hope this gives the book a more rounded overview for those intending to purchase.

I completely love good cookbooks, to be inspired to try new dishes and tempted by the photographs. This cookbook (or un-cookbook!) does not dissapoint!

Throughout the book are beautifully photographed pictures of Matthew and Sarma, their restaurant and of course the food! A recipe might be great but if it has no photo, or yet even worse a bad photo then Im not usually compelled to try making it. Every picture in this book makes my mouth water! Even meals made with ingredients I dont typically love are tempting me from the pages.

The recipes are clearly written and easily understood.The process for preparing the food is also explained throughout the book.In the back of the book is a special section for locating ingredients, whether easy or hard to find.

Special chapters focus on tools, techniques and the why's of raw foodism. Also chapters on cleansing, organic living and dealing with friends and family about your new way of eating.

Throughout the book are Matthew and Sarma's personal stories and comments. These make the book fun to read and as though they are speaking to you from the pages. It's not just a cookbook, but almost a journal of sorts and we get a sneak peek!

I have read a few complaints about the recipes in this book using expensive machines and taking too long to prepare. But I dont find this a problem. Ebay has given me many a good deal on dehydrators and blenders, Im sure you can find a deal there too!

But the key to any successfully run kitchen whether restaurant or home is being prepared. And that certainly comes into play with raw food. Unless you want to eat a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables as they are out of the fridge then you need to make an effort. Other raw cookbooks who claim to give you recipes in 10 minutes or those without machines may be fine, but I wouldnt want to eat them very often. Without using a dehydrator or soaking nuts and seeds you wont get any variety in texture as far as moisture content. Simply plan out your next weeks meals and make your grocery list. I like to prepare items such as cookies and cereals at the same time to let the dehydrate on the weekend ready for the week. And while some recipes require you to think about what you want to eat tomorrow, they are well worth the effort.

Who knew you could enjoy so many delicous foods on a raw food diet? You will find delicously tempting recipes for cereal, maccaroons, pizza, samosas, tacos, ice creams, smoothies, juices, apple cinnamon crepes, cocktails and more!

I am in LOVE with this book! Thank goodness for these two wonderful chef's and their creativity for raw foods!

Buy it......you WONT be dissapointed!

I've been "raw" for a long time now and, as a professionally trained chef, I'm always thrilled when a quality "living foods" un-cookbook comes out. When I first picked up Raw Food, Real World and thumbed through it, I put it right back on the shelf. It struck me as incredibly egocentric and self obsessed, overflowing with glamour shots of the authors. While I appreciated their insights into the living food lifestyle, I don't care about their relationship or uber-hip, trendy New York life. Americans tend to be celebrity obsessed and I'm sure many folks will just LOVE this aspect of the book. For me, it was a turn off. I'm interested in the food and recipes, not Matthew and Sarma (who, it turns out, aren't even together any more... so much for all those glam photos and cutesy anecdotes).

Raw food is suddenly "en vogue" and I do appreciate the attempt to elevate healthy cuisine beyond the realm of dehyrated patties. The food shots speak for themselves... could we skip the celebrity aspect, please?

It took a couple more browsings of the book on subsequent visits to the bookstore to get over my initial judgments. I tried to focus on the recipes, themselves. Unique. Flavorful. Upscale and refined enough to serve to discerning non-raw dinner guests. I appreciated the actual food photography and I finally decided to buy it. Apart from the Matthew and Sarma glamor photo shoot mayhem, it's a great collection.

As with most raw food that rises above salad, everything takes time to prepare. You'll find little in this book can be thrown quickly together for dinner except some soups, salads and smoothies. Special equipment is needed (dehydrators, juicers, etc) and the ingredient list is decidedly geared towards "foodies" who have access to a really diverse farmer's market. The average, busy homemaker may throw their hands up in despair.

Still, if you're ready to expand your raw repertoire (even if you're just starting out), there are some excellent offerings here. As a chef, I feel there's just enough complexity to the dishes to make them creative and interesting without being overwhelming to prepare (from a raw foods point of view, that is). You'll have Matthew and Sarma staring you in the face on every other page but, if you can get over that, the recipes are delicious.

Bon appetit!

Hello folks, I have many raw food cookbooks, each with their share of good and bad recipes - but this one takes the cake! Matthew and Sarma have created a cookbook that is totally innovative and stands alone when compared to the rest of the raw recipe books out there. Having gone raw for a year now, I was busting at the seams, because I was becoming bored with many of my recipes. This book has enough new treats and entrees that will be my favorites for a life time!
Wait until you try their Banana Chocolate Shake, Almond Tart, and Tacos!

The book is beautiful. The authors are beautiful. The food looks scrumptious, but unless one has their own restaurant the recipes aren't very feasible. If you are interested in the gourmet side of raw foods, which includes ridiculous food combining and elaborate processes, this book is for you. Although raw, the recipes aren't necessarily nutritious. I can understand going to a raw foods restaurant and rationalizing mixing sugar with protein with starch, etc, but this is not a book to base ones health regimen on.
For the occasional fling this is fine. For the long term I recommend Living In The Raw by Rose Lee Calabro, or Anna Marie Clement's book which you can get directly from Hippocrates Health Institute. Her recipes have proper combining built into them so the job is easier. They're not "gourmet" but they're easy, tasty, and nutritious. Granted, there aren't pretty pictures of pretty people and pretty food on every page but there is definitely more for the money.

I like this un-cookbook, don't get me wrong, although the title is a misnomer.
This is not your everyday REAL world recipe collection...and it's a bit too "sell" for my tastes.
There are some great recipes, although they do tend to be:
1) On the fatty side...nuts, thai coconuts (not organic)
2) Time consuming, needing a lot of preparation
3) Require some expensive and/or exotic ingredients to make (what about local, huh?)
However, in their defense, they are professional cooks, and have brought some very original creations to light in their book.
Personally, I have consulted their recipes several times when making dinner for more traditional-diet guests.
I always end up modulating the recipes, using local, organic ingredients, and less condiments.
However, I'd certainly recommend borrowing it from your library so as to "check it out" before buying it.

I own several books on raw foods, but this is by far my favorite. The recipes are delicious, and they do not attempt to imitate cooked food--a mistake made by so many other books. Matthew and Sarma realize that fresh, natural foods are a culinary delight in their own right and the recipes showcase the ingredients perfectly.

The book does require a few pieces of equipment to get the full experience--most importantly a good blender. You will never regret having bought a Vita-mix or other power blender, whether you incorporate a little or a lot of raw food into your life (either way, you'll be the absolute envy of your frozen cocktail drinking friends--my father is constantly joking that my Vita-mix could probably blend wood). Also, several recipes require a juicer and/or a dehydrator. I adore my juicer, and use it daily, but my dehydrator is packed up away from me right now; usually I just put my oven on warm and leave the door open. This works fine for recipes that call for two or three hours of dehydrating. I'm guessing it wouldn't work as well for those requiring 12 to 24 hours. If you don't have any of this equipment, the book can feel a little less "real world," I'm sure.

The vast majority of ingredients used in the recipes are easily available, especially if you have a health food store in your town. If you live near a Whole Foods (or TJs, or Wild Oats, etc.), you should be able to find everything, no problem. I don't live near a Whole Foods-type store, and so, for me, the recipes calling for fresh young coconut will have to wait.

I cook from this book constantly. The lasagne is fabulous, the quinoa tabbouleh is delicious (I even managed to sprout the quinoa), the cucumber-pineapple gazpacho is sublime...the list goes on and on. Most recipes do not take much time, and with a little planning, are even easier.

If you are considering incorporating more raw food into your diet, this book will help you take the leap. The raw food movement may seem like so much hype, but I must say, the glow is for real! I still eat cooked food occasionally, and wow, what a difference. There is a big difference in the amount of energy I have, my skin quality, the amount of sleep I need, the functioning of my eyes and nose (I now smell tons of things I didn't notice before...some of which are not so pleasant :-), the list goes on and on. If you're transitioning to raw foods, I also recommend Natalie Rose's "The Raw Food Detox Diet" as another great resource.

Here's to better living! Buy this book!

If you have an unlimited budget and time, this book is for you. If you have access to, or like ordering specialty items, then rejoice, for you have found the right raw food book. If you LOVE coconut, and don't mind that the average recipe calls for 6 or 7 to be chopped open on your countertop with a machete (at $2 per coconut), then you have found paradise. I'm sure that all of the recipes taste wonderful, but I'm likely never to know. I did enjoy the read but this book will probably collect dust from here forward. I've never met a book so ineptly named. I'm guessing the chefs have never lived in the "real world", or were paid an average salary either!!!

While I agree with much of what the authors say about raw food, I wasn't looking for a new religion, just some good recipes.

This not a useful cookbook for the typical person and their kitchen. Here's how it goes, assuming you can find the recipes amidst the colonic details and fashionable photos of the picture perfect authors:

1. You go to make a recipe, but don't have everything you need to make it. Maybe another day.

2. You select a recipe, but realize you don't have the equipment necessary to make it. Maybe another day.

3. You want to make the recipe, but find that you need to have started dehydrating or soaking two days ago. Maybe another day.

Well, if you are like me, another day when I have 6 to 36 hours to plan ahead for a meal just doesn't happen. It only works for you if you can dedicate your kitchen to the cause - or better yet have several restaurants and chefs at your disposal. I found only a few recipes I could make easily with ingredients I could get at the grocery store, the equipment I already own and with no extended prep time.

384 pages. 100 recipes. That says it all!

I don't review often but I felt compelled to share my thoughts on this amazing book. I cried when I read it because Matthew and Sarma came to the same spiritually conscious, holistic, and life-embracing path as I, but their journey was initiated through a love of food, where as mine originated in animal rights. Reading their "cookbook" gives me increased hope.

As for the recipes, they are divine. Yes, one must rearrange his or her kitchen to go completely raw (Vita-mix, dehydrator, juicer, etc.). However, compare that with a decent range, which can easily cost $2,000 to $7,000.

I was delighted to find recipes I could use to entice my spouse and kids and meals I could proudly serve my non-raw friends. Prior to this book, everything was "sprouts, sprouts, sprouts". I'm pretty granola girlish so it didn't bother me personally to have bottles of Rejuvalac fermenting everywhere, but I do like entertaining and it's nice having food to serve with a great bottle of champagne.

I can't recommend this book more: It's a hilarious, humble and yes, very sexy recounting of two peoples' journey from carnivores to raw vegans. For the reviewer who objected to the "skinniness" and sexiness and even the beauty of Sarma (i.e., why would that need to be included in a "Real World" cookbook...), I believe we are all beautiful; it could be any one of us on those pages and a raw food diet brings all of that beauty to the surface, literally inside out. And raw foodies often are thin with clean colons. And many vegans, animal rights folks and environmentalists eat organic from locally produced farmers as it's an integral part of the spiritual quest.

Changing over to raw can take time (and different equipment) but it's worth it to master the new learning curve. Take it slowly: it does get easier. And when it does, this book can help you take it to the next step. Again, the recipes are fab. If you have kids, I recommend starting with the chocolate pudding or suck one of those healthy smoothies through your own luscious lips!