The Sacred Kitchen: Higher-Consciousness Cooking for Health and Wholeness (Paperback)

~ (Author), Jon Robertson (Author) "Kitchens have always served a sacred function..." (more)
Key Phrases: sacred kitchen, centered cuisine, global kitchen, Celebration Dinner, Vital Vegetable Stock, Feast of Light (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This book celebrates the everyday act of cooking as a sacred, life- giving activity and reclaims the kitchen as a temple in the home. Its recipes and sample menus are organized by theme and interspersed among chapters that include tips on using feng shui to supercharge kitchen space, learning to work with the chi (life force) in foods, and incorporating cross-cultural celebrations into mealtimes to bring friends and family closer together. Readers will learn how serving guests can be a part of fulfilling their dharma, why washing dishes is actually a form of yoga, and how to use chopping vegetables as a technique for relaxation. They'll also learn how to create and serve a host of mouthwatering and enlightening dishes, from Jade Ecstasy Soup to Summer Solstice Salad to Create Your Own Reality Sundaes.

Product Details

• Paperback: 222 pages
• Publisher: New World Library (May 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1577310926
• ISBN-13: 978-1577310921
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #408,031 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Handbook for Celebrating Life Through Food, July 5, 1999

By	Simone Gabbay (Toronto, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

I opened the pages of this title expecting to read an extraordinary cookbook, but I found much more: a handbook for conscious living and for celebrating life in the food energies that we take in as nourishment for body and soul.

How many of us realize that the thoughts we entertain in our minds and hearts while we cook have a direct, tangible effect on the nourishing potential of the food we prepare for ourselves and our loved ones, family, or friends? If we think of kitchen work as drudgery and grumble and groan over the chores of meal preparation, how can we expect such a meal to taste well and be easily digested? If, on the other hand, we consciously channel positive, loving energy through our hearts and hands into the foods that we cook, we will create a meal that not only tastes wonderful but also heals and regenerates those who eat it.

The authors, Robin Robertson, a professional chef, cooking teacher, food writer, and author of five cookbooks, and Jon Robertson, an accomplished writer, editor, author, and researcher of sacred literature and spiritual philosophies, have put together a comprehensive manual for reclaiming the sacred in the seemingly mundane process of food preparation. Too often, valuable energy is wasted when cooking and meal times are regarded as time robbers which prevent us from accomplishing what we believe to be more important tasks. Correspondingly, we try to cut corners with nutritionally deficient fast foods and meals eaten "on the run."

The Robertsons suggest that by changing our attitude toward food preparation and by allowing the process of cooking to become a flowing meditation exercise, we can rediscover the art of creating meals that are truly wholesome and healing. They maintain that a positive attitude, expressed as loving energy, is the "secret ingredient" of the best meals.

"The Sacred Kitchen" offers many practical suggestions for cultivating such an attitude and for creating an environment which naturally supports the cook's efforts by allowing "Chi", the omnipresent universal energy, to flow freely through the kitchen and eating areas. This is the principle behind Feng Shui, the ancient oriental art of placing furniture, appliances, and objects in a way that maximizes energy flow and prevents blockages. Many kitchens have design flaws because their importance and functionality were not considered by architects who built the kitchen as an "afterthought" in the space left over after other rooms in the house. Using the art of Feng Shui, the authors present helpful ideas for how such problems can be overcome by strategically placing mirrors, plants, or wind chimes to realign the flow of "Chi."

Other suggestions in the book include exercises for finding centeredness within, creating a sacred ambiance through such means as special lighting or candles in the dining area, and for consecrating a meal gathering to a meaningful purpose by saying a blessing over the food and those who will be eating it. "The Sacred Kitchen" draws on ancient traditions and spiritual rituals from around the world for suggestions for special holiday meals and celebration dinners.

A selection of enticing recipes, such as Dharma Burgers, Gaia Vegetable Pot Pie, and Global Pizza, offer the cook many creative ways to explore not only the connection between lovingly prepared, wholesome meals and personal well-being, but also the undeniable relationship between our food choices and planetary environmental health.

A truly unique and enlightened book, "The Sacred Kitchen" is essential reading for anyone who yearns to recreate the comfort and warmth of hearth and home in a world ruled by fast food and the microwave oven.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All Kitchens should be Sacred, June 7, 2000

By	Shellie L. Hall "Quark Evangelist" (Chicago) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book opened my eyes and my mind to what can truly be achieved through cooking. I have never really been one for cookbooks - but this is much more than that. This book contains not only recipes for the stomach, but recipes for the spirit as well. The sidebar quotes are inspirational - and I have now learned how to turn my eating space into a "Centered Dining Experience."

Thank you Jon and Robin for opening my eyes and my mind to experiences and wonderful tastes that I never would have imagined. I am looking forward to more "Sacred" books.

This book should be featured on Oprah.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Making work in the kitchen spiritual, April 28, 1999

By A Customer

This book is so interesting to me because it includes the spiritual, as well as, the mechanics of cooking. It makes cooking a joy instead of a chore. Anyone who cares about making their kitchen sacred will love the the ideas presented in this book.