Looking for a delicious detox diet? No, that wasn’t an oxymoron – thanks to raw food chef Ani Phyo.
As an unabashed foodie, I have to admit I was curious, if not suspicious, of the raw food phenomenon. My first taste experiment at raw “cooking” (no heating involved) was a chocolate raspberry ganache cake. Let’s just say curiosity turned into conversion.
From the intro of her latest book, Ani’s Raw Food Essentials, dubbed ‘the how-to uncookbook’:
“Raw food is more than just a diet. It’s an entire philosophy and way of life… Whole, fresh, unheated, unprocessed, organic fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds are rocket fuel for our body. This turbo-charged, nutrient-dense food fills us up with the vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and enzymes our body needs to hum like a well-oiled machine.”
Drop every preconceived notion you might have of raw food: eggs in smoothies (gag), endless piles of celery and carrots, questionable greens. Now trade it for: Chocolate Flurry Shake, Mango Gazpacho, Pine Nut Shiitake Risotto with Peas, Quinoa Tabbouleh, Coconut Cake with Nutella Hazelnut Sauce… Hello?!
I love how raw food “uncooking” cuts down on the amount of dishwashing (read: no pots and pans) and on the kitchen heat during the summer. The nut-based “mylk” recipes quickly made their way into my diet, as it’s easily incorporated into my cereals and smoothies. There’s a cherry tomato marinara recipe that calls for Medjool dates, making it sweeter than the jar stuff – love it! Almost every dish can be warmed, and though it technically can no longer be considered “raw”, the adaptability is always a plus.
In my opinion, the only downside to this book is that some recipes (namely ones that mimic carbs, like crackers, breads, pizza crust) call for the use of a dehydrator — not exactly a kitchen staple, but the book does equip the reader with dehydration techniques using a regular oven. That and the amount of recipes found in Ani’s Essentials, coupled with a straightforward how-to’s on raw basics (including utensils and pantry essentials), more than compensate for the raw food beginner.
Plenty are the benefits of eating more unprocessed whole foods. Personally I can’t say I ever intend to go 100% raw, but I appreciate the philosophy and the approach in Essentials: it’s not about going to extremes, but taking small steps – maybe it’s adding raw dishes to the diet every now and then. We fuel the body with good stuff, knowing that good things will come.
Here’s to living healthier, greener, fitter, leaner, happier… Bon “raw”petit!
This review is based strictly on my opinion. Others may have a different opinion or experience with this book listed above. I was not compensated aside from a copy of the book for review purposes.
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