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Bravo!: Health Promoting Meals from the TrueNorth Health Kitchen
Bravo! is a collection of delicious, health-promoting recipes from the TrueNorth Health Center in Santa Rosa, California. These recipes are at the core of a food-based treatment strategy to help regulate weight and safeguard against disease. More than 7,000 people have recovered from numerous chronic diseases, including diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, and hypertension following their program.
Chef Ramses BravoÂs exquisite vegan cuisine combines simple, fresh wholesome ingredients that are converted into gourmet meals that burst with color and nutrition. Completely SOS (salt-,oil-, and sugar-free), these meals are low in calories, free of harmful saturated fats and cholesterol, and rich in nutrients and fiber.
Included are tips and guidelines to help readers easily transition to a diet of nutritional excellence, along with 14 days of menus to get them started. Nutritional analyses accompany all of the recipes and menus. Color photos verify how visually appealing these dishes are.
Chef Ramses BravoÂs exquisite vegan cuisine combines simple, fresh wholesome ingredients that are converted into gourmet meals that burst with color and nutrition. Completely SOS (salt-,oil-, and sugar-free), these meals are low in calories, free of harmful saturated fats and cholesterol, and rich in nutrients and fiber.
Included are tips and guidelines to help readers easily transition to a diet of nutritional excellence, along with 14 days of menus to get them started. Nutritional analyses accompany all of the recipes and menus. Color photos verify how visually appealing these dishes are.
160 pages, Paperback
First published April 15, 2012
75 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 5, 2013
I spend a week every year at the amazing True North Center and although I keep to an SOS free (salt, oil, sugar) free, plant based diet at home, Ramses veggies always taste a million times better than mine. This book tells how he does that.
I initially got the book for Dr Alan Goldhamers insightful introduction and yes, Chef Ramses Mango Banana Pie Recipe, and in one read it is easily my top book on food.
From his chapter on Dressings:
The flavorful dressings in this chapter are made with wholesome natural foods and accented with subtle herbs and spices. You won’t find added oil or salt in any of these dressings, and you won’t miss them. To prove it, I suggest you try the following experiment. Put a chopped apple, a chopped shallot, and about one cup of unsweetened apple juice in a blender and process on high speed until smooth. Now taste. You should detect apple and shallot. Now add two ounces of oil and process on high speed for about thirty seconds and taste again. The mixture will taste similar to the first mixture, only blander, and not as sharp. Now add a pinch or two of salt and process on high speed for another thirty seconds and taste. Once again you’ll detect the apple and shallot. The moral of the story is “Don’t use oil and you won’t need salt.”
I initially got the book for Dr Alan Goldhamers insightful introduction and yes, Chef Ramses Mango Banana Pie Recipe, and in one read it is easily my top book on food.
From his chapter on Dressings:
The flavorful dressings in this chapter are made with wholesome natural foods and accented with subtle herbs and spices. You won’t find added oil or salt in any of these dressings, and you won’t miss them. To prove it, I suggest you try the following experiment. Put a chopped apple, a chopped shallot, and about one cup of unsweetened apple juice in a blender and process on high speed until smooth. Now taste. You should detect apple and shallot. Now add two ounces of oil and process on high speed for about thirty seconds and taste again. The mixture will taste similar to the first mixture, only blander, and not as sharp. Now add a pinch or two of salt and process on high speed for another thirty seconds and taste. Once again you’ll detect the apple and shallot. The moral of the story is “Don’t use oil and you won’t need salt.”
May 12, 2021
Nice book, nice photos. Nothing in here that I was dying to try- just building my knowledgeon yummy combinations.
June 28, 2020
This book has a lot of promising-looking techniques, the chef has a great reputation, and this way of eating is absolutely beneficial, but the first recipe I made from it was a total bust (and I know my way around the kitchen). I will amend my rating if I have different experiences down the road.
December 17, 2017
Great resource for those wanting to follow a whole food vegan diet free of salt, sugar, and added oil.
November 14, 2017
I love the teachings of Dr Alan Goldhamer, which is why I bought this book, but the recipes aren't developed by him, but his chef Ramses Bravo. To be frank, this book is a huge let-down. It is chock-full of ingredients that you can't get hold of in the UK, several of which I haven't even heard of before, and I've read my fair share of American recipe books. What on earth is chayote? And where am I supposed to get hold of jicama? I've heard of it, but I've never seen it in a supermarket, nor in any health food shop I frequent.
Furthermore, the recipes all serve 4, so as a happily single person I would either have to whip out my calculator every time I wanted to make one of the dishes (not that I would, as will quickly become apparent) or eat the same thing for a week. And in what universe can people get hold of 3 litres of mixed sprouts? And even if they could, in what parallel world can people afford such a thing when it is merely 1 out of 9 ingredients for a single meal? Some recipes have as many as 15 ingredients, which makes each dish incredibly expensive. They are also very time-consuming, and a lot of them involve preparing parts of the meal the night before. I just haven't got the time or structure in my life to be dealing with meals that need to be prepared in several stages - nor do I have the space in my kitchen for it.
Oh, and I haven't even mentioned the near complete lack of photos yet... There are very few, and get this - many of them are in black and white! Way to sell a plant-based lifestyle. The mind boggles.
To be perfectly honest, I regretted buying this book so much that I asked Amazon for a refund. That has never happened before. I'm sure I would love the recipes if some zillionaire with far too much time on his hands cooked them for me, but until then, I remain Bravo-free.
Furthermore, the recipes all serve 4, so as a happily single person I would either have to whip out my calculator every time I wanted to make one of the dishes (not that I would, as will quickly become apparent) or eat the same thing for a week. And in what universe can people get hold of 3 litres of mixed sprouts? And even if they could, in what parallel world can people afford such a thing when it is merely 1 out of 9 ingredients for a single meal? Some recipes have as many as 15 ingredients, which makes each dish incredibly expensive. They are also very time-consuming, and a lot of them involve preparing parts of the meal the night before. I just haven't got the time or structure in my life to be dealing with meals that need to be prepared in several stages - nor do I have the space in my kitchen for it.
Oh, and I haven't even mentioned the near complete lack of photos yet... There are very few, and get this - many of them are in black and white! Way to sell a plant-based lifestyle. The mind boggles.
To be perfectly honest, I regretted buying this book so much that I asked Amazon for a refund. That has never happened before. I'm sure I would love the recipes if some zillionaire with far too much time on his hands cooked them for me, but until then, I remain Bravo-free.
June 30, 2019
Disappointed
Don't buy this book of you don't eat soy. It also has a lot of uncommon foods you would have to buy at a health food store. Fine if you live by a Whole Foods, the closest health store from my home is 50 miles. The recipes are not easy or helpful to anyone on a budget. This book may be for you if you've got plenty of time and money and you want to be a chef.
Don't buy this book of you don't eat soy. It also has a lot of uncommon foods you would have to buy at a health food store. Fine if you live by a Whole Foods, the closest health store from my home is 50 miles. The recipes are not easy or helpful to anyone on a budget. This book may be for you if you've got plenty of time and money and you want to be a chef.
April 17, 2016
This is one of my favorite books. Rameses has created some wonderful recipes that are easy to make at home. Everything I've made has been delicious. I especially enjoy the Oatmeal French Toast; it's my go-to breakfast.
So much flavor in these foods that don't require salt, sugar or oil.
So much flavor in these foods that don't require salt, sugar or oil.
April 3, 2013
So awesome to have a collection of plant-based recipes that exclude salt, oil and sugars!
September 13, 2016
Okay. Lots of unusual ingredients and not a lot of recipes that look like I would enjoy them.
September 3, 2016
Great recipes
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews