Raw Food for Everyone: Essential Techniques and 300 Simple-to-Sophisticated Recipes

by Alissa Cohen, Leah J. Dubois

Just as Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone took meatless cooking mainstream, here's the complete guide to raw cuisine.

Gnocchi Carbonara. Pizzas. Star Anise Crusted Papaya Steak. Sliders. Pumpkin Cheesecake. Connoisseurs of raw cuisine know how hearty and flavorful it can be; what began as an underground movement for health enthusiasts has moved to the culinary forefront. Now one of the nation's top raw restaurateurs presents a lavish array of recipes, a primer of preparation methods, and a comprehensive ingredient guide in Raw Food for Everyone .

While other cookbooks on raw cooking often feature rudimentary recipes or are limited in scope, leading raw foods authority and teacher Alissa Cohen, owner of the Grezzo restaurants in Boston and Newburyport, offers a comprehensive book, with 300 unique recipes for meals and snacks. From nutritious smoothies and juices to you-won't-believe- they're-raw cheeses and ice creams to chips and crackers, this book proves that raw food is not just healthy and energizing-it's also approachable, nourishing, and delicious. Writing for the beginner and the more seasoned raw food lover, Cohen takes raw food to the next level with the simplicity of its preparation techniques and the presentation of inventive flavors.

With detailed step-by-step instructions, charts on sprouting and soaking, and thorough information on raw ingredients, Raw Food for Everyone is the ultimate raw food resource. It is destined to become a culinary classic.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Health, Vegan, Nonfiction, Food

496 pages, Hardcover

First published October 28, 2010

Reviews

[Blog on Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Raw food movement continues to gain traction with healthy dieters around the world. Alissa Cohen’s second book on the subject, “Raw Food for Everyone” (Avery) preaches the gospel of avoiding processed foods and meats and relies heavily on the process of dehydration as an alternative to using electric heat. Eating raw can seem complicated and is not an easy discipline for many people who were raised on traditional cooked meals. In fact, falling off the wagon is common. But Cohen’s approach is deep seated in education, outlining the range of alternatives and even handing out some mock food recipes (doesn’t that papaya steak look just like a real piece of salmon?) to make the uninitiated feel right at home. The key is discipline and knowing how to use a whole new quiver of ingredients (agave syrup, hemp, millet, goji berries, etc.) to lose weight, get healthy and increase things like mental and visual clarity in life. Cohen’s approach is of the informed hand-holder through the process and the 300 recipes and many other resources in the book are the just the push down the path many people need.

[penny shima glanz · Rating 4 out of 5]

First pass thoughts: I very randomly picked this up off Strand's book proof shelf. When it's really hot outside I want to make sure we still eat something yummy and healthy. Do be warned, you'll definitely be wanting a food dehydrator after reading all the yummy recipes, many of them require one. One recipe has already become a family favourite, I made a twist on classic coleslaw and my husband and in-laws loved it. I am not always staying totally true to the whole Raw philosophy when I make recipes from this (I will add dairy or even cook things) but the flavour combinations are inspiring and good for another hot summer day.

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pleasantly surprised... I'm still searching for the perfect whole food, plant based cookbook that doesn't rely on nuts or over uses any of my many allergies (melons, corn, legumes, avocado, raw squash...) But there were more than a handful of recipes my family could eat. I'm actually tempted to buy this- I don't think anyone with a family could eat this way daily unless you spend all your time preparing these meals but they would be fun for a treat. Almost everything meal-like besides salads relies on a dehydrator. I wonder how much electricity it takes to run a dehydrator day and night. But I think the point of this book was to show some of the fun stuff you can do with raw foods. In fact a practical raw food book would be kind of boring- "Slice up a bunch of fruits and veggies. Serve and enjoy." (That, by the way, is one of my kids' favorite meals along with some fresh baked bread or rolls- we aren't raw foodists. They call it snacky dinner.)

Here are my thoughts as I read this cookbook from start to finish:

Just read the introduction and so far, not so good... I don't like her attitude that this is the only way for everyone. What about people like my son who would die if he ate nuts or me with oral allergy syndrome, which is an allergic reaction to many raw fruits and veggies and an intolerance to nuts. I picked this up hoping that it would give some interesting things to try but we will see if anything is possible for us to try.

Continuing to read... Okay the section on sprouting is interesting and useful, something I've been wanting to try. I wish there was more information on why, like why soak chia seeds but not sprout them.

Continuing to read... The section on fruits and vegetables is interesting. I kind of want to make a list of all the different kinds she talks about so when I feel like there's nothing to eat, I can be inspired. But... Are you sure you can eat rhubarb without cooking it?

I really want to try the chocolate hemp seed milk- cacao powder, hemp seeds, and dates. Another one to try- eggplant bacon- strips marinated in soysauce and dehydrated until crisp.

Cheese section- useless to me but I would have been surprised had it been otherwise.

Lots of interesting ideas in the pickle section. Ditto for the smoothies, though some ingredients are questionable, like maca powder, which I read was mutagenic unless boiled and possibly addictive.

The meal section- Lots of recipes we can't eat in my family but surprisingly there are quite a few that we can eat! 😃 Wow, I've been searching for a while for a vegan or vegetarian cookbook that doesn't rely primarily on nuts or dairy because of our allergies. The raw pizzas are veggies and seeds, not nuts! Veggie burgers without nuts, beans or grain! Very cool!

Desserts- eh, not too impressed. Lots of nuts and too much agave syrup. Probably could do the ice cream without the nuts. But I already have a wide repertoire of desserts, plus the easiest dessert in the world is the most fresh and in season fruit served and eaten as is.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good resource book. It has a sprouting chart,tells how & why to sprout. What to have in a raw kitchen. Also describes many fruits & vegetables some familiar & some not so. How to purchase & store them, along with nutritional information.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am rating this book before actually trying the recipes because even just reading through it has taught me a great deal about food. The author goes into great detail about how to pick out and use the varieties of fruits, veggies, and nuts and seeds that go into raw food. On top of that she goes into their nutritional value and how they came be helpful in your day to day health. For instance, who knew that eating a handful of almonds was a good way to relieve a headache. There are so many great tips in this book and so many delicious sounding recipes in this book. I can't wait to try some out!

[Kitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author has a raw vegan restaurant, and that's my main problem with it. The recipes are prohibitively complicated. they involve raw cheese making, dehydrators, complicated sprouting, and days of prep time. There are some great recipes, however. the eggplant bacon (and bacon wrapped asparagus) is awesome. we also liked the gnocchi carbonara. the other problem is the huge quantities- i had to half or quarter all of these. i would say its much closer to the sophisticated than simple. oh, another good thing was the soaking/sprouting chart. that was a good reference.

[Helene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book in terms of explanation of raw ingredients, techniques etc... great and easy to make recipes, no extensive ingredients lists (there are a few exceptions ;). Great book for those interested in raw food. Minus 1 star rating because there are hardly any pictures in the book. Those that are there are excellent, but more illustrations would have been both practical and appealing. Nonetheless I am happy to add this book to my shelf of cookbooks.

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Ideas without being fanatical.
Alissa Cohen shows us ways to improve our diet without going completely overboard. Lots of great salad, soup, mains, smoothies and dessert ideas that use raw foods.
Yummy.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to learn more about the raw food movement. I had decided to give up meat and wondered about raw. While this book might be great for a raw foodie, I knew this was not for me. Sprouting and dehydration just seems more complicated and takes more time than I am willing to invest.

[Bear · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yummy stuff in here. Good tips on making an easy transition to raw foods and also keeping up with all the fresh produce.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! This is one complete raw "cookbook"! There were lots of recipes here that I know I can sneak in on my family to add more raw foods to our diet. Can't wait to give them a try!

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book has an entire section on alcohol beverages made with sake....

the other recipes are a bit complex, lots of planning and prep...not a bad thing, but something to consider.

[Julie Doherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVING this book full of raw recipes and techniques. Great for beginners like me! Awesome gourmet recipes. I need to own this book.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I utilize this book for a lot of my go to recipes.. milks or crackers etc. Its kind of my "betty crocker" raw cookook..all the basics are there to begin your journey..