Living Raw Food: Get the Glow with More Recipes from Pure Food and Wine Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased this raw food recipe book based on the glowing reviews here. I had to return it. That's not to say that this beautiful book, authored by an equally beautiful and accomplished chef, is not a fine book. It is. It is just not for me. Why and why the 3 stars only? Here are my reasons:
First of all, although the recipes look amazing ~ creative, delicious, original ~ they are more for entertaining and entertaining 6 to 8, not at all practical for me, a single raw vegan who even if I did more entertaining or could convince my non-vegetarian family to try raw food, would only need servings of 4 or less. The large amount of ingredients, many exotic or not so easy to come by, was daunting to me. I already spend a fortune on my regular organic and raw foods. I just can't imagine keeping my fridge and pantry stocked with a lot of the required items for these recipes.
Secondly, and maybe the most annoying to me, is the extraordinary amount of photos of Selma, her staff, the restaurant, their store products. This really drives me nuts with so many of the popular raw food books out there now! And in this one there's even a picture of a restaurant staff person smoking a cigarette! That floored me! How inappropriate is that? Or is the message that smoking will give you "the glow" too?
Lastly, even though while I perused I did glean some helpful and interesting tidbits here and there, I thought much too much space was wasted on Selma's "philosophy" or on the most basic info about raw foods and its preparation. If one is advanced enough in raw food prep to prepare recipes at the level of this book, is it really necessary to dedicate so much space to such very basics? I'm not saying that this sort of infomation is not helpful or useful but it just seems to me that it is as superfluous as all the photos of Selma and crew. I would rather have more photos of the food, which by the way are wonderful.
Yes, the food photograghy is gorgeous and the book itself is beautiful, quality publishing. For those of you who really love this book, please don't get upset with my review. I acknowledge all your reasons for loving it. I just think maybe others like me will appreciate my counterpoint.

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Martha Stewart's Cooking School: Lessons and Recipes for the Home Cook Review

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(More customer reviews)Martha Stewart's Cooking School: Lessons and Recipes for the Home Cook is an indispensable cooking guide for beginners through mid-level cooks. By mid-level, I am referring to anyone who cooks but is not adept at the various cooking techniques or one with a firm understanding of how and what tools to use in the kitchen.
As a former caterer and chef, I see that many people lack basic cooking skills. This book does a fantastic job of teaching the skill--Stewart provides clear instructions and the accompanying photographs makes the job of learning how to cook seem simple. (And cooking is fairly simple...you just need to practice--and get good guidance!)
The book is stunning in its layout and with impeccable photography throughout. The photographs alone would entice even the most reluctant beginner to jump in and learn to cook!
Cooking School begins with the basics--what cooking supplies to stock in your kitchen. Stewart believes in keeping things simple and she lists the basic equipment to do the job. Also included are knife sharpening tips and much more. Here again, the photos assist in the show and tell method of this book.
The remainder of the book is divided as follows:
* Stocks and dips
* Eggs
* Meat, fish and poultry
* Vegetables
* Pasta
* Dried beans and grains
* Desserts
Each section provides cooking techniques and recipes, many of which are classics.
This is a wonderful book to buy yourself or anyone who wants to learn to cook--or to cook better. I bought a copy for my niece as a housewarming present!
By the author of the award winning book, HARMONIOUS ENVIRONMENT: BEAUTIFY, DETOXIFY & ENERGIZE YOUR LIFE, YOUR HOME & YOUR PLANET.


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8 Degrees of Ingredients Review

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(More customer reviews)Amazingly, 1 out of every 3 people has a food intolerance or allergy. This staggering number can make it hard to cook safe and delicious foods for family and friends. No longer!
Melisa K. Priem's book, 8 Degrees of Ingredients, is chock full of recipes made to suit a wide variety of restrictive diets: gluten-free, dairy-free, peanut-free, etc. All the recipes are free of the top 8 food allergens (milk, egg, wheat, soy, fish, shellfish, peanuts and tree nuts). The recipes range from comfort foods like meatloaf to the fancy pan-seared duck breast with cherry wine sauce. Many recipes will appeal to kids as well - my toddler could not get enough of the gyro kebobs!
As a naturopathic doctor, I recommend this as great resource to my patients with food intolerances and those following a hypoallergenic diet to discover their own food sensitivities. Often their eyes will glaze over when we first discuss eliminating major allergens (soy, wheat, dairy, nuts, etc.) from their diet. Most typical American cooking contains many of these potential allergens, so following a hypoallergenic diet can feel quite overwhelming. Directing them to this cookbook has been a huge comfort that yes, they will be able to continue to eat tasty and familiar foods!
The recipes themselves are clear and concise. They contain easy-to-follow directions for even a novice cook, explaining how to braise a pork chop or cook whole grains, for example. The recipes are very flavorful, seasoned liberally with herbs and spices. An especially rich section is the desserts. This is often where hypoallergenic recipes are extremely lacking. Candies, cookies, cakes and puddings offer many choices for the sweet tooth on a restrictive diet. The whoopie pies are fantastic. It is hard to believe that those pies are gluten, dairy, and egg-free!
My concerns with 8 Degrees of Ingredients are few but pointed. I find it very surprising that more people have a sensitivity to fish, than to corn or nightshade plants (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant), as that is not what I see in my practice. I also would have liked photos included of the recipes. Photos always make a recipe seem more enticing to make.
Overall, this is a great cookbook for those with food intolerances/allergies and for the people who cook for them. For the beginning cook to the seasoned chef, there are tons of delicious hypoallergenic meals to be made!
Armchair Interviews says: Those with allergies will love this book.

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A must-have, comprehensive COOKBOOK including over 250 everyday recipes, all free of the 8 most common food allergens!Recipes use everyday, simple ingredients found in most grocery stores.For those suffering from food allergies, sensitivities, and intolerances, and the people who cook for them.

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