I know what you’re thinking, really, I do. The idea of eating a “raw food” diet makes everyone at least raise an eyebrow. But it’s really not as crazy as you think.
First of all, I’m a meat ‘n potatoes ‘n cheese type of girl. Even to the point of pain; I’m slightly lactose sensitive, but that doesn’t stop me from enjoying delicious dairy. But one day, while the BF and I were discussing our diet plan, I brought up the idea of trying to eat a strictly “raw food” diet for one(1) month, (We lasted ten days, but hey, that’s still pretty good!).
Ok so, what is “raw” eating? It’s not eating raw meat, so don’t worry. It’s about eating raw(non-cooked) fruits, vegetables, and nuts. The idea being, that since the food hasn’t been boiled/baked/fried, all of the nutrients are still in the food. This isn’t why we decided to try this experiment though; we wanted to challenge ourselves and try something completely different. At first, we were kind of stumped. What, exactly, would we eat, apples and almonds every day? So we sat on the floor of our favorite book store, with about seven or so, different Raw Food cookbooks.
I was looking for, basically two things:
1- a friendly voice. I don’t want the author trying to sell me on her/his beliefs. 2- Delicious, easy recipes that wouldn’t require expensive equipment. And I found it! Meet Ani Phyo, and her book Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen.
Her voice is incredibly friendly in this book. She takes the time to introduce herself, and explains how she got to where she is today. She even goes ahead and says that this isn’t about changing over your life completely, but maybe if you make just a couple little changes here and there, and you’ll feel better and experience the benefits of raw food. Phyo also takes time to discuss the equipment needed in order to get the desired results from her recipes. She suggests a couple “essentials” being a food processor, and a blender. And then goes on to suggest other tools that you don’t NEED, but are “Fun to have around.” (Julienne peeler, wire whisk, dehydrator, mandolin slicer… etc). Even though some recipes call for a dehydrator, she makes a point to say that you can go ahead and use your oven if need be; making everything feel very accessible, and leaving the reader feeling confident in her/his abilities.
Remember that thing I said about eating only apples and almonds every day? No way! This book has recipes for raw soups, pudding, smoothies, “cheezes,” wraps, “better than pastas” and more. She introduced me and the BF to the usage of miso, and flax seeds, (which we now keep on hand in our fridge.). You really have to write this one down and go check it out. The usage of different types of nuts provides each recipe with a “meatiness” and body. I was blown away at how delicious the “cheezes” were. Here is one:
Italian Pizza Cheeze
I decided to file this under “recipe” and “blog” because.. well, I provided a recipe from the book, but this is more about the book than it is the recipe. ::shrugs::
I’m always up for trying new things, but before YOU do, go make sure it’s ok(ask your doctor.). ‘Cuz I’m not responsible for anyone but myself. Every once in awhile now, the BF and I do “Raw Mondays & Tuesdays” to make up for the damage we did on our bodies during the weekends, while hanging out with friends. It’s really helped open my eyes and has given me new ideas as to what I can do with vegetables, fruits, and other grains/seeds. Don’t knock it ‘til you try it 
I bought this book by myself, read it by myself, and reviewed it by myself.
admin says: yay! even doing it just for one or two days is really interesting. there’s actually a great raw restaurant in Silver Lake called “Cru” ..it’s incredible. They had a fantastic strawberry “cheesecake.” I swear it tasted so close to the real thing.
You have inspired me, Im gonna have to try the raw food diet.