Book Review: Raw & Simple

The idea of raw foods had intrigued me for a long time, so when I had the option to review Judita Wignall’s Raw & Simple, I decided to have a go at it. The recipes are pretty straightforward, and the pictures are gorgeous–lots of color ones for inspiration and salivating over. At the beginning, there is an explanation of the Raw Food Diet, the benefits, and stocking your pantry. The introductory materials take up the first thirty-seven pages, so there is a great deal of information. The recipe section is broken down into Breakfast, Smoothies, Beverages, Soups/Sides/Starters, Salads, Mains, Fermented Foods, Condiments, Desserts, and Snacks–so it really does cover all meals.

I did take some short cuts. I did not make my own milks, choosing instead to use the ones I buy at the store. So, it is possible to cheat a little if you need to–or if you don’t want to go 100% raw or are short on time.

From the Smoothies section, I made Happy Monkey, which has banana, almond butter, coconut, and cacao nibs and powder. I did buy raw cacao products to see if they tasted any differently–they don’t. I am a huge peanut butter and chocolate fan, so this was delicious! It makes enough to serve two, but no one else wanted to try, so it was all for me!

I chose the Cauliflower Smash as my Side, which is meant to be a mashed potato substitute. I served this to everybody, so I did warm it a little bit, but it mimicked the taste of mashed potatoes nicely. It was a bit grainier than potatoes, but that was the only significant difference.

I had some cabbage from my CSA, so I used it to make the Colorful Cabbage Salad, which is like an Asian Cole Slaw. With purple cabbage and carrots, it was indeed colorful. The dressing had lime juice, so it was also nice and citrusy. We are all fans of cole slaw, so that was a big hit.

I made the Pesto recipe to use on regular cooked pasta. I love me my pesto, so I wanted to compare this to my regular recipe, which, with the exception of toasting the pine nuts, is also raw. This version was a lot more garlicky, but the amount of garlic could be varied according to taste.

The Chipotle Not-Chicken Salad Wraps were also good. Lettuce is used instead of bread, so it is good for those reducing carbs. The main ingredient is sunflower seeds, which I had never used for “chicken” salad before, but it was quite good.

I made two desserts: the Superfood Seed Bars and the Chocolate Haystacks. The bars are a blend of seeds, coconut, cocoa nibs, and goji berries. They came together really well, and could be eaten right out of the freezer, which is where I kept them to reduce temptation. The haystacks reminded me of a treat my grandmother used to make with chow mein noodles and chocolate–only here, the noodles were replaced with coconut. They are really easy to make, taste yummy, and store well in the fridge–to keep the chocolate nice and firm. Not that you are likely to have them for long!

I don’t know that I could eat raw full time, but there are definitely some recipes I will go back to, especially now that I am starting to think again of lunches for back to school–for the teachers and the student!