21-Day Vegan Raw Food Diet Plan: 75 Satisfying Recipes to Revitalize Your Body by Heather Bowen – A Book Review

 

Let me say first that I do not strictly adhere to a vegan diet. I am always on the lookout for recipes that allow me to keep the food I serve interesting, tasty and healthy. Vegan recipes are one part of that. That said, I am very grateful to have received this cookbook from RockRidge Press in exchange for my honest opinion, and was under no obligation to provide a positive review. The introductory chapter provides wonderful information to those truly interested in embracing a vegan raw food diet, information regarding what the diet consists of, nutritional information, and health benefits. As the title indicates the author provides a 21-day meal plan designed to ease one into a plant-based diet and to create eating habits that conform to that diet. Given my motivation, I moved to the recipes, skipping the chapter on smoothies. In the breakfast chapter I found lots of recipes including whole grains and nuts. Since the recipes in this book are for raw foods, I was surprised to see items like pancakes, muffin tops, and bagels listed. These items are all prepared with a dehydrator! That is a kitchen appliance that I have actually been trying to use more often, and I am excited to try some of these recipes. Personally, not being a big fan of cold soups, I didn't find much there, but in the same chapter I found loads of yummy salad recipes. I plan on trying most if not all of them. In the entree chapter I found more opportunities to utilize my dehydrator. This chapter includes make-over recipes of traditional recipes like fettuccine Alfredo, lasagna, and mac 'n' cheese, as well as yummy sounding new-to-me recipes like a dragon bowl with tahini miso gravy, almond rawmesan cheese, and sunflower seedballs. I was just thinking yesterday about how much I miss potato chips, be in the snack chapter I found recipes for kale chips and zucchini chips along with lots of other savory snack ideas. For desserts, how could one go wrong with mint chocolate chip squares, key lime cheesecake, or walnut fudge? Most of the ingredients in this cookbook are readily available, and in our small town many more are becoming available. Here's to healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle!