Review: Rawesomely Vegan!

Synonymous with new beginnings and cleansing ourselves of winter’s wrath, the spring season is the ideal time to explore a book like Rawesomely Vegan! by Mike Snyder. This collection of raw vegan recipes, curated by blogger and author Sayward Rebhal, is jam-packed with unique, uber-nutritious meal and snack ideas that bring out the best in our food.

I wouldn’t consider this a beginner’s book. It is meant for those who already know the concept and rewards of raw veganism: that food is never heated above 115F to preserve valuable enzymes and nutrients, and that it’s cruelty-free in every way. This book highlights traditional raw food techniques that often require a little advanced planning. Whether it’s whole, blended, juiced, chopped, infused, fermented, soaked, sprouted, sundried, marinated, frozen or dehydrated, raw vegan food in its many forms is as vital as it was when it was picked from the ground, and the book explores these techniques to help you feel more connected to what you are eating.

The info you learn in Part 1 is intended to help you get your kitchen bearings—because every seasoned raw chef can use some back-to-school basics every once in a while. Here, you’ll find a quick refresher on pantry staples and ways to store and use them, a review of the most important gadgets as well as some pro tricks for how to get by without them, and finally, some strategies for long-term success in living a raw vegan lifestyle.

The real substance of the book is in Part 2, which includes 14 chapters that amount to an all-encompassing arsenal of more than 300 radical recipes for any and every occasion.

You’ll hit the morning running with invigorating starters like silver dollar pancakes, made with almond pulp flour, lucuma powder and banana, that are smothered in unreal maple syrup reminiscent of sweetened date syrup. With a little prep work the night before, you’ll be happy to wake up to this nourishing breakfast treat.

With exciting meal entrees like raw pizza using mix-and-match items such as the Italian pizza crust and marinara sauce, you’ll never run low on substance or style. Here, I also used my own macadamia nut cheese and marinated mushrooms recipes as toppings for this already fantastic pizza base.

Decadent soups, sandwiches and delicious salads abound, like the nontraditional tabbouleh starring sprouted quinoa, a classic Middle Eastern dish made raw. This healthy, healing dish is spiked with fresh parsley and plum tomatoes, making a perfectly light appetizer for a summer meal.

Round out these with creative juice blends like Orange you glad you beet those toxins out? highlighting beets and oranges, and sweet and mellow, made up of zucchini, carrots and apples, and you’ve got yourself a super-reference of rawesome recipes that will inspire you to make your blender, juicer and dehydrator your new best friends. If you’re looking for guidance and recipes that will truly nourish you, this book is for you.