Foodie Fridays: Rawlicious At Home
Although I consider myself pretty well-versed in alternative diets – my brother-in-law is gluten-free, my husband and I eat a primarily vegan diet – I have to say that I have been skeptical, at best, about raw food. A friend of mine is actually a big fan (the bulk of her desserts she considers justifiable because they’re raw, hah!) so when I had the chance to test out and review a raw cookbook for myself, I said why not?
Rawlicious is actually a local chain of Ontario-based restaurants that serve raw, vegan, gluten-free foods – from protein-packed smoothies to fresh and flavourful salads to intriguing entrees like pad thai and samosas. The concept behind raw ‘cooking’ is to only eat foods that haven’t been cooked, processed, or heated above mild temperatures of 118° F, in order to preserve the natural enzymes that often get killed off in the cooking process. When you go raw, you’re actually getting more back from the nutrient dense foods you’re consuming, allowing you to potentially feel fuller for longer. While raw eaters can consume dairy or meat, many choose not to, citing the environmental impacts and animals rights issues that are tied to those two food groups. What I particularly appreciate about Rawlicious’ approach to raw food however, is that they don’t necessarily think you need to eat raw every single day – they simply advocate for integrating it into your diet to enjoy the benefits and help cleanse your body (the restaurants actually offer a 7-day meal cleanse option too!)
Images from Rawlicious at Home by Angus Crawford and Chelsea Clark, photography by Rohit Seth. © 2014 Company U Inc. Reprinted by permission of Appetite by Random House, a division of Random House of Canada Ltd. a Penguin Random House company. All rights reserved.
So what’s in a raw ‘cookbook’ like Rawlicious At Home you ask? A surprising amount of recipes, all of which were either served in Rawlicious at one point or are inspired by dishes they regularly have on the menu. The book is primarily crafted in what I personally term a ‘pyramid style’. There are tons of ‘basics’ for you to craft; most meals are simply a matter of assembling the various pieces (and nearly every recipe starts off with a note telling you that before you begin, to visit another page to make a component or two for the core meal you’re about to prepare). If you’re not a fan of interlocking recipes then perhaps you’ll find it all a bit too much work, but for me personally I appreciated that the same basics could be repurposed in a dozen different ways.
Images from Rawlicious at Home by Angus Crawford and Chelsea Clark, photography by Rohit Seth. © 2014 Company U Inc. Reprinted by permission of Appetite by Random House, a division of Random House of Canada Ltd. a Penguin Random House company. All rights reserved.
If you’re already with familiar with Rawlicious, then you’ll know their primary lineup consists of smoothies, salads, sandwiches and appetizers. This cookbook kicks off with an expansive lineup of smoothies and drinks, like the refreshing Choco-Minty Smoothie (eerily reminiscent of McDonald’s Shamrock Shake) and Hot Chocolate (yes, boiling water is okay guys!) From there, you’ve got a brief compilation of primarily oat-based breakfasts, before diving into appetizers, like delicious Nori Rolls that rival the best sushi you’ll buy in stores or restaurants. The rest of the book covers your main courses – soups, salads, sandwiches and entrees. I focused primarily on the salads because they don’t require any extra equipment and I’m obsessed with making my own salad dressings, but there are still plenty of tempting and intriguing ‘swaps’ for my everyday eats to try – like spiralizing noodles from vegetables in lieu of pasta, or making dense, flavourful Thai Burger patties from soaked nuts and hearty portobello mushrooms. Finally you’ve got a great collection of desserts, including Rawlicious’ infamous cheesecake.
In general, I was surprised at how accessible this cookbook made the raw lifestyle – it was an extra benefit that it was all vegan and gluten-free as it really simplifies the recipes. I will note that many recipes do require you to have a juicer and / or a dehydrator, and when dehydrating, you’ve got to plan ahead – it can take 12 hours to get something to the right texture. If your cupboards are already jam-packed with kitchen gadgets, this may not be the most practical pick of book for you, but keep in mind that many of the recipes are supremely simple and will be a welcome relief come summertime. If you’re curious about raw cooking, then this is a great introduction to the principles and types of food you could be enjoying. Rawlicious At Home is available at booksellers nationwide for $29.95 so consider picking it up for the raw foodie or raw enthusiast in your life.
Finally I’m psyched to announce that five of you are going to get a chance to try raw eating for yourself – I’ve got five copies of this yummy cookbook to give away! Here’s how to enter:
1) Tell me in the comments below by July 24, 2014 – have you ever tried raw eating? What are you interested in this cookbook?
2) Entries are limited to one per person / per email address / per household (or more if you score bonus entries). A random draw will be conducted on or around July 25, 2014 to select the winner(s), who will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen in their place.
3) Entries are limited to Canadians that have reached the age of majority in their province. Quebec is not eligible for this promotion.
4) Bonus Entry: Follow Random House of Canada on Twitter. Tag them and me (@cdngiftguide) in a Tweet about why this unique cookbook is a must-have in your household. Leave a link back to your Tweet in a separate comment below to earn an extra entry.
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I have tried raw/vegan eating and really enjoy it. I’m always looking for healthy recipes, I’d be interested to see what’s in this book!
I’ve tried many vegan and vegetarian meals. I really like them! I’d love to have some more meal ideas!
I use my juicer every day and and have been eating gluten free for about six months. These recipes look great and would make meals so tasty and healthy.
I’ve tried various vegan and vegetarian recipes, and I have had a few raw dishes because my sister was raw vegan for awhile. I would love to have this cookbook to make some recipes for her!
I’m always trying healthier ways to eat and looking for new recipes – hopefully Rawlicious will introduce many new options for me,
What a great post! I just followed you to stay updated on your future posts and I look forward to them. I just started my own vegan/political blog, so feel free to check it out and let me know what you think!
http://MannyRutinel.com
Have a great day! 😀
I’ve tried vegetarian, vegan & a couple of Gluten free things. I’m a foodie, love to eat, collect cookbooks- do I need more reasons to want this book? I’ve never tried raw eating but it sounds delicious. And what better time of year to try it, I mean, seriously- great food without heating up the kitchen- what could be better?
Rawlicious At Home photos in this post are making my mouth water. Time to try raw.
Tweeted! https://twitter.com/MaynardLara/status/485160417820676097 re this book.
I’ve never tried raw eating, but it sounds simple and tasty from your description and pictures.
I would say I have tried raw eating in the most basic way – salads, smoothies, sushi so I’m interested in this cookbook to see how I could broaden my palate. Would be great for these hot, humid summers
Bonus Entry: Followed Random House of Canada on Twitter & tweeted https://twitter.com/SoulSeeker0/status/485323907399172096
I love shushi, and salads, so I guess I have tried eating raw.I am always looking for new salads and smoothie recipes. We do not have this chain here in Manitoba.
I would love to win because I’m always looking for new ideas on how to eat more healthy.
tweeted https://twitter.com/VictoriaEss2/status/485480938462539777
I have never tried raw eating but I can really see the benefit of going raw. I think it really helps to prevent illness. I wouldn’t even know how to start so a cookbook would be great!
I follow as @suekitty13
My tweet: https://twitter.com/suekitty13/status/485560949705678848
I’ve never tried raw foods and I wonder of it would be good. The photos make it look delicious!
We don’t have a grill, but this would be a good introduction – easy to use and small, but would satisfy my husband’s desire to BBQ – and I can use my Rawlicious At Home book!!
never knew there was a chain like this in Ontario.. cant wait to try this..
I have eaten raw but i certainly could benefit from some direction.
I haven’t tried raw eating, but I think it sounds like it could have some good health benefits
My girlfriend and I eat raw on a regular basis but ont as regular as she likes I think. A cookbook (or raw book) might help!
I have never eatin raw before.. be great to try it out & share with my friends/family the creation from the book.
The only raw food I eat is salad lol. I’m curious to learn what else is out there!
I have tried a raw diet and it is a good portion of my vegan diet.
This blog has really inspired me to try clean eating – raw might be the next step I should try!
I’ve eaten vegetarian before and think that trying Raw would be interesting. I’m always trying to be healthier so I would love to win this book and give it a whirl!
Admittedly, raw food scares me a bit…but your description of the book sounds cool,so maybe it’s worth trying.
July 24 is my 50th birthday so this would make a great gift for a healthier lifestyle. I have been vegan for a few years and am trying to incorporate more raw foods. Looking at recipes online but find that physical books are so much better.
I actually try to eat Raw every weekend when I have the time to prep it. I’d love to have a cookbook to help me out.
I’ve never tried raw eating but I have just begun ‘clean eating’ and this seems like it would hold work in line with that!
No, I’ve never tried raw eating, but I have a friend who is Lactose and Gluten intolerant.
Would love to try it 🙂
sounds good
I have tried Raw food preparation and taken some courses in it and I find it so refreshing. I would love to have this cookbook to round out my menus some weeks.