"Living in the Raw: Desserts" recipe book review : Raw Food Diet

"Living in the Raw: Desserts" recipe book review

Posted by The Rawtarian On September - 24 - 2009

I’ve been reading and making the book Living in the Raw: Desserts by Rose Lee Calabro (2007).

It is a medium-sized glossy paperback 127-page book with a few large color photos.

It contains mostly simple, quick, basic recipes (as opposed to gourmet recipes), although most of the recipes do require the standard raw food equipment like dehydrators, coffee grinders, food processors, etc.

It is geared for new raw fooders in that it explains how to make nut milk, etc., but it does not go into very much detail in terms of how to make recipes or how to do basic functions. In fact, there is only a three page introduction before the book launches into recipes.

Strengths:

Ingredients index at the back of the book! Yes!

Well organized into sections: cakes, candies and truffles, cookies and bars, dessert breads, ice creams and sorbets, and pies.

Contains functional, easy to make, daily recipes.

There’s no chatter or irrelevant information. It’s very to the point.

Weaknesses:

Quite a few recipes were very similar, especially in the cakes section.

The written instructions were rather short and to the point. A total newbie might have liked more information and help in terms of how to make some of the recipes.

It’s very direct and a little more personality would make it more interesting rather than simple just a book of ingredients. For example, there’s a recipe for “kulfi”in the ice cream and sorbets section. I would like to know more about “kulfi.” What’s the history? Why such an interesting name? Etc.

Overall verdict:

This book is perfect for someone who already has a grasp of the fundamentals of raw cooking and is looking for some basic, quick dessert recipes. This would be an extremely useful book for a parent who is looking for new desserts to keep their kids happy.

If you are TOTALLY NEW to raw food then I would suggest that you hold off from buying this book and get a better overall intro to raw foods book. But if you’re looking to add some more staple recipes to your already existing raw food recipe arsenal, this is packed with basic recipes that’ll satisfy your sweet tooth.

Purchase Rose Lee’s “Living in the Raw: Desserts” book from Amazon here.

Raw Randomness

About the Author

Laura-Jane The Rawtarian is a Canadian raw fooder who loves to share knowledge and inspire others to try the raw food lifestyle. Welcome and be sure to say hi and make yourself known!