Eating For Beauty by David Wolfe

We are what we eat. If we want to be beautiful, we need to eat beautiful, and in Eating For Beauty, David Wolfe shows us how to use raw organic foods to transform ourselves from the inside out. "Food is not just a factor that affects us, it is the primary thing that affects us. If what we put in our bodies does not effect us, what could? Once we know this, it becomes easier to select foods that add to our strength, spirituality, and beauty, because each meal becomes part of who we are at the deepest level."

Raw plant food is the highest quality, most nutrient dense, beautifying food we can eat. But Wolfe is quick to say that one should not feel pressured and rushed to adopt an all raw foods diet. He suggests increasing raw food intake more and more until you naturally shift away from unhealthy or cooked foods as they become less desirable. I like this approach and find it effective. Even a half raw diet will have a huge effect on both health and appearance.

Wolfe teaches us which are the most beautifying of all foods and why. Olives, for instance are packed with nutrients and great for facial fine lines, papaya is good for making your eyes shiny and radiant, and durian is so sexy that apart from being a blood purifier, it's known as an aphrodisiac. There is an emphasis on mineral rich and organically grown foods. "Pesticides are unacceptable at any level and should be avoided on our food. Organic food is not only grown without chemical pesticides, it contains more minerals."

Beauty really does come from within, in more ways than one. There is no product that will give you what good health will give you, and I think more and more, beauty is associated with health and authenticity. There's nothing more authentic than nature, and Wolfe gets us a little closer.

The book features Kirlian photographs, images that are said to reveal the energy fields of various foods. There is a chapter filled with recipes, suggestions for supplements, and a few words about other things relating to beauty, such as quality sleep and a positive attitude.

It's a fun book to read, filled with nutritional nuggets and inspiration, great for January when New Year's ambitions are aflame and Valentine's Day is right around the corner. Find it HERE.

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Kyocera Double Edged Mandoline

How have I been a veggie lover without Kyocera all these years? This Double Edged Mandoline is new to my kitchen and I've been slicing away like crazy. Super thin cucumber, beets, carrots, you name it. It's so easy! You just put it over a bowl, those little grooves create stability, and go. I always get really excited over new ways to do vegetable prep and this does a great deal with very little effort. I have tried another mandoline in the past and it was a bit complicated with lots of sharp loose parts, I never used it and ended up giving it away. This one is simple. The ceramic blade stays sharp and does not brown food like stainless.

It comes with a hand guard and I highly recommend using it because it goes very very fast and I quickly nicked my thumb. For this reason, I would be mindful of how you store it, keeping it away from children and that blade covered. This is an inexpensive way to really jazz up and simplify your food prep. Kitchen essential--try it out here.

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TSM STAINLESS STEEL FOOD DEHYDRATOR

The most exciting thing to enter my kitchen in a long time is this Stainless Steel Five Tray Dehydrator from TSM. Most of my raw cookbooks recommend the Excalibur 9 tray, so I got that first. It was too big and too loud for my small house (I have an open floor plan), and frankly, I found Excalibur's customer service to be lacking.

I looked and looked and couldn't find another option until I happened to notice someone talking about the Sausage Maker on a raw foods message board. Then the fabulous raw foods blogger, Susan, from Rawmazing, told me she used a Sausage Maker too. I did some homework and it turns out that TSM and Sausage Maker are one and the same. Sausage Maker originated as a dehydrator for hunters to preserve their game. But raw foodists caught on and started using their dehydrators because of their high quality. TSM realized they had another market demographic and wisely took the sausage logo off the machine.

The unit itself is very good looking. It's well built and has a sexy industrial appearance for the kitchen. It's quiet-very quiet which I didn't think would matter since I like white noise, but if you are going to have something on for 20 hours in a small space, it can be really annoying if it's too loud.

The trays are high quality stainless steel and it has a timer. A timer! This is so helpful when you have something going for many hours and is surprisingly absent from many dehydrators. Their customer service is friendly and helpful, I had to call about the temperature dial--it corresponds to the chart on the top left of the machine, raw foodists will want their knob to stay within that first space on the dial in case anyone else is wondering. Also, be sure to ask for one with a little hole in the door for a thermometer probe if you want to to monitor the temperature (and you probably will).

I'm still in the experimental stage food-wise but I will be posting more about my adventures in dehydrating (I'm pretty obsessed). For now I give you my utmost recommendation for this model. It's the nicest dehydrator I've ever seen and I've been looking like crazy. If you are embarking on your own raw foods journey or want to upgrade from your current dehydrator, or just need a fabulous gift for the raw foodie in your life, check it out HERE.

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Book Review: Everyday Raw by Matthew Kenney

Everyday Raw may not seem so every day for everyone at first glance. Some of us are a little intimidated by dehydrators and cracking open coconuts on the kitchen counter. Kenney addresses this right off the bat, "Everyday raw food does not necessarily translate to simple," he says, "...raw food will never be as easy as opening a can or popping something in the microwave. But there are ways to streamline the challenge, and that is what this book is about--preparing restarurant quality flavors in less time." I think he nails it.

I like Kenney's less-is-more approach to ingredients and his commitment to seasonal, local organic produce. Matthew Kenney is a traditional-turned-raw foods chef who has had his own restaruants and written other cookbooks. His passion for food is found on every page--this is a serious foodie who understands the chemistry of food and aims to save readers time by having already gone through the process of experimentation to come up with just the right flavors. That doesn't mean he wants us to be locked into a recipe--he encourages further exploration.

It may seem a little complicated at first for beginners, but I'm a beginner too, and I just find it exciting. I don't mind unusual ingredients like Maca or Goji Berries--the only thing I wasn't familiar with is Tocotrienols (a powder supplement). For people used to preparing more elaborate raw foods, the book probably will seem more like every day fare.

If you do want something nourishing fast, the smoothie recipes are magnificent. There are also salads, soups, salsas and things that don't need dehydrating. The ingredients in his recipes are carefully chosen while textural dimension creates interest and depth. There are many beautiful photos--one for almost each recipe which I find hugely helpful and enticing.

The desserts are gorgeous. I think I will try the Pumpkin Pie this year for Thanksgiving. The Key Lime Tartlets, Fudge Brownie and Chocolate Hazelnut Tart will have your stomach growling, so make sure you don't look at this book hungry. There's a chapter on breads and crackers, spreads and sauces, and main dishes.

Kenney says raw food is "so simple and obvious that we have made it complicated in order to find its core again." I think this is very true. This book is a great contribution to the raw food world and I recommend it. You can go to Kenney's website to learn more.

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