RAW FOOD ESSENTIALS: Ani's best book yet

I like all of Ani Phyo's books, but her latest effort is the best yet.  Ani's RAW FOOD ESSENTIALS is a  hard bound raw food cookbook sure to be a classic tome on every healthy kitchen shelf.

ARFE is well organized and fun to read.  Ani's tone is upbeat, conversational, and you can see how passionate she is about this lifestyle.  It's an all encompassing lifestyle, embracing chemical free living, reducing our carbon footprint, in addition to eating a healthy organic (as local as possible) diet.

I really appreciate the little icons at the beginning of each recipie so you can see what you need for food prep during a pre-dinner thumb-through.  There are shadowboxes throughout with various tips and information, and several tanalizing color photos in the center of the book, with black and white photos throughout.

Ani's recipes are known for being accessible.   What I like is that she still manages to keep the flavors interesting and complex while keeping the work to a minimum.  The noodle dishes are a great example.  I can whip up a raw noodle dish with complex Thai undertones in a matter of a few minutes.

Being a big fan of the noodle bowl, I was excited to see several raw noodle recipes as I'm always interested in new variations.  Carrot Angel Hair With Sun Dried Tomatoes in Cheddar Cheeze Sauce is a great example--I would have never thought of making carrot noodles and combining them with sun dried tomatoes, arugula, and a cheeze sauce---Yum.

I also love the way she gives you the basics and then lets you run with it--basic salad dressing, basic cake, etc.  You get a solid foundation and then are encouraged to come up with your own variations.

You do need the basics--high speed blender, food processor, and dehydrator.  Ani recommends the Excalibur, but I suggest the TSM dehydrator instead if you have a little extra to spend.  This may seem like a big expense to some, but I use my equipment daily and consider it an investment in my health and well being.  There are enough recipes here that do not require the dehydrator, but the first two items are really essential.

This is a perfect book for people just starting out with raw foods, people who have been at it for a while, and just for anyone looking to amp up their nutritional value and taste of their meals and snacks.  There are a ton of wonderful recipes for pretty much every occasion.  It's a classic, highly recommended!

Find it HERE. 

Tweet

Microplane Box Grater and Protective Glove

I'm always on the lookout for ways to enhance vegetable prep, the more variety and texture, the better.  This Microplane Box Grater is a wonderful tool and is not your average grater, not by a long shot.  This is all you need to make an exciting salad with texture rich variations.

I love the chunky ergonomic handle and the protective cover.  This is a smart design keeping fingers safe when reaching for it, everything with blades should come with covers, but they don't, so this is a great feature.

These blades are super sharp and grating is effortless--so be careful because it goes very fast!  Each side has a different blade with one side being a mini mandoline and one side is removable for easy clean up.  The grater has rubber feet for stability, just place the grater on your cutting board or into a work bowl and go. Awesome grater!  You can find worthy seconds at a discounted price on their website, HERE.

And if you sometimes get distracted like I do, it wouldn't hurt to wear this protective cut resistant glove.  I've sliced my fingers before on mandolines and this is just a way to have some peace of mind.  I have small hands and was afraid it might be too big, but it was fine.  Find it HERE. 

Tweet

Kyocera Ceramic Knife

One of my recent discoveries has been ceramic knives, specifically, Kyocera.  How have I missed out on this all these years?  Ceramic knives rule.  I thought I had really nice knives, a fabulous Santouku from Crate and Barrel and a Henckel I've had for years.  Well, enter this Kyocera Chef's Knife and I no longer even want to use my other knives.

A knife is something I use multiple times a day and I really appreciate quality.  Ceramic knives stay sharp and don't oxidize and turn your food brown (something that easily happens to lettuce). This knife feels good in my hand and makes chopping easy and pleasurable.  After using this, I wouldn't even consider buying another metal knife.

Tweet

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.

Tweet

Green Gift (for yourself?): Cabelas Dehydrator Cart

Counter space in my kitchen is premium real estate. My kitchen is small and I'm a minimalist at heart, not liking anything on my countertops. At the same time, if it's not on the counter, I won't use it as often, so I've chosen my most important appliances to reside in this prized space. This includes the Blender, Juicer, and Tea Kettle. Even my beautiful Kitchenaid mixer is now in the closet because I can't stand clutter.

Now there is a new appliance in my kitchen, one that I want to use all the time--the dehydrator. I've been trying to figure out the best way to handle this while keeping my kitchen aesthetically pleasing. Enter this black dehydrator cart from Cabellas. I've been using my dehydrator every day since getting this cart and I'm thrilled.

It's easily assembled, matches my stainless and black appliances, and lets me keep my valuable counter space while having constant access to the dehydrator. Neither my photo nor the one on Cabela's website does the cart justice, it's very good looking with a matte black finish. It's also bigger than it looks (I have it turned vertically next to my refrigerator), so be sure to measure. If you know someone well enough, meaning their style and needs, I think this would make a great gift. Or, treat yourself! Fabulous! Find it HERE.

Tweet