Melngailis's Living Raw Food is stunning. It's joyful and humorous--as much a food manual or lifestyle guide as a cookbook. Fun to read, it's filled with far more than recipes, including many biographical tidbits of its author interspersed with educational essays on everything from (endangered raw) almonds to (biodynamic) wine. Living makes ample use of photography, of both beautiful food and beautiful people, intended surely as a testament to the "glow" raw fooders are fond of touting. Whether you fancy King Oyster Mushroom Calamari and Sesame-Mixed Vegetable Noodles with Herbs, or a Key Lime Pie Shake with your very own Nectarine Cherry Timbale, prepare your taste buds for an experience you will not soon forget. Who knows, you might even get the glow.

Great raw food recipes (very extensive for a more experienced un-cook). Even if you can't find some of the ingredients she gives you easier to find subs for them. Love the overall voice of the book.

Excellent book!

I highly recommend this book. I feel so much healthier, and happier. This book explains in detail all the issues around why we should and should not be on a raw food diet. The recipies are excellent. My husband and 14 year old son have been on a raw food diet for the last two weeks and do not even know it! The recipes are so good, they have not caught on to the fact that the food I have been serving them is good for them! It gives me so much satisfaction. Thank you for explaining to me why this lifestyle is so important.

Angela Hofmeister

This book is not only beautiful, but it makes you want to eat healthy. The recipes in this book are the best. Everyone that sees this book has to pick it up and look at it. Any cook would love having this in their collection of cookbooks.

A great sequel to her first book. If you enjoyed the first book then you'll love this one too.

Picking up where RAW FOOD/REAL WORLD left off, Sarma Melngailis again uses her famous restaurant to provide dozens more recipes for juices, shakes, soups, easy dishes and cocktails - preparing raw food without any fancy steps. From an Apple Crisp made of dehydrated apples tossed with vanilla gave to Mashed Root Vegetables, these require no cooking and are fine creations for any cook interested in the blossoming raw food movement.

Loved their first book - got this one for more good stuff.

It's ok - their first was one of my first books on raw, so I really knew it well. This one for me is not as original as the first, more like variations on their other stuff. That being said, I still love their style and would buy another book if they put one out.

That was my first impression. I have since got really into the book and have enjoyed it very much. Innovative, interesting food, which I can prepare even though I am no chef.
Congrats to Sarma, I am looking forward to the next one - I want to increase my original rating from 3 to 4 stars

I purchased this raw food recipe book based on the glowing reviews here. I had to return it. That's not to say that this beautiful book, authored by an equally beautiful and accomplished chef, is not a fine book. It is. It is just not for me. Why and why the 3 stars only? Here are my reasons:

First of all, although the recipes look amazing ~ creative, delicious, original ~ they are more for entertaining and entertaining 6 to 8, not at all practical for me, a single raw vegan who even if I did more entertaining or could convince my non-vegetarian family to try raw food, would only need servings of 4 or less. The large amount of ingredients, many exotic or not so easy to come by, was daunting to me. I already spend a fortune on my regular organic and raw foods. I just can't imagine keeping my fridge and pantry stocked with a lot of the required items for these recipes.

Secondly, and maybe the most annoying to me, is the extraordinary amount of photos of Selma, her staff, the restaurant, their store products. This really drives me nuts with so many of the popular raw food books out there now! And in this one there's even a picture of a restaurant staff person smoking a cigarette! That floored me! How inappropriate is that? Or is the message that smoking will give you "the glow" too?

Lastly, even though while I perused I did glean some helpful and interesting tidbits here and there, I thought much too much space was wasted on Selma's "philosophy" or on the most basic info about raw foods and its preparation. If one is advanced enough in raw food prep to prepare recipes at the level of this book, is it really necessary to dedicate so much space to such very basics? I'm not saying that this sort of infomation is not helpful or useful but it just seems to me that it is as superfluous as all the photos of Selma and crew. I would rather have more photos of the food, which by the way are wonderful.

Yes, the food photograghy is gorgeous and the book itself is beautiful, quality publishing. For those of you who really love this book, please don't get upset with my review. I acknowledge all your reasons for loving it. I just think maybe others like me will appreciate my counterpoint.

I could hardly put this book down. I read it pretty much cover to cover, savoring the pictures, nutritional facts and little stories preceding each recipe. Sarma's tone is conversational, down to earth and very reassuring for people like me who are just starting out with more complicated raw food dishes. She makes a great point that there are difficulties and challenges in conventional cooking, and says raw food preparation is actually no harder than traditional cooking, if not easier in many ways. I felt my intimidation regarding raw cuisine fade away to be quickly replaced by excitement.

I should say that I don't have ambitions to become a raw foodist (yet). Right now I probably eat about half raw, because I love the food. I'm also mindful of getting nutrients and just don't feel right if I don't eat green every day. As much as I love the plant kingdom, I want to expand my repertoire. Living Raw Food has really motivated me to take that next step. There is learning curve, but that's actually part of the adventure. I am completely inspired by this book and excited to explore the world of raw food on the next level.

Encouraged, I purchased a dehydrator, something I didn't think I'd be ready to do for a long time. When you see the photos of the food, you're going to want to make the recipes and some do require it. There are also plenty of recipes that don't call for a dehydrator. Salads, juices, and smoothies for instance. The Cilantro-Pineapple Shake is wonderful. I'm so happy to discover creamy smoothie recipes that don't center around bananas. Not that I don't like bananas, but you can get a little burnt out on the kale-banana-fruit combo (my standard). There are so many recipes I plan to try--my book is filled with bookmarks. You'll find soups, sauces, appetizers, main dishes, ice cream, cake, cookies, bars, and cocktails featuring sake and biodynamic wine. It's a feast.

This book is a great buy especially for someone who is flirting with raw foods or a full fledged raw foodist. It offers great recipes, thorough explanations, and additional information about the lifestyle that newbies would not know (like WHY to soak nuts). I also enjoy Sarma's approach to raw foods. There is a lot of literature on raw foods that seems very extreme. This book is very moderate in its approach. I appreciate that because I am a rebellious person by nature. I love suggestions, but I do not love people trying to force their will on me. Sarma has done an amazing job marrying the lifestyle and a healthy attitude about health. I appreciated the cocktail section as well. And for the person who reviewed about the person smoking in the book, I emailed Sarma to inquire about that. It was not Sarma smoking. It was a staff member of her restaurant. She employs all types of people, meat eaters, smokers, non-raw, etc. So I hope that helps other people who were struggling with the smoking thing.

her other book written with her partner was a beautifal raw food book, but the recipes intimidated me to the point i haven't tried any but the 30sec nut milk.

i believe this is a later book written by herself, and it looked very similar to the first, which turned me off. but when I actually read the recipes, they were much more down to earth and I already have the ingredients! i have tons of raw food books and they look like there are some similar recipes in each with one or two ingredients different. this book has lots of creative, inspiring, yet simple combinations which i have never seen before! (my definition of simple= few ingredients, low prep, but not so simple that you could've thought of it yourself)

As the author of a raw food book myself, I have dozens of raw recipe books. I was amazed, nonetheless, at this one, as it takes raw gourmet to a whole new level with exquisite dishes such as chocolate covered pistachio halvah, Jerusalem artichoke and cucumber dolmas, chanterelle, king oyster mushroom "calamari," and kalmata olive ravioli. There are also some ethnic dishes such as falafel & tabouleh, and biryani with coconut curry sauce.

Besides the recipes are mouth-watering colored photos sure to seduce the most hardened of cooked foodists, and enticing the laziest of chefs to get to work to produce such artful dishes.

The book is divided into 2 parts: part 1 has the quick simple recipes, while part 2 has the more complicated , creative ones. In addition to recipes, there are quite a few essays. Peppered throughout the book are food facts, such as articles about biodynamic wine (yes, wine is raw!), cilantro, kombucha, soy and chia seeds. There are articles explaining what raw food is, the author's own story, conscious eating, why be a vegetarian, and much more.

In addition to the food photos there are many photos of the Pure Food & Wine restaurant, the chefs, and the author, all making you feel you know them. But the food recipe photos are absolutely stunning. Who in their right mind would not want to eat raw after seeing them? Cooked food, no matter how gourmet, doesn't come close. If I ever learned that raw food was the health-killer and cooked food was the one that reversed disease, it would be a sad day. For, as these recipes show: taste, and taste alone, is a reason to go raw.

I have made several recipes out of this book and all of them have been delicious. There are many gourmet recipes with several components for those who like to spend time in the kitchen, but the arrangement of this book is nice because it does have sections that contain simple recipes that are quickly whipped up in a hurry. The soups and salads are wonderful and easy to prepare, there is a 'simple dessert' section with chocolate truffles that are to die for. If you need some new juicing ideas this book has some unique ones that I never would have thought up myself. The layout of the book is beautiful with colorful pictures of the dishes and it is a pleasure to read Sarma's thoughts and tips on various things throughout the book. Each recipe also begins by listing the equipment required to prepare it which is nice if your kitchen is lacking some of the typical gadgets used in raw food preparation. I have really enjoyed using this book and look forward to preparing more of the recipes!

I LOVE this book as much as the first one, Raw Food Real World. Lots of useable recipes for both beginners and experienced. Love the "family" recipe section with simple, inexpensive recipes for larger groups. Have owned this book for a week and used it several times, most pages are already dog-eared with more to try. I love Sarma's writing style, the photos are scrumptious. A really great buy! I highly recommend this book.

So many wonderful new recipes and an imagination that is just wild with raw ingredients. Thank you, Sarma. You have done yourself proud. Incidentally, that photo where someone said it was you smoking. I don't believe that is you, but some other person there. I don't see the similarity between you and that other girl. Anyway, you have gone above the limit on this one. Excellent, Divine!

Sarma's reputation definitely precedes her in the raw food community, and after trying several recipes from Raw Food, Real World and loving them, I was excited to receive my copy of Living Raw Food.

The recipes themselves are true to Sarma's gourmet style, and many are accompanied by beautiful photos. I very much appreciated the layout of the book, in that the simple recipes were separated from the "Family Meals," as she calls them. I've tried to make several of these large dishes, and while my technique needs some tweaking, I devoured each attempt.

The food itself aside, there are several pages in the back of the book that seem out of place. Sarma's raw transition and life advice are given to us at the very end, almost as an afterthought. She writes very well (and in other places, offers a few re-worded journal pieces from the "We Like it Raw" website), but I think the placement of this large chunk of writing could have been better threaded throughout the book.

One last disappointment: I really was thrown off by the picture of Sarma and a coworker SMOKING. While it's not my place to judge her habits, I think that the deliberate placement of this photo is so inconsistent and insulting with the rest of the book. Sarma goes on and on about improving one's health, and yet she is happy to pose with a cigarette in hand, inside of what appears to be her restaurant. Maybe this was her attempt to appear normal and flawed, or maybe this was supposed to be the "glamorous" part of her lifestyle... but I am not impressed.

Four stars for this otherwise great book - I know it's one that I will use many times, especially for entertaining and challenging myself.

-stunning photography
-highly innovative raw recipes (for those tired of the same almond milk/green smoothie etc routine)
-gorgeous girl

...my sister Zahra made me the Milk Chocolate Mousse Layer Cake (page 265) for my birthday and it was AMAZING - better than any cooked chocolate cake I've ever had.

thanks Sarma.

I loved Sarma's first book so much that it was the only raw food book I used on a regular basis. I was really looking forward to her new book because I knew it would be equally amazing. However, I did not expect to be blown away by it because Raw Food/Real World had raised my expectations so high. I was wrong! This book is even better than the first for a few reasons. The main reason is because it is organized differently. Instead of the traditional juices and shakes/appetizers/salads/main dishes/desserts system of organization, Sarma takes it a step further by separating the dishes that are quicker to prepare and require less equipment from the ones that require a lot more planning, preparation, and equipment that is not standard in everyone's kitchen. This makes food planning way simpler and less overwhelming, especially for someone who is newer to the raw food diet like myself. Also, like the first book, you get a photograph of every recipe instead of just a few of them like the other traditional cookbooks. There are also plenty of short articles about health, so you are not just getting more recipes. You are getting educated as well. As a smoothie/juice lover and a dessert junkie, this book along with her first has made me so much healthier. I could never give up desserts, and now I don't have to. If I want to eat half a chocolate cake in one sitting (as I have been known to do) I can do it and not worry about gaining ten pounds and clogging my arteries. I would suggest this book to anyone who would like to be even just a little bit healthier. Not just someone who is strictly a raw foodist.

I just bought this book a few days ago and I love it. I know the other reveiws dont recommend it for newbies, but I am new to raw foods and I love it. If I'm going to eat mostly raw food I need recipes that taste good so I don't miss the cooked food I use to eat.
It does take planning and prep time, but I love the challenge and the amazing results. I may not get the same end result as she does in the photos, but it still tastes amazing.
It does have a lot of photos in it, but I like it and think it adds to the charm of the book giving it personality. She is beautiful and lets face it, who would want to buy a book or change to a lifestyle that makes you fat & sick looking? We all strive to look and feel our best and I think Sarma did an amazing job with her new book. I live in a small town where there are not many raw foodist, so I like seeing and reading other raw foodists thoughts and stories.
I have tried several recipes and love them all. I have also earmarked several more I can't wait to try.

This book blows me away just as her previous one did.Her neverending creativity with raw foods is truly inspirational.This book is definitely geared toward more gourmet raw, so newbies to the lifestyle may find some of the recipes a bit daunting at first.From the soups to the desserts you can find something pleasing for everyone whether raw foodists or not!!