I love vegan cookbooks. I collect them. I think I might even have a vegan cookbook fetish. If you follow me on any of my social media channels you’d likely be surprised by this as nearly every foodie photo I post is made practically everywhere but inside my own kitchen. You see, there was a time during my 100% raw vegan days that I created everything in my own kitchen. I chopped. I blended. I Vitamixed. I food processed. I dehydrated. I had to if I wanted to eat. In my opinion, it would be quite challenging to live the raw vegan lifestyle without making meals at home. Nowadays I am a bit more lackadaisical. Because my job requires me to live “on the go”, I will admit that I tend to eat most of my meals out, prepared by the loving hands of others.
So why then do I have a vegan cookbook obsession? I think it’s the wannabe Julia Childs (a veganized version of course) that’s trapped inside & trying to get out of me. I dream of being a well-known vegan chef who can create delicious and nutritious meals on the fly. But alas, I have yet to achieve this level of vegan enlightenment. Perhaps it’s coming.
Speaking of vegan cookbooks, I am adding one more fabulous vegan cookbook to my ever-growing collection this week and this one is really special. CRAVE EAT HEAL: Plant-based Whole Food Recipes to Satisfy Every Appetite by Annie Oliverio is near and dear to my heart. For one reason, the author happens to be someone who I have had the pleasure of meeting in person and who also lives in a part of the country where I once lived (yes, there is at least one plant based eater in the state of Oklahoma!). Annie is the creative force behind the ever elicit and wonderful plant based blog, An Unrefined Vegan. If you consider yourself to be a foodie who appreciate photos of beautiful food, I promise her website is definitely worth following! I’m often left scratching my head as to how Annie’s photos can quite possibly be so mesmerizingly pretty.
Now back to the book…
After skimming through CRAVE EAT HEAL, it stands out for a couple reasons; it’s a notably a different size than most of the cookbooks I have in my collection– it’s smaller and square rather than rectangular, but thick (it’s chockfull of recipes!) and it’s a hardcover. Each of the glossy pages are beautiful, most including full color photos shot by the author herself. Additionally, I love the way the book is laid out; Annie so creatively tells the reader what to expect including her philosophy on eating including an explanation of why she’s a plant based eater and vegan. The book also provides a list and description of all ingredients used and each recipe notes whether it’s “easy,” “raw,” “gluten-free,” “quick,” etc. Additionally, all thirteen recipe chapters are titled by cravings rather than your typical headings of breakfast, snacks, lunch, dinner & dessert. The chapters include:
Carbs
Chocolate
Comfort
Cool
Creamy
Crunchy
Green
Junk
Salty
Spicy
Sweet
Tart
Warm
Annie was kind enough to let me share one of her recipes from the book. Since I was once a 100% raw foodie who yearns to get back to my old routine, I thought it only appropriate to share her RAW/NOT RAW VEGETABLE BARLEY BOWL recipe. Check out the yummy details below.
Gluten-free, High-raw, Oil-free, Easy, Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
Sauce
3/4 cups raw almonds (either with skin off or on), or raw cashew pieces, soaked for 2-4 hours, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup+ light coconut milk
2-4 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (1-2 small limes)
Zest of 1 lime
1 1/4-1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 clove garlic
1 tsp. pure maple syrup
Pinch sea salt
Pinch ground black pepper
Pinch cayenne
Vegetables & Barley
4 cups cooked barley* (about 1 1/4 cup uncooked)
5-ounces baby kale, steamed until tender and drained
1 cup shredded, spiralized, or chopped zucchini (about 1/2 of 1 large)
1 cup shredded or spiralized carrot (about 2 small)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 cup chopped or shredded green or purple cabbage
Suggested toppings
Baked Tofu, cubed
Fresh chopped cilantro
Fresh chopped basil
Fresh sprouts
Strips of seaweed snacks
DIRECTIONS
Make the sauce
Put the sauce ingredients in a high-speed or regular blender and process until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding more lime juice if the dressing needs more zing. Add water or more coconut milk if the sauce is too thick. Set aside.
Assemble the bowls
Divide the barley between four big bowls and top with kale, zucchini, carrot, tomatoes, cabbage, and any or all of the suggested toppings. Spoon the curry sauce on top and serve.
Total time: 45 minutes
Suggestions:
Use farro, brown rice, or quinoa in place of the barley.
If you use almonds, you may need additional coconut milk or water.
*I use a quick-cooking barley from Trader Joe’s that takes about 10 minutes, but regular barley is fine, too – just plan on dinner taking a little longer to prepare.
The sauce will thicken as it sits so you may need to loosen it up with water.
And now on to the fun…
GIVEAWAY: The kind folks over at Cedar Fort Publishing & Media in accordance with the author have given me permission to give away one hardcopy of the book to a U.S. resident and one e-book called Crave.Eat.Heal.Outtakes to one overseas resident. For a chance to win a copy, please ensure that you are signed up to receive my blog posts first (click here to sign up) and then leave a comment below telling me what chapter you’re currently craving (please let me know if you live overseas in your comment). Entries will be accepted through 12:00pm PST on Wednesday, May 27th. Good luck!
You can stay in touch with all the delicious happenings with Annie, her books and her website/blog at any of the channels below. Be sure and tell her that the cowgirl sent ya. Yeehaw!
Recipe reprinted with permission from Ann Oliverio and Front Table Books. All photos submitted by Annie Oliverio.
SPICY, all the way! And I love that the chapters are listed by craving!!!! And Heal in the title?! Brilliant, love it!! Any recommendation by Kayle is worth having! Thanks to you both for putting your hearts out there and thanks also for having an ebook version, since I live overseas (Bahamas…no bookstore:( !!) !!
Yeehaw!
Yeehaw is right Amy! I think you may be the only overseas entry so far! If that’s the case tomorrow, I will get you in touch with Annie, the author and she’ll get an e-book version off to you in the Bahamas! Thanks so much for tuning in and entering. I know you’ll love this book!
I often think about our chance meeting in Vegas. It’s been such a pleasure to see where life has taken you since then and how you bring such a positive force to plant-based eating and how it relates to health and animal welfare. Thank you for your advocacy! AND – – thank you from the bottom and tippy top of my heart for this incredible review. xoxo
Thank YOU sweet one! It’s been a pleasure “getting to know you” these past couple of years online since our wonderful chance meeting. I REALLY (and I mean really!) hope that our paths cross again! I’ll let you know when I am back visiting the relatives in OK and you be sure to let me know when you head west; my house is your house. A big heartfelt congrats on your beautiful birth of this new book. You make me proud! Love and yeehaws! xo
It’s pretty hard to choose, but since I am trying to get away from the sweet cravings, I guess salty or spicy would be a good substitute. Oh, and I am a big fan of greens, so I am curious about that one, too!
I live in Massachusetts.
Thanks for tuning in and entering Marjorie! I honestly think you’ll fall in love with all the chapters of this book! Best of luck with tomorrow’s giveaway. Yeehaw!
Summer for me is always a crunchy time of year!
Crunch, crunch, crunch! I think you’re going to love ALL chapters of this beautiful and easy-to-make cookbook Leslie! Best of luck with the giveaway!
I am craving spicy right now.
Bring it on Karen! I think you’ll love all the chapters of this book! It’s a really great one. Thanks for tuning in and good luck with the giveaway. Yeehaw!
Comfort…hubby and I have been carnivore junk foodies for all of our lives and we just watched Forks Over Knives and decided it was time for a life change! We have been trying so hard and any chance to find new recipes is awesome. Thank you so much!
Laura this book is a great choice for you and your hubby to move towards more plant based foods! I was surprised at how easy the recipes are and I think the Comfort chapter is a great place to start. Best of luck with the giveaway. Yeehaw!
Crunchy speaks to me this fine morning!
Love me a good crunchy cereal especially in the mornings! Great choice. Best of luck with the giveaway!
Crunchy! Om nom nom! 😉
Get your crunch on! Love me a good crunchy food that’s for sure! I don’t think you can go wrong with this book whatsoever. Thanks for entering Amber!
The Chocolate chapter!!!
Perfect choice! I mean who can really go a day without chocolate anyway!?! Best of luck with the giveaway. Yeehaw!
The chocolate and spicy chapters 🙂
How can you really choose, right? I am all about the chocolate for sure and the recipes in the Spicy chapter I think will have you enthralled! Thanks for entering and yeehaw!
The chapter “Green”. I am always interested in new ways to cook greens.
Giddy up to that! I was once considered the Queen of Greens. Love me all things green. Thanks for tuning in and for your interest in the giveaway. Good luck!
For me it’s always creamy regardless of whether it’s sweet or savory!
I love creamy tastes too especially using cashews and avocado. Yum! Thanks for tuning in and for entering the giveaway. Best of luck!
For me I’m always craving carbs.
Me too! Great choice. Thanks for entering and good luck!
You mean I have to choose only one to crave?? Lol ohhhh ummm that’s hard, they all have their merits! It’s been a bit of a struggle getting some things where I live as I live in a small village in the middle of the British countryside on a small island off of the south coast of UK. But I’m doing my best with the help of ya’ll to inspire others into eating plant based also. My husband is a fairly new convert (and he was a real meat fiend!) as am I but there is no going back. I love eating ‘clean’. The only thing I struggle with is finding nice vegan sweets and cakes for birthdays etc that don’t contain gluten AND coconut as I am sensitive to them and my daughter is Coeliac.
If I had to pick one…..ohhhh so hard….ummmm ok I shall close my eyes and choose!…eeny meeny miney mo!…Green! x
Thank you for making things easier for me
You crack me up Lisa! You don’t have to choose with an incredible book like Annie’s! All the chapters are divinely delicious! Best of luck with the giveaway and thanks for participating. Yeehaw from across the pond!
A book whose chapters are done by cravings?? Brilliant! Or as you would say, K, Yeehaw!! Living in a small space I highly appreciate the smaller size of the book… I imagine it feels more like a book – book then a cookbook. 😉
You’ll love this cookbook Chandra and it would be a lovely addition to your small kitchen. Thanks so much for tuning in and best of luck with the giveaway. Giddy up!