Eat Smart, Eat Raw: Creative Vegetarian Recipes for a Healthier Life

Wood, who says she eats raw food 90% of the time, presents raw recipes in a less demanding, more welcoming manner than purist devotees of the diet might. Many of the recipes require special ingredients and equipment such as a juicer or dehydrator, but Wood often tries to provide alternative options, even if they're not raw. The recipes are categorized by chapter in a way that would be familiar to anyone, running from breakfasts through desserts with a predictable emphasis on salads and dips, but the recipes themselves are a different story. Even when they are supposed to evoke a classic nonraw recipe like Pizza or Pad Thai, the result will taste foreign to anyone used to cooked dishes. Vegans and raw dieters, however, will be thrilled by Wood's ingenious approximations of cooked favorites such as Apple Crumble and "Cheesy" Stuffed Peppers, as well as unique concoctions like Carrot Cake Salad and Avocado Pudding. An opening section on raw food basics discusses nutrition and how to buy and prepare ingredients. Buoyed by Wood's enthusiastic tone and instructions that are easy to follow given the right tools, this book will cheer the hearts and expand the culinary repertoire of vegans and raw dieters. (Apr.)