Today’s VeganMoFo prompt is:
12. Tell us about your favourite cookbook.
I was recently lucky enough to win a copy of Annie Oliverio’s awesome new book, Crave, Eat, Heal: Plant-Based, Whole-Food Recipes to Satisfy Every Craving
If I hadn’t won it, I was going to buy a copy anyway, as I have been a huge fan of Annie’s recipes at An Unrefined Vegan for a while now. I was also intrigued by the way the book was set out – by cravings. I could imagine myself craving something sweet, and finding the perfect recipe in the “Sweet” chapter. There are also chapters for salty, junk, chocolate, creamy, cool, crunchy, green, carbs, spicy, tart, and warm. I’m pretty sure that covers every craving you could have!
But it’s so much more than just delicious recipes. Annie has included a comprehensive and detailed introduction, complete with information about ingredients she uses, kitchen equipment, food preparation techniques, and basic healthy vegan staples like almond milk, date paste, coconut butter, pie crusts, tortillas, and sooo much more.
The recipes in the ebook are nothing short of amazing! Everything is healthy – you won’t find any refined ingredients in this book – yet they are all mouthwateringly delicious. Here are just a few of my favourites:
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chai Waffles
- Mystical Mint Cookies
- Ratatouille Polenta Cups
- Roasted Apricot & Coconut Popsicles
- French Onion Dip
- High Raw Blueberry Granola
- White Bean & Lotsa Kale Soup
- Coconut Lime Mini Doughnuts
- Tofu Gyros With Tzatziki
- Spicy Seitan Hot Dogs
- Orange Creamsicle Sandwich Cookies
Is your mouth watering yet?
This cookbook is also filled with Annie’s beautiful, bright food photography. I remember being in awe of Annie’s photography skills when I first visited her blog – and her skills have only improved since then! Every photo makes me want to reach through the page and taste the food.
The only negative thing I have to say about this book is that I wish there was more food photography! I love seeing photos of the finished foods, but there were some recipes in the book that weren’t accompanied with a photo.
Annie kindly agreed to let me share a recipe with you all today. It was sooo hard to choose which one, but I settled for these lemon-coconut spirulina balls. They are quick, easy, delicious, and I just love the colour of spirulina :D
- 1 cup raw pecan pieces
- 1 cup chopped dates
- ½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- 2 tbsp hemp seeds
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp coconut milk
- 1 tbsp spirulina
- Put the pecans and dates into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until broken down into small pieces.
- Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth. You will need to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times. The mixture will form a ball.
- Scrape the mixture into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or two.
- Using a small spoon, scoop up about 1 heaping teaspoon of the mixture and roll into a ball.
- Place in an air-tight container. Continue with the rest of the mixture.
- Store the balls in the refrigerator.
You can omit the spirulina but you can't taste it - the flavour is masked by the lemon, dates and coconut.
In summary – I absolutely LOVE Crave Eat Heal! I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for healthy recipes to turn to for those moments when cravings strike for unhealthy food. This book not only contains a wealth of varied recipes, but lots of useful information for those looking to pursue a healthier relationship with food.
Healthy. Vegan. Many gluten-free recipes. Many raw recipes. This is my favourite cookbook. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
I’d love to hear from you!
- VeganMoFoers: what was your chosen cookbook today?
- Do you own Crave Eat Heal? Tell me what you love about this cookbook!
- What do you think about spirulina – love it or hate it?
Kyra x
Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links, so if you click and make a purchase I earn a small commission. However, all views expressed are my own – I only recommend products that I honestly LOVE <3
So much appreciation for this thoughtful review, Kyra! I’m so happy (and relieved!) that you like my cookbook. And you’ve somehow managed to make those crazy green spirulina balls look beautiful! I will be sharing your post. xoxo
It is my pleasure Annie, I have thoroughly enjoyed your book – your hard work has definitely paid off! I love the colour of those spirulina balls, spirulina has such a unique shade :)
Oh how fun is that?! A few weeks ago I won Annie’s bonus outtakes e-book and I totally love it – but to be honest I love all her recipes. The Spirulina balls look amazing! I actually never tried spirulina but the coconut-lemon combo sounds intriguing.
That’s funny that you won Annie’s outtakes ebook! I’m glad you are loving her recipes too :D you should totally give spirulina a try, it can taste a bit seaweedy, but it is packed with nutrients like iodine, protein, iron…much more too :)
Sounds like a great cookbook. And thank you for sharing this recipe! I really like spirulina and have made balls with them before, but nothing like this. I really like the idea of combining spirulina with lemon. Yum!
Thanks Kimmy, it really is a great cookbook! I’m glad you like spirulina too, it’s one of those things people either seem to love or hate!