Raw Energy by Stephanie Tourles-Review    

May I introduce to you, Raw Energy: 124 Raw Food Recipes for Energy Bars, Smoothies, and Other Snacks to Supercharge Your Body

Raw Energy, written by Stephanie Tourles, came to me courtesy of Michelle from Storey Publishing.  I was, and still am, very thankful for the opportunity to read through this book and get a better understanding of what it means to munch on Raw Food Recipes.

For years, I have heard of folks that enjoy "Raw Food" diets but I honestly didn't see myself going in that direction.  Of course, the more and more I learn about the health and welfare of our food system, I may change my tune in the future.  Who knows?

For now, I'm cooking my meals.  However, Raw Energy is more about raw food snacks, smoothies and desserts; Easy raw food recipes that could help me, a curious, health-conscious cook, begin to explore the world of raw foods.

If you're not familiar with the Raw Food diet, Tourles explains it like this-

Raw foods are consumed in their purest, most simple form - the way nature serves them up to us.  They are real, whole foods that are uncooked, unadulterated, and unprocessed, not refined and stripped of their naturally occurring nutrients.  They are never heated above a certain temperature, usually between 95ºF and 120ºF, as might occur during sun-drying or using a food dehydrator.  They rarely come in bottles or jars, and never in cans or aseptic boxes, as processing methods involved in storing foods in these containers require boiling liquids.

Stephanie Tourles packs Raw Energy with a wealth of good information, as well as recipes.  I am always up for learning about new and old ingredients, understanding how nutrients effect our metabolism, and exploring recipes that increase my health rather than making my butt bigger.

Tourles covers the benefits of raw snacks, as well as...

• Raw Snack Basics - defines raw food; answers Why Eat Raw?; Naturally Occurring Food Enzymes; Why Organic?; Why Snack?; How to Make Snacking Part of Your Active Day; Use Snacks to Increase Your Energy
• The Raw Snack Pantry & Kitchen Equipment Essentials - This was my favorite part of the book! Tourles defines all the ingredients and their nutritional values called for in her recipes.  The kitchen equipment section is great for deciding which tools you can use now, and which ones you can grow into later on.
• Raw Snack Prep 101: Learning How to "Uncook" - a short and handy section for understanding how to properly prepare raw food recipes.

Then the book dives right into the easy to follow recipes!  There's not a lot of illustrations in the book, but that's ok.  The recipes are very well written and pretty straight forward.  My mind started to dream when I read

• Super-Satisfying Raw Nut Milks, Shakes, Smoothies, and Frozen Fruit Creams
• Fit and Fabulous Fruit and Vegetable Juices
• The Snacks That Keep You Going: Energizing Bars, Balls, and Bites
• Powerhouse Nut, Seed, and Fruit Blends
• Raw Cereals and Delectable Fruit Parfaits
• Vegetable Jolt: Crispy Chips, Zippy Dips, And Scrumptious Spreads
• Chillin' Fresh, Cold Fruit and Vegetable Soups
• Raw Confections: No-Guilt, Nutrient-Packed Candy and Cookies

Tourles ends the book with Suggested Reading, Resources, and a very well organized Index.

My only hesitancy towards the book is finding a few of the uncommon ingredients.  I don't see myself shopping for raw bee pollen, Siberian ginseng, or spirulina powder.  Thankfully, most of the recipes call for normal ingredients I can find at my favorite foodie mart.

Here's a look at the easy to follow recipes and book format.

Raw Energy recipes contain no sugar, fruit juice concentrate, jams or jellies, marshmallows or fluff, corn sirup, chocolate sirup, flour, dairy products, refined salt, candy pieces, toasted or roasted ingredients, malt sugar, chocolate or butterscotch chips, sulfured dried fruit, or hydrogenated fats.

They do contain raw nuts and seeds, raw nut butters, raw unprocessed honey, unsulfured dried fruits and coconut, raw oats, raw carob and raw cocoa, freshly extracted juices, nut milks, and all types of fresh and frozen fruits.

A closer look at the easy to read recipes.

If you're intrigued by the idea of trying raw food recipes, this book is a good starter.  It seems it would be easy to explore raw foods by way of snacks, drinks, appetizers and desserts.  From there, we can see for ourselves how our health is effected, how we feel more energized longer, and how we can add more healthy choices to our lifestyle.

Support SDR by picking up your copy.

Raw Energy: 124 Raw Food Recipes for Energy Bars, Smoothies,
and Other Snacks to Supercharge Your Body

February 5, 2010:  The Winner of the book giveaway is Lynn C. CONGRATULATIONS LYNN!!!