I've been following Amber's blog, AlmostVeganChef.com, for quite some time and was fortunate to be able to meet her in person at  last year's Vida Vegan Con in Portland, OR. Since I'm in Ohio and Amber lives in Missouri, it was amusing to travel all the way to the west coast to meet someone who just lives a few states over. I was pleased to learn that Amber is as smart and funny in person as she seems to be on her blog. She and her soon-to-be husband Matt are one of the cutest couples I've ever met, as well.

Amber is a trained raw chef, and I've always found raw foods to be totally overwhelming. I've read a few cookbooks in the past that purported to offer raw food recipes for "everyone" only to find out that they are actually "for everyone who owns a Vitamix and 2 dehydrators and lives in a magical land where exotic ingredients are sold in the corner store" (i.e. not me).

Practically Raw, Amber's first book, is not like that. Its subtitle, "flexible raw recipes anyone can make" is the dead-on truth. For each recipe, Amber explains a host of variations in ingredients and preparation methods that allow almost every recipe in the book to be adapted to your own taste, product availability, time schedule and kitchen appliances. It's practical, get it? I don't currently have a dehydrator, since mine bit the dust last year, so I was extremely pleased to see that Amber offers "cooked" alternatives to her dehydrated recipes. Of course, there are also plenty of recipes in the book that require no heat whatsoever, whether dehydrating or cooking, and those couldn't be easier.

So, I've established that the recipes are accessible and easy to make. But what about taste? Raw foods can sometimes have a bad reputation for being a little "one note" or bland. Not so with Amber's recipes. As a real girl who loves real food, Amber created this collection of recipes with great flavors that are easily achieved with just a few ingredients. She also included menu suggestions in the book, so that you can get an idea which recipes to group together to create full meals. This is extremely helpful for those who are new to raw foods.

Within days of receiving the food, I'd already made a handful of recipes and I'm looking forward to making more.

Here are a few I've tried so far:

Zucchini Hummus from Practically Raw (p. 110)

Zucchini replaces chickpeas for a light, fresh snack dip or condiment. It's a new favorite in my house. In mine, the tahini flavor was almost overwhelming at first but it mellowed on the second day to a much more enjoyable level. I like to eat this light hummus with sweet crunchy apples.

Simple Seasoned Mushrooms from Practically Raw (p. 174)

I have an unabashed love for mushrooms, but I almost always cook them. Like, a lot. Mushrooms are packed with nutrients that probably break down in the cooking process, so I was pleased to see Amber's Simple Seasoned Mushrooms as a way to get the feeling of cooked mushrooms without destroying all those lovely nutrients and enzymes. These make a great addition to salads, sandwiches, cooked dishes, or as an earthy little side dish all on their own.

Continental Crunch Granola from Practically Raw (p. 51)

This is an interesting take on granola that starts with soaked nuts. I used the oven-baked variation for preparation and found I had to cook it longer to get it dry and crispy. To illustrate how flexible the recipes are, I substituted walnuts for pecans and subbed agave for the maple syrup, and added dried goji berries to the finished product. The Continental Crunch is shown here atop fresh cut mango, white grapes, frozen blueberries and a side of coconut yogurt.

 by Amber Shea Crawley or, if you're interested in purchasing a signed copy, you can do so directly from Amber's website.

FTC: I received a copy of this book at no charge in exchange for my unbiased review.