May 17, 2015

"crave eat heal" + giveaway




Annie Oliverio of Virtual Vegan Potluck and An Unrefined Vegan blog,  has finally published her long-awaited cookbook, Crave Eat Heal! This is one of the most anticipated cookbooks of 2015 and I am excited to be part of her blog tour. 

Crave Eat Heal (Amazon, B&N) is a bit different from other cookbooks out there in the sense that the chapters and the premise are unlike any I've yet come across. The book is based on satisfying cravings we all have from time to time and doing it using unprocessed, whole foods with no refined sugars and low oil. The book is hard cover with beautiful full-color photos and thick, sturdy pages. A gorgeous book to own!

Annie breaks the book into chapters titled: Carbs, Chocolate, Comfort, Cool, Creamy, Crunchy, Green, Junk, Salty, Spicy, Sweet, Tart and Warm. As you can imagine, recipes in Carbs would help to satisfy those pesky carb cravings with recipes such as "Cocoa-Cinnamon French Toast" or "Whole Wheat Peach Pancakes.

Annie manages to whip up recipes that please our senses and appetite and are tasty and still healthful. You will find gluten-free, low-oil, unprocessed, raw and delicious dishes in this book! Many are easy to make, but all are outstanding.

Before I get into the recipes I've made from the book (so far), don't forget to snag the recipe at the end of the post from the Cool chapter, Butter Lettuce Wedges with Sunflower Seed Dressing, Pears, and Tempeh Bacon. 

At the end, there is also a giveaway for Crave Eat Heal, courtesy of Cedar Fort, Inc., for one US winner and a giveaway for one international winner of the e-book, Crave Eat Heal. Outtakes. The two are separate giveaways so please enter to win the physical copy only if you are a US resident. Contest ends June 1. 




As anyone who knows me, knows that I love gyros with a passion. I love the savory protein and the creamy, tangy tzaziki sauce. When I saw Annie's version of gyro, I had to try it. And it was delicious! You can find the Tofu Gyro with Tzaziki in the Salty chapter, on page 234.




When I was craving something fresh and crunchy, I picked up Annie's book and stumbled on Chopped Vegetable Salad with Ginger-Tahini Dressing. And I was very pleasantly delighted by this easy recipe. And Annie is right: marinating the vegetables for a bit allows them to absorb the dressing even more. Find this recipe in the Crunchy chapter, page 172.




I love the Junk chapter! It's almost cheating calling it junk, though, as the recipes are still so healthful! Nevertheless, you can find recipes such as Butternut Squash Queso, Coconut-Lime Mini Doughnuts with Coconut-Lime Glaze, or this Iced Maple Latte Shake, page 210. Malty, iced coffee shake: yum!





Now for a freebie recipe from Crave Eat Heal from the Cool chapter: The recipe and photo below are by Annie Oliverio and they are courtesy of Cedar Fort, Inc, Front Table Books. Make sure to catch, or catch-up on, the rest of the blog tour HERE. And if you, like me, love Annie's recipes, subscribe to her blog HERE. Annie is also on Pinterest HERE. You can add Annie to your circle on Google+ HERE.





This take on a classic salad reminds me of many family dinners eaten out at The Brown Derby: a big, crunchy wedge of lettuce topped with a creamy dressing and sprinkled with salty bacon. My version subs tempeh for bacon and adds a little sweetness with fresh pears.

Gluten-free, Raw Option, Oil-free, Quick, Easy

BUTTER LETTUCE WEDGES WITH SUNFLOWER SEED DRESSING, PEARS & TEMPEH BACON
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

Dressing
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup non-dairy milk
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 clove garlic
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
Pinch sea salt
1 tsp. dried chives, or 1 Tbsp. fresh chives, chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

Salad
2 large heads butter lettuce, cut into quarters
2 ripe pears, cored and thinly sliced
Tempeh bacon, crumbled or chopped (exclude if going for 100% raw)

DIRECTIONS
Add the sunflower seeds through the salt in a high-speed or regular blender and process until very smooth.  Add the chives and parsley and pulse a few times to incorporate.  Set aside.

Place two butter lettuce wedges each in four bowls.  Divide the pear slices, the tempeh bacon and the dressing between the bowls.  Serve.

Total Time: 15 minutes

Suggestions:
If the dressing is too thick, add water, a little bit at at time, to get the consistency you like.



Recipe reprinted with permission from Ann Oliverio and Front Table Books.



If you haven't entered to win "The Good Karma Diet," get to it HERE. Contest ends May 18 at midnight!


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23 comments:

  1. Hey, commenting for the international giveaway!

    It is hard to say what I crave the most, it depends on the day... I feel boring, but mostly I crave fruit? And I always crave something sweet after lunch. Also I'd surely like to have that maple smoothie!

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  2. I love the concept of this book. I myself am all about salt, so I can't wait for that chapter!

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  3. Yuuumm! I love Annie's delicious food and am so sad at being too poor to ship it all the way to my doorstep, so thanks for the international mini ebook :D Of all the recipes I've seen on the different giveaways I must say that icy coffee shake looks just amazeballs!

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    1. Your senses are accurate! That shake is to die for :)

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  4. I crave sweets the most for sure, but dates often do the trick!

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  5. I love the idea of this book! I often crave junk-y food but don't want to steer away from eating healthy, so this one sounds as if it would fit the bill! ;)

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  6. With the weather warming up, I'll be craving salty junk food and fruit.

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  7. I usually crave chocolate or salty chips.

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  8. Doesn't matter what time it is, what season it is- I love mexican! Salsa and chimichangas and tacos and tortillas! Ole!

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  9. oops!!! I screwed up and entered my blog and tweet on the international side instead of the usa!!!!! I am sorry, chalk it up to being tired and allergy eyes!

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    1. No worries, Libby. I checked and you are entered on the US side as well. Although you can only win one, it's good to be entered into both; doubles your chances of getting one or the other. If you are the winner of both, I'll be sure to send you the hard cover. (Ask the publisher to do so.) Thanks for entering!

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  10. Thank you for this fascinating book giveaway! I'm commenting for the international giveaway :-)

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  11. Hey Zsu! I left a comment yesterday, but don't see it here :-(. Thank you SO SO much for your thorough review and mouthwatering photos! Your support means the world! xoxo

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    1. Sometimes comments are like socks in a dryer: they get lost. Thanks for re-posting, Annie. Love the book and am very happy to be a part of it's debut!!

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  12. I crave sweet things like CHOCOLATE.

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  13. I mostly crave carbs and sweets.

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  14. The recipes sound amazing! And the pictures are gorgeous! Wow =)

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  15. I always crave dark chocolate. <3

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  16. Carb-y, bread-y things like bagels and mashed potatoes.

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  17. Seriously depends on the day. Anything from fruit to chips. Seems the more sugar I eat then the more I crave so I really watch that!

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  18. This was fabulous! And different! And easy! Saving this recipe for sure - thanks much!
    Kelly Hubbard

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Thanks for your comment! I'll check if it's spam and post if it is not. I appreciate your time and effort for commenting! ~ Zsu