Cookbook Review and Books You Like, Kombucha Is Ready, Favorite Drinks

Hi Everyone!  I hope your 4th of July weekend is off to a great start!  Mine is has been flying by.  Today I went on a power walk with Scott and Skylar through Balboa Park, went to the gym and lifted, and as soon as I hit publish I am getting together with Amber for a Happy Hour out and possible shenanigans in store!  Scott and Skylar will keep each other entertained while Amber and I head out for who know’s what!  I don’t think it’s going to be too crazy because we are doing an early happy hour, and then she has places to go and people to see since she is mostly single and fabulous.  Whereas I will be walking home to my napping child.

Recently, in the mail I was lucky enough to receive a copy of Ani Phyo’s Raw Food Essentials from Perseus Book Groups.  This is Ani’s newest, and in my opinion, most amazing book to date!

The book is full of everything from how Ani became raw to fermented recipes (like kombucha and kefir) to raw pizzas, wraps, and burgers, to eco-friendly cleaning product recommendations.  It’s not only a cookbook, but also what I’d call an eco-conscious, holistically-minded lifestyle book.  That also happens to have fabulous recipes!  Ani is very non-dogmatic and urges us all to do what we can, do what works for you, and don’t stress.  That alone makes me love her even more!

I cannot wait to join my fellow bloggers like Lori, Christine, and Danielle who have already started diving into This Book

I have reviewed many other cookbooks…

Moving On….
My Kombucha’s Ready!

Here was the Previous Progress…
Day 3: This Little “Skin” formed on the top layer of the tea water which is the New Baby that is growing from the Mother Scoby

Day 5

Day 7: Done!

I took out the Mother and Baby Scoby’s and had more Sweetened, Room-Temp fresh Tea waitingin new jars.

I filtered the brew and it sat in a sealed jar on my countertop for another day.  This is called the Second Fermentation and by sealing it off and bottling it, the goal is to create Fizz!  It created some fizz but not tons.

And then it was time to start two new batches…
The Mother went into the 2 Gallon Jar  and the Baby I grew went into the 3/4 Gallon Jar

Everything is covered, my next round of kombucha making and fermentation is underway, and now I just wait a week.

Taste Verdict?
Omg it rocks.  I am not just saying that.  It is very lightly sweet because I didn’t over-ferment.  The longer duration you ferment, the more sour it gets.  I don’t want to drink vinegar and it does not taste like vinegar at all.  I would describe it as a Hard Ciderif you’ve ever had that.

Green Food:  Edamame Salad with Stevia leaves from the Stevia PlantI bought last week

For those of you who need to bring something to any parties this weekend, and don’t have anything in mind yet or are stumped about what to bring, I provided dozens of links to what I think would make for good 4th of July or Summer Party Food.

If you need ideas for easy Dips & Spreads, Crackers & Chips, Entrees, Wraps, Desserts…Click Here to See my Suggestions for easy crowd-pleasing recipes.

Hummus

From Yesterday…
I also reminded you about Raw Vegan Cheesecake with Strawberries and/or Chocolate Sauce

Thanks to everyone who said you thought the Peanut Butter “Sandwiches” I made out of Raw Squash look good.  I do it with Cucumbers, Zucchinis, anything I can cut flat because it’s far better than eating gluten-containing breadfor us.

I loved everyone’s Non-Holistic habits and practices that you know you should give up….but don’t or won’t.

And I loved all your 5 Random Fun Facts!   Those were really fun to read!  Thanks for playing along, gang!  Everything from needing 5 rolls of toilet paper in each bathroom at all times to not being able to sleep without noise/music to hating where you live to loving skydiving.  I love learning about you all that way!

Dessert Today is the Vegan Vanilla SoftserveI just made

Questions:
1. What’s your favorite cookbook and why?
Me = I love Ani’s books/recipes because as I said they are straightforward, not a lot of dehydrating or fussy, complex steps.  Just plant-based ingredients, well-combined, to turn out great dishes and recipes.  Truth be told, I don’t make tons of recipes from cookbooks, but I read cookbooks like most people read novels, to get ideas and jumping off places for my creations.

2. Do you have any cookbooks that others seem to love and you don’t?
There’s a certain Vegan cookbook with a green cover that I want to love but don’t.  Too much soy, spelt flour (contains gluten), too many cooked items, and too much garlic.  Every time I see other bloggers make the recipes, they look fabulous!  I race to my book, crack it open, and read the ingredients. Not my thing.   Gina, Danielle, Gabriela (who’s also giving a copy of it away) but I can’t make the recipes work for me.  I want to love the book as much as everyone else does, but those recipes are not true to my dietary path or my taste and palate preferences.  Just like not every pair of shoes or color of paint on the walls is for every person, I guess not every cookbook is not for every person.

3. Any cookbooks you really want?
One notable vegan cookbook I don’t have is Veganomicon and I think I would like to check it out.  Then again, I have more books and recipes than time to read or make, so maybe I should just get busy with what I have!