Thursday, October 8, 2009

Book Review: Have Your Cake and Eat It Too!

Have Your Cake and Eat it Too! by Monique Bastien

Want to explore the sexy, decadent side of raw food? Want to create raw vegan desserts that your children will gobble down and ask for more? (That happened to me. :-) So many parents who are shifting their diets to include more raw food struggle to get more raw into their children's diets as well. Desserts are wonderful way to a child's heart. Mom of four Monique Bastien has created an e-book full of over 150 raw desserts good for adults and children.

If you have no idea where to start, the first three sections of Have Your Cake get you started. Bastien begins with a glossary. Everything from almond milk to raw cocoa butter to vanilla powder are defined. In the substitution list, she shows you how to substitute dairy, animal, and processed products in desserts. The Basic Recipes chapter gives you foundation recipes that can be used to make desserts in following chapters.


Carrot Cheesecake Cream Roll

For instance, in this carrot dessert, raw cream cheese is the frosting. That was the first Basic Recipe. I was able to then create this moist, rich carrot cheesecake roll. I also got my seven-year-old in the kitchen with me to help roll the carrot "dough" out. We LOVED this dessert. It's a health food disguised as a dessert. I didn't have to convince Raymond to eat his carrots :-).

In the Basic Recipes, you also learn how to make other creams, kefirs, sauces, crusts, and toppings.

Orange and Peach Ice Cream

In Have Your Cake, you also learn how to make:
Bars
Squares
Cakes
Tortes
Cheesecakes
Cookies
Crepes
Frozen Treats
Nut Brittles
Pies
Tarts
What I like is that the recipes are fun and easy to make. The Orange and Peach Ice Cream was three ingredients of frozen bananas and peaches and orange juice. How easy is that?
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
The cookies were a revelation. I actually made them twice. My husband and Raymond ate them up so fast the first time, I didn't get a chance to take a picture. You see I photographed these before I took them out of the dehydrator :-). I'd never made raw cookies before. These taste cooked. They're warm and soft, just like out of the oven. But with this cookies, it is okay to have them for breakfast.
I love that another mom's passion for health and healing has manifested into this lovely book.
Bastien encourages readers to substitute and create their own works of edible art. Her enthusiasm, passion, and knowledge shine through. I love this book, and look forward to making ALL of the recipes.
10 out of 10 enthusiastic Mocha Angels!
Monique's website: http://www.makingitraw.com/

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1 comment:

Pam said...

That cream roll looks awesome!

Enjoy!

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