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Can I interest you in a slice?
Thumbing through Living in the Raw Desserts, by Rose Lee Calabro, I encountered a dilemma: how would I possibly choose what to make first?? Blueberry cheesecake, German Chocolate Cake, Fudge Brownies Supreme… Oh how I’d love to have 5 million sous-chefs so I could try all of the recipes that caught my eye. I haven’t made any of the recipes yet, but I already love the book because—for the most part—its recipes seem quick and simple, without a lengthy list of ingredients. And if you know me, you know I’m a big fan of quick, uncomplicated recipes. Recipes such as…
(The photo’s from the cover of the book.)
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Raw Piña Colada Pie
(Yield: 6-8 servings)
Filling:
- 2 cups chopped fresh or frozen pineapple
- 1 cup macadamias or cashews, soaked 1 hour
- 1 1/2 cups young coconut pulp
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine the pineapple and nuts in a blender, and process until smooth, thick, and creamy. Add the coconut pulp and vanilla extract and process until smooth. Pour the filling into the crust and refrigerate for 2-3 hours before serving.
Suggested crust: Hmmm, I think I’d go with a Raw Macaroon crust for this one.
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![lr1_thumb[1]](https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/lr1_thumb1.jpg "lr1_thumb[1]")
Hopefully I’ll soon make one of the book’s recipes so I can give you a better review.
What’s your favorite cookbook?
And are you good at following a recipe?
I am lousy at following recipes. I’ll see one that looks good, and I’ll start to make it… but then my creativity gets away with me and direction-reading falls to the wayside, in favor of experimentation. (Either that or I’ll realize—halfway in—that I forgot to buy a needed ingredient!)
I don’t really have a favorite cookbook, since I use them so rarely. But I still remember my first cookbook: The American Girl cookbook!
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lovelyliller says
oh your arm looks too skinny on thaT PICTURE. :/
the kacke looks good tho 🙂 have a nice day
Anonymous says
Wow, what a jerk. Sounds like a 12 year old anorexic with some serious spelling issues who is just jealous of Katie’s OBVIOUS gorgeousness.
Katie, until this girl finds the sense to apologize, I’m going to do it for her.
-a daily reader
abby says
here here! 🙂
you are beautiful, katie!
Shelby says
While I commend you on defending Katie, I don’t think insulting someone else really gets the point across.
Eric Jaffa says
She looks good in that photo. Her ams look fine.
Albizia says
I rarely use cookbooks. I actually don’t have any and borrow my mom’s books if I am really bored. Most things I cook are found on the internet. I see something I like and then I alter it to fit my taste, the products I have and my cooking possibilities (limited in dorm conditions). But I haven’t ever had a failed experiment so I keep doing things the way I like. By the way, I love raw desserts because most of them are absolutely fail-safe 🙂 .
Tori says
Totally unrelated, but I happen to love eating Poptarts. It would be fun to see you try and make a “veganized” or raw version of a Poptart! Haha! Just an idea 🙂
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Woah, raw poptarts sound too fun!
Silly trivia: regular poptarts (only the un-frosted ones) are actually vegan! Weird, right? So technically, you could be a vegan who lived off pop tarts and oreos :).
Allison says
Man, I always wish I had a Sous Chef. And a dishwasher. Sometimes it’s tough being creative and the only one in the kitchen! I used to be so exact about following recipes when I was first learning to cook and bake. I have since gotten to the point where I can estimate some things, make changes to others or even throw out the recipe and just use the general idea as a guideline. My mom always makes fun of me because she says that baking is an exact science and you have to follow recipes EXACTLY, but I say if no one ever deviated from recipes we’d never have any new and great discoveries!
Leslie says
Yum, I wish I had some coconut meat right now. I’d be making this ASAP!
Sarahishealthy says
I love cookbooks, and I read them all the time. But I rarely ever make the recipes. I just like to fold down the pages and say I’m going to make them, but I never actually get around to it!
Laura says
I do love cookbooks, and often read them, but I find I only make a few of the recipes from them, aside from my everyday cooking. I find things I like and make them over and over, then eventually get up the gumption to try a new one, and it too might become a fave. Also, my friends and husband get attached to favorite things, and because they’re not vegetarian, new dishes sound scary to them. I have to sneak them in!
Long long ago I used to be a “ramen noodle” cook. As in, not a cook at all. My first book was a quick bread book, and I made every recipe, obsessively following the instructions. Now that I’ve become a cook as well as a baker, I find I have a little more experimental leeway. But mostly I’m an editor, not a creator. I have a knack for knowing what recipes will be good, then making them better, or serving them in a more interesting or easier way that’s just as good or better. Or, well, at least I think so!
abby says
oh i could sit in the book store for hours reading cookbooks! in fact, i DO! i think i like reading them even more than the actual cooking. but i’m with you on the sous-chef thing. if i could have my own personal chef, that would be the best of both worlds. then i could pick out all the recipes i wanted, even the ones with a lot of ingredients/prep work, and someone else would do the hard work ;).
VEGirl says
I will generally only make a recipe if I have all the ingredients (who would want to make a trip to the store? Psh, not me!). Or, the recipe will give me an idea and I’ll just create my own based on the idea. I have run into the same dilemma you have a couple times, where I am partway through making a recipe and then go, “oh, I don;t have that. Oops!”. In that case I get to use my mad improvising skills 😀
VEGirl
Stefanie says
Looks yummy look all the desserts you make. I do not have a favorite cookbook because I rarely use them and hate having to follow a recipe. I do use recipes but they are mostly for inspiration. 🙂
Eric Jaffa says
Pineapple has enzymes which make people’s lips bleed.
Cooking kills those enzymes.
Cooked pineapple is more fit to eat.
Di @ http://thetreadmilldiaries.com/ says
The Raw Piña Colada Pie looks mighty tasty and simple to make. (I like that!)
I’ll look at recipes and cookbooks for inspiration but I almost never follow them as written. I like to change up the ingredients so they work for my taste buds. Tends to turn out well..so I plan to keep at it. 🙂
Sydney says
I love that book! I just bought it and am excited to try every single recipe in the darn thing!
mckella says
Sometimes I follow recipes, but most of the time I improvise, which doesn’t always turn out well, but sometimes it’s amazing!
I think my first real cooking experiences were with Samantha’s Cookbook from American girl! I remember making blueberry muffins and apple brown betty in the fifth grade.
eatandrun says
I had that American Girl cookbook too! 🙂
Pure2raw twins says
YUM! This pie sounds amazing ; ) We are not good with recipes, we tend to do what we want in the kitchen, which has been challenging for us to actually write down what we do.
Sharon says
i have stacks of cookbooks! I have many favs, so a few favs right now are The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone, Feast by Nigella Lawson, but I also get lots of recipes online at Allrecipes.com, foodnewtork.com, and blogs. I can follow a recipe but most of the time I like to eyeball and tweak a recipe on my own.
Shelby says
YUM! The desserts you make always look perfect! That looks like a delicious treat to help me cool off from this Arizona sun (:
Lisa says
Yummy! That sounds so good and easy to make. I’m usually afraid of raw desserts because they’re complicated, but that sounds easy. I’ll have to look for the book. Thanks for the review.
spoonfulofsugarfree says
I am just like you in that i don’t follow recipes very well! I usually just glance at the recipe list, and make up my own measurements and throw in (or take away) a few extra ingredients. Fun Fun!
Serena says
My favorite kind of recipe 🙂 Looks like a fun book.
I love cookbooks, though I rarely follow recipes to the dot, for the same reason! 🙂 silly creativity
Mary @ Bites and Bliss says
I hardly ever follow recipes. Like you, I very very loosely follow them..as guidlines. But for the most part I end up making something entirely new.
ecogrrl says
i have a ton of cookbooks but The Silver Spoon is my favorite – 1200 pages and it’s the bible of italian cooking, plus every.single.recipe is perfect and needs only about 5-6 ingredients. amazing. second place is the Good Housekeeping cookbook – my mom gave it to me for my 19th birthday and it has that basic stuff that you never want to admit you can never remember – how long to bake a potato, boil an egg, cook a meatloaf, etc. I always update the recipes to fit myself, but great basic stuff.
Jess says
Mmmm, I love pina colada’s! Well, I’ve had ONE and it was VIRGIN (obviously, not old enough to drink!) HAHA!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
You’re not missing anything! I’ve had them both ways, and I actually think the virgin ones are better ’cause with the alcoholic ones, you lose the actual pineapple-coconut flavor. All you can taste is the alcohol!
Aly says
I actually love cookbooks, but can’t remember ever having a favorite. It just depends on what I’m in the mood for and how much effort I’m willing to put into it. 🙂 Usually I love to throw some creativity into meal planning too. Like, I’ll sometimes go “off-recipe” and just go with whatever sounds more awesome. It’s hit or miss, but it’s a way to make your recipes/favorite meals more “your own.” 🙂
That Piña Colada Pie sounds awesome. 🙂 Being the fact that I’m considering a raw diet for a while, I might want to look into that. 🙂 I’ve been finding a plethora of vegan cookbook reviews lately and that just makes me sooo happy. That being said, my wish-list expands everyday. 🙂
Can’t wait till I can cook for reals again! I have sooo many recipes to try! Ahh! It’s drivin’ me bonkers! 😉
Aly 😀
Rachel (tea and chocolate) says
My first cookbook was American Girl too! I was obsessed. 🙂
That pie looks delicious! I have a hard time following recipes, though I usually try to the first time I make it.
BroccoliHut says
My, what a beautiful pie! My favorite cookbook by far is ED&BV. I am horrible at following recipes–I know, I’m such a rebel.
April @ Crazy Fabulous Life says
Sounds like a delicious pie!
I’m really bad with recipes..mainly because it annoys me to have to go back and forth checking to make sure I have all the right things in the right order and all that. I much prefer to read recipes to get a general idea of how things should go and then do my own thing 🙂
mauigirleats says
The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook by Ali Segersten is my favorite right now. Bring on the raw desserts, Katie!
EmbraceYourSkin says
This sounds like such a cool cookbook!
seemichellecook says
Eat, shrink and be merry. Just 2 sisters (Janet and Greta Podleski) that put a couple of fun cookbooks together and it happened to get crazy popular (at least in Canada). I swear I’ve tried almost every single recipe in those books and they were almost always simple but great!
GetHealthyWithHeather says
Gosh it looks so simple and pretty! Sounds like an awesome book for sure.