Crave Eat Heal: Cookbook Giveaway and Recipe

posted in: Grains, Recipes | 34

One of the many surprises of blogging is meeting people from all over the world. One sweet connection I have made is Annie Oliverio the creative powerhouse over at An Unrefined Vegan. Fun, tasty, inventive recipes and gorgeous photographs taken by Annie herself. To find out more about Annie, check out this interview over at Urban Naturale.BlogTourBannerCEH

I was super excited last spring when Annie sent out a call for recipe testers for her new cookbook, Crave Eat Heal. I had been wanting to help test recipes, so I jumped at the chance. I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into, but it ended up being both fun and challenging and opened up my eyes to a variety of ingredients, flavor combinations and techniques I had never used, or even thought of using, before.

That is precisely what I think you will discover in this cookbook:  A wide range of recipes and gorgeous photographs that will spark your creativity in the kitchen and fuel your desire to find satisfying alternatives for even your peskiest cravings.

Baked Almond Butter and Apricot Oatmeal. Photo used with permission from Ann Oliverio and Front Table Books.

Crave Eat Heal is split into sections related to common food cravings. This can be very handy. Craving something salty? Just open it up to that chapter and find eight different healthy recipes designed to satisfy that craving. Craving sweet? Eight more recipes. Annie’s photographs are so gorgeous, you might even find your craving satisfied just by looking at them!

I have personally tested at least 50 of the nearly 140 recipes in this book. Many of these recipes have made their way into my regulars. Most of the ones I tested are also kid-approved, by my kid friends Nico and Lena.

Carrot Ginger Turmeric Steamer. Photo courtesy of Annie Oliverio and
Carrot Ginger Turmeric Steamer. Photo used with permission from Ann Oliverio and Front Table Books.

If you practice macrobiotic philosophy, there are plenty of recipes that are easy to incorporate. They will add a lot of variety to your meals and are sure to spark your creativity. Many recipes have options like replacing stevia with other sweeteners like maple syrup, using an oven instead of dehydrator, using gluten-free grains and other adjustments you can make for specific dietary requirements. What you won’t find are refined sweeteners, processed foods or animal products.

Here are a few of our favorite recipes from Crave Eat Heal:
Baked Almond Butter and Apricot Oatmeal
Tempeh Bacon
“Parmesan” Cheez
Creamy Scrambled Tofu
Gabby’s Oatmeal Creme Brulee for One
Brussel Sprouts Salad
Butternut Squash Queso
No Bake Breakfast Cookies

Giveaways:

I have one copy of Crave Eat Heal to mail to a reader in the United Sates or Canada. For readers outside of the US or Canada, I will giveaway one copy of the companion ebook, Crave. Eat. Heal. Outtakes. The ebook contains 16 recipes not included in the cookbook. If you would like a copy of either the book or ebook, please leave a comment answering the question, “What is your most persistent craving and what is one healthy way you satisfy it?” Please leave your location in the comments, too, so I know which cookbook you are vying for. I will draw names for both the cookbook and the ebook on May 31 and will announce the winners in a blog post on June 1. You will then have until June 5 to contact me and claim your prize.

Raw/Not Raw Barley Bowl. Photo used with permission from Ann Oliverio and Front Table Books.
Raw/Not Raw Barley Bowl. Photo used with permission from Ann Oliverio and Front Table Books.

I chose the following recipe to share with you because it is one of my favorites. Follow the recipe as is, or choose grains and vegetables appropriate to your condition. I have made the sauce with and without the maple syrup and like it both ways. I make this using soaked, hulled barley. Just allow for extra cooking time. This would also be delicious with some fried tempeh and blanched arame added as toppings.

The following is an excerpt and recipe from Annie’s cookbook:

Weekends are my days for loosening up on what I eat.  So on Saturday and Sundays after lunch I enjoy dessert and a big soy latte and a little something sweet post-dinner.  By Sunday evening I usually feel ready to get back into full-on healthy mode and a simple “bowl” filled with good grains and lots of vegetables makes me feel slightly virtuous and ready for the week ahead.

Gluten-free, High-raw, Oil-free, Easy

RAW/NOT RAW VEGETABLE BARLEY BOWL

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

Sauce

3/4 cups raw almonds (either with skin off or on), or raw cashew pieces, soaked for 2-4 hours, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup+ light coconut milk
2-4 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (1-2 small limes)
Zest of 1 lime
1 1/4-1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 clove garlic
1 tsp. pure maple syrup
Pinch sea salt
Pinch ground black pepper
Pinch cayenne

Vegetables & Barley

4 cups cooked barley* (about 1 1/4 cup uncooked)
5-ounces baby kale, steamed until tender and drained
1 cup shredded, spiralized, or chopped zucchini (about 1/2 of 1 large)
1 cup shredded or spiralized carrot (about 2 small)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 cup chopped or shredded green or purple cabbage

Suggested toppings

Baked Tofu, cubed
Fresh chopped cilantro
Fresh chopped basil
Fresh sprouts
Strips of seaweed snacks

DIRECTIONS

Make the sauce

Put the sauce ingredients in a high-speed or regular blender and process until smooth.  Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding more lime juice if the dressing needs more zing.  Add water or more coconut milk if the sauce is too thick.  Set aside.

Assemble the bowls

Divide the barley between four big bowls and top with kale, zucchini, carrot, tomatoes, cabbage, and any or all of the suggested toppings.  Spoon the curry sauce on top and serve.

Total time: 45 minutes

Suggestions:

Use farro, brown rice, or quinoa in place of the barley.
If you use almonds, you may need additional coconut milk or water.
*I use a quick-cooking barley from Trader Joe’s that takes about 10 minutes, but regular barley is fine, too – just plan on dinner taking a little longer to prepare.
The sauce will thicken as it sits so you may need to loosen it up with water.

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

Remember to leave your comment below to take place in the giveaway! What is your most persistent craving and what is one healthy way you satisfy it? This giveaway is now closed and the winners have been notified. Thank you for participating!

 

 

 

34 Responses

  1. Annie

    So much gratitude for you love, support, and proof-reading 🙂 – over the past year (can you believe it’s been that long?!). I hope one day that we will meet in person! <3 <3

    • sweetveg

      You’re welcome, Annie! I really enjoyed helping.

  2. Mandy Jeppsen

    Wow! Cool Giveaway!
    I always crave salty and crunchy-so my healthier alternatives are homemade popcorn with a bit of sea salt or homemade kale chips. I’d love to find more ideas tho. 😉

    • sweetveg

      Have you tried shiso powder on popcorn, yet, instead of salt? Just be careful…it’s salty, too. 🙂

  3. Nicollette D

    I can’t wait for this book. I have a salt tooth so I am excited for the salty chapter.

  4. Elizabeth Strauss

    I crave peanut butter! Tahini dressings on vegetables and/or grains helps as a substitute.

    • sweetveg

      I’m with you about the peanut butter! It’s so good, I don’t allow it in my house any more. Annie’s Butternut Squash Queso is yummy and that satisfies a similar craving.

      • sweetveg

        Try the almond sauce in this recipe, too!!

  5. Christina Thibault

    My persistent craving is for something creamy/fatty and I satisfy it through avocados, often in the form of guacamole!

  6. Jacky

    I often crave sweets but I can satisfy it with fruit!

  7. Jen Lauritzen

    Great question!! I often crave sweets in the evening which I have found to be satisfied by taking a hot shower and heading to bed. Craving sweets I have found is my bodies way of trying to get more energy which means I am tired and should honor the rest that my body is wanting and needing.

    • sweetveg

      Thank you, Jen! Those are such good tips. Sometimes I just need a nap or to go to bed early if I am craving either sweets or chips.

  8. Sandy Zimmer

    If I start craving sweets, I’ll make a vegan fruit smoothie-USA

    • sweetveg

      Awesome! That’s something that helps me, too!

  9. Gaby

    Hmm cravings are usually crunchy cereal or granola with nut butter, I could eat that for every meal! I don’t obviously haha but do most days as a “dessert”. I just choose healthy cereal, sometimes puffed quinoa if I want more dense toppings ilke PB or nuts, or barbara’s pb puffins are great for satisfying both of those cravings!

    • sweetveg

      Yep. I love cereal, too. It brings me straight back to childhood which is one of the reasons I crave it!

  10. Candy Hoffman

    Love love love! That steamer looks like such a great way to benefit from the healing powers of ginger and turmeric! Food really is the best medicine.

  11. Terri Cole

    I crave salty/crunchy flavors the most. Air-popped popcorn sprinkled with liquid aminos and nutritional yeast usually does the trick.

  12. Katie

    I crave sweet foods and satisfy it with frozen grapes – such a great treat! I also crave cereal and satisfy this with homemade granola.

    I’m in Canada for the giveaway! Thanks!

    • sweetveg

      Frozen grapes are lovely! I love homemade granola, also. I just have to make it and give it away, though, so I don’t eat the whole batch myself! 🙂

  13. Melissa Peil

    Sign me up for the drawing. 🙂 It looks like there are some yummy recipes in there!

    • sweetveg

      Hi Melissa! What are your most persistent cravings and how do you satisfy them?

      • Melissa Peil

        Lately I’ve been craving guacamole, so I’ve made sure to have all the ingredients on hand. It’s been wonderful!

        • sweetveg

          Awesome! It’s nice when you crave something that is actually healthy! 🙂

  14. Karen D

    Most persistent craving is for sweets, which I satisfy with eating fresh fruit.

  15. Corrine

    For me it is carbs and sweets. I’ll freeze bananas and even other sweet treats so that I eat them slower.

    • sweetveg

      I am familiar with that trick! I know it works well for a lot of people. I wish it worked for me! 🙂

  16. Lydia Claire

    I love creamy foods and one recipe is the Cauli-power Fettuccine “Alfredo” sauce from Angela Liddon’s website. It is so tasty and healthy!

    • sweetveg

      Yum! I’m going to have to check out that recipe!

  17. Karen D

    Can’t find a post announcing the winner yet. Am I looking in the wrong place? Thanks.

    • sweetveg

      You are in the right place! I am organizing a workshop right now and am swamped. I will try to get to the drawing tonight. ☺

      • Karen D

        Just wanted to be sure… happy planning, hope your workshop is good/fun!

        • sweetveg

          Thank you! The workshop was fantastic!!