I'll preface to say that I'm not a pure raw eater. I'm not even vegan or a veggie. In fact, I just had some bacon. However, I wanted to find new ways of adding healthy, natural veggie, fruit and nut-based foods into my diet and Matt Amsden's RAWvolution was a lovely intro to the world of raw / living food cuisine.

Of the raw foods books I've seen, this one features recipes that are the easiest to engage in. The ingredient lists aren't overly lengthy and the instructions are pretty straight forward. That said, it's no Joy of Cooking. You need access to several ingredients that aren't likely in your current cupboard (if you're me - the non-vegan!) - in fact, some might not be in basic grocery stores. Items like agave nectar, carob powder, Nama Shoyu (organic soy sauce), Thai coconut water and raw sunflower seeds are considered staples in this book. Additionally, you'll find recipes that call for appliances that are a big step up from a toaster. We're talking dehydrators, juicers and grinders. But if you have a well-equipped kitchen (or eager for an excuse to have one) and live in a city that offers wonderful access to a variety of foods - the recipes in this book will be a cinch and a delight to the palate.

Raw eating is certainly different from the norm, but the flavours you experience from the recipes of RAWvolution are wonderful. As a plus, this book features beautiful photography (which actually sells the food, especially if the ingredients are foreign to you), easy to understand symbols and a nice layout. The guacamole recipe is to die for, the onion bread is worth the wait, and the apple cookies are a pure delight. I'm looking forward to trying the rest!