Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine

[Punky]

I just got my new uncook book, "Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine" by
Gabriel Cousens, M.D. in the mail today. I am excited :D
Anyone have this book? What are your favorite must try recipes???
(besides the chili one that everyone was raving about).
I swear, I must have more raw books than I have time to uncook.
But it's fun.
TIA

[Revvell]

Yeah, I have it. Trying to think of what I've made from it. Like you soooo many books, so little time. I think he tends to have a lot of coconuts in his recipes which is one thing I've planned on looking into... until today anyway. *sigh*

Lucky for this board I have wonderful things like onion bread though!

Sorry, not much help right now. Just ramblin' on. :D

REvvell

[simple berry]

Getting a new recipe book is such a delight!

The very first recipe I tried was the Garden Neatballs from the Rainbow Green book. Can't imagine eating them now - with all those nuts, they'd be soo heavy. But they were delicious. The Magic Wands were good for a day trip. My family very kindly refrained from laughing at my "Samosas," as those were the early days of my rawness, but probably I should have come up with another name when serving them! The Peace and Love porridge was yummy, even for SADers, but I personally dislike using Thai coconuts to that extent.
Incidentally, the Tree of Life chefs have quit using Thai coconuts in their cafe menu because it is unhealthful and unsustainable to use them as liberally as do the recipes in Rainbow Green.

Now I like the simple stuff out of that book, salads and whatnot. Not into using the dehydrator.
It's one of my favorite books ever, but less for the recipes and than for other reasons. Such as, it was my first love ;-)

The cilantro pesto is divine.

[PixieGreen]

I love this book! But not necessarily as a cookbook. :( The first recipe I tried was the Classic Neatballs, and they were so bland they tasted like grain. But they may be perfect for someone in the mood for bread. Then I tried the pizza crust with sunflower seeds. Also too bland and very mealy, heavy. I really like flavors to pop, and I honestly think there are a lot of people who would like the food in the book, but I'm not one of them. Oh, but I do have to commend their cilantro pesto. That was good! Although I tripled the garlic. Ha!

If anyone shares my experience I do recommend Living Cuisine. Renee studied with Cousens, and you can tell in her recipe choices. But she seems to really love food and the joy of trying new flavors. At any rate, she and I have similar taste buds. Oh, something I like in both books are the dehydrated nori cones and the use of essential oils. I haven't tried either yet but look forward to it.

Christa

[PixieGreen]

Simple Berry, too funny! We must have been writing at the same time. I can't believe you mentioned the cilantro pesto. :D Great minds and all that...

Christa

[Punky]

Thanks for the feedback!
Revvell & Simple Berry, yes the book seems to have young coconut in a lot of recipes. Which surprised me after seeing the post on young coconut dangers
earlier today. I've decided to still use young coconuts occasionally rather
than as a staple. More as a treat. I may order some coconuts from those links, but it will have to be as a treat at those prices. I am sure they use to include so much coconut water because it helps with yeast issues, which this book also discusses.
Ok Simple Berry, I have to try the Peace and Love porridge ...i just love the name! And the Neatballs. I am finding I like lighter meals too as I go along,
but occassionally I crave something heavier (i.e. PMS).
Hey Christa, I think I like my flavors to 'pop' too....I am a garlic hound
and always add more than recipes say too. I will definately keep that in
mind when making recipes from this book. Perhaps my kids would enjoy some of the more bland recipes too though. I haven't had bread in 2 months. So maybe the Neatballs will help that craving (with extra garlic of course!).
Too funny ladies about the Cilantro Pesto! I think we have a winner.
Christa, I have Renee's book on order (Living Cuisine)too and it should be here any day now. Glad to hear the good review on that book as well ;)

[Revvell]

If you've not done it ~ and you like onions ~ do the onion bread!!! Do the onion bread!!! It's simple and delicious!!! Can add garlic too! :D

Revvell

[Punky]

I bought the stuff to make the onion bread; now i just need to do it Revvell.

Christa, I was flipping thru this book last night and Gabriel Cousens
says they don't use a lot of onions or garlic in there recipes; although
they are very cleansing because of the sulphar they can be unbalancing during meditation.
So that's why they don't have the POP you were looking for ;)
So I will keep that in mind when making the recipes.

[Punky]

The very first recipe I tried was the Garden Neatballs from the Rainbow Green book. Can't imagine eating them now - with all those nuts, they'd be soo heavy.


Simple Berry,
I looked up the Garden Neatballs recipe last night. Besides the nuts
it calls for 1c. of olive oil! That is a lot of oil!
You weren't kidding...these are heavy! I think I will reduce that to 1/4 c.
if I make these.

[PixieGreen]

I was flipping thru this book last night and Gabriel Cousens
says they don't use a lot of onions or garlic in there recipes; although
they are very cleansing because of the sulphar they can be unbalancing during meditation.

Punky:

Yeah, okay, but who needs nirvana when you've got garlic? :D

Christa

[simple berry]

haha PixieGreen, you are so right on. i must put seven cloves of garlic in my cilantro pesto, and was so addicted to it for a while. And that was the exact thought I had when I started trying Renee's recipes -- oh, finally someone with taste buds like mine! Sometimes it's so good to not feel like an original.

SAD ppl just love Renee's stuff. Her book is great if you have the time and inclination and $; i just make her food as a special treat, and serve several people.

Dr Cousens, by the way, has said that if you have to use garlic or onions for medicinal purposes, so be it. And garlic can help with candida in addition to general detox.

Let me know how those turn out with less oil, Punky. If I remember correctly, the recipe made several servings. One of the most annoying things about so many uncook books: the complete absence of numbers of servings per recipe.

[Punky]

LoL Christa...i think garlic is nirvana ;)
heck I don't meditate anyways (I know I should and it would
help me be more centered) so bring it on!


Simple Berry, I just got Renee's book too. Glad to know SAD ppl like
her stuff. I have several raw curious friends to try recipes out on.
I think garlic will help me more at this stage of rawness than
to deter from. I use garlic like most people use salt.

If I had the $$ I would love to go out to Arizona to Cousen's
Tree of Life center.

So now I have more recipes than I know what to do with! :D

[Sweet lips]

I have Cousen and Renee's book - I kinda think I have most of them now. Cousen went off of coconuts recently, so a new edition will have to come out to change those resipes. I have done several of his things and loved them - I cut back on the oil in the neetballs and they came out well - son, who doesn't like anything because he is 17 and we still pay his bills - well, that person loves them.

The premise is good in both - I am getting ready to do Renee's Cucumber Rolls with the Miso Wasabi dipping sauce - I need some spice in my life. I am restarting my life in raw and so I must begin with what my body is craving - :D oh yea, I hope when I wake up in the morning - it will want this. It is only reminding me of what I do to it.

Peace

[emmaann]

Punky, You just received my FAVORITE BOOK. (only because I haven't gotten Alissa's book yet!!!).........I LOVE the Caesar Salad Dressing and the basic flax crackers, my two favorites in the book. I LOVE his recipes they all work great for me!! GOOD LUCK with it!! Gabriel Cousens is an AWESOME GUY I adore him!!! :D

[Punky]

I cut back on the oil in the neetballs and they came out well - son, who doesn't like anything because he is 17 and we still pay his bills - well, that person loves them.

The premise is good in both - I am getting ready to do Renee's Cucumber Rolls with the Miso Wasabi dipping sauce - I need some spice in my life. I am restarting my life in raw and so I must begin with what my body is craving - :D oh yea, I hope when I wake up in the morning - it will want this. It is only reminding me of what I do to it.
Peace

Sweet Lips, your crack me up and inspire in the same note.
I always enjoy your insightful posts :)
Glad to hear the Neatballs turned out good even w/reducing the oil.
Those cucumber rolls sound so good and something I would like.
I love recipes w/asian flair.

Hey Emmaann,
Gabriel's book "Concous Eating" was my 1st raw food/vegitarian book I bought
years ago. I really dig him too. I am sure I will love this book as much as you do ;)
Thanks for the feedback ladies! you all are great!

Figures they change their mind on coconuts when I buy the book :rolleyes:
So there will be a 2nd edition I gather?!?!?

[simple berry]

sweet lips,

how do you make those cucumber rolls of renee's? the directions sort of went over my head. in summer, i'd risk it no problem, but not at 2.99/lb for cuces! can you post a photo?

[just_jo]

Hi all,

I have this book too, (jammed packed with info) and am wondering what your opinion is of about mycosis.

Is it a genuine concern one should consider?
I had never heard of it before.
Have you gone thru the different "phases"?

I am wondering if I should be cutting out my fruits for a while.
I seem to be eating so many of them.

thanks for the wisdom.

[Myka]

Looks look a lot of you read Gabriel's books. I got them but have not had a chance to fully read them yet but did skim through a bit. I have the same question - has anyone tried to go throught the phases - limiting fruits at first and so on?

[Punky]

I haven't had a chance to read all about the phases yet,
but the couple that run my organic produce coop are in phase 1
right now so I can ask them as they go thru them. They have
been raw for like 3-5 years...something like that. I am interested in
it too, but not quite ready to give up my fruit yet. I think in a few months
I will be though.

[simple berry]

precious jo & myka,

i did phase 1 for about a month, several months with bits of cheating. had not had a vaginal candida issue for several years, but because i'd taken antibiotics freely during my youth and young adulthood, thought it might be a good idea to do a candida cleanse. plus the doc doing my chelation recommended it. the dear silly-head also recommended the zone diet, but i was so desperate to cure my "depression" and "adhd".

Don't know of any objective test for candida, though a live-blood analysis in the fashion of the photos in rainbow green might be a fairly strong indicator. never had that kind of analysis done. now i eat a ton of fruits, because i was sick of all the fat and the elaborate recipes which depriving myself of sweet fruity goodness was demanding. not that phase 1 can't be done simply, just that i couldn't do it any more. & though i don't feel good on 100% fruit - i am too much of a dreamer as it is and total fruit makes me too airy-fairy to concentrate on my studies - i feel much better with fruit in the diet.

disorganised and rambling, sorry, but basically: if you're interested in following the phases, examine your lifestyle and your environmental hazards - interests, issues, abilities - to determine if it's right for you.

[yeahbethany]

i LOVE LOVE LOVE the Savory Sage Croquettes, and the Sun Burgers. Matt loves them too!

[JoyceH]

i LOVE LOVE LOVE the Savory Sage Croquettes, and the Sun Burgers. Matt loves them too!

I believe I had these Sage Croquettes the other night at a raw potluck. And they were SOOOOOOO GOOD!!!! :D :D

I'm waiting to get confirmation back from the hosts that the recipe was indeed from Gabriel's book. If so I can't wait to make them this weekend!! ( or sooner :D)

I have the book but only made one recipe which was the avocado quiche which was OK.

So far from reading this thread, I should also try the cilantro pesto and sun burgers!

Anyone else make anything from his book lately?

[snoops]

If you have Alissa's book check out the sausage recipe. It has mushrooms, sage, sprouted wheat berries, Bragg's etc. Sounds like it might be similar and I have tried the sausage and it is very good.

[RawLibrarian]

Anyone else make anything from his book lately?

I make his Israeli salad a lot (I tweak the recipe and use less oil). I use less oil and salt than many of his recipes call for, actually. I like the zen gazpacho a lot too. Rainbow Green was the first place I stumbled across the famous kale and avocado salad--the RG version is fancied up and takes more effort to make than it needs to because the recipe actually has you make a dressing for the kale rather than just wilting the kale, mixing in oil and lemon juice and mooshing in the avocado with your hands.

Rainbow Green was one of the first raw books I got, and I still use it.

[DuaneE]

I also have this book, but I can't say I have prepared anything from it... I have used it for inspiration though.

Enjoy!!