By Rod Rotondi, New World Library, $16.95, 185 pages
Author Rod Rotondi is a world traveler, restaurant owner, teacher, eco-green advocate and vegan himself. His book; Raw Food for Real People: Living Vegan Food Made Simple is a culmination of his experiences abroad and lifestyle choices allowing us novices a glimpse into his world of healthy alternatives. Cleverly laid out, this no-cook cookbook has numerous recipes and unique combinations of foods depicting the natural way to eating, food preparation we were originally intended to do. With yummy, delightful smoothies, desserts and snacks the colorful ten pages in the middle of this book actually make a vegan lifestyle seem plausible even for die-hard cheese and meat lovers.
A discussion on our relationships with food, organic foods and a vegan diet starts this cookbook out. The author begins by saying if you can cut an apple; you are a raw-food chef! He confesses the simplicity of his role as a vegan chef and expounds that anyone clamoring for a healthier lifestyle will find this way of life easier than most would think. As a self-imposed meat eater, this reviewer found this cookbook intriguing in its simplicity, eco-friendliness and cost containment. This cookbook isn’t just a cookbook but a life-changing alteration of what we currently know about food and health.