Giveaway! “Wild Plate” Raw Cookbook
I had just finished presenting at the World Veg Fest in San Francisco. It was time to go and browse all the wonderful booths full of interesting vegan food, books, and other goods. As I walked towards the vendors, my eye caught a glimpse of a stunningly beautiful book. The cover grabbed my attention and wouldn’t let go. I had to see what it was.
As I approached the table, Laurel Anderson was chatting with a festival goer. I picked up a copy of her book, “Wild Plate” and immediately knew that I had to add it to my collection.
As Laurel finished her conversation, she turned and smiled at me, her clear blue eyes dancing with an inner light of health and happiness. I knew right then I needed to get to know this woman.
I bought her book and we had a quick chat, promising to get in-touch soon. I wanted to help spread the word about her wonderful raw-food book and tell her story. A quick glance at “Wild Plate” showed me that she knew what she was doing. Her recipes were beautiful, unique, well-thought out.
Laurel’s story starts like so many of our own stories with a desire to feel better. A dancer by eduction and profession, Laurel realized her dream dancing in Las Vegas for 10 years. She decided to take a break and studied Architecture and Sustainable Design. But her desire to dance brought her back to Las Vegas where she danced in two shows a day, five days a week. Supplementing her dancing income by being a cocktail waitress, she was working over 10 hours a day.
As you can imagine, her lifestyle caught up with her. Her diet was poor, her sleep almost non-existent. After gaining 20 lbs, she was feeling fatigued and her performance was slipping. She had to do something and choose a nutritional cleanse.
Like many of us, opening the door to the cleanse sparked a deep desire to learn as much as she could about healthy eating. She realized that her body is the vessel she lives in and needs to be taken care of.
Raw food came into the picture when she ate at a raw food restaurant. She talked to other diners that had healed themselves with a raw food diet. Laurel ordered books and did extensive research. What she learned blew her away and started a new career.
After moving back to her Pacific Northwest home, frustrated by not finding work in her field of sustainable design, Laurel started a raw food business, catering and and providing home delivery of meals. She moved to Malibu and her catering took on a life of it’s own. For one party, she made over 1,100 items in 3 days!
Her catering turned into a food truck, which turned into a restaurant, Life Food Organics. She had found so much work that once again, she needed a reset and moved back home to rest and create more balance in her life. And Wild Plate was born.
Wild Plate, The Cookbook
Laurel’s cookbook, Wild Plate, is a labor of love. Inspired by her travel notebook filled with ideas and flavor combinations she has encountered, traditional cooking magazines and experimentation with ingredients she finds at farmer’s markets, Laurel has put together a stunning collection of recipes. Knowing that we eat with our eyes first, she wants her food to be visually stunning. She accomplished her goal. It is what drew me to the book in the first place.
Wild Plate has a wonderful ingredient section, great symbols that easily let you know the difficulty of the recipe and also what equipment you need and a comprehensive tools and equipment section. The recipes are original and innovative with delicious flavor combinations. It honestly is one of the best raw food cookbooks I have seen. If you love raw food, or are just interested in raw food, this is a must for your kitchen.
A very special aspect of Wild Plate is that Laurel self-published the book. Frustrated with publishers that wanted to eliminate many of the pictures and take too much control over the book, Laurel set out to create the most beautiful raw food cookbook she could. And it is stunning. With a binding that is stitch-sewn (so it doesn’t fall apart over time), heavy pages, a hard cover and photos for every recipe (taken by Laurel), she has created a masterpiece.
I was so impressed, I purchased a copy to give to one of our lucky readers! If you can’t wait, you can order one here: Wild Plate
Voted “Best Cookbook of 2014” -Veg News Magazine
Can’t wait for the contest? You can buy the book here: Wild Plate
You can find Laurel and her blog here: Wild-Plate
How to Enter
- In the comment section of this post, write a couple of words about what inspires you. Only one entry per person!
- The contest will close at 10:00 pm PST (Pacific Standard Time) on Thursday, November 19th, 2015.
- We will announce the winner on Friday, November 20th, 2015.
- The winner will be chosen by a random number generator.
- This contest is only open to those 18 years or older.
- Contest winners from countries other than the USA will be subject to the contest rules of their country of origin and may have to pay additional shipping charges.
- GOOD LUCK!
Note: If you don’t want to receive follow up comments, make sure you don’t click the notify box in the comment form.
Contest is now closed.
Laurel wrote on November 19, 2015
I am inspired by the never ending possibilities of life, health and happiness. The trick is to stop, breathe, listen, see and feel andembrace the best life has to offer. And the amazing and creative raw recipes from Raw maxing and other creators are inspiring.
Irene Nava wrote on November 19, 2015
Compassion, kindness, and the Dalai Lama inspire me!
Sabrina wrote on November 19, 2015
My husband and kids inspire me to eat healthy and always make each day better than the one before. I love “cooking” raw, I’ve never felt better! Thank you!
Amy Jefferson wrote on November 19, 2015
Smurky grin! There’s such satisfaction when a family member keeps picking on an organic vegan creation every 30 minutes….like: Avocado lemon/coconut cream no-bake pie!! Especially if its your own very teenager who loves the taste of cheetos and dips into Nutella like
‘Nobody’s business!!’
Linda Friesen wrote on November 19, 2015
I love raw foods. It’s a new journey that I’m on. Eating raw makes me feel so much better than eating cooked foods. I can hardly wait to flip through the pages of this cookbook!
Anne Foster Angelou wrote on November 19, 2015
I love healthy, nutritious food presented in an artistic, esthetic way. I would love to have this cookbook whether or not I win it or purchase it. Thank you so much for letting us know about it. I have many of your books, Susan, and I enjoy them all. They are fabulous.
Molly wrote on November 19, 2015
The accessibility of information about and support for the amazing diversity of raw, clean, gluten-free foods and their from-scratch preparations inspires me toward a whole new way of eating after retirement!
Sarah Hurst wrote on November 19, 2015
Special education in Hawaii inspires me. A native arkansan I traveled to Big Island HI to teach physical therapy. A volcano, farmers markets full of dragon fruit, and an amazing ocean is a dream come true. Aloha
Susan Clow wrote on November 19, 2015
What a great giveaway. Very generous.
Catherine Purple wrote on November 19, 2015
There really isn’t one thing that inspires me. I see the colors in an abalone shell and I’m in awe. I have stood on the edge of Mt. Cook in New Zealand and listened to the ice crack on a sunny day. It entertained me for hours. My kids, when they tell stories about their day and events are so entertaining. There is so much more and you are probably wondering how this inspires me and I would ask you how could it not. I’m inspired to be a better Mum, enjoy the simple things in life, and find beauty wherever I go. Raw cooking just rocks my imagination. I mean seriously! Nuts can be turned into milk and cheese?! Incredible! Life, if you let it can inspire you to be so much more.
Sarah Hurst wrote on November 19, 2015
Special Needs Children in Hawaii inspires me, a native of AR I have re located to teach physical therapy to special education kids from pre-k to high school. Raw diets full of color make my job one of the best in the world! Aloha