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!
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Sonia wrote on November 17, 2015
I am inspired by your website and by the local farmers who, in the past 15 years have made progress in growing vegetable in the desert ( I live in Dubai). The local viggies went from being an ugly somerhing to stunning vibrant, colourful masterpieces. The smell of fresh veggies is comperable to nothing…. A laparoscpy 2 months ago left me with no choice than eating vegetables as every other food would give me problems…. well I thanks that surgery which made me discover the beautiful world of vegetable and nuts….
Kara wrote on November 17, 2015
The simplicity of the processes in making raw food inspires me to try much “fancier” recipes than I ever did when cooking!
Sue wrote on November 17, 2015
Wild edibles! I know so little but it’s fun to discover what’s growing out there than I can partake of if I have a will. Wild mustard is a welcome find down here in the Southwest and I pick it whenever I see it.
Lena Ferm Eriksson wrote on November 17, 2015
I´m amazed about all the energy I get when I eat raw, and inspired by people who can make rawfood look like artwork with explosioons of colours that even my fussy husband and kids dare to try and love rawfood.
Margarida Madeira wrote on November 17, 2015
What inspires me it’s to wake up every morning and believe that the day is going to be better than the day before.
Roxy wrote on November 17, 2015
I love it when food looks like it would taste delightful.
Evelyn wrote on November 17, 2015
I am truly inspired by the flavorful, abundant, vegan food I have found since becoming whole-food, plant-based. Omnivores can criticize, but I know I am eating much better, healthier, and more flavorful food than they are.
Donna wrote on November 17, 2015
Delicious photos of fresh simple food inspire me 🙂
Janis Bosiger Murphy wrote on November 17, 2015
Possibility – Horizons – Openness – Inovation – Creativity – Mystery – Nature – Resiliance – Spontanatity – Individualism – Flow – Balance – Uphoria – Vision – Apreciation – Giving – Courgage… Taking that leap of faith to be the best version of myself i can be. Be Inspired.