Practically Raw Goes International...and Digital

Many thanks to all who have said so many great things about our latest title, Practically Raw: Flexible Raw Recipes Anyone Can Make.  This truly innovative book with its cooked options is proving to be a much needed resource for people looking to experiment with raw foods as well as those who already eat a raw foods diet.  Amber's delicious recipes, easy writing style, and clear directions make it east to go raw -- a little or a lot.

Great news!  The Book Depository now carries Practically Raw.  Now all you international buyers can get Practically Raw anywhere in the world -- and with free shipping.  Can't beat that!

In other good news, Practically Raw is also now available on Kindle and soon-to-be on other electronic formats as well. And of course, it's still available in paperback with all its lovely full color photos. So wherever you are and whether you like to read on paper or digitally, you can now enjoy Practically Raw anywhere and everywhere.

Here are a few more of the stunning photos of the equally stunning recipes from Practically Raw:

Fiesta Taco Rollups with Nacho Cheese Sauce, Taco Filling, Corn Tortilla Chips, salsa and guacamole

Kale-Tahini Salad

Spanish Garden Paella

Practically Raw: Some Favorites in Photos

Flaxjacks with Miso-Maple Butter

We all know the benefits of adding more raw whole foods to our diet, but it wasn't until I saw some of the wonderful recipes Amber Shea Crawley was creating, that I realized it could be easier -- and more delicious -- than I imagined.  That's why I published Amber's book, Practically Raw: Flexible Raw Recipes Anyone Can Make and because a picture is often worth a thousand words, I decided to share some of my favorite photos from the book.  If you'd like to dip your toe into the world of raw food, check out Practically Raw.  With cooked options for many of the recipes, it truly makes it easy and nearly effortless to enjoy more raw foods.

Parisian Street Crepes

Chia Porridge with Blueberries

Deconstructed Sushi Bowl

Mushroom-Nut Burger

Raspberry Lemon Mousse Tart

Warm Apple-Walnut Cobbler

Cocoa Corruption Smoothie

All photos from Practically Raw by Amber Shea Crawley (c) 2012. Published by Vegan Heritage Press.

Easy Pantry Cooking for Convenience and Emergencies

With natural disasters once again taking the headlines, I am compelled to write a post about Vegan Unplugged because it's the very reason why Robin and I wrote this book after our experience with Hurricane Isabel back in ’03 and we had to live without power for over a week.

The tornadoes swathing the Midwest, which they say will continue into May, are just a reminder that while only the most devastated areas will find their way onto the evening news, many people in the surrounding areas will live without electrical power for weeks.  This is where Vegan Unplugged comes in. It shows you how to make excellent, quick meals without electrical power, right out of your pantry.

People who use the book love it for everyday cooking, too.  This is why Vegan Unplugged is spreading by word-of-mouth. It’s a book you’ll be glad to have in your home, so it’ll be there where you want it, and, more importantly, it will also be there when you want it.

http://cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/us/2012/04/14/nr-levs-disaster-preps.cnn.html

VHP Author Develops Vegan Butter without Palm Oil

Bryanna Clark Grogan's Vegan Butter on Vegan.com. Photo by Christina Hoheisel. 

Recently, Vegan Heritage Press author Bryanna Clark Grogan (World Vegan Feast) accepted the challenge to develop a butter alternative that uses no palm-oil

Why was this oil a problem? Sources for palm oil in Indonesia and other localities routinely burn forests, and experts say this displaces and kills the native orangutans, who are threatened with extinction by the practice.

Bryanna, a gifted food technician, solved the problem with an ingenious recipe you can find on Vegan.com. The photo is by talented photographer Christina Hoheisel.

Congratulations to Bryanna for creating this amazing recipes and kudos to Erik at Vegan.com for sharing it with the world.

Practically Raw Giveaway on Vegan.com

BREAKING NEWS:  Vegan.com is currently hosting a giveaway of five (count 'em: 5!) copies of VHP's newest title, Practically Raw by Amber Shea Crawley.  The contest closes on Monday, so don't delay.  Enter now.  Here's the link.

In other Practically Raw news, Amber has added a new page to her Almost Vegan blog that is dedicated to her new book.  Check it out here.

Practically Raw Featured in VegNews' 2012 10 Must-Buy Cookbooks

Chef Amber Shea's Practically Raw: Flexible Raw Recipes Anyone Can Make has been chosen as one of 2012's 10 Must-Buy Vegan Cookbooks by VegNews.

This revolutionary cookbook presents a new way to enjoy the benefits of delicious raw food by providing cooked options for many of the recipes. The creative and innovative recipes can also be made without the need for any specialized equipment through ingredient substitutions and helpful tips.  

The wait is almost over!  This groundbreaking cookbook will be out in the next few weeks, and can already be pre-ordered online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.com.  You can help spread the word by asking your local bookstore to order Practically Raw from Baker & Taylor. 

For a peek at some of the recipe photos in the book, visit Amber's website: Almost Vegan.

When People Publish Content That's Not Theirs

This post was prompted by the discovery of a Kindle e-book that lifted its content from a popular vegan blog.  The offending book can be found here, and an astute reader will immediately see that not only did the plagiarist dupe the content from Susan Voisin's FatFreeVegan website, but also swiped Joel Fuhrman's title.  Here is the content of the review I posted on Amazon, which I assure you, I have the rights to publish here:

Very clearly, this compiler of stolen content needs to learn that lifting material off websites and putting her name on it is just as much stealing as pirating a DVD or swiping someone's credit card number.  There are stiff penalties for this as there is for any other kind of larceny.

However, I think this shines a light on an unfortunate trend that has been brought on by the availability of online publishing. Any online bookseller can now set itself up as a publisher--to publish: to make a body of content public.  However, retailers know not where they tread when they do this. 

A qualified publisher understands copyright law, and is careful to vett and enforce via contract an author's warranty of originality, or official documents granting permission for use.  An author worthy of the name knows how much work and sweat and tears it takes to create a book. For these reasons, I advise Amazon and other online entrepreneurs to find a way to police those who apply to be "published" by them, and ensure title the way an experienced publisher would.  In cases such as this blatant theft, the plagiarist may stand liable, but the "publisher"--the online retailer--even moreso. I believe this is only the tip of the iceberg.

UPDATE: It appears that Amazon has removed the offending title from their site thanks, no doubt, to the many comments that were posted about it.