Raw. Vegan. Not Gross.: All Vegan and Mostly Raw Recipes for People Who Love to Eat

by Laura Miller

Whether you already love vegan food or need some convincing, YouTube star Laura Miller offers more than a hundred entirely vegan and mostly raw recipes for all people who want to eat deliciously.

Raw. Vegan. Not Gross. is the debut cookbook from YouTube's Tastemade star Laura Miller. A soon to be modern classic, Raw. Vegan. Not Gross. will engage your taste buds with strengthening breakfasts (avocado grapefruit bowls; ginger maple granola), easy weeknight dinners (golden gazpacho; sweet potato curry), crowd-pleasing party food (mango and coconut jicama tacos; spicy mango chile wraps), irresistible drinks & desserts (lavender cheesecake; chile truffles), and many more nutritious, satisfying dishes that are as beautiful and fun to make as they are healthful. Eschewing a strict or dogmatic approach to raw veganism, Laura's self-deprecating humor, candor about issues of food and body-image, and infectious enthusiasm make her the ideal guide and travel companion for people who want to fall back in love with produce or simply celebrate the joy of real, good food.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Vegan, Health, Reference

224 pages, Hardcover

First published May 17, 2016

About the author

Laura Miller is the creator and star of the hit show Raw. Vegan. Not Gross. on Tastemade's YouTube and Snapchat channels and is beloved by fans for her irreverent approach to raw food, as well as her quirky and gorgeous wearable produce projects ("froobs"). Prior to Raw. Vegan. Not Gross., Laura ran a raw vegan desserts company called Sidesaddle Kitchen. She lives in California with her husband Eric, and loves the company of her akita-pitbull rescue dog, Buzz.

Reviews

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just sat down and read this book from cover to cover while eating tortilla chips and chocolate milk for dinner. Um.

But anyway, I now officially LOVE Laura Miller! I've watched a few of her videos and she's funny and awesome and her voice is amaaaaaazing, and this book made me love her even more. She talks about where she came from and how she ended up where she is now in such an honest, down-to-earth way, while still being humorous and giving really, really great advice (check out her Talking in Circles videos too--so good!).

Also, when my husband and I were vegan for several years back in the early 2000s, we got a raw cookbook and dude. NOTHING looked good. I did not make anything from it, ever, and after forcing myself to look at it again every now and then for the next several months, I finally just sent it back from whence it came (Half Price Books). We also went to a raw food restaurant once and it was...extremely underwhelming. I mainly remember drinking A LOT of tea because the "pizza" was dry and gross and I was starving. So I kind of decided then that a raw food diet was seriously not for me.

But I dunno. I saw this book, and I watched some of the videos, and people were saying good things about it and rating it so highly that I figured what the hell? I should at least take a look at it. AND EVERYTHING IN IT LOOKS AMAZING AND I WANT TO EAT IT ALL RIGHT NOW!!!

This book isn't actually 100% raw, and she's very up front about the fact that she's doesn't eat 100% raw, but she's got a really great outlook on that:

I am not fully raw. I'm madly in love with raw food, but I don't have the time, money, or energy to eat raw all the time. It can be incredibly laborious and isolating to try to plan out every single meal in advance because you know you won't be able to find anything you 'can eat' at work, while traveling, or at a restaurant. Eating cheeseburgers for every meal isn't healthy, but you know what's also unhealthy? Being constantly stressed about your diet!

Our health is an accumulation of what we put into our bodies. I'd rather go for five years eating mostly plants than try to spend one month eating 100 percent raw only to get frustrated, throw up my hands, and eat cheese puffs for the next four years.

That is exactly why we quit being vegan all those years ago, because it was hard, and stressful, and people were constantly asking us doubtfully if whatever we were eating was really vegan, and we could pretty much only have steamed veggies when we went out to eat, and it was exhausting reading all the ingredients on every single package of food we wanted to buy. But Miller's is the attitude I find myself with these days. I have been 100% vegetarian for a few years again now, and I'm trying to eat mostly vegan. But I am still lazy and love mac and cheese and have family members who like to make us eggy breakfast casseroles, and I don't want to stress myself and everyone around me out by completely refusing to touch dairy.

That said? A lot of the raw food in this book seriously appeals to my sense of laziness (just chop up some stuff and throw it in a bowl? HECK YEAH!), and I am kind of dying to try the Breakfast Roll-Up of almond butter and banana rolled up in a chard leaf. If I can find a way to incorporate more of this kind of eating into my food routines at home, I think I'll be a happy, healthy girl!

[Chrissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first introduction to Laura Miller was through those irritating ads that always play before YouTube videos. I had just started watching recipes by a popular raw vegan channel, FullyRawKristina, and I noticed that so many of the ads before her videos featured a pretty blonde woman who was preparing food that she boasted was 'Raw Vegan... Not Gross". Granted, I can't exactly say that I really watched more than the required 15 seconds of these ads, but it was enough to help me recognize this beautiful book at my library,, which intrigued at least enough to check it out and peruse it as a relaxing bath time read.

I really had a hard time rating the book fairly, I think, because on the one hand, it is definitely a gorgeous, colorful book that I really enjoyed experiencing The tidbits about Laura's life and her journey to raw veganism were interesting, the brightly colorful and glossy photographs were beautiful, and the layout was smart and easy to read. So, for a rating based solely on experiencing the book as a work of art or culinary literature, I'd probably rate it between 4 and 5 stars.

However, on the other hand, any cookbook needs to have consideration placed on the practicality of using the work as intended -- to create and enjoy the fruits of its labor in the real world. And, to be completely honest, I just don't see myself making really *any* of the recipes in this book. They're mostly pretty high in fats, some of the ingredients just aren't easy to find, and I just can't see myself wanting to spend a lot of time on a raw vegan meal. I mean, isn't one part of the perks of raw vegan recipes that you *don't* have to spend extra time on cooking/baking/etc?

So, I'll go right in the middle and give this one 2.5 to 3 stars -- it's beautiful and fun, but you may want to leave it on the coffee table as a decor piece rather than moving it to the kitchen for its practicality factor.

[Kassie Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this cookbook.I don't own a cookbook I have opened and used as much as this one.I love a few of the recipes and hate a few.I am trying to go vegan and this book has been really helpful.
My favorite thing is her humor like 100 bananas for soft serve Ice cream if you want or 1 serving for one person in sweatpants.Laura Miller is just so lovable! I hope she does another cookbook.

[Susie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to eat this book and for Laura Miller to be my bestie

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was interested more in the vegan parts but good overall info. Definitely want to try the chocolate avocado pudding!

[Micrae Talarico · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Love Laura so much, I read this years ago and I liked her expressions in the beginning and I think about her words a lot more than I thought, I like how she makes eating vegan or raw just simple and it doesn't have to be a huge statement on your ethics as a person. She is very accessible and I appreciated some easy and ADHD friendly recipes. I make her pancakes regularly ♥️

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good recipe ideas. She’s open and honest about her food journey and not being perfect and I think that’s a lesson to all of us. You do the best that you can. I find that there’s a lot of maple syrup in most of the recipes, I think that people can get used to eating food that’s less sweet.

[K R N · Rating 5 out of 5]

i'm not even vegan/raw (also love cooked-to-death southern food) but i love this in many ways... partly, it's the kind of things i like to use at home but she's 1 million times better at it.

i made 3 things out of it for a dinner party last night - everything was super unusual, interesting, and delicious. (people wanted the recipes... pretty sure they weren't just being polite.)

i also love the tone and the presentation. it's not a typical cookbook at all.. i love that she'll say things like "x is the annoying part of this one, do it while talking to a friend" etc.

i also agree when she says things like ripe berries are wonderful as-is and you don't want to alter them (yep, i would normally eat them plain) but instead she adds a few counter-intuitive also-delicious things to turn them into a magical dessert that i never would have come up with. (i never considered myself "into" raw food but i guess i am?) as an extra amazing bonus she sometimes notes how to use leftover stuff, in ways i wouldn't have thought of either, even though i try to do that!

i feel like i hit the jackpot when i got this as an impulse buy at the bookstore (even before i realized she's a youtube star.. looking forward to watching her videos).
thank you!

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't normally enjoy reading cookbooks cover to cover, but this one is an exception.
Her life backstories were fascinating, the dish photos detailed and abundant, and the recipes themselves are so simple and easy to follow.
Veganism has scared me for quite some time, the very idea of it always seemed so daunting and unobtainable. I've had this book for about a year now, and only just recently picked it up to read it because I'd finally decided to really go all in with a vegan diet. What I found most surprising was how easy it is. I already have most of the ingredients sitting in my kitchen for many of these recipes and many of the recipes can be made within 30 minutes.
I really love this cookbook and can't wait to dirty it up with spills, spices, and overuse.

I would really love to see more cookbooks from Laura Miller, particularly with more dinner ideas.

[Jen]

These are the simplest recipes by far of any raw vegan cookbook I've seen (except for the desserts). For example, the Breakfast Roll-Up is literally a leaf of rainbow chard slathered with almond butter with a sliced banana. This is probably the best cookbook for someone who is single or "cooks" for two and is just starting to eat this way.

[Emily Wohlers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laura's dry sense of humor perfectly translated onto paper. I even found myself crying while reading the introduction... Who cries at "cook"books?! Her story is so incredible. Absolutely cannot wait to try these recipes!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a huge girl crush on her. She's hilarious, down-to-earth, and her recipes rock! What's not to love?

[Alexandra Herkenhoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gosto de perambular pelas livrarias sem rumo. Numa dessas andanças me deparei com este livro. Folheei e achei as fotos maravilhosas. Comecei a ler a introdução ali mesmo, e me perdi. Nunca tinha ouvido falar em crudivorismo. Confesso que achei tudo muito estranho. Mas, meu marido é ex vegano e atual vegetariano, e me arrisco na cozinha, experimentando. Levei o bendito para casa! Li no mesmo dia e adorei! Me identifiquei com a história da autora (sua relação com a comida e sua filosofia livre) e achei as receitas até interessantes. Algumas me parecem sim "nojentinhas", mas só pelo fato do estranhamento de ser tudo cru mesmo (e por ser um pouco chata pra comer, de acordo com o marido). As receitas parecem ser simples, mas exigem dedicação (deixar nozes de molho de um dia para o outro, por exemplo). Alguns ingredientes não conheço (o que será jicama, mr. Google?), outros acho que serão de difícil acesso aqui pelo Espírito Santo. Muitas (muitas mesmo) tem como ingrediente o maple syrup (caríssimo por aqui), mas ok, pode ser substituído. Vamos tentar! Resumindo: livro lindo, divertido, com receitas um pouco diferentes (e talvez caras?) para o "glutão" do feijão com arroz, mas que, pelas fotos, abrem o apetite.

[Bernadette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good collection of mostly raw, all vegan recipes, some meal planning. Chronicles her journey to her mostly raw, all vegan lifestyle/chef. From growing up in nature with a loving family, to dealing with body image issues, going all-raw in a way that did not work for her, to recovery to book author; interesting and entertaining.
Good equipment & ingredient suggestions. Gives instructions for using oven on low setting is one lacks a dehydrator for raw recipes.
The cauliflower pizza is very good, much less greasy than some other raw pizza recipes I have tried.
Favorite cooked dish is spaghetti squash Mac & cheese; spiced it up with curry powder in the sauce in place of just turmeric, which the recipe suggests for color. It's Mac & cheese, so looking forward to playing around with the recipe more.
Beetchup -ketchup from beets instead of tomatoes; so good.
Recipe for "Eat your feelings popcorn" has instructions for stove popping popcorn, with recipes for cheesy, cinnamon-sugar, and Carmel corn toppings.
The mostly raw Nutty Butter cups are good as is, better in the nutty butter ice cream - it's vegan ice cream!

[Adrienna · Rating 4 out of 5]

If making this transition, I want to find ways to eat differently. Then again, experiment with foods that work for me.

The photos are lively, vibrant, and absolutely gorgeous. The author's tone is direct, witty, and taking the lifestyle of eating vegan serious after minor health issues; which she admits being mostly vegan. The recipes appear to be good, and most of the ingredients are things I can do for future references, and took a few photos on cam for trying.

I plan to do the immune drink tomorrow morning. She also recommends to do 1/2 lemon with water daily, which I will put in practice. I did it today with oranges and touch of honey. Debating on still doing stevia since most of them do not taste good with an after-taste; only one I did like in the past called Pure Via, seems to only sell at Smart and Final (Northern Cali).

*I have to see how this diet also fits in budget per week, per month. I plan to try quite a bit of the recipes in the book, and hope they turn out good.

[Charity1995 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to change so many things to this, which ever publisher they are taking hostage did not approve, is not accurate or a reflection of my life at all. She's a trainwreck been in and out of rehabilitation facilities for misconduct and yet she thinks she's a queen. I have no idea what her problem is but she's stealing to support her fantasy she's recreating in real life. This is not tea time with your stuffed toys this is real life with real people and consenquences. All stolen.

[Mariana Lima Lange · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mostly raw is misleading.... mostly raw desserts is accurate

I bought this book thinking that because it said mostly raw, that meant that even the main courses would be mostly raw. I was wrong. Most of the recipes are cooked and the mostly raw recipes are mostly desserts
Not really impressed

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually read cookbooks, but for some reason I did with this. I really appreciate her story, and reading about the recipes. I can't eat a lot of what is going in vegan oriented recipes, so there's quite a few in here I can't consider not easily modify, but it's otherwise a unique collection of good looking recipes.

[vilma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laura is super funny, full of stories and so clever. Probably every recipe in this book sounded delicious and I want to try them all. Now I seem to crave raw food... If you haven't tried any in your life: READ THIS BOOK AND TRY! (It's not gross.)

[Mrs. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Cannot wait to try these recipes

I read the book with the recipes but I have hnot tried ti make them yet. They do look good, though. I am vegan and would like to aim for more raw vegan foods right now. This book is a good book for me for the stage I am in now.

[Karinella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laura Miller, you are amazing!

This is by far my favourite vegan - and mostly raw - cookbook. I love everything from the intro (where she touches on so many things I can relate to!) to the vibrant recipes to the amazing photos. Laura Miller, you are amazing!

[Greyson | Use Your Words · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as part of my 2018 Library Love binge, where I read as many library books as possible to take advantage of my great local library network before I move interstate!
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I used to watch Laura's Raw. Vegan. Not Gross. videos on Youtube back when I was vegan so I always wanted to check out her cookbook and was only a little disappointed.
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[Shelby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much more than a cookbook, Laura Miller opens up her soul in a humorous and charming way. The pictures are absolutely stunning and her extremely realistic words in the intro to each recipe inspire you to dive into cooking that may be different and unfamiliar. Great intro to vegan cooking.

[Sinead · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best cookbooks I’ve read. Laura has a fantastic way of making raw veganism seen approachable. I loved reading about her life story and all the intros to the recipes. Plus the recipes are very practical. I just completely fell in love with her and her outlook on life.

[Ernie Marton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must have read

I purchased this book after 2 episodes of her show. Her wit, educational piece of plant based eating and easy steps became a must have for me on this plant based journey to health. Well done Laura!

[Nicole Shabrou · Rating 5 out of 5]

My husband bought this for me a few years ago after we watched all of her cooking episodes. We now have a dairy free kiddo and the recipes save us so many trials because we don’t have to panic trying to find things she can eat that everyone else still will too.

[Awenydd Orchantra Faeryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not all were perfect as my preference is raw foods, but I saved many delicious sounding recipes on my newest recipe cards to try really soon!

[Kerstin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Laura's style and humour.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love anything Laura Miller does so when I decided to try venagism, she was my go to.
Some great recipes for a very challenging lifestyle.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of recipes aren't full meals, but there are some goods ones in here. I enjoyed watching Larua's Youtube videos on tastemade, and loved reading her anecdotes.

4/5stars