Crazy Sexy Dressing

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Great response to yesterday’s post, guys! So many wonderful observations between the tensions between ethical eating and gourmet eating, and how we’re all learning to transcend them.

In that post, I mentioned that my friend Kris Carr’s Crazy Sexy Diet hits bookstores this week. Woohoo! I’m excited for Kris, of course, but especially excited because I was a part of the book’s making. When you purchase a copy (which you should do pronto), you’ll see that a bunch of CR recipes made it into the book’s recipe bank—right along with recipes from my friends at Candle 79 and my pal Kristen. I’m so proud to be in that kind of company, and so grateful to Kris for letting me be a part of her work.

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Most of the CR recipes included are dressings, but my raw peanut noodles make an appearance, and so does the famous banana soft serve. They’re in the company of some incredible recipes from Chad Sarno and many others. I can’t wait to sample the whole recipe round up for myself!

It’s worth saying that I didn’t only help Kris with recipes. As the book was going through its very early edits, Kris called me and asked if I would be its first reader. She was especially interested in my reactions as a nutritionist and raw foods coach—was it balanced? Did I think the menus were nourishing and approachable? Was there anything I would add, caution against, or take out?

To be honest, I was stunned with Kris’s humility. The raw food/vegan health world is full of big personalities and self-proclaimed “experts.” I’ve found—much to my dismay—that not all of the people writing about raw nutrition and health have bothered to do their homework. I also find that various experts in raw foods tend to prioritize the gloss of their work over its integrity: they toss out all sorts of mumbo jumbo that sounds alluring, but isn’t necessarily valid, simply to assure that readers are impressed. Kris is heavily concerned with the quality of her work, and with its accuracy, and she isn’t too proud to reach out to experts for feedback and criticism (this is why there are so many interviews with MDs and health experts in the book). In fact, our ongoing inside joke is that we have each other on speed dial whenever one of us comes across a shady raw nutrition claim.

Anyway, I’m glad Kris reached out, but I also had only enthusiastic things to say about Crazy Sexy Diet. No two people see nutrition exactly the same way, and of course she and I differ in perspective from time to time. But we agree on all of the fundamentals: fill about 50% of your plate up with plants, preferably green ones; eat all vegan and semi raw, if you can/want to; reduce inflammation with alkaline foods (which are almost always plant-based, whole foods); learn to love kale. I was impressed with her manuscript’s diligence and thoroughness, and with its fun, sassy, and compassionate writing style. Kris brings such tremendous generosity of spirit to her work as a cancer survivor, nutrition writer, and motivational speaker, and it shines through in every page of Crazy Sexy Diet.By the time I was done reading the book, I could only say, “Brava, friend.” In the acknowledgments of her book, Kris writes, “To Gena Hamshaw for validating my work and giving me the confidence to put it out there with pride.” You didn’t need validation, Kris, but consider it my pleasure.

To read more about Kris’s story (which is a pretty incredible tale of healing), to read excerpts from big names in the vegan community, and to find out more about her 21 day “adventure” program (which features easy-to-follow suggested meal options), check out Crazy Sexy Diet for yourself. You’ll have the added benefit of seeing some of your fave CR salad dressings in print, including my carrot miso, my avocado cumin, and my raw ranch dressings!

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Today happens to have been my first day of class as a premed student. I only had one actual class, and all we did was review significant figures and measurement conversions, but it was still a nerve-wracking couple of hours for me (it’s been a while since I took physics, OK?). By the time I got home, I was more than ready for something that spelled comfort, which in my case means a big, alkalizing, nutrient dense salad. With Kris in mind—for she, too, considers alkalizing salads her comfort food—I whipped up a big batch of my green goddess dressing, which is featured on page 210 of the book. It had been a while since I had this one, and it was a tasty homecoming:

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Romaine, red leaf lettuce, cabbage, carrots, avocado, steamed Japanese yam, and a healthy few tablespoons of my green goddess dressing. A good meal for healthy goddesses everywhere.

Hope you all had green and nourishing meals today, too. I’ll be back this week with a new kale chip recipe, a green smoothie that I actually like, and some other culinary highlights. Stay tuned!

xo

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    46 Comments
  1. I have just downloaded CSD onto my Kindle!! So excited 🙂 Well done Gena on your excellent contributions…

  2. I can’t wait to get my hands on that book. That’s really cool that your recipes made it into her book. Congrats Gena!

  3. Congratulations! I am ordering the book tomorrow and am super excited to start reading

  4. Congrats, Gena! I know that the book could only have been enhanced by your contribution. 😀 Can’t wait to see it.

    And congrats, too, on getting through that first day of school! 😉

  5. Good luck with the physics: I’m sure you’ll do fine with it. The fact that you’ve gone back to school means that you’re ready and willing to stick through the stuff that comes less naturally to you.

    And many congrats on being a part of what sounds like a well-balanced, thoughtfully presented, must-read book. I’m looking forward to getting my hands on it.

    Two things that I hope you don’t mind me commenting on: you have an ad for eggs on this page. You probably didn’t even see it, as it’s an external ad, but I thought you’d like to know. And second, you have ‘it’s’ for ‘its’ twice in the paragraph where you tell how Kris asked for you to be her book’s first reader. Again, please don’t mind my pointing these things out.
    love
    Ela

  6. Kris Carr chose wisely…you are brimming with expertise! Big congrats to you, Gena!

  7. I’ve heard so many wonderful things about this book, I can’t wait to pick up a copy for myself! I love that veganism is becoming more widely accepted as a valuable health movement, not just a “crunchy hippie” movement. The benefits are so great. Congrats on being included in the book- Candle 79 is some awesome company!!

  8. I’m loving a big green salad right now. I bought the book about a month ago (I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to!) and it was exciting to see your name in it as well!

    Congradulations on your first class. Back to school is so fun/scary/exciting/every other emotion you can think of!

  9. i got the book and LOVE it. kris has an inspiring attitude. thats awesome that you were its first reader…congrats! i love your recipes and so happy to see them in this book. people are in for a treat 🙂

  10. I got Kris’s book the day it came out and read it all in 2 days. It’s so great, and I too am elated that you were featured her book. Way to go with the salad, I made your liguid gold dressign the other day :]

  11. Well, congrats on having some recipes in print and helping to get this book out there. I’ve been looking forward to it for a while, and am super excited to pick it up, or ask for it for my birthday 😉

  12. Great post! I was so happy when I saw your recipes! My testimonial is in there, I’m so honored! Yummy salad, I’ve been obsessed with salads lately, simple and delicious!

  13. i’ve been really loving massaged kale salads with creamy soups lately. i’m pairing it with this gluten free flax bread i made and it’s superb if i do say so myself! 😉 good luck with physics—i “got it” when i stopped trying so hard to “understand” it. just go with your intuition and re-work the formulas. i’m sure you’ll do great!

  14. a) I am totally geeked out to meet Kris at Elizabeth’s Gone Raw on Saturday afternoon (couldn’t get into the dinner :() I’m glad to know she’s as sensible and humble as she seems.

    b) I’ve been in a salad rut. Sad, but true. I need some more variety in my nutrient dense salads. This weekend, I’m going to make a couple of dressings from CSD for my office lunches.

  15. Your blog is one of the fewest ones I follow on a daily basis.
    I’m not a vegan, though. I just consider myself as a conscious omnivore (many vegans would disagree on that, but I feel comfortable that way), so I am usually vegetarian outside of home.
    I love your recipes, and this book looks great with a lot of recipes like yours (and including yours). I’ve already put this book in my Amazon wishlist.
    Also, thanks for your informative posts. I feel that I’m on my way to veganism. Who knows!

  16. Salad = comfort food! I’m so glad you said this! Someone called me crazy when I said I treated myself to a big salad on my birthday instead of sticky, nasty cake. I just shrugged and said salad was my comfort food.

  17. I just bought this book two days ago and I can’t wait to start reading it! I loved seeing Kris on GMA yesterday 🙂 Looks like I haven chosen the perfect read!

  18. You know, I’ve been one of those “anti soggy salad” dressing people all my life, and yet you’ve convinced me I need to try some of your magic creations. And that I shoudl go investigate the shipping costs involved in ordering this book from here in Australia…

  19. I just ordered this book on Amazon today- so excited about it! I’m sure it will have some nice recipes.

    Also just wanted to add that a couple of years ago I was generally repulsed by almost all vegetables…and now I can hardly go a day without a green juice, and at least half of my lunches and dinners include some variety of kale salad!

  20. What a fabulous looking book! I’ll check it out in the bookstore. In the mean time it might be mentioned that it’s current rating on amazon.com is basically 5 stars- pretty impressive. Not that it needed that validation either 🙂

    I sense a winning balance of research, humility, positive energy, and inspiration.

  21. Just got my book and haven’t had a chance to look through it. Between this one and vegan girl’s life you are dominating my bedside table.

  22. Congrats, Gena, on being features in Kris’ book! I saw Kristen’s post yesterday on it, and am so happy for her too.

    And I have been reading Kris’ email newsletters, her site, all her goodies for awhile now…such a great message and it’s wonderful you’re featured! You’re famous 🙂

    And it’s fun to hear behind the scenes tidbits, i.e. Kris’ humility, and things like that. Very sweet to know about her.

    Your first day…glad it’s over! And better you than me in those physics classes! Good luck!!! 🙂

  23. You have some amazing recipes so I am not surprised that they were chosen to be in the cookbook nor am I surprised you were called to “be the first reader.” Your blog is so informative, real, and useful. I learn something new everytime I read CR. Thanks for all you do!

  24. I can’t wait to check out that book, even if it might be awhile before I actually get around to reading it… my pleasure reading is limited these days with working full-time and being in massage therapy school! 🙂