The Moon Juice Cookbook: Cook Cosmically for Body, Beauty, and Consciousness

by Amanda Chantal Bacon

The founder of L.A. s hottest wellness boutique, Amanda Chantal Bacon offers the ultimate resourc....

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

252 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 17, 2016

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I should have expected what I got. Which is why I gave it a 3.

She pretty much lost me in the intro when telling me I needed 3 different juicers, that a food blender is a worthy expense and also, you know, have a food dehydrator. Like it's a thing most people can afford, let alone fit into their kitchens. And I'm the type of asshole who reads this kind of book, actually lives in Southern California--where we think acai bowls are regular everyday meals. Take with that what you will.

But yeah, in this fantasy land where I could make my own nut milks and yogurt, and pickle my own veggies, this all sounds pretty great. I'm sure it is; it sounds awesome. I can hardly stand being in the kitchen to assemble a sandwich these days. So, I'll continue to overpay for my food at Sprouts like a heathen.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahhh! This book is gorgeous. I broke my commitment not to buy another cookbook over this one.
It has the types of foods I eat when I'm feeling fancy healthy. Just looking at it makes me happy.
It's not a diet cookbook, it doesn't focus on telling you to eliminate anything. It just has amazing looking "lazy fancy" food that uses a lot of raw foods, probiotics, fermented foods, green juices and the like. Lots of very recognizable ingredients with a few I've never used.
She believes food is medicine and marks all recipes with its most potent benefits. (Energy food, immunity food, metabolism booster, alkalizer, stress reliever, etc). It's got a bit of a magical feel and you will feel like a food goddess when you finish your wellness concoctions.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Cosmic Alchemy for a Thriving Body, Beauty, and Consciousness" With a subtitle like that, this is certainly a cookbook/lifestyle book for a limited readership. I found it to be an interesting book to browse and took away a few ideas and even copied down a few recipes including "Sumac Tomato Jam with Pine Nuts" (though I'll use some other nuts or seeds.) and Chile & Lime Mango.

Chapter titles include: Becoming the Alchemist, Rethink the Kitchen, Moon Milks, Shakes & Lattes, Cosmic Provisions and The Unbakery. The book opens with the ten tenets of the Moon Kitchen: 1.Get raw 2.Get alkalized 3.mineralize 4.get good fat 5.slow your glycemic roll 6.rewild yourself 7.embrace enzymes 8.amino-fy 9.adopt adaptogens 10.vote organic. The tenets are explained and a list of high functioning is given with benefits of each food explained.

There's a moon guide which that list specific benefits derived from the recipes. Benefits such as brain activator, digestive aid, aphrodisiac, energy food, inflammation tamer and so on......Just check the book out from your library and give it a read if you're looking for an introduction to a raw, clean diet.

[Becki Iverson · Rating 3 out of 5]

For anyone who loves frou frou food, this is totally for you. I enjoy learning about unique ingredients and mostly picked this up for a primer on adaptogens, which I have dabbled with but don't know a ton about. This book definitely covers the bases of many of the more popular adaptogens, although I wish it went a little more in depth with the ones listed and had a more full focus on them (and the benefits/dangers of mixing and matching). The main reason for my rating is just that the recipes are too aspirational. Everything is beautiful and I'd love to make lucuma algae shakes and turmeric pickles and specially salted nut cheese every day, but living in the Midwest and on a solidly lower middle class budget really doesn't allow me to do so - the ingredients I can get here aren't going to be as fresh or as inexpensive as somewhere like California and it's just not practical. So, I wish she had more recipes in here that were better travelers depending on the region you're in. All that said: there are some very intriguing ideas and several things (like making yogurt) that I would have thought too difficult for myself now feel accessible, so I really appreciated the inspiration to get out of my comfort zone in the kitchen.

[Gabrielle · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is so much about this book that is just BONKERS. From the art design (pictures of hands smeared in yogurt? Hands dripping with honey and seeds? Who needed to see this) to the structure of the book (why are there separate "recipe overview" and "full recipes" sections with different information in them?) to some of the recipes (please do NOT ferment your vegetables with salt "to taste," that is not how it works) and let's not forget the absolute pseudo science of almost every bit of nutritional information here.

It's so bonkers I'm not even mad, I just can't take it seriously. It's like Sarah Jessica Parker's character in "LA Story." That character and this book are definitely related.

[Britt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a gorgeous book and even though a lot of the ingredients may seem unusual or exotic for some people, I’m a bit weird and have had a lot of these ingredients in my pantry for years. I also already consume lots of dairy free nut milks and it was great to open my mind up to some new and interesting ways to use some of the ingredients in the book. I’ve also used some of the Moon Juice herbal supplements like Brain Dust and can highly recommend them for health, wellness and as a safe nootropic. Love this book.

[Sarah Bliss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got exactly what I wanted out of this book- pretty pictures and amazing almond milk recipes. It was interesting reading about the author's personal life and path into the wellness industry. However, everything in this book is so labor intensive and doesn't seem to offer much sustenance. I would rather just purchase these items (particularly the dehydrated snacks) instead of spending hours preparing them.

[Sebas JP · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this creative, imaginative and beautiful cookbook. The photography is spectacular and the recipe ideas are fantastic. Whilst some of the ingredients are not readily available, I love the simplicity and wholesomeness of the recipes. It is the first time I read a cookbook cover to cover and really enjoyed it.

[Becki Iverson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I checked this off the list when I read it last year - either way, it was an interesting foray into the world of adaptogens. I do wish it was more focused on adaptogens themselves and the science behind them rather than just 2017 era hippie recipes, but it's still got some interesting things to say. This is book is the epitome of the millenial era L.A. food scene, very trendy.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely cookbook jam-packed with lots of amazing plant-based wholesomeness!

Really looking forward to incorporating more adaptogens and superfoods into my daily diet - this was an excellent source of inspo! I already use the "moon dusts" as part of my daily ritual, so this is just going to take it to the next level.

[CeeJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

DELICIOUS food, though inaccessible for average/daily consumption as a lot of prep or boutique ingredients necessary. Still, some of my very favorite foods, products, and recipes.


Critique: too many "young-white-woman"-instagram-esque photos. Your audience is narrow

[Brenda Burgos · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful cookbook. I will definitely try some recipes.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

a lot of raw and sugar free recipes - although my kitchen and cooking style doesn't contain many of the ingredients.

[Hannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

+2 stars for the recipes and photography, -1 star for the copious amounts of wellness BS.

[Ruth Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very California

[Jennifer Yerkes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for all this.... I especially love the nut milk section - that handy chart I use often as they are all great.

[Gwen - Chew & Digest Books - · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful, a little "woo-woo", but solid healthy concepts here.

[Lyree Robson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some inspiring food and wellbeing ideas.

[Ashley Chew · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book. It was on my wishlist forever and I was counting down the days until it came out. While in enjoyed the 1st half of the book which was talking about the different "superfood powders" and such. The recipes just didn't really do it for me. There were a few juice, milk, and smoothie type recipes that seemed just ok. The entree style recipes were neither appetizing or practical.
I actually have almost all of the "superfood powders" in the book required to make the recipes but if you are someone who didnt it would cost you quite a bit to be able to make this book worth it. I knew to expect that this book would require these type of ingredients but once I received it a lot of the recipes just came across as pretentious. There was a section of recipes that were just broth. They were supposed to be an alternative to bone broth but really neither are necessary. I just had to roll my eyes.
The book is beautiful though, however it wasn't pretty enough for me to keep it.

[Ambur Taft · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely book, a lot of really great information although following through completely would be expensive and where I live hard to get ingredients unless doing it online or traveling to the city to get the expensive ingredients. Possible to do what you can with the information and at least follow some of the recipes at least weekly.

[Valerie Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were a couple editing errors I wish had been caught, but otherwise I loved this book. It balances the more ethereal, healing, hippie-stuff with real evidence. All recipes include the physiological benefits those specific foods and combinations will provide. It's a cookbook for anyone who wants to get serious about being part of and involved in the food they eat. If you don't cook yet, this book is probably a bit overwhelming, but if you already have experimented with juicing/pickling/making bread or komucha, etc. this is a great next step.

[Marla Stanton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the idea of this book and have incorporated a few of the recipes into our daily life. Many of the recipes are hard to execute for those who don't exclusively eat raw. I don't have an expensive dehydrator or access to several of the ingredients. This e wasn't the most practical cookbook in my rotation.

[Tayler K]

I saw this on the New Books cart all the time when I was a shelver (released Oct 2016). Now that I've made a shelf for things I don't want to read but just like the cover of (9/7/17), I can add it!

[Jen]

Crazy. But I did order some dust online, and next time I am in L.A., I would love to go there and try drinking some colloidal silver. Some of the recipes are surprisingly low-key. The art direction is beautiful.