The Ranch at Live Oak Cookbook: Delicious Dishes from California's Legendary Wellness Spa

After seeing some of the dishes featured inside this book in several magazines I subscribe to; as well as the rather detailed search feature on the Amazon preview page I decided to go ahead and make the purchase.It is a beautiful book filled with superb pictures and recipes I have tried and others I cannot wait to try; however I had to knock off a star from a practicality stance. The book is long and not as wide as most traditional cookbooks, but that leaves the spine tight and as soon as you get a few pages in, the book becomes hard to open and the pages hard to read. It is difficult to open enough to read the inner text; and in order to use it you either have to copy the pages or use a weight of some sort to prop it open which is a nuisance!The book beings with a look at the food philosophy of the authors then delves into start the day, soups and salads, hearty mains, and good and sweet, ending with a menu planner! I like the fact this is basic and does not have multiple chapters on various dish types!The philosophy section indicates that the premise is food that not only tastes good, but is good for you - low calorie (and note a lot of it is very low in calories indeed), enzyme rich, low gluten, sugar free using organic in season produce. It goes on to talk in detail about foods that are organic, whole foods, gluten free; before looking at the properties of various fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds and fermented foods which is a great feature.The breakfast section really has something for everyone ranging from a homemade granola , sweet potat0 muffins , the ever popular avocado toast, various smoothies, or my favorite as it is both simple to make and delicious - the blistered tomato and spinach scramble . It is also worth noting that this book does detail calories, fat, carbs, fiber, protein, sodium and vitamin / mineral content of each meal which is great for those with various dietary restrictions.The soup and salad portion is diverse with items such as a basic tomato and basil soup to the more adventurous sea vegetable soup; and the salads are superb using fresh produce in an easy to prepare manner. We tried their take on caprese with cashew chevre which even with 2 steps - one for the chevre and one to compose the salad was still easy enough for me who is a self professed mediocre cook! There are some great quinoa salads and the ranch detox salad is a simple lunch idea.The mains are also very diverse; and also unique. All too often healthier cookbooks all seem to have their versions of various meals that are not new and appealing; but this stands alone for example : cauliflower steaks and gremolata or the lentil and whole beet stew with rosemary and red onion; there are pasta dishes, risotto, veggie meat loaf, a meze platter with all the components. So many great choices!Finally the good and sweet includes kale chips, ice cream and ice pops, poached pears or chocolate bark; even a chocolate mousse featuring hemp hearts as opposed to the usual take involving avocados. It is worth noting for those that like desserts that this section is very small in comparison to the rest.The ending featuring the meal planner has three weeks of meal plans, that are very low calorie ranging from 1022 to 1418 calories a day ; offering a great option for those who are counting calories.This is truly a great book, that does not require a pantry filled with peculiar ingredients that can only be found at a health food store (there are a few recipes that require special ingredient but with emphasis on "few"); it is based around in season , easy to find produce. The pictures are beautiful and inspiring; and best of all, this is not overly complicated or fussy! If I can make these than anyone can!If you can get past the fact that this book is difficult to manage in terms of the rigid spine and having to prop it open; it is an excellent book with a diverse set of recipes that are attainable, healthy and from the few that I have tried -delicious!

Excellent perspective and collection of recipes for anyone looking to take a healthful step forward. A must have book for vegans

I love the cookbook - BUT I bought this NEW and it came delivered USED

This is a beautiful book. I made the granola and it was great. The book is a bit hard to use since it is shaped odd.

Best best cookbook. Gourmet

SOME nice, easy recipes in here but probably wouldn't have purchased it if I had seen it first.

Fabulous book, reminiscent of a fabulous week spent at the Ranch

It's a gorgeous read. Many of the recipes are simple enough. I'm really going to enjoy the culinary journey!

Great easy to make recipes that you feel good about eating and make you feel healthy and nourished. I agree with complaints about the binding, it's a bit awkward as a tall book with not enough width in the design to hold open but it's not a big deal.

I found the recipes a little too challenging. However I did enjoy the illustrations and the writings entertaining.