Love, Peace and Vegetables: Recipes for Conscious Living by Marcela Benson is a cookbook and lifestyle guide that is broken down into the parts that make up its title, and then moves into recipes and menus. Part one, Love, is constructed through five subsections that range from the love we have for ourselves and our surroundings, which includes the way we care for and nurture our bodies and the greatest giver and sustainer, Mother Earth. Benson shares insights on the power of whole, untainted organic food, water, salt, and the dangers most of us do not see, such as microwaves and mercury. Part two, Peace, encompasses how we live and occupy our space, the food and implements we fill that space with, how we clean and grow, and Benson's own 12 steps to health. Part three, Vegetables, provides the foundation for the subsequent parts on all of the wonderful things Benson has created for us to fill our bellies and our hearts with.

What I really love about Love, Peace and Vegetables is the way it welcomes all the elements of how we interact with everything we have, and elevates that to a place where we are treating ourselves as well as how we try to treat everything else. Marcela Benson has a wealth of knowledge that's shared comfortably, enriching even those of us who are not entirely sure we could live a wholly green lifestyle. Of course, when we are presented with recipes like Nori Roll-Ups, Karma-Free Creamy Chickpea Stew, and the new family favorite in my home, Saffron Ricotta Torta, it's not exactly like arms need to be twisted to get on board. Still, the purification of water is so new to me that I was really taken by it. This extended to live food, a completely new concept of raw, unprocessed eating that I'm grateful to have been introduced to. This truly is the lifestyle and cookbook with what feels like everything and will make a wonderful addition to anybody's kitchen.

We often hear the saying, “We are what we eat.” The expression is not far from the truth. Food is such an important part of our lives. It’s more than the nourishment that keeps us going; it’s a social act: the time when one gathers with others to share good food and good times. It’s a vital part of our journey through life. “We can eat in a way that supports peace and balance in our world.” Food can be good for us, but it can also do us harm. Finding that innate balance in our lives, the balance between enjoying what we eat and eating what is good for us is an art in itself.

Part memoir, part cookbook, part nutritional guide, Marcela Benson’s book, Love, Peace and Vegetables: Recipes for Conscious Living, leads the reader on an interesting journey through food. Among many other things, the book is a work of art. I loved the stories the author shared of her journey with food. Then there’s the background on healthy eating, complete with charts outlining what foods are important to our well-being and why and what to look for when shopping for healthy and organically safe foods. Best of all are the recipes. Clearly laid out, with colorful illustrations and a brief author note on what she does to make this recipe special or why she particularly likes the recipe. Food and love go together; peace is the nirvana that we seek and can find through healthy eating habits and then there are vegetables… An interesting title for a fascinating journey through food.

Love, Peace, and Vegetables: Recipes for Conscious Living by Marcela Benson is an outstanding book including beautiful artwork, numerous parts that are perfectly combined, interweaving the major aspects of love, peace, and healthy food but also of the preservation of the earth. Indeed this detailed tome includes nourishment for the soul as well as for the body since both should go hand in hand. Love, Peace, and Vegetables: Recipes for Conscious Living first and foremost celebrates love and what makes our lives better by adding to a lovely book of healthy recipes lifestyle advice, tips to live fuller lives, and inspirational texts. Marcela Benson draws from her experience as a spiritual nutrition counselor to share her wisdom with us and to help us heal from the inside, through advice about cooking as well as about compassion, peace, and love.

Love, Peace, and Vegetables is a must-have for anyone who wants to improve the quality of their life or that of their family. You can select any part of the book you need to focus on any time you need to and read the extracts that will most help you. My favorite parts are "Wise words for a healthy planet" as there is no real point in healing if we are ruining our environment; "Becoming a vegetarian" since I am trying to get there; and the whole chapters on water. I love the recipes and the way the author is never judgemental but kind, generous, and gentle. I also really appreciated the information about microwave ovens (of which I was weary but that are so practical...). To sum up, this book should be read by everyone and particularly young adults. It is a treasure to hold onto, to refer to, to gift!

In Love, Peace and Vegetables, Marcela Benson explains how we can eat in a way that supports peace and balance in our world. The recipes in the book are geared toward helping readers achieve unity and wholeness. Love, Peace and Vegetables is divided into seven parts that explore areas such as self-love and eating healthily, methods of growing and processing food, secret ingredients for maintaining good health, enriching our lifestyles with menus for different occasions, discovering more healthy recipes, cooking Vegan recipes, and sweet healthy recipes. Marcela Benson obtained a Master’s degree in Vegan and Live-Food Nutrition, specializing in diabetes and spiritual fasting. She is also ordained as an Essene priestess and is now actively practicing as a Spiritual Nutrition Counselor.

With over 150 Live-Food and Vegan recipes, Love, Peace and Vegetables is the ultimate source for people who are serious and searching for information about eating healthily. Readers should expect top-notch, personally practiced, and researched information from the well-qualified author. Marcela Benson also shares some personal examples of how a change in diet can cause a miraculous improvement in one's health, which makes the points more believable. Adding to the appeal of the book are the beautiful illustrations and pictures that visually represent the discussed items. Apart from the recipes shared with readers, other topics are discussed, including vibrations, chakras, awareness, conservation, and spirituality. Love, Peace and Vegetables is an invaluable book I would like to have for life and share with my family and friends as it contains essential information about healthy living. It is brilliantly packaged and seasoned with the healthiest and most delicious natural recipes out there.