Sacred & Delicious is an award-winning vegetarian cookbook, a primer on Ayurveda (India's ancient wellness system), and a gorgeous food memoir that celebrates the healing power of food. Author Lisa Mitchell writes inspiring and clear prose about the power of the Ayurvedic system to sustain good health and reverse chronic health problems, recounting her own recovery. The book includes 108 recipes and more than 60 full-page color photos. Most of the dishes include vegan options, and all but two are gluten-free. Only ten of the recipes reflect traditional Indian cooking. The rest demonstrate how to apply the balancing principles of Ayurveda and the creative (yet subtle) use of spices to modern Western cuisines that many Westerners prefer. Mitchell shares the Vedic perspective on why food is sacred and how cooks can bring a sacred intention to their kitchen labors to approach food preparation as spiritual practice. Traditional blessings for food from various cultures are sprinkled throughout the book.
In April 2019, Sacred & Delicious won silver medals in two prestigious book industry awards competitions: the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards (in the Body, Mind, Spirit category) and the Nautilus Awards (in the Food, Cooking, and Healthy Eating category). It also won the cookbook category in the Body, Mind, Spirit Book Awards and is a finalist in the Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards (to be announced in June).
Industry Reviews
2019 Living Now Book Awards Gold Medal Winner in Cookbooks (Natural/Nutrition/Organic/Vegetarian)
2019 IBPA Ben Franklin Awards Finalist in Body, Mind & Spirit
2018 Foreword Indies Finalist in Adult Nonfiction-Body, Mind & Spirit
2019 Foreword Indies Finalist in Adult Nonfiction-Cooking
"In Sacred & Delicious, Lisa Joy Mitchell shows you how to balance the bodily doshas through the right kind of food. Because proper food is the ultimate medicine, once you balance these three doshas, the inner healing of body, mind, and soul unfolds."
—Vasant Lad, BAMS, MASc, Ayurvedic physician, author of Ayurveda: Science of Self-Healing and the Textbook of Ayurveda series
"Wow! That's what I say every time I eat one of Lisa Mitchell's amazing dishes. Such pure, delicious food, so delicately spiced to perfection. Sacred & Delicious is an essential book for anyone who wants to reclaim vibrant health."
—Smita Naram, Ayurvedic physician, chairwoman of Ayushakti Group, and author of Your Health in Your Hands
"Along with kosher we have eco-kosher, bio-kosher, and now Ayurveda-kosher. Each one leads to a higher degree of honoring creation and our own bodies. Enjoy what you will cook up with this guide."
—Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, cofounder of Jewish Renewal and coauthor of The December Project and Davening: A Guide to Meaningful Jewish Prayer
"I have never seen a more thoughtfully written book on health or diet. Ever. Sacred and Delicious is a gift to the world and to everyone who knows they want to eat healthfully but doesn't know where to begin. I recommend you begin right here!"
—Debra Poneman, author of What, No Meat!?! and founder of Yes to Success Seminars, Inc.
"Sacred & Delicious is a tour de force! Approachable and inspiring, Lisa's clear voice gently guides the reader through Ayurvedic recipes that are packed with flavor and love."
—Frank Lee, Founding Chef, Slightly North of Broad, Charleston, SC
