I’ve been reading Juli Bauer’s blog PaleOMG for a couple years and absolutely love her sarcasm and humor. I’ve tried lots of her recipes and have loved most of them. She’s a young CrossFitter who doesn’t take herself, or remaining strictly paleo, too seriously.
George Bryant is the author of the blog Civilized Caveman. He is a former Marine (once a Marine, always a Marine) who overcame disordered eating and an exercise obsession by learning to cook healthy meals and adopting a paleo lifestyle. Juli and George brought their talnts together in their newest book, The Paleo Kitchen.
About the Book
I had ordered Juli’s first cookbook, OMG That’s Paleo? when it first came out and honestly, I was pretty disappointed. Not in the recipes, but in the quality of the book (thin paper) and the crummy photos (although after attempting to take food photos for this article, I now realize how difficult it is to capture the deliciousness).
That was not the case for The Paleo Kitchen. This is a high-quality book that feels good in your hands, and a gorgeous photo accompanies every recipe.
“Most of the recipes are simple enough for a newbie to follow while the combinations of different flavors will provide enough intrigue for the more experienced cook.”
The book also includes an introduction to the authors and an explanation about the paleo lifestyle. They make recommendations for their top kitchen tools, give tricks for eating out while staying true to paleo, and provide shopping and cooking tips. These tips are good for folks new to paleo and also new to cooking. The Paleo Kitchen is also easy to navigate with a table of contents, an index, and a recipe picture index.
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Recipes
The recipes are divided into the following categories:
- Breakfast
- Starters & Snacks
- Soups & Hearty Salads
- Pork Dishes
- Beef Dishes
- Chicken Dishes
- Fish & Seafood Dishes
- Sides
- Refreshing Smoothies & Warming Drinks
- Desserts
- Condiments, Nut Butters, & Nut Milks
Recipes I tried included:
- Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes
- Easy Guacamole
- Four Layer Beef & Bacon Casserole
- Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs
- Bacon Pecan Cabbage
- Honey Lime Roasted Carrots
- Lemon Poppyseed Cookies
- Macadamia Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Individual Apple Crisps
- Tangy BBQ Sauce
Four Layer Beef & Bacon Casserole with cauliflower top layer
This cookbook has enough diversity that there should be something for everyone. Plus, with some remakes on some traditional favorites, these recipes can help those new to paleo with a soft transition. Just because you’re trying to live a healthier lifestyle doesn’t mean you have to give up your favorites.
For example, I love having brinner (breakfast for dinner) occasionally and missed blueberry pancakes. The ones from The Paleo Kitchen are delicious! I did double the recipe and I think this might have thrown off the consistency. The batter was way too thick so I had to add quite a bit more liquid to make them pourable. With that minor change, these pancakes were perfection.
“This is a high-quality book that feels good in your hands, and a gorgeous photo accompanies every recipe.”
For the most part I liked the mains and side dishes more than the desserts. Perhaps this is because I am not a strict follower of paleo and when I do indulge it is usually for some of my mom’s home-baked goodness, but a couple of the desserts I tried just didn’t taste like the real thing. You know what I mean, they tasted too healthy or the texture wasn’t quite right.
RELATED: Paleo Sweets: They Might Be “Healthy” But They Still Might Be a Bad Idea
My Recommendation
Overall, I think this cookbook is good for cooks who are new to the paleo lifestyle or for someone who has been cooking paleo for a while and just wants to try some new flavor combinations. Plus, most of the ingredients are things that are fairly standard in a paleo pantry. The most specialized equipment is an ice cream maker. Most of the recipes are simple enough for a newbie to follow while the combinations of different flavors will provide enough intrigue for the more experienced cook.
“The Paleo Kitchen” is available for $23.37 at Amazon.com.
Bacon Pecan Cabbage Recipe
Would you like to try something from The Paleo Kitchen before investing? Try this Bacon Pecan Cabbage recipe. It’s one of my favorites. It is simple, but absolutely delicious. You can also find some of the cookbook’s recipes on Juli and George’s blogs.
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 6 slices bacon, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ small head red cabbage, thinly sliced
- ½ small head green cabbage, thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch of coarse sea salt
- ½ cup (60 grams) pecans
Method:
- In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until slightly crispy, then remove and set aside. Leave the rendered fat in the pan.
- Return the pan with the bacon fat to medium heat and add the minced garlic and thinly sliced cabbage. Sprinkle with the pepper and salt, stir and cook until softened and reduced, about 15 minutes. Be sure to stir it every few minutes so it cooks evenly.
- When the cabbage is nearly done, toast the pecans in a small skillet over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, until they are slightly browned and aromatic.
- Once the cabbage is done, add the pecans and cooked bacon to the pan with the cabbage and mix well before serving.
