REAL Food Books: Mediterranean Paleo Cooking

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Welcome to REAL Food Books. I have been pouring through cook books this week looking for inspiration. And today I wanted to share an extra special one I’ve been looking through. Recently I met Caitlin Weeks from Grass Fed Girl, and she gave me a copy of her new cookbook, Mediterranean Paleo Cooking. When Caitlin told me that this book was a collaboration with her husband, a chef, and that it featured foods from his homeland, I knew it was going to be good.

Actually, the truth is that when I tried the cinnamon meatballs that Caitlin brought to the gathering we were at, I knew the book was just up my alley. I had never thought of putting cinnamon in meatballs, but they were outrageously good. I was totally excited to dig into her book.

A cookbook from the heart…..

That is how I would describe this book. Caitlin and her husband, Nabil, write about what they know. The recipes are based on foods from Nabil’s homeland, Algeria. This collaboration from Caitlin, a holistic nutritionist, and Nabil, a natural-born chef is a wonderful ode to not only the Mediterranean way of eating but also a great manula for Paleo lifestyle and eating.

From a thorough explanation of the basis of the Paleo Mediterranean Diet to stocking the kitchen and sourcing food to a detailed shopping list, it’s all in there. Want to make flavorful, amazing dinners easily? Want to impress your friends and family with your exotic cooking skills? Want to improve your health and digestion while eating deliciously nourishing foods? Then this book is for you!

What You Will Learn:

Make authentic Moroccan slow-cooked Tajine’s
Make your own healing broths including: chicken, beef and fish.
Make many of your own French sauces: Bearnaise, Hollandaise, Aoili, Beurre Blanc, mushroom reduction and more.
Learn how to use authentic Mediterranean spices such as cinnamon, cumin and cilantro, paprika, ginger, and saffron.
Learn to make simple dishes to wow your family and friends at dinner parties.
Eat like you went on a vacation without leaving home.
Learn how to make crispy pizza and chewy pasta with easy to find ingredients.
Stay on your gluten, dairy, soy, corn free diet but feel like you are cheating!
Have your cake and eat it too with 18 guilt free desserts free of processed ingredients.

Recipes Included:

Easy breakfast ideas: Get a change of pace in your morning routine with new spins on your old favorites. Including crepes, muffins, fritatta, sausage, smoothies and more…
Snacks: Lots of easy appetizers for your parties and get-togethers
Seasonal salads: toss up a gourmet meal in no time with just a few ingredients
Easy soups: that you can throw together to spice up a boring weeknight
Huge red meat section: over 25 mouth watering red meat dishes that will please the carnivores
Savory sides: bring life to boring vegetables with new spices and herbs
Seafood: including sardines, anchovies, salmon, red snapper, calamari and more
Offal: New ideas for you to get more of these super foods into your family
Fermented foods: Try some new ferments to add rich probiotics to your diet
Desserts: That are full of traditional ingredients like pistachios and almonds. Most desserts will have low carb substitutions. (18 desserts)
Sauces, stocks and broth: wondering how the chefs make these items? We will show you!

My Favorites:

I tend to be a maniac in the kitchen. I have already tried several of the recipes in this book. These are a few of my favs:

With so many breakfast recipes to choose from, it was hard to decide which one to try. I had to decide on on the Cumin and Cauliflower Egg Bake. It was phenomenal!

The Shaved Jicama Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette was awesome with the other night, paired with the Cinnamon Braised Beef.

My kids licked their bowls clean when I made the Pistachio Tapioca Pudding.

And the recipe that looks the most appealing to me is Nacera’s Lemon Ginger Chicken Tanjine. That one is definitely on the list to make.

So, if you want to impress folks with your amazing cooking skills, serving easy to make foods bursting with flavor, this book is for you. I love that there is a picture for each recipe. It’s nice to see what the food is supposed to look like. I’m in love with this book. You don’t have to be “Paleo” to enjoy the dishes in this book. Anyone who want to learn about healthy eating and be more creative in the kitchen will adore this book. Lots of “chef’s tips” and “nutritionist’s tips” added to help you along your way. This is a book about eating REAL food. The recipes are easy to follow, realistic to make, and amazingly flavorful and delicious.