Sometimes, cookbooks make me sad.

Cocoa Powder EVERYWHERE

If you read this blog, you know that there is a lot of straight up honesty that goes into it. I don't wipe my plate cleans before I take pictures of them, I don't worry about fancy plating, I make mistakes, I am not the world's foremost expert on eating paleo and I have plenty of kitchen fails (including last weekend's epic fail pictured). So I am not here to pretend that I am going to be world-renowned chef, quit my law job and open a restaurant (although a girl can dream). However, I find myself often getting caught up in cookbook traps. What do I mean by this? Well, I love cookbooks and recipes and there are so many out there that I want to try. Yet, all too often I get all geared up to make a recipe and it comes out incredibly mediocre. Conversely, sometimes I will just make something on the whim and it turns out amazing. This leads to a form of cooking remorse where I am just aggravated that I spent the time and energy picking the recipe, making the grocery list and turning back and forth to directions. I'm not saying there isn't value to cookbooks and recipes, but I think sometimes you are just a better judge of what you like and what you are in the mood for.



       

Looks fancy, but totally

mediocre cookbook recipe

Totally delicious five-spice scallops
and bok choy I threw together

v.

Shrimp Salad Lettuce Wraps from
Diana Rogers' cookbook.



My new way of culling through cookbooks is to get them from the NY Public Library first, then to order them if they are any good. I can tell you to go ahead and pass on Making it Paleo by Bill Satley and Haley Mason. The recipes are either common sense simple or completely available online on their blog. I haven't looked at their new cookbook however Making it Paleo II and so will withhold my judgment for now. You can also pass on Paleo Lunches and Breakfasts On the Go by Diana Rogers for similar reasons, except that it makes Making it Paleo look inspired.



Chicken-fried Steak

One cookbook has passed muster however and I highly encourage you all to buy it. It is brand new and called Paleo Down South by Jennifer Robins. I have been hesitant to try and recreate my Southern comfort food favorites, because it just isn't sufficient to replace fried chicken with baked chicken and I knew it would take a lot of playing around to get the substitutions right. So, I thank you Jennifer Robins for doing the hard part for me and bringing chicken fried steak, biscuits and gravy and key lime pie right back into my life. You cannot get these recipes online either, so it makes purchasing the book definitely worth it. So far I have made Coconut Pancakes, Chicken Fried Steak, Blackened Tilapia, Cobb Salad and "Corny Bread." Southern comforts still isn't the most calorie-friendly option, so I am trying to not fry something up every night, but trust me when I say I am so looking forward to cooking my way through this one.

Blackened Tilapia

Cobb Salad w/ Maple Vinaigrette



The other thing that gets me is that in the same way that giant food corporations stuff your processed food with sugar to get you addicted to it, I feel like paleo cookbook recipes have so much sweetener in them so that you will think the recipes are so amazing and get hooked - I will except Practical Paleo from this criticism. I always reduce the amount of sweetener in a recipe and sometimes they are even then still too sweet. So dear paleo cookbook authors, why don't you preach what you practice?



Por Ejemplo: I treated myself recently to a version of Julie Bauer's (of PaleOMG.com) "Chunky Monkey Breakfast Shake" from her new cookbook. I was even committed to making it exactly as written, but I just couldn't do it. Her recipe calls for a banana and two dates (both of which are sufficient to add sweetness on their own) and it doesn't stop there. It also calls for her "sweet almond milk" recipe, which is sweetened with dates and stevia AND THEN wants you to throw in a tablespoon of maple syrup. As an added bonus she suggests adding some Raspberry-Strawberry Jam, made with even more sweetener. You honestly are probably better off eating an king-sized Reese's at that point (JK you're not, don't do it).

The shake I ended up making was still sinfully delicious and I was heart-broken when I got to the end of the glass. Try it out for a delicious treat that won't send you into hyperglycemic shock.

My version:

• 1 Frozen Banana
• Handful of Frozen Raspberries
• 1 medjool date
• 2 tbsp sunflower seed butter (or other nut butter)
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 1/2 c coffee
• 1/2 c unsweeetened non-dairy milk
• Enjoy Life chocolate Chips to sprinkle on top for fun