Guest post written by: Joanne Eglash
When it comes to making the leap from the Standard American Diet (SAD) to the Paleo plan, one of the biggest reasons for delaying is simple: “It sounds boring.”
These would-be cavemen and cavewomen worry that they’ll miss their love for exotic food and variety. Now Sarah Fragoso, famed for her must-have guide “Everyday Paleo“, has concocted two cookbooks that provide both international flavor and delicious variety.
Her first venture in taking the Paleo diet around the planet was ““Everyday Paleo Around the World: Italian Cuisine: Authentic Recipes Made Gluten-Free”. It’s a response to every person who poops on Paleo by proclaiming: “If I can’t have pasta and pizza, I can’t be a caveman!”
The book is more than a cookbook, however: It’s also a travel guide to life in Italy, from the joys of seasonal eating to the best ways to take your own vacation and stay on your Paleo plan.
But let’s leave Italy for now, and take a dip in the delicious dishes available in Sarah’s newest book: “Everyday Paleo: Thai Cuisine: Authentic Recipes Made Gluten-free“.
Just as with her Italian cookbook, Sarah includes scrumptious snippets of life in Thailand. You’ll vicariously experience the fascinating variety of the country as you enjoy recipes ranging from spring rolls to tropical desserts.
One challenge with some cookbooks: You need to be an expert home chef to follow the directions. But that’s not a problem here: Even those of us who almost flunked Home Ec class in high school can easily put together these recipes and bask in the applause that’s sure to follow.
In addition, we’ve noticed that some international cookbooks have impossible-to-find ingredients. But you can relax with this cookbook. We found everything in our local grocery store and health store.
Particularly appreciated about this cookbook: Sarah provides options wherever possible. For example, in the sample recipe below, you’ll notice that you can choose the type of oil and ground meat or poultry you want to use. We opted for coconut oil and ground chicken for a result that had even our picky cat sniffing the air and meowing for a taste.
Sample a recipe below and get more information about “Everyday Paleo: Thai Cuisine” by clicking here.
Spring Rolls
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Serves: 3 to 5
- 6 to 8 large napa cabbage leaves
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, palm oil, or leaf lard
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup ground pork, chicken, or beef
- 1/4 cup finely grated carrots
- 1/2 cup finely shredded cabbage
- 1/2 cup finely sliced shiitake mushrooms
- 1 teaspoon coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon Oyster Sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and blanch the cabbage leaves to make them easy to fold. Drain and thoroughly dry the leaves and set aside to cool.
Heat the oil in a wok over medium-high heat, add the garlic, and stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Brown the meat in the oil and garlic.
Add the carrots, shredded cabbage, and mushrooms to the meat and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the coconut aminos, fish sauce, oyster sauce, and black pepper to the meat and vegetable mixture.
Spoon 1 to 2 tablespoons of the mixture into the middle of each cabbage leaf.
Cut off the thick white stem at the bottom of the leaf, fold each side of the leaf over the filling, and roll until the stuffing is concealed.
Cut the rolls in half and serve.
Reprinted by permission from “Everyday Paleo: Thai Cuisine.”
About the reviewer: Joanne Eglash has more than 15 years as a freelance writer, researcher and editor. She has a B.A. in English literature/journalism and MS in holistic nutrition. Her articles have appeared in magazines, Web sites and newspapers such as Shape magazine, Yahoo Shine and the Los Angeles Times. Joanne writes the Diets column for the Examiner: http://www.examiner.com/diets-in-national/joanne-eglash
Had to laugh at the “people say the paleo diet sounds boring” line. because I’m pretty sure anyone who told Robb that would receive a semi charitable rant about all the paleo friendly exciting food most people already eat. On the flip side, my wife and I love Thai food but hate paying for it… It looks like I might have a gift wish list item… Thanks!
Thai Cuisine and Japanese Cuisine both offer some very good options for the Paleo Diet or just the Paleo Lifestyle, just be careful to make sure that there is no MSG or sweeteners added.
Thai cuisine is one of the healthiest foods you can eat. In fact, several Thai dishes, such as Tom Yum Soup, are currently under scientific study for their incredible health benefits, Of course, it’s already known that many of the fresh herbs and spices used in Thai cooking – such as turmeric, galangal, coriander, lemongrass, and fresh chillies – have immune-boosting and disease-fighting power. Find out more about these and other ingredients that contribute to making Thai food one of the healthiest you can eat.
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By: Darlene Schmidt
I love Thai food… I will definitely have to check this cookbook out! Any good recommendations for fish sauce? I know most Thai dishes use fish sauce but I’ve had a very hard time finding fish sauce that is actually paleo friendly.
You can usually find some fish sauce in the grocery store that is pretty clean. If you want to go for the good stuff, grab some Red Boat fish sauce.
Thank you, I will grab some of the Red Boat!
confused. I thought rice and rice noodles weren’t on the Paleo diet? What gives with this “Paleo” thai cookbook?
It’s not a religion. If you tolerate rice, go for it. If not, make some cauliflower rice!
Any recommendations for paleo-friendly oyster sauce? The only ones I’ve found contain things like high fructose corn syrup, wheat, and soy 🙁
If you scroll down a bit on this page there’s a recipe to make your own http://vahuntergatherers.com/2014/02/26/moo-goo-gai-pan-gluten-free-paleo-recipe/
What brand of paleo friendly oyster sauce do you use?