It's All Good

 
I'm of the opinion that cookbooks are something you develop a lifelong relationship with. Food is such a big part of our family life - every occasion deserves a special meal shared together - and we go back to the same recipes again and again when we cook. My Mom's timeworn copies of the Canadian Living Cookbook, Anne Lindsay's Light Kitchen and the Silver Palate Cookbook remind me of the meals of my childhood and Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa series, Fresh by John Bishop and In My Mother's Kitchen by Trish Magwood are the cookbooks Chris and I return to again and again. The more food splatters on the pages, the better.

With summer's arrival, appearances in summer weddings and this baby weight, Chris and I are eager to trim our meals in order to help our waistlines. I have been seeking mealtime inspiration to help make this happen and since a new cookbook would mean committing to something forever, I need to try it before I buy it. Thank goodness for the library.

{indigo}

It's All Good by Gwyneth Paltrow and Julia Turshen was first on my list. This beautiful cookbook is filled with recipes that are free of wheat, dairy, sugar, processed foods and more, so naturally I thought it would be free of flavour too. Boy was I wrong. So far everything we've made from this cookbook has been delicious, flavourful and easy to prepare. A phenomenal Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas with Mustard and Parsley was so good we made it twice last week and last night's Mexican Chopped Salad with Mexican Green Goddess dressing was absolutely delicious. Chris and I are addicted to dessert so naturally we went right to the dessert section to see what we could find. The Banana 'Ice Cream' with Sweet & Salty Almonds is made from freezing banana slices then blitzing in the food processor with almond milk, maple syrup and vanilla extract and the result tasted just like banana soft serve. Yum. Yo go Gwynnie.

Although we're not about to cut 100% of the "good stuff" (you know, bread, sugar, alcohol) from our diets I have noticed that too much wheat and dairy don't make me feel super hot and make Spencer super fussy, so this cookbook has come along at the perfect time. And if we happen to slim down a little in the process then it really is all good.

{Disclaimer: I wrote this post while eating a fresh-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookie. Definitely not wheat or sugar free, definitely delicious. Sorry Gwyneth.}