The Zenbelly Cookbook Review + Giveaway

*GIVEAWAY CLOSED* – The winner of the Zenbelly Cookbook is Alexis M. Congratulations! Thanks everyone for entering and be on the lookout for future giveaways from me!

I was lucky enough to recently be sent a pre-released copy of the lovely Simone from Zenbelly’s cookbook ‘The Zenbelly Cookbook – An Epicurean’s Guide to Paleo Cuisine’ which is due to out August 12th. I was actually worried that the book wouldn’t make it here in time before our move back to the States so I asked Simone if she would be kind enough to send me a PDF copy for review instead, hoping that maybe the physical book hadn’t been sent out yet. Luckily for me the book arrived just in time though, actually the day before the removalists came out to ship our stuff which was great because it gave me time to sit down and read and look through the book before having to ship it. 

I wasn’t sure if I would have enough room in my luggage to pack it with me and I definitely didn’t want to risk possibly having to leave this awesome book behind! So I did end up being sent a PDF copy which was is great because it means I can still share this review with you all! As you can imagine with just a couple of weeks to go before we fly out of here things have been rather hectic and with most of our kitchenware shipped off our meals lately have been just quick and easy paleo meals that I don’t really have to think about… I just make something and we eat it! All that to say that I have not yet had a chance to whip up any of the 100+ delicious real food recipes that you can find in The Zenbelly Cookbook, but believe me when I say that once we get settled into our new place I will be whipping out this book and cooking up a storm!

If you haven’t been following Simone’s work already… well first of all why on earth not?! And secondly if not you’re missing out BIG time! Simone is a Paleo food genius… scratch that she is a CULINARY GENIUS! In case you don’t know Simone is a chef who runs her own catering company, ‘Zenbelly’ in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her catering company offers gluten-free and paleo friendly cuisine options to those looking for such services and you can find some of her delicious recipe creations over on her blog where you can also read more about her and her work.

Ok back to the book! As you know from reading this blog and following my FB page that I love food and when I say I love food, I mean that I love everything surrounding food, from the way ingredients are sourced to learning skills in the kitchen to the enjoyment that goes into preparing a meal and more. I love going into bookstores and heading straight to the cookbook section and browsing through the titles, I love watching cooking shows on TV and keeping up to date with the latest that’s going on with food, much like a fashion blogger keeps up with the latest fashion trends.

So when I had a chance to take a look at The Zenbelly Cookbook I knew immediately that I had a winner in my hands! From the very first page to the last of this book you will know straight away that this book has been written by someone who loves food and everything about food. You can tell that Simone takes pride in her work (so she should!) and loves what she does and that sentiment is expressed all over this book!

The book is broken up into the following sections:

• Introduction – where you learn about Simone, her philosophies on food, how to source good quality ingredients, what to stock in your pantry and fridge and much more.

• Sauces, Condiments and Basics – e.g. recipes are ‘Avocado Mousse’, ‘Garlic-Dill Aioli’ and ‘Chimichurri’.

• Eggs and Breakfast – e.g. recipes are ‘Spinach Mushroom and Scallion Frittata’, ‘Loaded Banana Bread’ and ‘Onion Eggs’.

• Starters, Small Bites and Party Fare – e.g. recipes are ‘Oysters Rockefeller’, ‘Plantain Shoestring Fries‘ and ‘Maple-Bourbon Bacon Jam’.

• Soups and Salads – e.g. recipes are ‘Roasted Beet and Orange Salad’, ‘Jicama Slaw‘ and ‘BBQ Pork Pho’.

• Fish and Seafood – e.g. recipes are ‘Brazilian Fish Stew’, ‘Grilled Sardines’ and ‘Cilantro-Lime Roasted Shrimp’.

• Poultry and Rabbit – e.g. recipes are ‘Citrus-Herb Spatchcock Chicken’, ‘Pan-Roasted Chicken with Bacon and Apples’ and ‘Crispy Braised Duck Legs with Melted Shallots and Roasted Plums’.

• Meat – e.g. recipes are ‘Moroccan Shepherd’s Pie’, ‘Pistachio Crusted Rack of Lamb’ and ‘Cocoa-Chili Pork Shoulder’.

• Veggies and Sides – e.g. recipes are ‘Cumin-Orange Roasted Carrots’, ‘Best Brussels’ and ‘Spanish Cauliflower Rice’.

• Crackers, Wraps and Breads – e.g. recipes are ‘Plantain Tortillas’, ‘Fig and Olive Crackers’ and ‘Pizza Crust’.

• Desserts – e.g. recipes are ‘Berry Custard Tart’, ‘Apple Cider Donut Holes’ and ‘Strawberry Short Cake’.

• Menus – where you can find things like a glossary of cooking techniques, recommended reading and conversion tables.

Oh wow ok I need to stop and take a minute here because I’m salivating after just having shared that list with you!

I mean just look at those recipes and that’s not even close to half of the recipes that you get in this book! Not only does this book provide you with over 100 mouth-watering recipes but it also tells you what tools you should have in the kitchen to make cooking much easier and more pleasurable, teaches you some different cooking technics, as well as giving you time saving tips and tricks in the kitchen so that you too can become a kitchen ninja!

I personally think that Simone has left no stone unturned in writing this book and you can tell how much hard work has gone into creating it. It’s definitely not just a book for those following a Paleo/Primal/Real Food lifestyle but rather for anyone who appreciates honest to goodness, well prepared and delicious food that comes from the heart.

And if you’re a visual person then you will LOVE this book because each recipe has two photos. One photo shows all of the ingredients used in the recipe, arranged neatly and the second photo is of the completed dish, with every single photo in the book being absolutely beautiful and very appealing!

The ingredient photos provide visual cues to the recipes and highlight the beauty of these ingredients coming together to make a complete dish. As a person who as I mentioned above loves food this is one of my favourite things about this book! Plus I’m a big fan of sites like this so seeing the ingredients organised in such a manner and then seeing the completed dish is so fun in my opinion.

I have quiet a few cookbooks, Paleo and otherwise and I have to say that this book is one of the most beautiful and well thought out cookbooks I’ve seen. It’s the kind of book that you pick up and immediately want to start cooking from, the kind of book that is going to end up dog eared all over and the kind of book that will probably never make it onto your bookshelf because it will be living in your kitchen!

So do yourself a favour and go and pre-order this book because I can’t recommend it enough and I’m not sure that I’ve done it justice in this review!

Luckily for you though I have been given permission to giveaway ONE copy of this fantastic book to a lucky reader! For your chance to win a copy of ‘The Zenbelly Cookbook – An Epicurean’s Guide to Paleo Cuisine’ just follow the steps in the widget below… oh and this is an international prize draw!

N.B. The winner will be chosen on Friday 8th, August 2014 and will be notified by email. They will have 24 hours to claim the prize before I draw a new winner.

GOOD LUCK!

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Nazanin Kovacs