Disclaimer: I received a copy of the e-book directly from the author and did not receive any monetary compensation for the review. My opinions are entirely personal. This post contains affiliate links.
I was a voracious reader growing up, reading fiction books on a daily basis. Somehow, those days are now behind me ever since i moved to Canada. I find that cookbooks are taking the place of fiction in my reading time now, especially since I started my own family and also began food blogging. Cookbooks sure have evolved over time, and many can be considered works of art with their attractive photographs and fonts, and now e-cookbooks are popping up as well. You’ve got to love the portability! I love reading all sorts of cookbooks, even non-Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) or Paleo ones. I guess non-AIP cookbooks could be classified under the ‘fantasy’ category for me now?
One cookbook that’s not a fantasy but a wonderful dream turned into reality for its author is the Alternative Autoimmune Cookbook, by Angie Alt. Angie is the amazing woman behind the website Alt-ternative Autoimmune and a health coach at The Paleo Mom Consulting to boot, guiding people to make the change towards a healthier lifestyle, with her signature SAD to AIP Program. Her website was one of the first AIP-focused sites I came across when starting on my own AIP journey and I was drawn to her honest writing and was also pretty impressed with the many hats she has worn to date! With her recent publication of the Alternative Autoimmune Cookbook, Angie has added another hat (or in this case, a pretty apron!) to her collection of life’s experiences – that of a cookbook author.
With help from her sister, Jenifer Beehler, she’s come up with a cookbook filled with more than 55 easy-to-follow recipes and delicious-looking dishes ranging from Kale and Pineapple Breakfast Skillet to Avocado Lime Hand Pie! For those who are not familiar with the Paleo or AIP method of eating, and are feeling intimidated by the thought of venturing out of their comfort zone, you may be assured that the cookbook features recipes familiar and approachable, yet nutrient dense at the same time. Majority of the ingredients called for in the recipes are easily procured at farmers’ markets, supermarkets or online. The first recipe that I made with ingredients I had on hand was the Pork and Sprouts Breakfast Skillet. It was so tasty and easy to cook up that I had difficulty stopping at one serving! That’s not a professional photo from the cookbook by the way, it was an amateur photo attempt by me but I hope you can see how tasty it looks.
My review is of the e-book version of the cookbook. I personally gravitate towards print cookbooks and am just starting to collect e-books, but was struck by the easy-to-read layout plus the beautiful and fresh colours used throughout the e-book. I like how Angie’s cookbook is well laid out and interspersed with her personal AIP notes between the recipe chapters, giving the cookbook a human touch. She’s not afraid to write about her feelings, be they negative or positive. For anyone newly diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and wanting to jump into the AIP, searching for recipes that are AIP-compliant can be confusing, daunting and even despairing. Many a times I find myself feeling discouraged when faced with recipes in Paleo cookbooks that look so appealing to me but are not AIP-friendly at all. With the Alternative Autoimmune Cookbook, Angie’s personal stories allows one to connect and feel less alone in having such feelings. It’s so much more than just a cookbook, it’s a source of encouragement and inspiration.
Another interesting aspect of the cookbook is the Elimination Phase section. When I went AIP, I did it cold turkey, but it’s definitely not for everyone. This is where the elimination phase comes in really handy. Angie guides the reader along, advising on what to eliminate on a week-by-week basis. There is also a concise Reintroduction Guide and food journal template, which come in handy as her cookbook also features recipes with reintroductory food ingredients. These recipes are clearly labelled and are great for when one is ready to do reintroductions.
Remember the Avocado Lime Hand Pies I mentioned earlier? Angie has generously shared this recipe so here it is:
- Filling
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1½ tablespoons lime juice
- ¼ cup honey
- Crust
- ¾ cup tapioca flour
- ¾ cup coconut flour
- ¾ cup palm shortening
- ⅛ cup turbinado sugar (also called raw sugar)
- 1 ripe banana
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Put all filling ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put all crust ingredients in a food processor and process until dough forms. Dust rolling pin with tapioca flour. Roll out dough on parchment paper to ⅛ inch thickness. Using a large round cookie cutter, cut out as many rounds as possible. Set aside. Reshape dough and cut again, repeating until all dough is used.
- In center of 1 round, place 1 generous spoonful of filling. Place second round on top of first. Press around edges to close crust and then flute with a fork. Poke top of round with a fork. Repeat until all rounds are filled. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake 25-30 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
The only minor issue I can think of is the lack of recipes featuring offal. Often touted as a nutrient dense food, it’s unfortunately not as mainstream as meats are, and as such AIP-friendly recipes featuring offal tend to be harder to come by. I’m personally not used to eating offal and hence would have welcomed more AIP-safe offal recipes, although I’m certain that those averse to offal wouldn’t mind the least!
Apart from that, I find the ease of usage and preparation of recipes featured in the cookbook makes it a great option for planning busy weekday meals that can appeal to families. I believe that this is one cookbook with recipes that many will put into their meal rotations regularly.
The Alternative Autoimmune Cookbook is available in both e-book and print format.
