ChihYu Smith - Asian Paleo: Easy, Fresh Recipes to Make Ahead or Enjoy Right Now from I Heart Umami

Chicken Yakisoba, page

Low-Carb Scallion Pancakes, page

I GREW UP IN KAOHSIUNG, TAIWAN, A SEAPORT TOWN IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE ISLAND. Both sides of my family immigrated to Taiwan from China after World War II. To a Chinese family, food means everything and is the center of our daily life. As in so many modern families, both my parents were working professionals; still, even without much time to cook, my mom managed to prepare fresh and nutritious homemade meals for my brother and me every single day. So, quick yet healthy meals were a huge part of my early life.

Years later, I moved to New York City for graduate school and met my husband, Nate. I landed a very demanding job and was attending grad school at night, and although I cooked occasionally on the weekend, most nights we would order takeout. Getting home for dinner around ten p.m. and eating greasy delivery food with tons of carbs and thick sauces that were either too salty or too sweet, I noticed that not only was I starting to gain weight, but I also felt bloated, sluggish, and tired all the time.

After a couple of years, I was sick of feeling this way, so I started setting a little time aside to make homemade meals a higher priority for my husband and me. I started bringing healthier food to work and making smarter choices when I ordered takeout.

I stumbled upon the Paleo world completely by accident. I was searching for health food trends and discovered the word Paleo. At the time I didnt know what it meant and thought it was just another trend that would soon burn out. Yes, I was skeptical at first. All I wanted was to look younger and feel fitter while feeding my family delicious, honest, good food without spending too much time in the kitchen. But soon I realized that Paleo was not just another fad diet that would leave me hungry or a quick weight-loss solution without long-term results. Paleo has taught me how to balance my diet and what food makes me feel my best, gives me the most energy, and is less likely to cause sugar cravings or sudden blood sugar spikes and crashes. Thinking about food in this way has also taught me to be a responsible consumer when it comes to food: to get to know local farmers and small business owners and support ethical, sustainable farming.

When I adopted the Paleo lifestyle, I wanted to make food that was best optimized for our health, using nutrient-dense, minimally processed ingredients, high-quality protein, and fiber to keep us nourished, and low-carbohydrate foods and no added sugar to help regulate our blood sugar level. I also wanted to replicate what I grew up eating with my mom and my grandmother in Taiwan, but without relying on store-bought bottles filled with unnatural and unnecessary ingredients. I wanted to make food that wasnt filled with sugar and gloopy, shiny starch that, collectively, sends our health on a downward spiral.

With Paleo, I lost unwanted body fat and no longer felt sluggish after lunch. These changes inspired me to start my own blogand now to write my first cookbookso I can help other people feel the same way. Most important, I want to share how delicious, fun, and exciting meals in an Asian-inspired Paleo kitchen can be.

On my blog, I Heart Umami, I share Asian-inspired Paleo, Whole30, and Keto recipes. My taste buds are naturally drawn to savory flavors (umami means savory deliciousness in Japanese), and I Heart Umami became my channel to share my own, Paleo-friendly take on the foods I grew up eating. I also started a meal-planning program called Cook Once Eat All Week, where I help families to plan healthy, nutritious, and delicious Paleo meals that fit into their lives realistically.

We all have our own definitions of what healthy means. So, Im not here to preach. But if youre reading this book, chances are youre curious, or maybe longing for a happier, healthier you, and wrestling with a subject matter that can be emotional for all of us: food. Homemade meals made from scratch are a form of love. They remind us of family and culture, and show us where we came from. Meals dont need to be complicated or sophisticated, or use obscure ingredients. Think of cooking as a fun opportunity to experiment, create, follow your imagination, and find your own definition of healthy. I hope this book will open the door to a wide variety of Asian-inspired flavors and awaken your taste buds in your everyday cooking.

I created these dishes based on my memories of growing up in Taiwan, where the cuisine is so diverse, with influences from neighboring countries, including China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines. These recipes reflect who I am and where I came from, but since I have been living in the States for almost twenty years, youll find that the ingredients I use are easy to find (see page for the staples of my Asian-inspired Paleo pantry).

All the recipes are free of gluten, wheat, rice, grains, dairy, soy, and added sugar. I use coconut aminos to replace soy sauce or tamari; fish sauce and shiitake mushrooms to add extra savory umami taste; apples and other fruit to add natural sweetness. Youll find my love for using aromatics (garlic, ginger, shallots, scallions) to make my dishes so flavorful and so fragrant sets these dishes apart from others. I even went one step further to make the recipes in this cookbook Whole30-friendly, by excluding what even Paleo practitioners consider healthy sweetenershoney, coconut sugar, and maple syrupbecause if theres a way to achieve an equally delicious (if not even better) flavor without added sweeteners, why not share that option?

THIS BOOK HAS FIVE SECTIONS:

WEEKNIGHT BFF

These are dishes that take no time (and little prep time) to make. They are my familys go-to weeknight dinners, nutrient-dense and full of flavor. They include Protein-Packed Fluffy Egg Drop Soup, Paleo Chicken Katsu, Healthy Teriyaki Chicken, Beef and Broccoli, Thai-Inspired Paleo Salmon Cakes, and more.

BATCH COOKING PERFECT

This chapter includes recipes that are perfect for batch-cooking in advance, such as Vietnamese Brisket Pho, Sweet-and-Sour Chicken, and Chinese Pepper Steak. My notes and tips for making ahead will save you tons of time during the work week.

WEEKEND FUN

These dishes are perfect for entertaining. From Chicken Yakisoba (Japanese-inspired stir-fry noodles) to Filipino Skirt Steak and Cauliflower Fried Rice, these dishes are perfect for brunch and movie nights, and are fun for the entire family to make.

EASY ADD-ONS

These add-ons range from vegetables and side dishes, such as Shiitake Mushroom and Baby Bok Choy Stir-Fry, to good carbohydrates, such as Smoky Curly Sweet Potato Noodle Fries. They are great plug-in dishes that will go well with any of the main dishes in this book.

FLAVOR POP

I Heart Umami sauces is a collection of my favorite healthy homemade sauces that will take a dish from ordinary to fabulous! Youll find my signature sauces: Sesame Chicken Sauce, Umami Dim Sum Dumpling Dipping Sauce, Teriyaki Sauce, and more.