Macri - Eat drink paleo cookbook: over 110 paleo-inspired recipes for everyone

First published in the United States of America in 2016 by Chronicle Books LLC.
First published in Australia in 2013 by Penguin Random House Australia.

Text and photographs copyright 2013 by Irena Macri.
Illustrations copyright 2013 by Carla Hackett.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

ISBN 978-1-4521-6197-6 (epub, mobi)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available.
ISBN 978-1-4521-5223-3 (pb)

Designed by Carla Hackett
Food and prop styling by Irena Macri
Typesetting by D.C. Type

Chronicle Books LLC
680 Second Street
San Francisco, California 94107
www.chroniclebooks.com

Thank you for purchasing my cookbook. The fact that you did means that you and I are very much alikewe enjoy good food; we care about our well-being; we love to cook; and we have fun in the kitchen and outside of it. Perhaps youre not all of the above, but I bet we could be friends. So let me introduce myself and tell you a little story of how this cookbook came to be.

It all started in May 2012, when I quit my corporate job to pursue a passionread: obsessionfor cooking and all the other things that qualify me as a life-long foodie. Yes, I know, there are millions of other people who share the same passionhello, MasterChef and Food Networkbut Im talking about a slightly different fixation. What I have, and Ive had it ever since I cooked my first dish in my grandmothers kitchen, is an insatiable desire to play with foodto whisk it, mold it, whip it, sizzle it, and drizzle it till the cows come home. For a long time now, Ive seen the kitchen as a playground where I can create and let my instincts go wild, where I can experiment and where I dont follow instructions. Its a feeling of wanting everyone else to see cooking through my eyes, and to show that its completely normal to get stupidly excited about a truffle or a piece of amazing grass-fed beef or waking up in the middle of the night to write down a recipe I just dreamt about because I feel like its the most brilliant one Ive ever come up with and everyone will love it.

This inner vocation slowly grew into a nebulous dream, but for a long time I didnt know what to do with it. I left it there like a reserve batter, benched by the side of the playing field. I kept looking for an outlet, something to pour my passion for food into. I thought about going to a culinary school, opening my own wine bar or caf, starting a catering businessand, yes, maybe for just one second, I imagined going on MasterChef or some other cooking contest. None of it sat well in my head or in my heart. I like to believe Im a live-in-the-moment, be-free, make-your-own-rules kind of gal, and I just couldnt commit. Then I discovered paleo, a diet and lifestyle I will touch on in the next chapter, and everything fell into place. I found a way to combine my passion for cooking with my skills and background in digital media, and created something that allowed me to play by my own rules. My web site, Eat Drink Paleo, was born.

Focusing on paleo was a no-brainer for meI was getting into the lifestyle and feeling fantastic as a result, and I was cooking a bunch of great food and trying new ingredients. At the same time, there was a lack of exciting, paleo-friendly recipes around. It was a perfect combinationan opportunity to unleash my culinary experiments and kitchen prowess; to learn and, consequently, educate others on how to feel great by eating real, delicious food. In addition, I felt the need to demystify paleo as a diet, which I thought was perceived as a fad or as a boring, impractical, restrictive, and meat-heavy way of eating. I knew firsthand that it doesnt have to be that way and that my approachflexible, affirmative, and personalwas an easier way to integrate the paleo diet into ones life.

For nine months, Id developed, tested, and photographed paleo-inspired recipes for my site, building a community, educating myself, and advocating good nutrition and healthier lifestyle habits. My audience grew quickly, and I knew I was on to something. You know youre doing something right when you start receiving emails and comments from real people telling you they had a fabulous dinner with their family thanks to your recipes, or that your content and passion inspires them on their journey.

I realized that Id found a way to connect.

Making a cookbook was a natural progression. I had so many fantastic recipes in my head, and I really wanted to produce something that was different from what was available. I envisioned a cookbook that reflects my 80/20 philosophy, showcases real food and natural ingredients, and screams cooking is fun!

My 80/20 philosophy... screams cooking is fun!

This cookbook is direct from the heart of someone who really loves to cook. Its been created in a very small kitchen, using basic equipment and common ingredients, demonstrating that the recipes can be cooked by pretty much anyone. Its also special because it was originally self-published and made possible by many friends and strangers who believed in my crazy dream and gave me an unbelievable opportunity to share it with you.