Danielle Walker - Everyday Comfort Food You Crave; Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, and Paleo Recipes

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

As the saying goes, it takes a village, and I cannot express enough gratitude to my village.

To my husband, Ryan, and our beautiful children, you are what I live for daily.

To our parents, for your taste-testing, dishwashing, cheerleading, and babysitting.

To Maria, for loving our children like your own and caring for them so well while we work.

To my AAG A-team, Sydney, Christina, and Barb, thank you for all of the assistance you provide with the day-to-day tasks of running my life: recipe testing, website, social media sites, and books. I quite literally could not do it without you!

To Julie Bennett, for having grace as I learn the ins and outs of real publishing, and for helping to streamline my often disorganized and overambitious ideas.

To Ashley Lima and all of the Ten Speed Press team, thank you for your continued support of my work and for working tirelessly to make this book beautiful, errorless, and just what my fans have been asking for.

To my photography team, Aubrie, Lillian, Besma, and Veronica, youd think spending almost three weeks straight with strangers would be taxing, but it was the most fun I had all year! Your positive energy, early-morning smiles, and late-afternoon patience was inspiring and made every photo-shoot day so enjoyable. Your work is impeccable, and I cant wait to get the gang back together for whatever the next book may be.

To Kari, for guiding me through the unfamiliar waters of publishing, being my bad-guy even though youre one of the nicest people I know, and for believing in my mission.

To my fabulous recipe testers, thank you for all of your feedback, constructive criticism, and praise. A special thank-you to Rob and his family, who have been trusted recipe testers for all four books now.

And to you, my readers. Whether you own one of my cookbooks, read my blog, or follow me on social media, I wouldnt be writing these books if it werent for your fervent requests for recipes and stories about finding healing through food. I look forward to releasing a book because it means getting to travel, to meet you all face to face, hear your stories, and give you a hug. Thank you for your continued support. If you keep those recipe requests coming, I will continue writing for you.

DANIELLE WALKER is the beloved author of three New York Times best-selling cookbooksAgainst All Grain, Meals Made Simple, and Celebrationsand the voice behind one of the most popular grain-free blogs on the Internet, againstallgrain.com. After being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and suffering for many years, Danielle found health through dietary changes. She has become a beacon of hope in the autoimmune and food allergy world, and has been a leader in the Paleo and gluten-free movement for nearly ten years. Danielle lives with her husband and three children in the San Francisco Bay Area.

BASICS

There is a reason why my parents used canned soups and packaged containers of sour cream rather than making homemade soup or fermenting cream themselves. It definitely takes some time to make these pantry items and adds quite a few extra steps to any recipe.

If you designate one day on the weekend as a prep day, you can get a lot of steps done in advance, and even store extras in the freezer, which makes those time-consuming dishes more realistic. It isnt always feasible for a busy person to make all of these items from scratch, so I have also listed my favorite store-bought versions with some of these recipes as a backup.

ALMOND MILK

EF, NSF, SCD

Commercial almond milks are pretty pricey, and many are full of additives. Almond milk is so simple to make at home with a blender and some cheesecloth, and homemade tastes much better.

Makes 4 cups

1 cup raw almonds

8 cups filtered water

teaspoon fine sea salt

Put the almonds in a bowl and add 4 cups of the filtered water and teaspoon of the salt. Soak at room temperature for at least 10 hours or up to overnight.

Drain and rinse the almonds, then transfer them to a blender and add the remaining 4 cups filtered water and teaspoon salt. Blend on low speed for 30 seconds, then on high speed for 1 to 2 minutes, until smooth.

Strain the milk through a fine-mesh sieve, a nut milk bag, or a double layer of cheesecloth. Squeeze to remove all of the liquid. Use immediately, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 days. Shake well before using.

Tidbits: If you plan to drink the almond milk on its own or use it for a sweet dish, add 1 to 3 small pitted dates to the blender to sweeten it naturally.

Other nuts can be substituted for the almonds to make a variety of nut milks. Try hazelnuts, walnuts, or pecans. For cashew milk, see .

Buy It: Use the unsweetened original version and look for brands with the fewest ingredients and no carrageenan or gums, such as New Barn.

BASIC CAULI RICE

EF, NF, NSF, SCD

Serve this as a substitute for rice. Its great with Thai Yellow Curry ().

Makes about 3 cups

1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets

1 tablespoon ghee or extra-virgin olive oil

cup diced yellow onion

1 clove garlic, minced

teaspoon fine sea salt

Place the cauliflower in a food processor fitted with the grating attachment, or use the large holes on a box grater, and process the florets into rice-size pieces. Pick out any large fragments that didnt shred and chop them up by hand with a knife or save for another use.

Melt the ghee in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saut for 5 minutes, until the onion has softened. Add the cauliflower rice to the pan and saut for 5 minutes.

Add cup water and the salt and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook for 15 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender and the liquid has been absorbed.

Variation: To make a Mexican rice version, substitute Chicken Bone Broth () for the water and stir in cup chopped tomatoes with their juices, cup canned chopped green chiles, and teaspoon ground cumin before cooking for 15 minutes. Top with chopped fresh cilantro.

BBQ SAUCE

EF, NF, SCD

Keep this BBQ sauce in your refrigerator to add a punch of flavor and spice up leftovers.

Makes 3 cups

2 to 4 ounces pitted Deglet Noor dates (12 to 17 small dates)

2 cups tomato puree

cup apple cider vinegar

cup tomato paste

2 tablespoons coconut aminos (see Tidbits)

2 teaspoons fish sauce

1 teaspoons natural liquid smoke

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

teaspoon cayenne pepper

teaspoon minced garlic

teaspoon onion powder

teaspoon ground allspice

teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Place the dates in a small bowl and add enough boiling water to cover. Soak for 15 minutes. Drain the dates and place them in a blender with cup fresh water and all of the remaining ingredients. Blend on high speed until smooth, about 1 minute.

Pour the sauce into a pan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, until reduced by about half. Let the sauce cool to room temperature and place in an airtight container.

Store the sauce in the fridge for 2 weeks, or in the freezer for 4 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight before using.

Tidbits: To comply with SCD, omit the coconut aminos.

CASHEW MILK

EF, NSF, SCD

This is a thick version of cashew milk that works really well to thicken sauces or soups. If you purchase cashew milk, be aware that it usually contains additives to keep the milk thin and may not perform as well in these recipes.

Makes 5 cups