Bejelly - Paleo Eats: 111 Comforting Gluten-Free, Grain-Free and Dairy-Free Recipes for the Foodie in You

First published in 2014 by Victory Belt Publishing Inc.

Copyright 2014 Kelly Moore

All rights reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission from the publisher.

ISBN-13: 978-1-628600-79-7

This book is for entertainment purposes. The publisher and author of this cookbook are not responsible in any manner whatsoever for any adverse effects arising directly or indirectly as a result of the information provided in this book.

Interior design by Yordan Terziev and Boryana Yordanova

Cover portrait and photos on by Crystal Genes Photography

Printed in the U.S.A.

RRD 0114

To my son, The Little

You turned my world right-side up, drew flowers all over the walls with purple crayons, and then left muddy handprints on my heart. Thank you for choosing me to be part of your journey.

For my first few years as a Paleo eater, I didnt think I had an ounce of foodie in me. I was lucky if I could figure out how to grill a hamburger. Organic ketchup covers all manner of food-related sins, right?

It was even worse prior to Paleo. Long before I became brave enough to fire up the grill, I relied heavily on prepackaged junk for the majority of my mealsincluding junk disguised as health food that made me believe I was doing something good for myself. Id eat a packet of berries-and-cream-flavored instant oatmeal for breakfast, a healthy whole-grain meal-replacement bar for lunch, and a weight-loss-branded microwave meal for dinner, followed, of course, by a pint of soy ice cream, a few of my roommates low-calorie snack packs, and several hours of wallowing in my own diet failures. My indulgences were low-carb packaged treats that tasted of cardboard and nightmares, and the concept of comfort food struck fear into my heart.

When I started Paleo, I saw incredible improvements in my skin, hair, body composition, and self-image from ditching all that prepackaged junk, but I still viewed food in a context of punishment and slip-ups. Enjoying rich, robust food, even the Paleo-friendly kind, still felt... well, wrong, and comfort food remained a fearsome, dirty term.

It was years before I truly understood that good, rich, flavorful food isnt to be feared, that we can nourish ourselves while enjoying the food that fuels us, and that feeding the senses with well-made, comforting food doesnt have to mean weeks of guilt and atonement. I have people like Kelly Bejelly to thank for that realization. The tagline of her website is Paleo cooking from the heart, and she lives up to that motto in Paleo Eats.

My first encounter with Kellys blog, A Girl Worth Saving, came at the perfect time. I had begun to suspect that I could actually enjoy robust, flavorful, Paleo-friendly food without feeling guilty, and that I could make it myself without having to douse it in ketchup, but I was in dire need of a community of like-minded people. Kelly wasted no time bringing me into the fold of a group of healthy, creative foodies who enjoyed amazing, comforting, delicious food in good health. Inspiring people, for sure!

I found a kindred spirit in Kelly. She loves food, and she loves to share that love with others, but she also has very little patience for overly complicated, tricky recipes where the work outweighs the reward. Her simple, fresh, easy recipes do what food should do: keep us healthy, nourish our bodies, activate all our senses, and thereby feed our souls.

Kelly once told me, There are few things that stimulate all five senses like food doesno wonder it's a love affair for so many people. The recipes in this book, from Coconut Cinnamon Cereal and Banana Pancakes to Apple Fritters, Southern Fried Chicken, Green Bean Casserole, and Kitchen Sink Cookies, are simply perfection, feeding not just the body but all the senses and the soul. Kelly creates such awesome flavor profiles that even kids, as picky as they can sometimes be, love her recipes!

The challengeone that Kelly tackles head-on in this bookis helping people realize that this love affair with food isnt wrong, dangerously indulgent, or too much work; in fact, its as easy and as healthy as it is delicious. Whats more, a foodie doesnt have to be a person who loves complex recipes, fancy ingredients, and complicated cooking techniques. A foodie is a person just like me (and just like you!) who loves, respects, and enjoys good food.

Kelly shows us these truths deliciously and simply on every page of Paleo Eats. Youll love this book!

Can you imagine spending the rest of your life without experiencing the simple joy of a cookie? I cant. I may have saved myself from a host of mental and physical complaints when I adopted a Paleo diet, but that didnt mean I was willing to turn my back on my memories of cooking up something sweet in the kitchen with my mom. I will never forget that cake is a must-have for any birthday or that pizza can make family night just a tad more special.

Happy food memories are as much a part of me as my eye color, but in 2009, when my health was failing me and I heard the word prediabetic