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A few months ago when Mickey Trescott announced that she was coming up with a second book I knew immediately that this one would be awesome and possibly be better than her first one, ‘The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook’. Mickey’s recipes are straight-forward and simple however they are always big on flavors and nutrition profile! One of the big components of the ‘Autoimmune Protocol’ or the AIP diet is nutrient density. It is not enough to just follow an elimination diet by eliminating all the possible offenders – dairy, gluten, soy, eggs, nightshades, nuts and seeds. It is equally necessary to consume a variety of nutrient dense foods. That is the basic principle of a healing diet where you omit the processed foods, the potential allergens and then nourish the body with a variety of natural foods which includes good quality meat and fish and a variety of vegetables and fruits. The variety and quality of foods that you eat are key to promote healing by supplying adequate levels of nutrients and by supporting beneficial gut flora.
And that is where ‘The Nutrient Density Kitchen’ scores high marks – it makes it easier to make regular highly nutrient dense meals in your own kitchen! First of all, let me start by telling you that this book is stunning! The pictures are so gorgeous. But then that is how real food looks like! Colorful and vibrant! Which means that by making the recipes from this book not only will you be feeding your family and friends delicious meals that are high on nutrient value, but you will be stunning them with the attractive dishes too. What a win-win that is!
The book has 125 AIP compliant recipes and with modifications for low FODMAP, low carb, ketogenic or coconut-free diets. This book is definitely a very practical and approachable resource to have in your AIP kitchen. Rest assured that Mickey’s tips will guide you to success!
Some of my favorite recipes from ‘The Nutrient Dense Kitchen‘
– Lamb Stew with celeriac and fresh herbs
– Sweet Potato Gnocchi
-Creamy Mushroom Soup with Bacon
-Hearty Chicken and Leek Soup
Even the sweet treats in the book all have fruits/berries/yoghurt in them making them a little more ‘healthier’ than just a sugary treat. And I especially want to make the ‘Vanilla Pound Cake with berries and yogurt glaze’ which looks so, so yum:)
This book is also more of a resource than just a cookbook. Mickey talks about specific nutrients – vitamins and minerals and how they are important for our body and then goes on to provide a nice summary table which lists each nutrient with the different foods where we can get them from. I thought that was really very neat!
The book also has meal plans – one for Spring/Summer and one for Fall/Winter complete with shopping lists as well! So in short this book gives you a lot of ammunition to start eating a nutrient dense diet!
Here’s a preview recipe for you guys of the ‘Hearty Chicken and Leek Soup’ from the book that I made this week! Enjoy!
- 2 tbsp solid cooking fat
- 2 leeks, dark ends removed , whites sliced ¼ inch thick
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 cups bone broth (5 cups for the Instant Pot version)
- 2 turnips, diced
- 4 carrots, diced
- 4 ribs celery, diced
- 1½ tsps sea salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 lbs boneless chicken thighs, cut into ¾ inch pieces
- 3 tbsps fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- Clean the leeks well and pat dry with a kitchen towel.
- Place the cooking fat in a large soup pot on medium heat. When the fat has melted, add the leeks and cook stirring for about 7 mins or until slightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 min or until fragrant.
- Add the broth, turnips, carrots, celery, salt and bay leaf to the pot. Turn heat to high, cover and bring to a boil. Turn to simmer and cook covered for 10 mins.
- Add the chicken and simmer for 20 mins. Then add the kale and simmer covered for 5 mins. Stir in the lemon juice and serve,
- Follow steps 1 and 2 above using the State function on the IP.
- Add the broth, the turnips, carrots, celery, salt, bay leaf and chicken to the IP. Close the lid and cook on high pressure for 10 mins.
- When the timer goes off, use the quick release method to release the pressure carefully. Stir in the Kale and lemon juice and serve.
