Review and Giveaway: The Homegrown Paleo Cookbook by Diana Rogers and Andrew Rogers with Photographs by Heidi Murphy

I received an advanced review copy of this cookbook from Victory Belt Publishing.  Scroll down to the end of my review to win your own copy!  (US residents only).

My Review:
This book contains instructions for setting up your own garden, for raising various animals like chickens, ducks or rabbits, and for cooking with ingredients that are fresh and in season.  Last year we raised two breeds of our own ducks and we really enjoyed the experience.  It was fantastic to have our own, fresh supply of duck eggs.  We were looking at this book for ways to improve our duck pen and we got some great ideas for how to improve the home for our feathered friends.

Even if you are not interested in raising your own crops or animals, this is a fantastic cookbook for anyone interested in using fresh ingredients that are in season.  If you have a local farmer’s market or have a CSA farm share, this is an ideal book to consult for recipes. I had a hard time deciding which recipes to try.  The book is split into 3 parts: early, middle and late season crops.  I made recipes from the late harvest section since that is what I could easily find in the organic produce section of my local store.

The first dish I made from the cookbook was a Cajun Duck Stew with Andouille Sausage and Mushrooms.  The recipe originally called for rabbit instead of duck, but each recipe comes with suggestions for substitution of ingredients.  The blend of vegetables which included mushrooms, carrots, celery, red and green peppers was a perfect combination of sweet and spice.  The picture above is the vegetable mixture and when I plated the dish I laid the duck legs on top. The dark meat of the duck held up so well against the many flavors and spices of the vegetable blend.  My very picky 9 year old daughter also ate quite a bit of the duck, so this is a versatile recipe that the entire family will enjoy.

The next recipe I tried was the Provencal Seafood Chowder with Fennel and Tarragon.  I have experimented a few times this winter with making seafood chowders, but what really made this one special was the addition of the fennel.  I used scallops and cod for the fish and my family loved coming home to this warm, tasty soup on a cold day. The picture on the right features the seafood chowder with a garnish of fresh chives.  I think some grain free biscuits would be perfect for dipping in the soup as well.

The final recipe I attempted was the Butternut Stew with Pork and Spinach.  I had some ground pork left that we bought from the farmer in the fall.  In addition to the spinach, this recipe also called for a blend of fresh herbs such as mint, cilantro and basil.  These are not herbs that I have tried together in one recipe before, and they worked really well with the sweetness of the butternut squash.  It was nice to have a dish with bright colors even in winter.  I had enough leftovers from this meal to freeze for another dinner.

Overall, The Homegrown Paleo Cookbook is a great resource for anyone who wants more information about the paleo lifestyle and wants delicious, seasonal recipes.  This would be a great book to take along to the farmer’s market when it opens in the spring.

Giveaway:

The publisher is generously giving away a hardcopy of this book to one of my readers.  To enter, just leave a comment below and let me know if you have tried paleo or are thinking about trying it?  It’s that simple.  Open to US residents only.  The winner will be notified via e-mail and have 48 hours to respond with a valid US mailing address.

To learn more about the authors visit their website Sustainable Dish.