Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Volume 1)

Michelle Tam and Henry Fong have hit it out of the park with their cookbook, Food for Humans. Whether or not you are Paleo, this cookbook teaches you about ingredients to stock in your cabinets and refrigerator, tools to have in your kitchen, and the rationale behind using particular flavor combinations and techniques. The photos are gorgeous, the cartoons are witty, and the book's heft and high quality production (complete with a ribbon bookmark!) make reading and handling the book enjoyable. Michelle Tam is an excellent teacher. When I began eating paleo two years ago, Michelle Tam's website was the one I found most appealing. I had never really cooked before -- instead I foraged for pre-made food at grocery stores -- and some of the recipes looked beyond my skill level. But Michelle broke down every single step into an easy-to-follow process and 100% of the time, the resulting food tasted amazing. I cannot say the same about recipes I found on other paleo recipe websites. Because of how Michelle teaches her readers what to do in the kitchen, I now prepare delicious meals for my family and never buy pre-made food. The photos in Food for Humans are gorgeous and make every step of the cooking process clear. For those of us who are still learning to cook, the photos of each step are more instructional than a photo of the final product. Now to the recipes. The kalua pork is a staple in our house and the flavor is out of this world. Fiona's grilled green chicken is delicious, the pork-tastic meatloaf is substantial and delicious, and the stew is next on my list to make. The mayo recipe and variations are wonderful. I could go on and on, but I know that every recipe is going to be terrific. As a parent, the section on paleo lunches is much appreciated. If you are looking for a cookbook that not only gives you recipes bursting with flavor but also teaches you how to prepare food for yourself and your family, this is the book to buy. It is amazing. And funny.

Let me just start by saying that I’m generally ANTI-trendy food fads. I ruthlessly mock people who jump on these bandwagons. In my head, anyway. But having a toddler diagnosed with life threatening food allergies at 9 months called for some very intense soul (and recipe) searching! Dairy is her biggest one, followed by peanuts (and PEAS/anything with pea protein which is a common additive in dairy-free items) and wheat. Which means I’m constantly searching for gluten and dairy-free recipes and foods (since most grains are processed on the same equipment, it's just easier to go gluten free though gluten isn’t the protein she’s allergic to.) Anyway, I wanted a non-sanctimonious paleo cookbook and this definitely fits the bill! I’m sitting and actually reading it cover to cover and love how it’s arranged, both on a macro level and each specific recipe. I love how they explain the reasoning behind ingredient choices because I’m not usually one to follow recipes. I like to understand WHY something is being done so that I can improvise and make things up/substitute as I go along. And lastly, I really like the TONE of the book. It’s informal and chatty. The way you want to learn, frankly. No one wants to be dictated to. We want to be talked to. These two achieve that balance between imparting knowledge (teaching you) without LECTURING or being rigid. I just gave up on a paleo cookbook because it just felt like I wasn’t “allowed” to eat ANYTHING and I was being imprisoned in a bunch of sanctimonious & dogmatic rules whereas with this book, since I’m someone who loves to improvise and use lots of spices and “weird” bits like capers and anchovies, I love how they highlight how these kinds of things add flavor and zest to foods and I don’t have to get a bunch of unappetizing things that don’t appeal to me or eat bland gruel. Two thumbs up for this book!

I bought the second one first, and fell in love with it, so I had to buy this, too. Another fantastic book! They’re outstanding flavorists, and the food leaves you feeling terrific! Pictured below: 1) Big-O Bacon Burgers – p 226 in Roasted Portobello Mushrooms – p 144 with Paleo Mayo (added roasted garlic and fresh basil to it) – p 40, Caramelized Onions – p 38, Roasted Bell Peppers – p 39, lettuce, and tomato. Delicious! You need no side dish with that fella! I couldn’t even finish mine, and I’m an eater. 2-3) Furikake Eggs – p 126. The bacon lardons aren’t supposed to be there, but I add them to this if I have them in my fridge. :D The whites are just set, and the yolks are perfectly runny. Love this method. She has a single serving in an 8” skillet, so I pulled out a 15” skillet to make the recipe for four. I don’t have them, but if you had fajita pans with underliners, this would be a killer second use for them. You could toss them all on a big sheet pan, and make individual servings for everybody with perfect timing like a breakfast rock star. Nice. 4) Spicy Coconut Shrimp – p 176 and Coconut Pineapple “Rice” – p 157. Tropical heaven on a plate. 5) Super Porktastic Meatloaf – p 243 and Garlic Mashed Cauliflower – p 155. Super yummy. People were happy. Save a cup of the garlic mashed cauliflower. They’re an ingredient in the meatballs in the next picture. 6) Polpette di Vitello – p 211 and Broccoli Bagna Cauda – p 148. Yes! The meatballs are delicious, and the garlicky, anchovied, lemony broccoli is over the top. I’ll have to double the broccoli in this house next time. 7) Yankee Pot Roast – p 218. So tender and delicious! My kids loved this one. About 20 minutes are hands-on, and then into the oven for 3-4 hours. 8) Walnut Prawns – p 173 with Maple Spiced Walnuts – p 67 and Winter Kale and Persimmon Salad – p 94. The walnut prawns were super rich and I’d double the recipe for the maple spiced walnuts next time because they’re a total kid-pleasing nibble. The sweet permissions and earthy kale were the perfect balance for the prawns. 9) Kabob Koobideh – p 214. Awesome. The smell of those on the grill brought the teenagers outside in the cold. They instruct to elevate the kabobs between two bricks, but because I may have been impatient and only went with half the fridge resting time, I just went with a grill mat with nonstick spray and that worked just fine. 10) Mulligatawny Soup – p 110. Great flavor and totally produce filled. Some others I have flagged to try: Brussels Sprouts Chips – p 70 * Apple Chips – p 71 * Kale Chips – p 73 * Bacon and Guacamole Sandwiches – p 83 * Salad Lyonnaise – p 96 * Classic Coleslaw – p 99 * Pistachio Apple Salad – p 100 * Fast Pho – p 106 * West Lake Soup – p 108 * Curried Cream of Broccoli Soup – p 113 * Carrot and Cardamom Soup – p 115 * Watermelon Gazpacho – p 116 * Uova in Purgatorio – p 132 * Prosciutto Wrapped Frittata Muffins – p 134 * Chinese Egg Foo Young – p 136 * Eggplant “Ricotta” Stacks – p 141 * Zoodles – p 143 * Kabocha Wedges – p 145 * Cavolini al Forno – p 146 * Pressure Cooker Spicy Collards and Bacon – p 151 * Asian Cauliflower Fried “Rice” – p 161 * Shrimp and Watermelon Skewers – p 178 * Fried Salmon Patties – p 180 * Fiona’s Green Chicken – p 193 * Chicken Nuggets – p 195 * Kabab Koobideh – p 215 * Smashed Steak Skewers with Cherry Barbecue Sauce – p 220 * Southwest Cowboy Chili – p 224 * Vietnamese Lettuce Cups I’ll update this as I play in the book more.

I only have two of my several cookbooks on my countertop that I use daily and this is definitely one of them. The book is very informative and I wish I had had this when I began cooking because it is extremely instructional in the basics. The recipes are easy to follow and have beautiful pictures to inspire you and to show you step by step. That works great for someone like me that is visual learner. My kids are in love with this cookbook! Their favorite is Phionas chicken! Not sure I spelled that correctly. But it's delicious! As for me I just love it all it's hard to pick only one as my favorite. I will tell you how that ranch dressing recipe is the best I have ever made and it is very easy to make. A little bit of a warning with the salt. Be aware if you're using kosher well grinded or diamond cut salt or you will end up with extremely salty food like I did in the beginning. I watch Michelle on Facebook live on Wednesday evenings and that's where I learned about the different salts she uses. Perhaps it was in the book somewhere and I forgot about that. I think she may mention it somewhere in her book but I don't remember. I am anxiously waiting for the new cookbook! I am also getting one for my best friend.

Wow, I'm impressed. I had had some reservations because I religiously follow her blog, and I have the ipad cookbook, but the majority of the recipes are unique to the cookbook, and these recipes seem better than the blog recipes. For me, the blog recipes are a bit too basic and not challenging enough most of the time ( though I still do like them a lot) but there were a lot of recipes here that really piqued my interest. Particularly the soups, egg dishes, and veggie dishes were really interesting. I love the asian recipes too, because asian food is pretty intimidating to me, but she makes it easy! I can't wait to make a thai omelette. I still wish there were more recipes that were more show-stopping and required more effort/prep. I like easy recipes, but not always. I'm still waiting for the paleo cookbook that isn't dominated by roasted veggies and seared meat, I guess. I was kind of surprised how old school paleo the recipes were. 0 dairy, potatoes, etc. because on the blog it's clear she eats full fat dairy and potatoes. I would've liked to have seen some recipes with those ingredients. The book is eye-popping. The cover alone is gorgeous. The photos are SO good. Some things I would've liked to have seen are conversion instructions - I don't have a slow cooker and I don't like using my pressure cooker - sorry the food does NOT come out as good, so how do I make the kahlua pork :( ? Also freezing instructions for foods that require a lot of effort would be amazing. If sriracha only lasts a week there's no way I'm going to that much trouble. One more gripe is that many of the recipes call for marinating.. Marinating doesn't work! Well, it doesn't do anything more than basting the meat with the sauce immediately before cooking. I think the cookbook is very good, and I will be buying it for people I'm trying to convert to paleo. Some of the recipes - chicken nuggets, eggs in purgatory, etc. are much more interesting than others (roasted sweet potatoes). I'll be making many of these recipes, and I'm sure some are excellent, but I'm still waiting for a show stopper that doesn't require a slow-cooker!

I'd forgotten I'd pre-ordered this book back in August, so when it arrived it was almost like a holiday gift from Amazon (any of you remember those early days when Amazon sent out travel mugs to early adaptors?), except that I'd paid for it... It is an impressively hefty cookbook. First off, I will admit I'm not Paleo, although I do appreciate and use Paleo principles in meal planning. (I do eat dairy, some legumes, and rice in the context of Asian cooking.) Pros: the photos are nearly all extremely professional and make the food jump right off the page and onto your plate. Some you can almost smell cooking. You don't have to be Paleo or even Primal to appreciate the recipes in this book. This is a book where taste and healthy cooking reign together. Topics are well-organized: Introduction (why Paleo works; what is red-light, yellow-light, green-light foods, basic chef principles applicable to all cuisines, food and seasonings to stock, kitchen tools); building blocks (condiments, dressings, stock, and other things that are referred to a lot in the full-fledged recipes to follow); Nibbles (chips and quick finger food); Salads and Soups: Eggs; Plants; Seafood; Poultry; Meat; Treats. The authors like mushrooms. A LOT. (So do I... you can leave them out if you don't.) Mushrooms provide that savory umami to so many dishes, and I'm glad to expand my shroom repetoire, and I will make a variant of that Powdered Magic Mushroom seasoning (with less salt than she calls for, as some foods don't need added salt - even if others do). The seafood section is extensive. The treats section is not, which is a good thing. Directions are clear, and many recipes include ways to adapt to what you might have on hand. They are raising two small boys -- there are practical ideas for transitioning kids over to healthy eating; and suggestions for their lunchboxes. They note that it is a good idea to keep the kids in the loop on home made school lunches. If they have say on their choice of healthy items, this increases the chance they'll actually eat the stuff. (A lot of the dressings and such covered in this book were inspired by feeding their children -- this is a truly family-friendly cook book. I liked the personal touch, and the cartoons drawn by Melissa's husband, Henry Fong. I like Melissa Tam's honesty about failures and successes. In the hardcover, at least, this book is well-indexed. And it may be too early to tell, but the binding on this book is good when it comes to being able to open the book up and really cook from it. A big plus. AND the print size is large enough to look at from a kitchen counter distance, even for us taller and getting-older folk. Cons: (NOTE, none of these were sufficient for me to remove a star, but potential buyers might wish to know: True basics like zucchini noodles or tomato basil salad don't really need a two-page spread, even if the photos are delectable. But, they don't... I tried the poached egg suggestions. While they aesthetically look better than my usual, they're still not up to the level indicated by the photography. (But they taste good...) Some may find the number of photos of their children off-putting. They probably should have used less, but they are indeed rather adorable children. (Who will eventually, as noted in the book, be embarrassed once they turn into their teens...) Final thoughts: The book is new at my home, but so far their Citrus Vinaigrette was awesome over my arugula/red leaf lettuce/watercress/leek salad, and over their Crab Louie (I opted not to use their Remoulade dressing in favor of the viniagrette, whether or not authentic to the spirit of Crab Louie). Whole Roasted Branzini will feature at my Feast of the Seven Fishes tomorrow. I'm dying to try Korean Short Ribs, West Lake Soup, Slow Pho, Curried Cream of Broccoli Soup, and Crispy Gizzard Confit. PS: This review says it is for the Kindle Edition. I actually have the hardcover.

Like others, I've been a follower of the Nom Nom blog for quite some time & pre-ordered this ages ago. So yeah, there was a lot to live up. And boy...does it ever! Michelle Tam herself is a cookbook collector. Even if she were not the author of this one, I'm sure it'd be her new favourite. It's high quality, luxurious & oh so fun to read. While I've only had it in my hands for 2 days now, I can safely say this is my absolute favourite cookbook. It reads like a book (a hilarious one) & the recipes range from easy-peasy (oven-baked sweet potatoes) to delicious but a bit more involved (Siu Yoke). While I haven't had a chance to make many of the recipes from the book yet, I have used several of the Nom Nom Paleo app & website recipes & they always come out beautifully. Some of my favs include many of the simple recipes: perfect hard-boiled eggs (really - they do turn out "perfect"!), oven-roasted sweet potatoes / portabello mushrooms, spicy collards & bacon, brussel sprout chips. I can almost guarantee that you will not be disappointed in the quality of the recipes you will make from Nom Nom. But there's so much more beyond the recipes... One thing I've noticed in the Paleo community is that many of the cookbook authors / web bloggers are childfree and many make their living by blogging / creating cookbooks. I think that's wonderful (and probably enough work in & of itself) but as a working out of the home professional & mom of a preschooler & toddler, it's hard not to love the Nom Nom family that much more. When I feel stressed after a long day of work & would love to order a pizza or two, I think WWNND (What Would Nom Nom Do)? :) If a mom of two / night shift pharmacist / food blogger / cookbook author (I'm getting tired just thinking about it - it's no wonder she has her own action figure :)) whose husband is a busy lawyer can whip up a healthy, from scratch dinner for her family, why can't I? And that's why, for me, a full page photo of her son makes this cookbook all the more approachable & warm. Not to mention funny. The numerous photos of Michelle staring at cakes throughout the years is priceless! Love this. An easy 5+ star book.

I must admit, my experience with Paleo cookbooks is limited. This is actually the second one I have read. Even before reading, my experience with the Paleo lifestyle was limited to hearsay about a cousin's ex-husband "Going Paleo and losing a lot of weight.". I had dismissed the Paleo lifestyle as yet another lose weight quick diet. I mean, you can only eat bacon for so long before getting tired of it, amirite? I came across Nom Nom Paleo while looking for a recipe on making kale chips. I spent the next two hours reading through the website. Then I discovered they had just put out a cookbook. I ordered a copy. I'm glad I did. Nom Nom Paleo is a must have for any cook's collection of cook and recipe books. It is a great, well rounded cookbook, period, whether you go Paleo or not. Michelle does a great job of presenting a moderate viewpoint on the Paleo lifestyle. She has turned me from a skeptic to someone accepting that this is a real lifestyle and not some fad that will involve eating nothing but bacon. This is a wonderful book to read if you are new to the concept of Paleo eating and want to learn more without being overwhelmed or intimidated. It's also a very well made cookbook. It's got a good satisfying heft to it that I was not expecting. It's chockablock full of information, recipes, comics and is such a fun book to read. It includes the following: Preface Introduction:My Kitchen Recipes:Food for Humans Chapter One: Building Blocks Chapter Two: Nibbles Chapter Three: Salads + Soups Chapter Four: Eggs Chapter Five: Plants Chapter Six: Seafood Chapter Seven: Poultry Chapter Eight: Meat Chapter Nine: Treats Where Credits Due Bibliography Metric Conversions + Equivalents Index I appreciate the focus on vegetables and animals and less on treats. If you are looking for a book to teach you how to make a Paleo version of cupcakes, pancakes, casseroles, or bread, look elsewhere. But if you are looking for a book that is a fun read with lots of great recipes to keep you fed, happy and healthy for breakfast, lunch, dinner,and yes the occasional treat, pick up this book.