The Complete Gut Health Cookbook: Everything You Need to Know about the Gut and How to Improve YoursGet It

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The Complete Gut Health Cookbook

The Complete Gut Health Cookbook is one of those products that makes me glad I do reviews — because I wouldn’t have known about it otherwise, and it’s really good!  If you’ve been around here for a while, you know that gut health is important.  It spills over to virtually everything else.  But knowing it’s important, and knowing what to do about it are two different things.

The fact is, many of the traditional foods that are amazing for our guts have been largely lost with the industrialization of food.  They’re making a resurgence, but not many of us are familiar with and confident about making them.  We need some hand-holding as we learn.  This is what The Complete Gut Health Cookbook does — it “holds your hand” by providing specific recipes for making foods that heal and strengthen the gut.  It’s written by a chef, in cooperation with a nutritionist/naturopath, so you get the strengths of both of these fields.

What’s in It?

Well, recipes, obviously (and we’ll get to that in a minute), but there’s more to it than that.  The first section is a “gut health guide.” It talks about why gut health matters.  It details some of the foods that are healing for the gut, and why/how.  It even has a brief introduction to the autoimmune paleo protocol.  (There are other tips in this section, too, about ways to encourage healthy detoxification, etc.  It’s all very readable for a layperson, and it’s all spot-on.  Very good stuff!)  Then there’s a 4-week meal plan, which is really handy if you’re just getting started and want someone to “just tell you what to do.”

Then, of course, there are the recipes.

The Recipes

The recipes here are broken down into several categories.  We have ferments, broths and soups, light meals and snacks, main meals, sides, treats, drinks, and even home remedies (with safe, accurate use of essential oils)!  There’s good variety here, so there should be something for everyone.  Some of it is more “gourmet,” like Prawn Cocktail with Kimchi, and some of it is more “down home,” family cooking, like Terry Wahl’s Chicken Livers with Onion and Bacon.

It borrows heavily from a variety of cultures (think Vietnamese Nori Rolls and Spanish Seafood Soup).  And some of the recipes are quirkier than others, requiring more of an adventurous spirit (especially for those of us new to ferments and organ meats).  But there’s enough in here that’s not quite so adventurous to let us take baby steps.

The vast majority of the recipes are either AIP-friendly or have adaptations provided to make them so.

A Preview

With permission, I’m sharing a few recipes from the book.  I wanted to give you a peek at something pretty basic that makes a “building block” for other things (the yogurt) as well as a full-scale main dish (the soup).  And there’s a hot drink thrown in for good measure, to give you something healthy to warm up with on these cold days.

Coconut Yogurt (from canned coconut milk)

Pete Evans & Helen Padarin

This super yummy coconut yogurt is a really simple way to get good dairy-free fats and healthy probiotics into your diet. We make this once or twice a week and use it in smoothies, sprinkle it on top of our paleo muesli, or eat it straight out of the jar. Feel free to add in some spices, cacao, berries, or other types of in-season fruit that you love or some activated nuts and seeds (unless you’re doing AIP). If you want to get serious about yogurt-making, you might like to look for an electric yogurt maker or dehydrator that allows for at least twenty-four hours of fermentation time.

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Course Building Block

Ingredients

  

• 1 Tbsp. powdered gelatin
• 3 x 13.5-ounce cans 5 cups coconut milk
• 1 vanilla pod split and seeds scraped (opt.)
• 1 –2 Tbsp. honey maple syrup, or coconut sugar
• 2 probiotic capsules or 1/4 tsp. vegetable starter culture*
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice opt.
• *See Glossary

Instructions

 

• Note: For those doing AIP, natural sweetener is allowed in this recipe as it is needed for the fermentation process. The bacteria fermenting the coconut milk consume the sugar, not you.
• You’ll need a 1 -quart preserving jar with a lid for this recipe. Wash the jar and all utensils thoroughly in very hot soapy water, then run them through a hot rinse cycle in the dishwasher to sterilize.
• Put 3 tablespoons filtered water in a small bowl, sprinkle on the gelatin, and soak for 2 minutes.
• Combine the coconut milk and vanilla seeds (if using) in a saucepan and gently heat, stirring with a spoon, over medium-low heat until just starting to simmer (200°F,
if testing with a thermometer). Do not allow to boil. Immediately remove the pan from the heat. While still hot, mix in the gelatin mixture, then add the sweetener and mix well. Cover the pan with a lid and set aside to cool to lukewarm (100°F or less).
• Pour cup of the cooled coconut milk mixture into a sterilized bowl. Open the probiotic capsules (if using). Stir the probiotic powder or starter culture and lemon juice (if using) into the coconut milk in the bowl. Add the remaining coconut milk and mix well.
• Pour the coconut milk mixture into the sterilized jar and
seal the lid loosely. Ferment in a warm spot for 12 hours at 100–104°F. To maintain this temperature and allow the yogurt to culture, wrap your jar in a kitchen towel and place it on a plate in the oven with the door shut and the oven light on.
The light’s warmth will keep the temperature consistent. Alternatively, place the kitchen towel–wrapped jar in a cooler, fill a heatproof container with boiling water and place it beside the jar – do not allow them to touch – and close the lid. Replace the boiling water halfway through the fermenting process.
• Once fermented, the yogurt tends to form air bubbles and looks as though it has separated. Stir well and refrigerate for at least 5 hours before eating. If it separates after chilling, give it a good whisk. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

MAKE AIP FRIENDLY Omit: Vanilla

Middle Eastern Meatball Soup

Pete Evans & Helen Padarin

With ground meat in the freezer, you can create countless different meals. We have a chest freezer on the farm and like to order in ten two-pound lots of ground beef, chicken, pork, and lamb, so we are well and truly stocked up at all times. I would much rather eat ground meat than have beef tenderloin or
a lamb chop; not only is it more economical, it is way more tasty. Here is a delicious soup that pairs meatballs with the health benefits and wonderful flavors of medicinal spices.

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Course Main Dish

Cuisine AIP, Gluten-Free

Servings 4 -6 servings

Ingredients

  

• MEATBALLS
• 1 lb. ground lamb
• 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp. finely chopped at-leaf parsley leaves
• 11 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. dried mint
• 1 tsp. finely chopped oregano
• 2 tsp. sweet paprika
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• SOUP
• 3 Tbsp. coconut oil or good-quality animal fat*
• 2 onions chopped
• 4 garlic cloves chopped
• pinch of saffron threads
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. sweet paprika
• 1 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 3 to matoes chopped
• 5 c. Beef Bone Broth or lamb bone broth
• 14 oz. caulifower chopped into small pieces
• 1 handful mint leaves
• 1 lemon cut into wedges (opt.)

Instructions

 

• Combine all the meatball ingredients in a bowl. With wet hands, shape the mixture into walnut-sized balls.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil or fat in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the meatballs in batches and seal until brown all over (about 2 minutes). Remove from the heat and drain on paper towels.
• Melt the remaining oil or fat in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, 4–5 minutes. Add the garlic and spices and sauté until fragrant,
• seconds. Stir in the tomatoes and cook until they start to break down, 3–4 minutes. Pour in the broth and add the meatballs and caulifower. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through and the cauliflower is tender, 20 minutes. Adjust the seasoning, if necessary, stir in the mint, and serve with the lemon wedges (if using).

Notes

***MAKE AIP FRIENDLY

Omit: cumin, paprika, tomatoes, and black pepper
Substitute: 1/2 c. stock in place of tomatoes

Helen's Chai-biotic

Pete Evans & Helen Padarin

Tea (chai) for life (biotic). This absolutely delicious, warming, and comforting tea is fantastic for helping to keep your gut and immune system in good shape. It’s particularly great if you are experiencing any yeast problems, as the spices used are strong antifungals. They also stimulate blood circulation, which is wonderful if your fingers and toes are a bit cold or if your brain is a bit foggy.

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Course Beverage

Cuisine Gluten-Free

Servings 2 servings

Ingredients

  

• 1 tsp. pau d’arco bark or powder*
• 1 tsp. cat’s claw bark or powder* see Note
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• 3 cardamom pods or 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
• 1 –2 star anise
• 1/4 tsp. licorice root powder*
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 c. Almond Milk or coconut milk

Instructions

 

• Combine the pau d’arco, cat’s claw, and spices in a saucepan, add 1 cup filtered water, and simmer for
5 minutes. Add your chosen milk, and strain through a sieve. Serve and savor. Yum!

Notes

Leave out the cat's claw if you are pregnant or hoping to become pregnant in the next 2 months. Cat's claw has traditionally been used as a contraceptive, and while there is no conclusive evidence as to its effectiveness, it is best to play it safe.

All recipes are excerpted, with permission, from The Complete Gut Health Cookbook: Everything you Need to Know about the Gut and How to Improve Yours (January, 2017) by Pete Evans and Helen Padarin, published by Weldon Owen.