Cookbook Reivew - Paleo Comfort Foods

Paleo Comfort Foods by Julie and Charles Mayfield

ISBN-13: 978-1-936608-93-5
ISBN-10: 1936608936
Original publication date: 2011
Format: paperback
Publisher: Victory Belt Publishing
Pages: 336 pages
Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.9 inches
# of recipes: 125-150
Dietary scope: (Atkins, fat-free etc): Paleo and gluten-free
Intended audience: people who want Paleo comfort foods
Photos: 1 photo per recipe or more
Index: yes
Arrangement: by course
Other information (i.e. - tips, history, etc): long introduction, section on basic foods and tools
Lists Nutritional information: no
Lists Servings: no
Utilizes packaged foods: no
Low fat: no
Low sodium:  most recipes use no or little salt
Low sugar: sweetener of choice is honey
Low carb: yes
Cost per recipe (listed cover price/#recipes):
Recommended skill level:

Journeyman – I’m done with boxes – what’s next?

Points – (each question can have up to 5 points) – 3.89

Hits the intended audience? 5
Picture to recipe ratio? 5
Good format? 4
Good table of contents? 4
Good index? 2
Cost per recipe (listed cover price/#recipes) $29.95/139 = $.22 - 3
Anthropology rating: 2
% of recipes I would make (1 point per 20%): 99% - 5
I like? 5

We have 4 Paleo cookbooks so far, and I am pretty sure that this one is going to be my favorite for a very long time.  It does have a few minor issues, at least one of the recipes is missing some steps (if I noticed it, it is pretty obvious since I don’t normally pay too close attention to the directions.)  The index could also use some work.  There is a pie crust recipe called “Nutty Pie Crust”, you will not find it under ‘pie crust’ in the index.  It is not in the dessert section either, so you had better remember the name of it unless you want to look through the second table of contents which lists all of the recipes in order.

Otherwise I just have to say – Lemon Bars, banana bread, and tortillas.  If you are trying the Paleo lifestyle and are missing your lemon bars or banana bread you need to check this book out.  And tortillas are always a good staple to have to wrap stuff up in.

My hubby made fried chicken the other day, using boneless skinless chicken breasts and he only used the almond flour, garlic and salt & pepper and it was the best fried chicken I have had in forever!  It tasted almost as if it had the skin on, and this was even after it was re-heated.

Also, unlike a lot of cookbooks for non-mainstream lifestyles, this book uses very few strange or premixed items.  I hate the recipes that say use 1 cup of X’s flour substitute, I want control of what I am using, and I don’t want to have to pay for a brand of something.  Besides, what happens when that company goes out of business or decides to stop making that mix?  And my food intolerances include almost any kind of high-carb foods that are usually used in gluten-free cooking.

I know some people will say, but they use almond flour in a lot of the recipes, where do you get almond flour?  We actually have almond flour on hand because we make homemade almond milk to use instead of dairy.  It makes an amazing hot cocoa or chai.  So the fact that the recipes use almond flour is a plus for us.  So if you are trying the Paleo lifestyle you should try making your own almond milk.  I like it a lot better than the store brands that I have tried. We take the skin off the almonds which makes a difference, and don’t use any additives like honey.

If you only get one Paleo cookbook, this is the one to get.