Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This book was a surprise hit for me! I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting much, and only bought it because I was actually doing a Whole30 in January 2017 (it went great! I recommend it—I assume you’re thinking about it if you’re reading this review). We’ve been vegetarian for about 7 years, so eating and cooking so much meat, well, let’s just say I needed some help. The first thing I was impressed with? The recipes are very creative! They are easy to follow, don’t take a lot of time (I have a baby and a toddler and work from home), I particularly loved the slow-cooker recipes that make extra (beef roast, etc) that is then used for different recipes later in the week. Genius! Melissa makes liberal use of spices, and as a spice blender myself Gneiss Spice Everything Spice Kit: 24 Magnetic Jars Filled with Standard Organic Spices / Hanging Magnetic Spice Rack (Large Jars, Silver Lids), nothing could make me happier. And when I say liberal…I mean, this book uses 50 different spices, herbs and seasonings. Some other reviewers stated the recipes call for hard to find ingredients. I disagree; besides the occasional call for capers or fennel bulb, most everything can be found at your local store. Spices on the other hand, there are a few that you might need to source online if you don’t have a gourmet foods market near you. If you were to make all the recipes in the Whole30 Cookbook, you’d need: • allspice (ground) • ancho chili • arrowroot • basil • bay leaves • Cajun* • caraway • cayenne • cinnamon (ground) • chia seeds • chili (seasoning blend)* • chipotle • cloves (ground) • coriander (ground) • coriander (seeds) • cream of tartar • cumin (ground) • cumin (seeds) • curry (powder) • dill • dukkah* • fennel (seeds) • garam masala* • garlic (granules) • garlic salt • ginger (ground) • harissa • herbes de provence • italian seasoning* • jerk (seasoning / no sugar)* • lemon peel (ground) • mustard (ground) • nutmeg (ground) • nutritional yeast • onion (granules) • oregano • paprika (sweet) • paprika (smoked) • pepper (ground black) • peppercorns (whole black) • parsley • ras el hanout* • red pepper flakes • rosemary • sage • sesame seeds • tarragon • thyme • turmeric • sea salt (coarse) *Some of the seasonings (cajun, chili seasoning, dukkah, garam masala, Italian, jerk, ras el hanout,) you can blend yourself if you already own the other spices on the list. Of these 50 spices, the essential, most often used ones are coarse sea salt, cracked pepper, smoked paprika, Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, cayenne, onion granules, garlic granules and ground cumin. However, you better have ras el hanout (or the spices to blend it) because it was hands-down the best chicken I’ve ever had (Moroccan Chicken with Carrot-Pistachio Slaw, page 143). Check out the photos we posted with our review, and don't skip making the accompanying Carrot Slaw! The other highlight recipes for me: Shakshuka (pg. 25), Beef and Sweet Potato Chili (pg. 33)—we ate that all week for lunch, Slow-Cooker Italian Beef Roast (pg 43)—use later for other meals like Poached Eggs with Salsa Verde (pg. 44), Mediterranean Bison Burger (pg. 53), Slow-Cooked Moroccan Spices Shredded Beef (pg. 61), Thai Beef Curry with Green Beans (pg. 77), Pork Posole with Tostones (pg. 87), Chipotle BBQ Chicken Thighs (pg. 128), Grilled Jamaican Jerk Salmon (pg. 192), Mexican Salmon Cakes (pg 198), Dukkah-Crusted Brussel Sprouts (pg. 224). The first thing you should make from this book? Red Curry Roasted Cauliflower (pg. 242). We've made it FIVE TIMES since we got the book. Super easy and so delicious. If you follow us @gneissspice on instagram, you’ll see dozens of posts of the meals I made from this book. I highly recommend this book, especially if you are debating a Whole30. Nothing is worse than trying to stick to the strict rules, and then have no idea what to eat for dinner. My only complaint about the book would be no mention of portion sizes. I had to head over to their website to find suggestions (they have a cool graphic for this, not sure why they didn’t include it in the book).