Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (70 page)

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Authors: Michelle Tam,Henry Fong

Tags: #Cookbooks; Food & Wine, #Cooking by Ingredient, #Natural Foods, #Special Diet, #Allergies, #Gluten Free, #Paleo, #Food Allergies, #Gluten-Free, #Healthy

BOOK: Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans

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Don’t get me wrong: I still love dark chocolate, and we always peek at the dessert menu after dining out with friends. The treats in this book are perennial favorites in our house, and our kids literally dance around the house on “S” days (Saturday and Sunday) because it means they can have a bowl of berry soup or a grain-free cookie after supper. But that feels right to me. For us, treats are celebratory foods—not everyday fare.

Nowadays, I indulge in sugary treats only on occasion—when it’s really worth it. To me, the candy from the jar at the receptionist’s desk is not worth it. Nor is the fruitcake at the neighborhood holiday party. And certainly not the endless boxes of dessicated factory-processed cookies on supermarket shelves.

But that sinfully decadent chocolate layer cake that your mom baked for your birthday? The freshly fried beignet from that cute little mom-and-pop joint in New Orleans? That hand-churned gelato from the stand at the farmer’s market? You only live once, so when any food is
that
insanely good, go ahead and enjoy it—regardless of whether it’s Paleo-friendly or not. (Unless you’re deathly allergic, in which case never mind.) Just be mindful of your food choices instead of gobbling up every “Paleo” donut that crosses your path.

Your mileage may vary, but now that I’ve gotten the upper hand in my dysfunctional relationship with sugar, I tend to make treats only on rare special occasions, which explains the pared-down selection of sweets on these pages. Besides, if I included more dessert recipes, this book would be even longer, and I desperately need to wrap this up before you get too sick of me.

WHERE CREDIT’S DUE

This book owes its existence to the support of our friends, family, and mentors. We especially want to thank:

Kirsty Melville and Jean Lucas, for braving uncharted waters with a couple of hapless numbnuts and saving us from ourselves. Same goes for Lynne McAdoo, Andrea Colvin, Kathy Hilliard, Andrea Shores, Tim Lynch, Carol Coe, Dave Shaw, Kristen Liszewski, Julie Bunge, and the entire AMP family.
Fiona Kennedy, for contributing recipes to this book and helping me troubleshoot mine. Not only are you my kitchen guru and secret weapon, you’ll always be my favorite sister, too.
Melissa Joulwan and Dave Humphreys, for their generosity and friendship. You inspired us to chart our own path and to accept no compromise. Let’s close down a few more restaurants together.
Melissa and Dallas Hartwig, not just for spreading the good food gospel, but for planting the seed of this cookbook in our heads in the first place.
Our pals in the Paleo and food blogging communities, who are too numerous to individually name (but you know who you are). Thank you for being our sounding boards, dining companions, housemates, mentors, and friends. Your support means the world to us.
Tori Ritchie, for teaching me how to write about food. You are my Yoda, but way prettier.
Elise Bauer, for opening my eyes and cleaning out my mouth. It was a game-changer, and you are, too.
Sidney Majalya and Jory Steele, for meals and conversations here, there, and everywhere. We’re incredibly fortunate to have you (and Matthew!) in our lives.
Rebecca Katz and Kevin Walters, for the pork belly and belly laughs. Thank you for taste-testing even my foulest concoctions (and for not spitting anything out).
Diana and Andrew Rodgers, for your passion. I’m really glad I didn’t burn down your farmhouse.
Jackie and Ben Linder, for the matzoh balls, business advice, and the greatest lunch containers in the universe (available at
lunchbots.com
).
Lauren Ratcliff, Mark Bartels, Heidi Peckover, and David Dick, for making us come alive.
Sarah Wilson of Fashletics (
fashletics.com
), whose handiwork adorns the very first page of this book.
Will Moy, for being a patient and understanding Work Husband. Please do not stroke out.
The Five Tribe and Women’s Class at
CrossFit Palo Alto
, for all the heavy lifting.
Jennifer Yue, for letting me be the boss of the shoe store. You’re the little sister I never had.
Eliot Adelson, for being like a brother to Henry, even after he broke your nose.
Chris Kennedy, for turning my sister Irish, and for the best smoked turkey known to humankind.
Our parents, Gene and Rebecca Tam and Kenny and Wendy Fong, for sharing with us their love of good food, and for their incredible sacrifices through the years. (Including the free babysitting.)
Our kids, Owen and Ollie, for letting Mommy and Daddy have extra computer time so we could write this cookbook. We’re sorry if this book embarrasses you when you’re older, but as your parents, it’s our job to mortify you in front of your friends. We love you more than you will ever know.
Lastly, the readers of
Nom Nom Paleo
, for sticking with us through the years. You make it all worthwhile.