The Primal Blueprint Cookbook: Primal, Low Carb, Paleo, Grain-Free, Dairy-Free and Gluten-Free

by Jennifer Meier, Mark Sisson

The popularity of the low carb/paleo/Primal way of eating has exploded, as people discover an appealing and sustainable alternative to the restrictive diets and flawed conventional wisdom that lead to burnout and failed weight loss efforts.

The dream of eating satisfying meals-even on a budget-controlling weight and feeling great has now become a reality. As you build momentum for Primal eating, you'll find that you won't even miss the bland, boring, low-fat foods that previously were the central focus of your diet. How can you argue with a menu that includes Roasted Leg of Lamb with Herbs and Garlic, Salmon Chowder with Coconut Milk, Tomatoes Stuffed with Ground Bison and Eggs, and Baked Chocolate Custard?

This isn't a crash course diet. These and the other Primal recipes provide the foundation for a lifetime of delicious, healthy eating, high energy and protection from common health problems that arise from eating the SAD (Standard American Diet).

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Health, Nonfiction, Cooking, Nutrition, Diets

278 pages, Hardcover

First published July 15, 2010

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't really need more meat recipes so I'm not sure why I picked this up at the library. I was hoping for some new grain-free, dairy-free ones...and this has a lot, but they are mostly meat-based. Like big hunks of meat-based. Which is fine. We eat meat. A lot. Maybe too much which is why I'm looking at cookbooks trying to find new recipes.

So, this cookbook is lovely. Lots and lots of pictures and I think those are the best kinds of cookbooks. If I see a picture that looks good, I want to eat it. It's harder for me to look at a list of ingredients and decide to try it or not. This also discusses a lot of Paleo/Primal basics so if you're new to the 'diet' it will be very helpful. I do feel that it's somewhat lacking in vegetable/side dishes, however, which made it of limited use to me.

[Laren · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this because my husband decided to eat Primal, and bought this book to help him do so. Unfortunately, this is not the cookbook to use to convince someone to join you in a quest to eat Primal. It seems more concerned with achieving the goal of following the diet with 100% accuracy rather than to actually make the food taste good. Lest you think I exaggerate, be warned that there is an entire chapter actually designed to use offal for food. If that's your thing, and/or you drink the Mark's Daily Apple kool-aid, you'll probably like this book. But my husband is quite gung-ho about following the Primal lifestyle, and even he didn't use most of these recipes beyond the initial cooking trials. If you are interested in Primal eating, but are also still interested in your food tasting good, I would recommend the "Everyday Paleo Family Cookbook" by Sarah Fragoso, and I would not recommend this one at all.

[Rachel Chernick · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 3.5 stars. In terms of the actual meals some of recipes are a little bland... and a lot of common sense. I mean really, I just paid for a cookbook that tells me how to cook a steak and make bacon in the oven? REALLY?! Once you get past that though, you get to the more valuable recipes, the fowl, fish, veg and egg recipes are great. And the best chapters are the substitutions and deserts! Low carb, dairy, gluten free substitutions to satisfy any cravings. Honestly, I wish the whole book was just substitutions. Overall I've found it a great introduction book to Paleo cooking, but it still leaves a bit to be desired. Also, this is my first cookbook on the kindle, I love the way the navigation is set up, should make picking out a recipe on the T and then shopping very easy!

[Viola Pastuszyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically, it's pretty basic. Most of the recipes are variations of "cook protein and vegetable together with some seasoning." Well...yeah. There are some interesting ideas towards the end but I don't think it's worth the price. If you're online reading this, you're better off just googling some recipes.

On top of which, most of the pictures of the food don't look very good. Everything looks kind of steamed/boiled/bland.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this cookbook! So delicious. So practical. So healthy. I've got it out in my kitchen all the time... there are often splotches and splashes on the pages... signs of much use and love :)

I just saw a follow-up was released this year (2011) called Primal Blueprint Quick and Easy Meals which I am eager to get my hands on.

Yum :)

[Driver · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one. The bison recipes made me laugh. I guess this cookbook was originally only intended for US readers.
The recipes are mostly doable in terms of time and amount of ingredients. This way of eating isn't cheap, unfortunately, but it's great to have found not only a gluten-free but also dairy-free cookbook!

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good sounding recipes to try!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very simple recipes with few ingredients and photos.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good ideas

These are good basic recipes to eat healthy. I’ll be trying many of them. Very detailed for those who don’t cook much.

[Edward Joseph Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent recipes, but many have ingredients that are difficult to acquire in my area.

[Shannon Rizzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've made about half of the recipes in this book and all have been delicious (even the Transylvania stockpot whose name was simply something handed down in the family who had created the recipe and has nothing to do with the dish). I love that he includes a recipe for making one's own deli style roast beef - it is so easy to do that you may never want to buy deli meat again. I wish he had included a recipe for beef jerky, which is similarly easy - however he has a great variety of meals in there.

Every recipe has a picture of the ingredients, a pic in process, and a picture of the final product. That is a nice touch.

There are a variety of recipes for breakfast beyond the usual variations on scrambled eggs, and that alone for me makes the book worth it. I like the section on primal comfort foods and on snacks. I do like that he covered some basics, such as making bacon or steak, because some people have never been taught the basics.

I wish he had included an index; it seems a glaring oversight. Also, I would like to see the prep time and cook time included in the serving information, as is usual for recipes. That too seems like a basic element that any editor should have ensured was included.

Beyond those two flaws, though, this is a solid resource for those following a primal template.

[Sarah Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a lot of pictures, but they're the sort that my students would take of their senior projects. So don't expect to be impressed with the visuals. It does however have a lot of recipes, lovely glossy pages, and a nice solid cover. These recipes have a lot of meat. A lot. Of meat. Meat. Lots of it. From every part of the animal. You gotta like meat to use the recipes in this book. I'm finding myself leaning more toward the green smoothie thing right now, but I do like an occasional steak, and there are some inspiring ideas for variation here.

The best recipe in this book is the simplest (the best ones always ARE the simplest): "Grok rocks," which are simply prunes covered in dark chocolate. They are awesome.

[Debby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This essentially "return to basics" eating plan is worth checking out if you're really interested in how the clarion call of the "eat more whole grain and low fat" diet/health industry has not worked. Take a look at the people around you! We are, as a nation, fatter and sicker than ever; suffering from higher incidences of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, acid reflux and all types of cancers to mention just a few problems, than ever before. If eating more whole grin and less fat was supposed to solve the problem...what's wring with this picture? Could the message that's been preached be backfiring?

I highly recommend checking out Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint books and another book called Wheat Belly, by cardiologist Dr. William Davis.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little surprised at the low-budget feel of this book. The recipes, however, were pretty good. Not much in the revolutionary department, but solid nonetheless. I found the photographs of the different stages in the cooking process to be a little off-putting, but I can see how cooks with less cooking experience might find them useful. My big take-away from this cookbook was the hot cocoa. Despite having been sugar-and-sweetener-free for some time now, I was worried that a beverage made from nothing but cocoa powder, coconut milk, and hot water would taste too bitter, but it really wasn't. It was delicious! And it finally got rid of that chocolate craving I hadn't been able to kick for weeks! Thank you!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm surprised at how much I like this cookbook. Good flavorful ways to cook mostly meat the primal way. Between my husband and me, we've cooked about 1/3 of the recipes in this book. Some were "meh", but many, many were a resounding "WOW!". For for a midwest farmgirl to have a meal without potatoes be more satisfying than any meal with them, truly a new way to think about what I eat.

As a cookbook, there are good pictures, layout is decent, and the instructions are easy to follow, but depend on the chef to have basic kitchen skills.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these recipes and the concept behind it. I just had to take off one star because there are very few dishes that I can prepare everyday. A lot of these, especially the ones I like takes effort to prepare so it's kinda hard to follow for a daily diet.

Just got this eBook but I've already tried some of the recipes in it before. I have to say, all (and I mean ALL) of those that I've tried are great so I'm pretty excited about trying out the rest.

I know now what I'm going to do for the upcoming holidays :D

[Dan Crowther · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very basic recipes that give a good primer on how to cook (mostly) Paleo. It's nice that the recipes don't have heavily processed/hard to find Paleo ingredient substitutes like coconut aminos. On the other hand, the book follows Mark Sisson's version of Paleo, which allows for some diary and uses his "10% rule" (if your daily intake of "off-Paleo" foods is less than 10% it's ok. That means some recipes will call for soy sauce or peas but only in very small amounts. He does give alternatives for those who are strict Paleo followers.

[Pete Storm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got this and the Primal Blueprint at the same time. The recipes here mesh with what we're doing already, so most everything sounded appealing.

The blessing and curse of a Primal cookbook is that the Primal diet is pretty simple, so every dish tends to be "get meat, get veges, cook, eat". :D There wasn't a lot that jumped out at me as a must-make dish.

Some of the sides and desserts looked pretty good tho.

[Casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book earlier this year because I was going through a lot of dietary restrictions. Although it has some creative ideas and a healthy approach to cooking some of the recipes were unattainable and unrealistic for someone who likes too cook. These recipes take a lot of time, most are very good but certainly not convenient.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the greatest pictures. The recipe instructions need to be more organized as they can be somewhat confusing, but the recipes themselves are really good. Great for anyone eating a primal or paleo diet. This is not a strictly dairy-free cookbook as it states. There is a small amount of dairy used in some recipes, but substitutions can easily be made.

[Logophile (Heather) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not exactly adopting a primal/paleo diet so my appreciation for the content of this book is somewhat limited. Great photos and interesting recipes (some look quite yummy).

There was a great intro of the whys and hows of the primal diet and some good ideas to incorporate in healthier eating in general. Worth checking out.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

The recipes in this book are true to the Paleo diet, but often not as tasty as I would like. However, after adding one's one twist, the meals are delicious. My favorite is the cauliflower "fried-rice."

[Sommer Marsden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read, easy to use. I love this book because 99% of the recipes are doable and edible for me and my newly super sensitive system. Lots of yummy stuff. We've probably prepared about half the book by now! Highly recommended for brand new celiacs and/or grain sensitive folks.

[Beverly]

I'm not going to rate this one. I don't know if I go along with with all the ideas behind this way of eating, but making crepe-like "tortillas" for enchiladas (to avoid the corn) sounds like something I'd like to try.

[Angela Boord · Rating 3 out of 5]

A basic grain-free cookbook. Helpful, but not quite as good as I'd hoped. The Egg Casserole with zucchini has become a favorite in our house, as long as I substitute some kind of squash that isn't green. ;-)

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Preachy at times, this book has a vast scope of information and it a great scientific approach to the paleo lifestyle. Take it with a grain of salt, though, as the way one person chooses to eat has been the subject of great debate and malice for many pseudo-celebrities.

[Connie Nelson schuler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good source for those new to primal-paleo diets; however, some of the recipes are just too strong tasting for my palette. Especially the Spinach Bread. The Cracked Cardiff and Moroccan Chicken are awesome!

[Kate Arms · Rating 4 out of 5]

Several of my family's favourite meals are built on recipes from this cookbook, the coconut pancakes, fish patties, salmon chowder, nut butter bars, jambalaya, and shrimp cakes are all in my regular meal rotation.
I have used this book so much that it is falling apart.

[Mary Hoag · Rating 4 out of 5]

No Pasta, no bread, no rice, no beans, no kidding.
Great recipes with options for the above. I'm celiac, so this works for me although I am working through my cupboards for foods I will not replace.
Chocolate is good.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is really a ‘Paleo’ cookbook, and instead calls it ‘Primal blueprint’. The introduction is short and sweet and reads like a Paleo book. The recipes are easy and simple for the most part, but they also have good cooking tips and instructions.