Every now and again, I’ll come across a cookbook that makes me say, “I wish I’d had this YEARS ago!!!” As a cookbook collector, I live for the moments a new cookbook elicits a 3-exclamation-point sentiment. Danielle Walker’s beautiful Against All Grain Celebrations: A Year of Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, and Paleo Recipes for Every Occasion has caused as many exclamation-laden sentiments as any cookbook I’ve enjoyed in a long time.
The recipes, as you’d guess from the title, cover every conceivable holiday, season, and celebration. There are delicious recipes for a game-day buffet, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, New Year’s Eve, Fourth of July, Father’s Day cookouts, birthdays, Halloween, and my personal favorites – Thanksgiving, Easter, and Christmas.
It didn’t take long to see why Against All Grain Celebrations is an Amazon Best Seller. This cookbook is a combination of everything a cookbook should be:
- Beautiful to look at. The cover, pages, colored photographs, and even the back cover are all gorgeous.
- While being hardback isn’t a necessity for a cookbook, it is a lovely bonus. Hardback cookbooks simply hold up better.
- While those of us who have dietary restrictions can (and do) use all cookbooks, it’s a glorious thing to have one that we don’t have to mentally make substitutions or wonder about an ingredient’s “safety.”
- The recipes are easy to follow and easy to make. Let’s fact it, that cannot be said for all gluten-free and/or paleo cookbooks.
- These are not recipes you’ll find anywhere else – they’re highly creative and beautifully unique.
When people adopt a new diet for health or personal reasons, they worry most about the parties, holidays, and events with strong food traditions, fearing their fond memories will be lost along with the newly eliminated food groups. After suffering for years with a debilitating autoimmune disease and missing many of these special occasions herself, Danielle Walker has revived the joy that cooking for holidays can bring in Danielle Walker’s Against All Grain Celebrations, a collection of recipes and menus for twelve special occasions throughout the year.
Featuring a variety of birthday cakes, finger foods to serve at a baby or bridal shower, and re-creations of backyard barbecue standards like peach cobbler and corn bread, Danielle includes all of the classics. There’s a full Thanksgiving spread–complete with turkey and stuffing, creamy green bean casserole, and pies–and menus for Christmas dinner; a New Year’s Eve cocktail party and Easter brunch are covered, along with suggestions for beverages and cocktails and the all-important desserts. Recipes can be mixed and matched among the various occasions, and many of the dishes are simple enough for everyday cooking. Stunning full-color photographs of every dish make browsing the pages as delightful as cooking the recipes, and beautiful party images provide approachable and creative entertaining ideas.
Making recipes using unfamiliar ingredients can cause anxiety, and while trying a new menu on a regular weeknight leaves some room for error, the meal simply cannot fail when you have a table full of guests celebrating a special occasion. Danielle has transformed her most cherished family traditions into trustworthy recipes you can feel confident serving, whether you’re hosting a special guest with food allergies, or cooking for a crowd of regular grain-eaters.
Some of the recipes included in this beautiful best-selling cookbook:
- Red Velvet Cake (I know, right?)
- Chocolate Cake
- Brined and Roasted Turkey
- Maple Pumpkin Pie
- Cinnamon Rolls
- Gingerbread House
- Vegetable Bacon Parcels
- Creamed Spinach
- Thumbprint Cookies
- Eggnog
- Apple Sausage Stuffing
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon Jam
- Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Shallots
- Smoky Candied Bacon Sweet Potatoes
- and many, many more… a whole year’s worth!
In a section called “The Basics,’ You’ll Get Step By Step Instructions for Making:
- Barbecue Sauce
- Almond Milk
- Basic Pie Pastry
- Blackening Seasoning
- Blender Bread
- Homemade Stock
- Grain-Free Wraps
- Herb Ranch Dressing
- Ketchup
- Mayonnaise
- and more…
Recipe for Roasted Garlic Mashed Cauliflower (page 237)
The first recipe I tried was the Paleo and Gluten-Free Recipe and it was insanely delicious. So much flavor! I haven’t had the book for even a week or I would have more recipe reviews to share with you. I was simply an “eager gluten-free beaver” to tell you about this beautiful cookbook. I want you to get your lovely hands on it right now so you can use it for headache-free Thanksgiving and Christmas meal-planning. There’ll be no need to round up gluten free, paleo, or dairy-free recipes for these holidays (which often have long enough to do lists anyway!) – everything you need will be in one place. The side dishes, meats, desserts, and even a few beverages!
What’s more, the same will be true for all the other special days and celebrations during the year!
Against All Grain Celebrations is a must have for anyone who follows a gluten-free diet, paleo diet, or has to eat dairy-free. It’s also a must have cookbook for anyone who cooks for loved ones with dietary restrictions.
Given the fact that we’re all scrambling to get our Christmas shopping done (or started for some!), I have to point out that this cookbook would also make a very thoughtful and MUCH appreciated gift for anyone with these dietary restrictions.
See Against All Grain Celebrations for more information.
Note: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. The opinions are entirely my own.
