**Scroll to the bottom of this post for giveaway details! Two Lucky winners will win a copy of Without Grain and its partner e-book Salads without Grain**
We live in a time where cooking gluten free, or grain free, has been made easy thanks to dedicated individuals: Almost anything we may want to modify can be available at our finger tips with the click of the mouse or a flip of a page, and this is simply wonderful. One recent addition to the area of grain free cooking is Without Grain: 100 Delicious Recipes for Eating a Grain-Free, Gluten-Free, Wheat-Free Diet by fellow Celiac and Chicken Owner Hayley Barisa Ryczek, writer and owner of the website Health Starts in the Kitchen.
I recently had the opportunity to get a copy of the book straight from the author and I can easily say it is one of the most beautiful cookbooks I’ve come across. Hayley’s photography is gorgeous, and her meals come inspired by many ethnic backgrounds which to me makes it even more beautiful. In addition to the great grain free recipes included in the cookbook (i.e. Ricotta Gnocci, Classic Meatloaf, Cheese ‘it’ crackers, Cinnamon Rolls, waffles etc.) Hayley uses her Institute of Integrative Nutrition knowledge to enlighten readers on how to live a sustainable grain free life by sharing tips on budget shopping, allergy substitutions, the use of different flowers, and some of the science behind everything that makes cooking work. What I loved most about her book is that many of the recipes include the same staple recipes, so if you’ve purchased them your set for making many of the recipes. This is unique from some of the other cookbooks I’ve seen that have you scrambling the store looking for very specific ingredients used in only one of a few recipes.
Rather than give everything away about the book myself let me allow Hayley to answer some questions that I and my readers had for her:
You’ve always had an interest in nutrition and healthy living, but what was your profession before you became a blogger and author? How does this connect to where you are now?
I began my ‘career’ as a graphic designer in the commercial print industry, however after 10 years I was tired of the chaos, ridiculous deadlines and exposure to toxic chemicals so I changed paths. In some random and amazing luck, I got an awesome job in retail fashionfor the next 5 years. At the same time that I FINALLY got the glamourous, well paid job I’d dreamt of, things shifted in my heart. I found myself on a last minute red-eye flight to Los Angeles while my beloved chicken “Little Jerry Seinfeld” was hatching out her/our first clutch of chicks on our homestead. I cried the entire flight, realizing that all along I already had everything I ever wanted only I was too preoccupied with money, my appearance and material possessions.
I bounced around with odd-part time jobs for a couple years then at my husband’s begging, I started a blog in the fall of 2012 to share my recipes. I didn’t intend to be a ‘blogger’ — my blog was just so our friends/family could find my recipes in one place instead of me giving them out individually.
My education and career, prepared me perfectly for being by own boss as a blogger. Most importantly, I made me realize how much I DIDN’T want to work outside the home and how silly it was to chase a career that my heart wasn’t in. My design skills definitely helped me out with my blog initially and my experience in retail helped me understand how to identify my read/customer, also the importance of maximizing on the trends.
What do you think makes your cookbook “Without Grain” unique from other’s on the market?
My biggest pet peeve with other cookbooks in the grain-free market is that there are so many recipes included that never contained grains in the first place. You won’t find recipes for grilled chicken or salad dressings in Without Grain, every recipe in my book originally contained grains.
What is your favorite recipe (after the Classic Birthday Cake of course) from your new book? Why?
It’s probably surprising to hear that although I do proclaim that the birthday cake is my ‘favorite’ recipe, I rarely bake and don’t enjoy sweets often. (I’ve never had a sweet-tooth) I prefer savory food over sweet food, hands down. My honest-to-goodness favorite recipe in Without Grain is my Potato & Cheese Pieorgi – it is truly magical to have recreated my favorite grandma-made childhood food, only to be grain free (without sacrificing any taste or quality) Much of what I do in my kitchen is a direct reflection of my grandma’s love of cooking and her passions live on through me.
What is your number one piece of advice for someone newly gluten or grain free?
My best advice for anyone new to grain/gluten free eating is to not fall into the processed food GF trap! Instead of grabbing GF bread, cookies and junk at the store, focus your eating on well balanced, healthy meals. All of our real-life meals are planned using a simple formula: Adequate, not excessive, Protein & lots of Vegetables with healthy fats – then customize starches based on your unique nutritional needs. I’m always shocked that most people make plan out complicated meals for the week, with casseroles and complex dishes for their weeknight meals. When, comparatively, we eat very simply most of the time.
Here’s tonight’s dinner plans:
Water or Mineral Water to drink
From start to finish dinner will only take about 45 minutes – 15 minutes active prep and 30 minutes unattended for the pork chops to slowly cook.
I love the style of your photography, and I and my readers are curious to hear your top tip for food photography. Can you share?
I feel so funny giving photography advice, since I’m still a beginner myself!! I bought my first real camera (DSLR) just 2 years ago this month, previously all my blog photos were taken with my iPhone. I was totally in awe of bloggers with such beautiful photography and I never in a million years would have thought that I would be capable of taking great photos myself.
My top tips is to get a DSLR & mimic what others do!
My first camera was a Canon Rebel T3i that I bought used (which I used to take all the photos in Without Grain) with a 50mm f/1.8 lens. My total investment was less than $500. Then I started trying to mimic the work of other bloggers with beautiful photography, matching their layouts and composition (I love the photography from Primal Palate).
I also found several food photography ebooks & courses by bloggers I admired to be very useful: Tasty Food Photography, Scrumptious & Styled, Eat Pretty Things, Food Photography School, Food Blogger Pro
I also learned an amazing tip from a local photographer, after I took a private 1:1 workshop with her, I started setting my camera shutter on 1/400, f/3.8 and then adjust my ISO — that’s how 95% of my photos are taken. It gives them that dreamy, creamy background and the shutter is fast enough that I don’t have to use a tripod (which I HATE).
Even now, after learning more about photography and upgrading to a new camera and lens for the photography for my 2nd cookbook, I still use those same setting for my blog photos.
Here’s a perfect example of my how my photography has evolved from December 2013 to October 2015
Before:
(those are both recipes on my blog currently for breaded shrimp)
I find Hayley’s story and website fascinating, and it’s not just because she loves her chicken as much as I love mine. She’s just incredibly genuine and lets her voice ring through in every piece of writing she does, and she doesn’t run it strictly on a business model. What she writes about isn’t what she feels will make her the most money, but what interests and inspires her at the moment. Check out her site for more details on homesteading, fermented foods, chicken owning, foraging and more.
Now that you’ve heard a bit more about Without Grain and it’s author Hayley who’s ready to get their hand on the book? Hayley has partnered with me to offer two of my luck readers a copy of ‘Without Grain’ as well as the complimentary ‘E-BOOK Salads Without Grain’ (approximately a $25 dollar value). The giveaway ends November 16th, Just see below on how to enter:
Great giveaway! She is one of my favorite bloggers, she is real and doesn’t try to fake anything. Her food always look amazing
This would be serons! I have a serious lack of kitchen inspiration that often leads to me making fois choices that are not exactly healthy.
Oh my word!!! I should have read my post before submitting!! My phone thinks that it needs to autocorrect in French.
Heather, no worries. Autocorrect had a crazy mind sometimes
Lovely review and giveaway. I would love a copy of this book. My boyfriend’s mother has Celiac’s Disease. I always want to have her over for dinner but have no clue what to make. This would be hugely helpful.
<3 Jackie @ Let's Go Thrifting
http://www.LetsGoThriftingBlog.com
Thank you Jackie! Good luck and thanks for participating!
Since having Celiac i am always looking for new and great tasting food but I don’t have any imagination and I end up eating the same things over and over. I need some inspiration!
I’m desperately in need of new recipes for dinner! I feel like we’re stuck in a food rut, and her cookbook looks amazing!
This new book of hers sounds fabulous. What a great resource you both are for eating and living better.
Thank you Samantha!
Wow, I would love to win a copy of this book as it would be such a help preparing meals. I have been gf for over 12 years and am getting kind of burned out in my cooking ?
Looks like an interesting cookbook to own.
I feel good when I eat grain free. I would love to get some new grain free recipes. If they’re for dishes that originally contained grains … Bonus!