Book ~ "The 163 Best Paleo Slow Cooker Recipes: 100% Gluten-Free" (2013) Judith Finlayson

From Goodreads ~ "Delicious and satisfying Paleo diet friendly slow cooker recipes that everyone can enjoy."

Enjoy old standards and new classics with this very topical collection of slow cooker recipes. They've been refined to meet the needs of people who subscribe to the Paleo or Primal lifestyle. The Paleo diet is currently one of the most popular diets being followed today and has been embraced by nearly 1.5 million people in North America. The recipes don't contain any grains or legumes (therefore making all of them gluten-free), no refined sugars, no refined oils or processed ingredients -- the basic principles of the diet.

Slow cookers are hugely popular because they're so convenient and the results so delicious -- all the recipes in this book pay very close attention to Paleo guidelines while also recognizing that there's a wide variety of reasons that people choose to eat Paleo that go beyond weight loss. So there's room to be flexible depending on your personal requirements and expectations of the diet.

It's all here: from great family food to more sophisticated recipes for entertaining, not to mention luscious desserts:

• Starters and Snacks - Eggplant Caviar, Country Terrine, Swedish Meatballs, Braised Tomato Topping 
• Soups - Shrimp Bisque, Double Tomato Soup with Arugula-Walnut Pesto 
• Poultry - Chicken Provencal, Texas-Style Chicken Stew, Tomato-Braised Turkey Breast 
• Fish and Seafood - Braised Swordfish, Caribbean Pepper Pot, Florida Fish Chowder 
• Beef and Veal - Short Ribs in Rich Mushroom Gravy, Meatball Goulash, Mom's Sunday Pot Roast 
• Pork and Lamb - Ancho-Embraced Pork with Tomatillos, Pork Columbo, Irish Stew 
• Meatless Mains - Louisiana Ratatouille, Cumin Beets, Braised Red Cabbage, Onion-Braised Potatoes with Spinach 
• Desserts - The Ultimate Baked Apples, Peruvian Cream.

Now even people who follow the Paleo lifestyle can enjoy easy delectable meals that reflect an outstanding variety of fresh flavors, cuisines and textures.

I've heard of "Paleo" but I didn't know what it was.  We have a slow cooker that I use fairly often.  And with so many people suffering with gluten issues these days, I thought this would be an interesting cookbook to check out.

It starts out by explaining what Paleo is ... Paleo is a diet that is similar to that of our hunter-gatherer ancestors, eating food that is as close to its nature state as possible.  Some key points include:

• increasing your consumption of protein in the form of naturally raised meat and wild fish and seafood
• limiting carbs sources to include fruit and veggies that are low in starch, as well as certain nuts and seeds
• forgetting most of what you have been taught about fat ... as long as it is "natural", fat is fine
• no grains or legumes
• no refined sugars and oils or processed foods

People choose to eat Paleo for a number of reasons including: 

• to lose weight
• to regulate blood sugar levels
• to improve digestive health
• to heal intestinal permeability

The author discusses and justifies foods she has included in the recipes that wouldn't usually be in a Paleo diet like salt, tomatoes, fat, dairy products, etc.  If you are new to slow cooking, you'll find the next chapter helpful because you'll learn the basics of slow cooking.

The recipes are quite detailed with tips, if you can make things ahead, etc.  Here's an example.

For me, the only thing that was missing with the recipes was the nutritional information (calories, amount of protein, etc.).

I'm a fairly fussy eater and was pleasantly surprised that most of the recipes sound really really good and I look forward to trying them.

Here's what we've made from this book:

• Classic Beef Stew
• Down Home Smothered Steak
• Ranch House Chicken Fried Steak

I received a copy of this book at no charge in exchange for my honest review.