Author pens firstWhole30-endorsed cookbook
Unlike a calorie- counting diet, the uber-trendy Whole30 is a 30- day nutrition program designed to help people make better food choices, like eating more plants and healthy fats, and eliminating sugar, dairy and gluten, which have been linked to inflammatory conditions in the body.
Weight loss is the added bonus.
Founders Melissa and Dallas Hartwig launched the program in 2009 and to date have published several books, including two New York Times best-selling cookbooks. But after the first month of following the program, it can be difficult to come up with what to eat for the remaining 335 days of the year. You can find recipes online, but the sources may not be Whole30 compliant.
Now, the first Whole30 -endorsed cookbook is about to be released. The author, Michelle Smith, is a Livermore mother of two and food blogger at The Whole Smiths. Her book, “The Whole Smiths Good Food Cookbook: Delicious Real Food Recipes to Cook All Year Long” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 261 pages, $30) will debut June 5with a launch party and book signing at McGrail Vineyards in Livermore.
The book launch party runs from 6 to 9 p.m. and is expected to sell out. For $25, you receive a copy of the cookbook, a glass of wine and dinner provided by Oakland’s Roli Roti, plus a goody bag.
Melissa Hartwig and Smith will do a Q& A, then Smith will sign copies of her book, which features 150 recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even dessert (including Chocolate Chip+Sea Salt Cookies made with almond flour).
The book is intended for busy home cooks, with recipes suitable for weeknight cooking. Every recipe is gluten-free and much of the book is either Whole 30 com- pliant or can be modified to be compliant, with tips provided by Smith. Grains appear sparingly and most of the recipes don’t require dairy, instead calling for coconut milk, a staple in Smith’s kitchen.
Some highlights: Smith reinvents sweet potatoes, a Whole30 fixture, in Chipotle Breakfast Tostadas and cleverly simple Smoked Salmon Sweet Potato Toast, and makes a surprisingly creamy Spaghetti Squash Chicken Alfredo using unsweetened almond milk.
The cookbook also features mocktails, dairy-free espresso drinks (hello, lavender latte) and flavorful dressings and condiments, like a quick pistachio-based gremolata or chipotle crema for spiffing up simple weeknight dinners.
To purchase tickets to the book launch, visit www.eventbrite.com/e/thewhole-smiths-book-launchw-author- michelle-smithme lissa-hart wig-tickets - 45673802573?aff=es2.
McGrail Vineyards is located at 5600 Greenville Road in Livermore.