Review: Mediterranean Paleo Cooking’s Fig and Ginger Chicken Tajine

We met Nabil and Caitlin on the Low Carb cruise in 2012; we had fun attending several events at a comedy club on the boat as well as a stingray expedition in Grand Cayman. And as the years have passed we’ve enjoyed spending time with them at Paleo FX and AHS events. Like us, they have a passion for real food. Nabil has an incredibly warm and inviting personality, and despite now having enjoyed several trips and events where our paths have crossed, we’ve never before had the pleasure of enjoying his flavorful and culturally-rich foods. We’ve simply enjoyed Nabil and Caitlin’s company as a couple who wants to bring their love of cooking health-supporting food to more people with their own unique twist.

I admire Caitlin’s approach to providing modified options for the myriad of people who follow her, including those who are AIP, low-carb, low FODMAP, etc.  Adding Diane Sanfilippo to this team created a terrific trio! Not only does the food pop off the pages, but the attention to detail paid to modify recipes (even AIP pizza!) makes Mediterranean Paleo Cooking a cookbook that will be useful and useable to so many people. Both MPC and Real Life Paleo are 432 pages chock-full of recipes, almost completely different palates – so we highly encourage you to get BOTH books as an early holiday gift to yourself! 

p.s. We made this dish paired with the Fig Brownies for dessert and the kids loved it. Figs aren’t an ingredient we use usually so it was a great opportunity to explore something new. And then they discovered that they are “just like dates and raisins, which we love!” Kudos, Nabil ♥

Caitlin found Paleo after realizing she had Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis following years of being an exercise junkie and a vegetarian/ low fat dieter. Nabil went Paleo shortly after to support his wife in her healing and he noticed improved energy and concentration, as well as a 15 pound weight-loss in several weeks. When Nabil finished culinary school they started to adjust his mother’s favorite recipes to be grain free and the idea of writing a cookbook was born.

In collaboration with New York Times Bestseller author of Practical Paleo and The 21 Day Sugar Detox Diane Sanfilippo, Caitlin Weeks, NC, and Chef Nabil Boumrar recently released Mediterranean Paleo Cooking. This 432 page book combines Nabil’s traditional techniques from his homeland in Algiers, on the shores of the Mediterranean sea, with the timeless nutritional principles of the Paleo diet. Diane, a long time friend and neighbor of the couple, had a vision for the look of this book and created the design and photography, as well as provided lots of extras that her fans have come to expect. She wanted people to feel like they were on an ocean-side vacation and she delivered!

Caitlin, who you may know from the popular Paleo blog GrassFedGirl.com, went to great lengths with this book to supply modifications for people who may be following an autoimmune plan (112 recipes), GAPS/SCD (159 recipes), low carb (158 recipes), FODMAP (159 recipes), and egg-free (129 recipes) or nut free diets (152 recipes). The book also has 30 day meal plans, one for AIP and one for regular Paleo with downloadable shopping lists and nutritional info.

Busy families will enjoy the 17 slow cooker recipes so you can throw together a recipe before work and come home to something piping hot and delicious. The book has all the well-known favorites from the region such as pita, falafel, Moussaka, kebabs, baba ghanoush, hummus, as well as many tajine recipes that incorporate the goodness of broth [note from Stacy: FIST PUMP!]. They also have an odd bits section for those who want to increase their nutrient density and creatively use the pieces from their cow share.

And if you are someone who misses your pizza and pasta YOU ARE IN LUCK! Mediterranean Paleo Cooking has you covered with 5 Paleo pizza options that are AIP friendly, nut-free, and low carb.

This book also has many wonderful breakfast recipes that include egg-free options, breakfast cookies, herb biscuits, apricot bread and AIP friendly smoothies.

But lets not forget the desert section in Mediterranean Paleo Cooking – some favorites from this 20 recipe section are egg-free apricot ice cream, chocolate kissed macaroons and dairy free crème caramel!

This book is the real deal! Caitlin and Nabil even went to the Mediterranean region twice to do tasty research while gathering recipes. We know you will love it and that it will become a staple in your Paleo cooking library. It is wonderful for people who may have been Paleo for a while and are bored with the same old thing because it incorporates new flavors to wake up your palate such as cinnamon, cumin, ginger, turmeric, garlic and fresh herbs like mint and cilantro. But don’t worry, the recipes are easy to follow even for a novice cook, with easy to find ingredients that you probably already have at home.

To give you a preview into this book we wanted to share a recipe that would be both perfect for kids and friendly for those on an autoimmune protocol. This one is slightly sweet, but covers all your nutritional bases by creating its own broth and using meat on the bone. It pairs perfectly with cauliflower rice!