LATIN AMERICAN PALEO COOKING by Amanda Torres
(Paleo, AIP, Whole30 Friendly Cookbook)

Paleo Recipes As Bold And Flavorful As They Are Healthy

My first print cookbook, Latin American Paleo Cooking, is now for sale! The recipes inside are authentic, traditional dishes made Paleo, with over 90% of the recipes being AIP or adaptable, and many also suitable for Whole30.

UPDATE: 1 year anniversary Giveaway + Signed Bookplate offer!

August 22nd 2018 marks ONE YEAR that my cookbook has been out in the world and in your kitchen. To celebrate, I am hosting a fun little giveaway. There will be 5 winners and each will get to choose their favorite prize from several choices.

All of the prize options are something I have helped to create - I wanted to keep this celebration close to home!

PRIZE CHOICES (each valued at $25):

1. Signed copy of Latin American Paleo Cooking

2. Choice of t-shirt from Mobius Theory ("Ducks in a Row", "Pyramid Panda", or "Dexter the Cat")

3. "Yummy" digital art print

Enter the giveaway using this Rafflecopter widget:

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Call For Amazon Reviews!

custom signed bookplate for latin american paleo cooking

Less than 0.5% of people who have purchased a copy of my cookbook have left an Amazon review - whaaaat?! Please take one minute and leave a star rating and a review - it can be one sentence or more in depth if you feel called to write more. Ever taken a photo of a recipe you made from my book? You get a gold star if you include it with your review.

In exchange for your honest review I would LOVE to send you a free signed bookplate! My husband Andy custom designed these just for my cookbook. The coloring matches the color scheme of the book and the produce shown are ingredients used in the book - how cute is that?!

To claim your free signed bookplate all you need to do is this:

1. Go to Amazon and write a review (if you did this before now, you can still claim your bookplate!)

2. Fill out this form to let me know who to make the bookplate out to and where to mail it.

3. Wait for it to arrive, hand packed by me!

WHY I WROTE LATIN AMERICAN PALEO COOKING

My name is Amanda Torres, but I was born a Crawford. I was lucky enough to marry into a Puerto Rican family when I was in my mid-20s. Being from a small town in Georgia, I did not have very much exposure to other culture's cuisines. I still remember the first time my husband bought plantains for us to cook.....I was so bewildered by this weird banana-that-you-have-to-cook. But all it took was one bite into a tostone and I was in love.

The next dish he taught me was the oh so beloved and delicious pastelillos, Puerto Rican fried empanadas. This was way back before we ever heard the word "Paleo" and we used the frozen "discos" of refined white flour dough that you roll out and fill with meat then deep fry. HEAVENLY. (Recreating pastelillos as Paleo and AIP was one of my favorites!)

My mother-in-law, Milagros, also took me under her wing to teach me all of her family recipes and traditional cooking methods. You will find tons of these recipes in Latin American Paleo Cooking!

In 2012 we moved to Miami Beach and I fully embraced being able to dine at restaurants run by people from pretty much every country in Latin America. I lived in a neighborhood known as Little Argentina and so churrasco with delicious chimichurri became a regular part of my diet.

Hands down the most delicious cut of steak and best ever steak sauce.

I immersed myself in learning all these new cuisines - I have a real talent for being able to eat a dish, research the dish, then recreate it in my own kitchen to taste just as authentic as what I was served. I read cookbooks, I talked to my friends and colleagues about their family traditions, and I incorporated Colombian, Venezuelan, Peruvian, Brazilian, Argentinean, and Cuban dishes into our regular diet. It was a marvelous time!

I knew when I launched my blog in 2012 that I wanted to write a cookbook about Latin American food. But it took 4 years for that dream to become a reality. I am so grateful (and you should be too!) for my good friend Jennifer from Predominantly Paleo - without her introduction to her publisher this book may not have happened. Gracias, mi amiga! And thanks for the amazing foreword in the book <3

Also I am SO grateful for my amazing photographer, Toni Zernik, who cooked and photographed all of these recipes from the other side of the country! Check out her amazing work on her site.

Here are answers to some of the top questions I have received about Latin American Paleo Cooking:

FAQs about Latin American Paleo Cooking

What types of cuisine are featured?

Puerto Rican, Cuban, Colombian, Venezuelan, Peruvian, Salvadoran, Argentinian, Brazilian, Dominican

What about the other Latin American countries?

While my dream was to feature at least 2-3 recipe from every Latin American country, due to the publication time-frame and also size limitations for the book, I had to pick and choose. I wrote recipes for the cuisines that I am the most familiar with.

No Mexican food???

I LOVE Mexican cuisine! So do many other Paleo and AIP authors. I chose to focus on recipes that are brand new to the Paleo and AIP communities. Check out Paleo Ole or Paleo MX for authentic delicious Paleo Mexican food!

What kinds are recipes are inside?

All recipes are traditional recipes adapted to be made with Paleo and AIP ingredients. I took extreme care to make every dish as absolutely authentic as possible, while still adhering to Paleo and AIP requirements.

I am on the autoimmune protocol (AIP). Are there any recipes for me?

YES! Over 90% of the recipes are AIP or easily adaptable, without sacrificing authenticity.

Those non-AIP recipes...why aren't they AIP?

The great news is that you can treat most of the non-AIP recipes as reintroduction tests. Of the 8 recipes that are not AIP, only 2 are due to non-negotiable nightshades, 1 for eggs, 3 for the seed spice cumin, and 2 for white rice (I had to include legit Arroz con Pollo and Puerto Rican Yellow Rice - but don't worry, I have grain-free versions of both, too!)

I thought all Latin American food was full of nightshades. How did you do it??!

While it is true that some Latin dishes prominently feature nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers), many dishes do not. I also used my kitchen wizardry to come up with alternatives to nightshades you may not even realize are replacing the peppers and tomatoes!

How many recipes are there?

81 recipes - zero of which are boring fluff/filler recipes!

What are the chapter titles?

Platos de la Familia (Family Dinners); Rapido y Facil (Quick and Easy); Comida Fiesta! (Party Food!); Accompanantes (Sides); Lo Esencials (The Essentials - sauces, cooking bases, and more); Un Poco Dulce (A Little Sweet - desserts!)

Which Paleo/AIP/gluten-free flours do I need for the recipes?

Just 3: tapioca starch (or arrowroot), coconut flour, and cassava flour. Many recipes actually use fruits and vegetables like plantains and yuca to create doughs!

What about cooking fats?

In some recipes you will need fats that function like a shortening and can use pastured lard or sustainably harvested palm shortening. In most recipes that use fat for pan-frying or sauteeing you are free to use your favorite fat of choice, such as extra virgin olive oil, lard, ghee, or coconut oil

Are there other special produce items I will need?

You will need to be able to find a few pieces of produce that, depending on where you live, your regular grocery store may not carry (like plantains, yuca, malanga, culantro, chayotes). The great news is that many grocery stores catering to any kind of international customers will generally carry a wide range of "exotic" produce.

What about other special ingredients?

There are a few recipes that call for specific types of chile pepper pastes for the most authentic flavor. You can easily purchase these online or may be able to find them at your local Latin grocery. (or for AIP I've provided non-nightshade alternatives)