I am a spoiled girl.
I say that because I’ve been a part of the amazing Pete’s Paleo family for over a year and a half now, so I’ve known for a while that Chef Pete was writing a cookbook, Paleo By Season. No one was more excited than I was for the release of this book. Ok, well I’m sure Pete and Sarah were more excited than me, but my excitement level was pretty high up there.
As with any new paleo cookbook that I get (and yes, I have a dozen by now!), the first question I ask myself as I’m flipping through the pages for the first time is - “What am I going to make first?!”. Such a hard choice to make! And as with any cookbook that I have, the answer is always, “Well, what can I make a lot of to share?”.
Each week, I do a meal exchange with my best friends Shanel and April. We each come up with a recipe that is paleo and containing ingredients we all like, and we make triple the amount of servings. Then, we dish it all out into tupperware and ‘exchange’ the dishes. Essentially, I make a huge pot of something, and share it out to them; in exchange, I am receiving 3-4 servings of food for both of them. It’s a brilliant idea and I encourage everyone to try it with their friends! It’s so much easier to just make a huge pot of something and still end up with 3-4 different meals for the week instead of having to prep and cook 3-4 different meals on your own.
I was crunched for time this weekend, so I texted Pete to see what he recommended from his awesome book that would do well with a crockpot. Yes, I’m a crockpot girl. I don’t know how modern life existed without this amazing invention. Pete knows that I do a food exchange with the girls, so he knew I would be making a huge crockpot serving of something.
His recommendation: Okra Brunswick Stew with Pulled Creole Braised Chicken
The original recipe doesn’t call for a crockpot, but Pete assured me that I would be able to throw all of the ingredients in and let it slow cook and it would turn out just fine - and he was right! Holy YUM. And I love everything about this recipe - the ingredients and spices mesh well together, it’s an easy recipe to make in bulk and of course, you can’t forget the ease of simply throwing everything into a crockpot and letting it work it’s magic.
I can’t wait to ask Pete what I should make for next week’s food exchange!
Buy the cookbook here.