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Clean Eating with a Dirty Mind: Over 150 Paleo-Inspired Recipes for Every Craving
With a perfect combination of more than 150 sweet and savory recipes, this book breaks the mold (and all the rules), its core principle being that just because your food is nutritious doesn’t mean it has to taste that way! Recipes like Sour Cherry Crumble Bars, Death by Chocolate Cake, and Salted Caramel Ice Cream are sure to satisfy even the most demanding sweet tooth—and they are all gluten-free, grain-free, guilt-free, and Paleo-friendly. Whether you’re gluten-free or Paleo, you want to “bake the world a better place,” or you simply love eating amazing food, Clean Eating with a Dirty Mind will cater to your every indulgence, leaving you with a whole lot less to confess and a whole lot more to enjoy
432 pages, Paperback
First published September 8, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 7, 2021
First of all, fantastic title.
I am not following a paleo diet but if you have read any of my other cookbook reviews, you already know that I am very open to different types of recipes and I constantly crave variety in food. Therefore, this catchy title with a great cover and opening line that reads: "If you were to ask me what I love most about food, I would simply tell you 'Everything.' " Sold! I'm in!
Onto the recipes:
Variety: Over 150 recipes in this book, however, only 18 of them are meals or snacks. All the rest of the recipes would fall in the dessert category. (Which is totally fine with me.)
Pictures: Several beautiful pictures decorate the pages of this book. There are pictures of the recipe foods as well as a super handy conversion guide in the back to help you know how many tablespoons are in 1/3 cup, how many cups equal a quart and so on.
Difficulty/Time preparation: The recipes have easy to follow instructions but this is not a book I would recommend to someone looking to save time in the kitchen. No quick recipes here.
Ingredients: Most of the recipes include one or more ingredients that are not usually kept on hand in the average kitchen. Be prepared to spend a little bit more on some harder to find ingredients.
Nutrition: Nutrition facts are not included with the recipes.
BEST recipe — for my family, the most often requested recipe was the Chocolate Fudge Cookies!
I am not following a paleo diet but if you have read any of my other cookbook reviews, you already know that I am very open to different types of recipes and I constantly crave variety in food. Therefore, this catchy title with a great cover and opening line that reads: "If you were to ask me what I love most about food, I would simply tell you 'Everything.' " Sold! I'm in!
Onto the recipes:
Variety: Over 150 recipes in this book, however, only 18 of them are meals or snacks. All the rest of the recipes would fall in the dessert category. (Which is totally fine with me.)
Pictures: Several beautiful pictures decorate the pages of this book. There are pictures of the recipe foods as well as a super handy conversion guide in the back to help you know how many tablespoons are in 1/3 cup, how many cups equal a quart and so on.
Difficulty/Time preparation: The recipes have easy to follow instructions but this is not a book I would recommend to someone looking to save time in the kitchen. No quick recipes here.
Ingredients: Most of the recipes include one or more ingredients that are not usually kept on hand in the average kitchen. Be prepared to spend a little bit more on some harder to find ingredients.
Nutrition: Nutrition facts are not included with the recipes.
BEST recipe — for my family, the most often requested recipe was the Chocolate Fudge Cookies!
November 16, 2018
Before becoming Paleo I had quite a sweet tooth and a love for backed goods. This cookbook is by far the best compensation of all things dessert. The Death by Chocolate Cake recipe is my go to for parties. Everyone, Paleo or not, always complements this cake begging for me to make it again. The chocolate cookies are simple, quick and delicious. They are also a sweet tooth staple in this house..from bars, cookies, cakes, pies, sauces, frosting... Vanessa has you covered!
December 5, 2017
The title rubs me the wrong way, but the cookbook is excellent. The recipes are paleo-inspired rather than straight up paleo, so there's some dairy and other non-paleo (but nutritious) ingredients (like peas), but most recipes do have a dairy-free option, and some even have an egg-free and/or nut-free option. Icons show if a recipe is free of these things, or has an option to be. Everything is gluten free and grain free.
There are a few savory dishes in the opening chapter, but the majority of the 150 recipes are desserts. That's bars, donuts, candies, chocolates, pies, cakes, cookies, tarts, ice creams, toppings, frostings, and fillings. It's almost overwhelming. They all look incredible, and range in difficultly from flourless almond butter cookie to four-layer chocolate cake. Every recipe has a beautiful photo, head notes, and storage advice. Measurements are in U.S. volume and grams. Some of the fonts are difficult to read, but they're mostly headings; the fonts used in the recipes are much cleaner.
The book uses mainly almond, coconut, tapioca, and arrowroot flours. Sugars are mostly natural and unrefined like maple sugar, date sugar, and honey. It uses a lot of coconut products, but not as much as some paleo books I've read. It will sometimes suggest a substitution of ghee, lard, coconut oil, or palm oil shortening in place of the butter that is in almost every recipe. Making a recipe egg free often consists of modifications to the recipe itself (using a different frosting, etc) rather than substitutions, so there isn't any egg replacing action that I noticed, but, for example, the egg-free marshmallow creme recipe uses gelatin and is a separate recipe from the marshmallow creme that contains egg whites.
It has a picture index, an index with dairy-free, nut-free, and egg-free recipes, then a general index that is still incredibly thorough.
A huge book with an introductory guide to paleo and an almost punishing amount of desserts. Good for gluten-free peeps, and promising for those looking to avoid dairy and/or eggs as well.
There are a few savory dishes in the opening chapter, but the majority of the 150 recipes are desserts. That's bars, donuts, candies, chocolates, pies, cakes, cookies, tarts, ice creams, toppings, frostings, and fillings. It's almost overwhelming. They all look incredible, and range in difficultly from flourless almond butter cookie to four-layer chocolate cake. Every recipe has a beautiful photo, head notes, and storage advice. Measurements are in U.S. volume and grams. Some of the fonts are difficult to read, but they're mostly headings; the fonts used in the recipes are much cleaner.
The book uses mainly almond, coconut, tapioca, and arrowroot flours. Sugars are mostly natural and unrefined like maple sugar, date sugar, and honey. It uses a lot of coconut products, but not as much as some paleo books I've read. It will sometimes suggest a substitution of ghee, lard, coconut oil, or palm oil shortening in place of the butter that is in almost every recipe. Making a recipe egg free often consists of modifications to the recipe itself (using a different frosting, etc) rather than substitutions, so there isn't any egg replacing action that I noticed, but, for example, the egg-free marshmallow creme recipe uses gelatin and is a separate recipe from the marshmallow creme that contains egg whites.
It has a picture index, an index with dairy-free, nut-free, and egg-free recipes, then a general index that is still incredibly thorough.
A huge book with an introductory guide to paleo and an almost punishing amount of desserts. Good for gluten-free peeps, and promising for those looking to avoid dairy and/or eggs as well.
March 27, 2017
Clean Eating with a Dirty Mind
is the second paleo cookbook I read to help me eat carbs more mindfully but still enjoy dessert. Life is not worth living if you can't have dessert, especially every day.
The recipes are more labor intensive, exotic and unusual and not usually foods I eat regularly but my interest was peaked and the pictures more than enough to get me curious about making an attempt at more than a few dishes. There are full page color photographs accompanying each recipe, which I love, and a handy dandy recipe summary and conversion guide at the end.
Clean Eating with a Dirty Mind is a great reference for any dessert lover to have in the kitchen, especially if you want to challenge yourself to eat better and create foods that are normally not in your comfort zone.
The recipes are more labor intensive, exotic and unusual and not usually foods I eat regularly but my interest was peaked and the pictures more than enough to get me curious about making an attempt at more than a few dishes. There are full page color photographs accompanying each recipe, which I love, and a handy dandy recipe summary and conversion guide at the end.
Clean Eating with a Dirty Mind is a great reference for any dessert lover to have in the kitchen, especially if you want to challenge yourself to eat better and create foods that are normally not in your comfort zone.
February 14, 2018
Pros: Great recipes and photos. Recipes are a little more time consuming for me, but something to aspire to! Made the easy chocolate chip cooks and they turned out wonderful.
Cons: Nada
Cover Art: 5 out of 5. Fun colors and draw of yummy dessert.
Cons: Nada
Cover Art: 5 out of 5. Fun colors and draw of yummy dessert.
September 9, 2021
This may sound funny, but, this might be one of the most heart warming, inspiring, and creative books I've ever read. And yes, it's a cook book. :) Yet the mind and voice of the author made me laugh, inspired me to try my hand at baking, and live life with optimism. Highly recommend!
May 19, 2017
I do not know what I love more, the beautiful pictures, reading the recipes, or the cute tidbits before. I could read this all day.
August 23, 2017
Library book that I need to own. Seriously tempting desserts!
Did Not Finish
July 14, 2019These recipes were just more complicated than I really want to get into...
June 7, 2016
Often when one decides to “go Paleo” the question of dessert comes up. Vanessa Barajas has the answer in her delightful Clean Eating with a Dirty Mind. Yes, you can have dessert, but make it a special occasion and not an everyday happening. Her book offers a selection of tasty salads, casseroles and sides, but the main focus is on very special desserts that look and taste amazing.
The book is well laid-out with the usual how-to’s, tool selections, tips about flours, leaveners and general terminology in chapter one. The recipes follow.
I particularly liked the Duck fat Fries (p. 90) that use russet potatoes and truffle salt. Loaded mashed Cauliflower (p. 92) is filled with bacon, onion, egg and fresh chives, so tasty you’ll never miss the cheese. My favorite recipe in this section is the Chipotle Chicken Salad (p. 102), a combination of shredded, cooked chicken (I used rotisserie chicken from Costco) with diced celery, red onion, mayo and chiles in adobo sauce.
In the lengthy dessert section, I was particularly drawn to the Spiced Maple Pear Tart (p. 192). Pear tart is a family favorite at Thanksgiving and this is on the must-try list for this year’s celebration. It calls for a Holiday Spiced Crust (p. 174), apple juice, maple syrup, bosc pears and full fat coconut milk. Other recipes include Crème Brulee, several gorgeous cakes, cookies, cashew clusters, chocolate-covered toffee and cookie dough fudge. Truly decadent, but fully Paleo creations for that special occasion. The recipes are easy to follow and outstandingly photographed. There are troubleshooting tips plus instructions for making items such as chocolate curls and ways to decorate cakes (Check out the jaw-dropping creation on pages 233 and 234—a Caramel Maple Fig Cake in four layers!).
If desserts are your thing, this is the book for you. If you haven’t gained five pounds just feasting your eyes on all this decadent loveliness, follow Vanessa’s instructions and you’ll be crafting show-stopping desserts in no time.
The book is well laid-out with the usual how-to’s, tool selections, tips about flours, leaveners and general terminology in chapter one. The recipes follow.
I particularly liked the Duck fat Fries (p. 90) that use russet potatoes and truffle salt. Loaded mashed Cauliflower (p. 92) is filled with bacon, onion, egg and fresh chives, so tasty you’ll never miss the cheese. My favorite recipe in this section is the Chipotle Chicken Salad (p. 102), a combination of shredded, cooked chicken (I used rotisserie chicken from Costco) with diced celery, red onion, mayo and chiles in adobo sauce.
In the lengthy dessert section, I was particularly drawn to the Spiced Maple Pear Tart (p. 192). Pear tart is a family favorite at Thanksgiving and this is on the must-try list for this year’s celebration. It calls for a Holiday Spiced Crust (p. 174), apple juice, maple syrup, bosc pears and full fat coconut milk. Other recipes include Crème Brulee, several gorgeous cakes, cookies, cashew clusters, chocolate-covered toffee and cookie dough fudge. Truly decadent, but fully Paleo creations for that special occasion. The recipes are easy to follow and outstandingly photographed. There are troubleshooting tips plus instructions for making items such as chocolate curls and ways to decorate cakes (Check out the jaw-dropping creation on pages 233 and 234—a Caramel Maple Fig Cake in four layers!).
If desserts are your thing, this is the book for you. If you haven’t gained five pounds just feasting your eyes on all this decadent loveliness, follow Vanessa’s instructions and you’ll be crafting show-stopping desserts in no time.
May 13, 2016
This cookbook is "paleo-ish", which matches the way I eat. Sweets are suppose to be a treat you have about once/week or so....in my opinion. Everything in moderation. I am not a Paleo-purist, I cannot have gluten and sorghum kills my digestion pretty badly. I also eat beans and occasionally I cannot keep myself from stuffing my face with some cheese.
Vanessa uses wholesome, real food ingredients, some of which are more obscure, so planning is required. Real maple sugar happens to be one of those obscure ingredients, but it is available through Amazon and Thrivemarket, so it can be ordered as necessary.
I absolutely cannot believe how amazing the snickerdoodles and the fudge cookies are; I cannot wait to try one of her cakes. I borrowed this book from my local library and, unfortunately, it is due back, so I have purchased it from Amazon today for $18.99. A girls gotta do, what a girls gotta do.
Check it out from library and find out for yourself how amazing her recipes are.
Vanessa uses wholesome, real food ingredients, some of which are more obscure, so planning is required. Real maple sugar happens to be one of those obscure ingredients, but it is available through Amazon and Thrivemarket, so it can be ordered as necessary.
I absolutely cannot believe how amazing the snickerdoodles and the fudge cookies are; I cannot wait to try one of her cakes. I borrowed this book from my local library and, unfortunately, it is due back, so I have purchased it from Amazon today for $18.99. A girls gotta do, what a girls gotta do.
Check it out from library and find out for yourself how amazing her recipes are.
January 18, 2017
Beautiful cookbook. Well laid out. Gorgeous photos. Stunning. Very well written.
Wonderful for celebrations and parties.
The indexes are excellent. Sounds silly I know but this is extremely important in a good cookbook.
Keep in mind it is paleo "inspired" as opposed to actually paleo. If you are just starting to eat paleo this is not a place to start. There is dairy in quite a few of the recipes and if you are hard core whole 30 paleo person this book may be more of a tease than anything. She does however do a great job letting you know which receives are Dairy, egg and net free.
If you are an 80 - 2o paleo person, or one who has no issues with dairy and natural sugars, honey, coconut and maple sugar, I highly recommend this book.
If you are not paleo but have friends of family who are they would love you if you prepared something from here for them.
Wonderful for celebrations and parties.
The indexes are excellent. Sounds silly I know but this is extremely important in a good cookbook.
Keep in mind it is paleo "inspired" as opposed to actually paleo. If you are just starting to eat paleo this is not a place to start. There is dairy in quite a few of the recipes and if you are hard core whole 30 paleo person this book may be more of a tease than anything. She does however do a great job letting you know which receives are Dairy, egg and net free.
If you are an 80 - 2o paleo person, or one who has no issues with dairy and natural sugars, honey, coconut and maple sugar, I highly recommend this book.
If you are not paleo but have friends of family who are they would love you if you prepared something from here for them.
January 19, 2016
This book is really great. I just made the maple almond butter/chocolate candy cups recipe. It's a variation on the popular Reese's peanut butter cup.
However, over the years basic foods that you like have become so overly processed it's nice to be able to make your own HOMEMADE versions of things like peanut butter cups, ice cream. Hence, the title, "Clean Eating with a Dirty Mind". I just love that title too. So catchy. It definitely reeled me in to wanting to read it...that and how can you not open a book with chocolate donuts on the front cover?!
There's something in it for everybody.
FIVE STARS for sure. Highly recommend it!
However, over the years basic foods that you like have become so overly processed it's nice to be able to make your own HOMEMADE versions of things like peanut butter cups, ice cream. Hence, the title, "Clean Eating with a Dirty Mind". I just love that title too. So catchy. It definitely reeled me in to wanting to read it...that and how can you not open a book with chocolate donuts on the front cover?!
There's something in it for everybody.
FIVE STARS for sure. Highly recommend it!
December 29, 2015
This cookbook has me torn. Don't get me wrong. The photos are gorgeous and the recipes enticing. It is a Paleo (grain-free) baking cookbook. There are a few savory recipes (my personal craving) which I can't wait to make. It also has cookies (I'm in!) and ice cream (oh, yes!) I will pass on the cakes, cupcakes and pies though. They look delicious, but they are not the kind of things I make...yet. For those of you with a serious sweet tooth, who also want to go Paleo, this is your ultimate dessert book.
December 13, 2015
The gluten free desert recipes look amazing and use few ingredients which is always a plus with GF baking.
I'm thinking about baking through this book perhaps...
I'm thinking about baking through this book perhaps...
April 13, 2016
great recipes - mostly desserts
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews