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Cooking for Isaiah Cookbook Review and Giveaway

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This post is linked to In the Gluten-Free Kitchen–Sharing Sundays.

Cooking for Isaiah: Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Recipes for Easy, Delicious Meals, the cookbook written by Silvana Nardone (of Silvana’s Kitchen and much more) was sent to me last fall for review. In fact, I received two complimentary copies—one for my review and the other for a giveaway. Isaiah is Silvana’s son. He was diagnosed with both gluten and dairy intolerances some time ago. Silvana set out to make recipes that would both heal and please her son. I flipped through Cooking for Isaiah and then read it immediately; I was impressed. I thoroughly enjoy reading and perusing cookbooks as much as I like making recipes from them. Silvana’s husband, photographer, Stephen Scott Gross, took all the photos, which include many lovely ones of their family. While full color photos of recipes are expected in a cookbook, the numerous other photos—in both color and black and white–definitely add to the appeal of this cookbook.  

I had all kinds of plans to try a ton of recipes—like I do every time I get a cookbook to review—but I’m finding that’s really not realistic given my schedule. I keep delaying on doing reviews thinking that some miracle will happen and I will get to make a bunch of recipes, but it never happens, so I’m pretty much going to be abandoning that approach to catch up with cookbooks in my review/giveaway queue. The important thing is that I give you, the gfe readers, a chance to check out books for yourself as we all have such different tastes and preferences. Rest assured that all of the cookbooks I share will continue to fit my gfe approach though.  And whenever you have firsthand experience with a cookbook, I hope you will share those in comments as Casey (Live Your Art) so graciously did today on Cooking for Isaiah. Your feedback is always greatly appreciated.

In the end with Cooking for Isaiah, I tried one recipe and that was a bit of a lark, or maybe serendipity. Allow me to explain. A few days after making Wendy’s (Celiacs in the House) crepes for dinner (we love that recipe!), I began to make a Pina “Greena” Colada for breakfast using some leftover coconut milk I had in the refrigerator. I dumped the coconut milk into the blender and then added some pineapple chunks. But before I went any further, I noticed that the mixture didn’t look right and it didn’t smell right. It took me a few seconds to realize that I had added leftover crepe batter to the blender, not coconut milk. Of course, since I’d already added the pineapple, what the heck was I going to do with the mixture? I couldn’t make a smoothie that contained crepe batter. Then something clicked in my memory and I pulled out Silvana’s cookbook. There was the recipe that could potentially save the day—Carrot-Pineapple Muffins.  

This all happened on the day after Thanksgiving. We were headed out on a road trip to visit several friends in North Carolina. The first stop (after an indulgence at a favorite B&B) was to visit some friends at their mountaintop weekend home in northwestern North Carolina. We needed some homemade goodies to take to them, ones that could also do double duty as healthy car food for us. (Wine and our bees’ honey were already packed as other hostess gifts.) I kind of eye-balled the accidental mixture I had at that point because I hadn’t measured anything. So I added the remaining ingredients per Silvana’s recipe. The batter still looked a little thin (remember I hadn’t measured anything) so I added some almond flour for thickness and to increase the protein/nutritional factor. I really wasn’t sure how my crepes-turned-smoothie-turned muffins would work out, but the results were actually fantastic! Mr. GFE and our friends agreed. The combination of carrot and pineapple is a perfect one for sweetness. The almond flour and walnuts added nice weight and crunch. The muffins were also pleasantly filling, which was great when we relied on them for an afternoon snack and even breakfast for me one day. Note that my muffins turned out a bit flat, but that tends to happen when using almond flour in my experience. I’m not sure how these would look if made exactly per Silvana’s directions as there is no photo of this recipe in her cookbook, but I suspect they’d rise higher.  

I finally got to meet Silvana last month at the Gluten-Free and Allergen-Free Expo. Well, actually we met the first evening before the Expo started. I was waiting in the lobby for the shuttle bus to a special dinner hosted by the delightful folks at Rudi’s when the lovely Silvana walked by. I called to her and then introduced myself. Well, from that point on, we talked non-stop like old buddies until we arrived at Wildfire Restaurant for the amazing dinner that Rudi’s provided. That’s me, Silvana, and my wonderful friend, Heidi (Adventures of a Gluten-Free Mom) in the photo below. Being gluten-free food bloggers, recipe creators, and moms of children with food intolerances, we had a lot to share with each other over four days. Another dear friend, Stephanie O’Dea (blogger and author of Make It Fast, Cook It Slow!; More Make It Fast, Cook It Slow!, and soon-to-be-released Totally Together: Shortcuts to an Organized Life) often joined us, too. Some of the issues we discussed are echoed in Silvana’s beautiful and moving post, Everything I Know About Gluten Free (Plus, My Dairy-Free Knockoff Nutella Recipe).  

Of course, when it comes to the Expo and Silvana, what you especially want to hear about are the recipes that Silvana demonstrated and attendees got to sample—like her luscious chocolate doughnuts and her very popular jalapeno popper waffles. You’ll be happy to know that several doughnut and waffle recipes are included in Cooking for Isaiah. There are 135 recipes in all. About 50 of them require either her gluten-free flour mix or pancake flour mix. The latter is her flour mix with a few additional ingredients added. So both mixes contain white rice flour and starches like potato and tapioca. She’s gotten a lot of flak for that, but honestly, while I like to go crustless and flourless as often as possible and use more nutritious flours these days, I do use a flour mix that includes white rice flour for some of my baking. Unless you’re making these recipes often, using Silvana’s flour mix shouldn’t be a huge concern and you can most likely substitute another gluten-free flour mix of your preference with satisfactory results.  

While I’ve only made this one adapted recipe from Silvana’s cookbook, I think it’s a great cookbook. There are lots of naturally gluten-free recipes—which are always my favorite—as well as creative, fun recipes that the whole family will enjoy. If you click on the cookbook image above (or any Amazon links within this post), you can look inside Cooking for Isaiah to see recipe categories and an actual recipe from each category. How do Grilled Peach BBQ Chicken Wings sound? If you’re not convinced by the name, you will be when you see the photo.  

If you’d like to read some additional reviews of Silvana’s cookbook to get a better preview, check out these below: 

Alisa at Go Dairy Free

Wendy at Celiacs in the House 

Linda at The Gluten-Free Homemaker 

Diane at The W.H.O.L.E. Gang

Alea at Premeditated Leftovers  

Amy at Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free  

Finally, back to the really important part … I’m giving away one copy of Cooking for Isaiah courtesy of Silvana and her publisher! This giveaway ends Monday, June 6, at midnight Eastern. Here are the ways you can enter. Please leave a separate comment for each. 

~ Leave a comment on why you’d like to win Silvana’s cookbook. 

~ Subscribe to gfe in a reader or via email. Leave a comment. 

~ Tweet about the giveaway with @Shirleygfe in your tweet, share on Facebook and tag gfe in your post, and/or share on your blog. Leave a comment for each.

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Comments

  2. Rachel says

    I recently discovered that I have a gluten intolerance and I would love to learn more delicious gluten free recipes! The past few weeks I’ve discovered so many wonderful blogs, checked out lots of new cookbooks from the library and I would be so excited to have Silvana’s book as my first gluten free cookbook!

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Rachel–It looks like you are new to gfe as well as to the gluten-free diet–welcome! I can tell by your comment that you have a fabulous attitude and will do well living gluten free. 🙂

      Shirley

      Reply

  3. Megan says

    I was diagnosed as lactose intollerant at the age of 8, now I am 26 and was diagnosed with celiac disease about 3 months ago. I learned how to deal with the lactose intollerance being that I had it most of my life, but now I have to eat lactose free and gluten free. I can find things dairy free, and I can find things gluten free, but it is difficult to find things dairy and gluten free, including recipes. I would love to win this cookbook to help me learn new recipes that fit all of my dietary needs and actually taste good!

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Megan–You have been doing wonderfully living gluten free and dairy free, but having a whole book of new gf/df recipes like Silvana’s to try would be a real treat, wouldn’t it? 😉 Will find out momentarily who won …

      Shirley

      Reply

  4. Kate says

    gluten free cooking doesn’t end…but my inspiration certainly does, so this would certainly give me a boost in both departments! thanks for the opportunity

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Kate–Welcome to gfe! 🙂 While I think we sometimes make cooking too difficult, we all lose inspiration from time to time. You are right … Cooking for Isaiah can give one a big boost! 😉

      Shirley

      Reply

  5. Kelley M says

    I would love to win a copy of the book. I am on a gf, df diet as well as many other items I cannot eat (sugar, corn, soy, nut…) I have done fine for the first 2 months, but I am really wanting some more food options. This book sounds like t might have a few to try!

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Kelley–It’s wonderful to see you again! 🙂 I’m glad you have done so well, but yes, new recipes like those in Silvana’s cookbook can offer more options. I’m sure coconut sugar could be used in place of sugar in her recipes often.

      Shirley

      Reply

  6. Casey says

    I actually have the book, and have made several recipes, all of which have turned out well. Overall, I would recommend this book, especially for families that are GFCF. My son loves looking through it to pick out things to make. The recipes are easy and the ingredients are easy to find. There are three main cons to consider: 1. Starchy blend, as you mentioned. I have subbed some of the white rice flour with brown and still had good results. 2. High sugar. Yes, she owned a bakery, and you can tell. I would consider most of her breakfast recipes to be desserts, as written, but you can easily omit a lot of the sugary toppings. 3. Potential GF or CF ingredients are not labeled. If you are new to this type of cooking, you may not realize that most chocolate chips, an ingredient she uses frequently, have dairy. It never specifies CF chocolate chips, for example, nor do they make the notation for other potentially contaminated ingredients. That being said, my kids love the recipes and I use the book often enough to have stains on the pages!

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Casey–Thank you so much for taking the time to offer such valuable feedback to my gfe readers! It’s great to know that brown rice flour can be subbed for white rice flour … I thought so. Do you recommend one brand over another? I like the finely ground brown rice flour myself. Great points on adapting by leaving out sugary toppings, too. Finally, I really appreciate you sharing the info on the chocolate chips. I admit that my mind already does that “conversion” and I don’t look for that distinction. The interesting thing about chocolate chips is we’re taught that chocolate with higher cacao content has no dairy, but we still need to read labels. I was surprised to learn that 60% Ghirardelli choc chips contains dairy, but their semi-sweet choc chips do not.

      Thanks again, dear! I mentioned your comment in the updated post. 🙂
      Shirley

      Reply

  7. Shannon Lewis says

    I am desperately seeking cookbooks. Since my 11 year old son was diagnosed 4 months ago, I have tried many recipes I found online. I am looking forward to branching out. I don’t own any cookbooks that are specifically for the gluten free. Thanks for always doing a wonderful job, Shirley. I love the gfe approach.

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hey Shannon–I see this is your first time commenting here on gfe–welcome! 🙂 I use all kinds of cookbooks and just figure out which recipes are naturally gluten free or can be adapted, but you’re right, a gluten-free cookbook makes it much easier. 😉

      Thanks for the sweet words, dear! Hope we’ll see you later this month at our meeting. 🙂
      Shirley

      Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Christine–Always wonderful to see you here at gfe! 🙂 It is a treat to have cookbooks like Silvana’s, isn’t it? Stay tuned … haven’t run that random number generator yet. 😉

      Hugs,
      Shirley

      Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Gina–Good to see you again at gfe! 🙂 Hope the struggles with cooking gluten and dairy free are getting less and less, but this cookbook would definitely help. 😉 BTW, my best helpers w/ dairy-free baking are olive oil, coconut oil, and coconut milk. Usually I can take any gf recipe of mine and work with those ingredients to make the recipe dairy free and delicious, too!

      Shirley

      Reply

  10. Cherie says

    I am always looking for new things to cook. It looks like a great book. Thanks for sharing! 🙂 ~Cherie

    Reply

  11. Jennifer says

    I would love to win this cookbook. I am a picky eater…kind of like a kid! I don’t have any GF cookbooks, and this would be a welcome addition.

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Jennifer–Don’t despair on being a picky eater! I’ve learned to eat so many new foods over the years after being a very picky eater. 😉 I’m sure you could find some recipes that please you right now though with Silvana’s cookbook. 🙂

      Shirley

      Reply

  12. Maggi says

    Oh wow! I’d love this book because not only do I have Celiac Disease, but we just found out my son does as well. Anything that has recipes that are kid-approved are most welcome at this point.

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Maggi–This would be a great cookbook for both you and your son. I’m certain everyone else in the family would love all the recipes, too. 🙂

      Shirley

      Reply

  14. Kari says

    I would love to own this cookbook to help start my journey to a healthier, pain-free life. Thank you for the opportunity to experience gfdf recipes!

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Kari–It looks like you are new here at gfe–welcome! 🙂 Silvana’s cookbook would indeed be a great resource for you living gf/df. Please look around gfe, too. (The Recipes tab at top is a great place to start!) I have many gf/df recipes and certainly can lend a helping hand if you’d like. 😉

      Shirley

      Reply

  15. Blair sprouse says

    When we first became gfcf again, I was checking out books at the library. I have since checked this wonderfully amazing book out 12 times!
    I would love to have this book. You would think i know all the recipes by heart! I also think the library would like to have their worn cookbook back on a more perm basis!
    Thank you very kindly for sharing your copies,

    I wrote a book review some time ago and joined her mailing list. Bounty from our family table.blogspot.com

    Reply

  16. Silvana Nardone says

    Hi Shirley! Thank you so much for this cookbook review. I could hear your sweet (slightly Southern-accented?) voice so clearly as I read it! I also want to thank you for welcoming me into the GF family—I had so much fun in Chicago! Talk soon and happy summer, Silvana

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hey Silvana–You’re quite welcome! As you can see from the comments here, your book is well loved by those who have already used it and much wanted by all the others. 🙂 Oh, yes, I have the Southern accent. LOL I think we all welcome each other in the gf family; it’s one of the best! The best part about Chicago was getting to all hang out together. 😉

      Happy Summer to you, too, dear!
      Shirley

      Reply

  17. Kassia says

    I would love to win this cookbook! My husband, oldest son and I are all gluten free, my son and I are also dairy free, so new recipes that fit into our diet are always a treat!

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Thanks, Alisa! It’s always nice to get a pat on the back, plus I appreciate hearing your take on Silvana’s cookbook, too. I know others will, too. 🙂

      Shirley

      Reply

  19. Johanna B says

    I checked Silvana’s book out from the library and almost broke the copyright laws because I wanted to copy so many recipes. Save me from a life of crime and let me win this book.

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Johanna–LOL … another resounding endorsement of Cooking for Isaiah–very cool! Great giveaway entry, too. If only the random number generator wasn’t random. 😉 We’ll see what happens!

      Shirley

      Reply

  20. Betty says

    I love to bake and love to read cookbooks. My daughter,who has Asperger’s, responds well to a gluten-free diet. So Silvana’s book would be a great fit for our family!

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Betty–It’s nice to see you again! So glad that your daughter is doing well on the gf diet. I agree that Silvana’s cookbook would be a wonderful resource for your family. 🙂

      Shirley

      Reply

  21. Cindy says

    I would like to win a copy of this book because I like almonds and I have noticed on her blog she uses them quite a bit in her recipes. Thank you for the chance to win a copy!

    Reply

  25. Robin says

    I’d love to win this cookbook! I had it out from the library and now I miss it. Lots of great recipes 🙂

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hey Robin–I’m beginning to wonder if Silvana’s cookbook isn’t the most checked out cookbook in the U.S. 😉 Very cool! Thanks for the entries.

      Shirley

      Reply

  27. cheryl says

    you look so lovely in that photo!
    I already have the book, so I’m good on that front. I haven’t tried recipes yet because of the move, but look forward to it.

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Cheryl–Every girl needs about a dozen friends like you! Seriously … you’re the best–thanks! 🙂 Will look forward to your review of Silvana’s cookbook when you’re in your new digs. 😉

      Hugs,
      Shirley

      Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Nelly–Looks like you’re a newbie here–welcome to gfe! 🙂 Baking gf is fun, and Silvana’s cookbook will be great for that. As soon as I finish replying to comments, I’ll run that random. org thingie. 😉

      Shirley

      Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Stephanie–Thanks for the entries! It’s always good to see you. 🙂 I appreciate the kudos on my “happenstance” making of Silvana’s recipe, too. 😉

      Shirley

      Reply

  31. glutenfreeforgood says

    You can’t go wrong with pineapples, carrots and walnuts. Sounds like you did some fun and successful experimenting. That’s the way I do most of my baking. The only bad thing is when you don’t write everything down and you want to create it again later! Also, that view from your friend’s place in NC is amazing. That looks like a B & B! Love the photo of you girls having a good time at the Expo as well. And — last, but not least, Silvana’s book is wonderful!
    Melissa

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Melissa–I agree … pineapples, carrots, and walnuts are a wonderful combo! I’m thinking these muffins will be a great addition to a road trip with my girlfriends coming up in a few days. 😉 And I hear you on that itty bitty problem of not being the best about documenting our recipes as we go. LOL Our friends’ place IS amazing. You can see four states from their deck! Appreciate the feedback on Silvana’s cookbook, too. 🙂

      xo,
      Shirley

      Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Penny–Of course, having gfe on your sidebar counts–thank you so much! That’s really a great way to keep up with your friends’ blogs. 😉

      Shirley

      Reply

  34. Christine Bailey says

    I am new to this Gluten free life as my husband recently found out why he has been soo sick. We have dided to make the whole house gluten free this summer, and with two kids its challenging finding good recipes they like. I would love to win Silvana’s cookbook since it was made with recipes for kids!! Love reading the blog, I get lots of great ideas, so thank you for what you do!

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Christine–Welcome to gfe and welcome to gluten-free living! Major kudos for making the whole house gluten free. 🙂 I know it can seem overwhelming at first, but if you start looking at all the recipes that you already love that are gluten free or easily adapted, that can help a lot. 😉 Silvana’s cookbook would be great for you all for sure. Many thanks for the sweet feedback (and subscription!) on gfe!

      Shirley

      Reply

  36. Ina Gawne says

    Shirley – don’t you love it when a recipe accidentally comes together like that? I would be doing the happy dance in my kitchen! Cooking for Isaiha sounds like a great gluten free cook book for anyone’s kitchen.

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Ina–LOL I do love it! Yes, I did the happy dance after I ate one of these muffins and almost did one every time I ate one after that. 😉 Cooking for Isaiah is a wonderful cookbook with such a fun variety of recipes!

      Shirley

      Reply

  37. Susan R says

    I have wanted this book for a l-o-n-g time! Not only for the recipes, but I so enjoy personal stories, also.

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hey there, Susan–So good to see you and I see you are another fan of Silvana’s! 🙂 Personal stories really make a cookbook worthwhile, don’t they?

      Shirley

      Reply

  38. Sue says

    I follow you everywhere! I am just getting ready to start baking gf, after years of eating a lot of produce. This book sounds like the perfect addition to my growing collection of gf cookbooks!

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Sue–You made me chuckle, dear! Thanks for being such a loyal gfe follower. 🙂 You know it took me a while to start baking gf, too. It sounds like you are getting well prepared. 😉

      Shirley

      Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Carol–Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and say such sweet things! 🙂 My review of your cookbook is coming … once I’m off my sugar-free challenge and back from a girlfriends’ vacation. 😉

      xo,
      Shirley

      Reply

  40. Kirsten says

    I’m trying to go gluten free, and slowly collecting cookbooks as I make the transition. I’d love to check this one out. 🙂

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Kirsten–Welcome to gfe! It’s so nice to have you here. I hope you’ll find much to help in your transition to gluten free. 🙂 Certainly, Silvana’s cookbook would be a wonderful and beautiful aid in that. 😉

      Shirley

      Reply

  41. Karolina says

    I would love to win this book because I am always looking for great GF recipes, and it would be great to have a book of recipes that I don’t need to adapt.

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Karolina–Thanks for taking the time to comment and enter another giveaway! 🙂 It is a treat to get recipes that are ready to go for us. 😉

      Shirley

      Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Amarit-Congrats on being gf and welcome to gfe! 🙂 Obviously what you’ve heard on Silvana’s cookbook echoes so many comments here. 😉 Thanks for entering!

      Shirley

      Reply

  44. Katie says

    I would love to win this cookbook for myself and my two daughters who are all on the gluten-free diet for celiac or gluten sensitivity. We love trying new recipes together.

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Katie–I can just imagine you and your adorable twin girls in the kitchen together—so much fun! Silvana’s cookbook would be a wonderful one for you all to work with. 🙂 Thanks so much for all the connections! 😉

      Hugs,
      Shirley

      Reply

  52. Karen says

    I’m new to gluten free with two little ones and one big husband in tow. I’m hoping for new inspirations.

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Karen–It looks like you’re new to gf and gfe—welcome! 🙂 New inspirations and recipes the whole family loves are what we all want. 😉 Thanks so much for entering the giveaway!

      Shirley

      Reply

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