Eat Drink Paleo Cookbook

My Journey

It all started in May, 2012, when I quit my corporate job to pursue a passion – read: obsession – for cooking and all the other things that qualify me as a life-long foodie. Yes, I know, there are millions of other people who share the same passion – hello MasterChef and Food Network – but I'm talking about a slightly different fixation. What I have, and I've had it ever since I cooked my first dish in my grandmother's kitchen, is an insatiable desire to play with food – to whisk it, mould it, whip it, sizzle it and drizzle it till the cows come home. For a long time now, I've seen the kitchen as a playground where I can create and let my instincts go wild, where I experiment and where I don't follow instructions. It's a feeling of wanting everyone else to see cooking through my eyes and to show that it's completely normal to get stupidly excited about a truffle mushroom or a piece of amazing grass-fed beef. And waking up in the middle of the night to write down a recipe I just dreamt about because I feel like it's the most brilliant one I've ever come up with and everyone will love it.

This 'inner vocation' slowly grew into a nebulous dream, but for a long time I didn't know what to do with it. I left it there like a reserve batter, sitting on a side bench of a playing field. I kept looking for an outlet, something to pour my passion for food into. I thought about going to a culinary school, opening my own wine bar or a café, starting a catering business and, yes, maybe for just one second, I imagined going on MasterChef or some other cooking contest. None of it sat well in my head or in my heart. I like to believe I'm a 'live in the moment, be free, make your own rules' kind of gal and I just couldn't commit.

Then I discovered paleo, a diet and lifestyle I will touch on in the next chapter, and everything fell into place. I found a way to combine my passion for cooking with my skills and background in digital media and create something that allowed me to play by my own rules. My website, Eat Drink Paleo, was born.

Focusing on paleo was a no-brainer for me – I was getting into the lifestyle and feeling fantastic as a result, and I was cooking a bunch of great, new food and trying new ingredients. At the same time there was a lack of exciting, paleo-friendly recipes around. It was a perfect combination – an opportunity to unleash my culinary experiments and kitchen prowess; to learn and, consequently, educate others on how to feel great by eating real, delicious food. In addition, I felt the need to demystify paleo as a diet, which I thought was perceived as a fad or as a boring, impractical, restrictive and meat-heavy way of eating. I knew first-hand that it doesn't have to be that way and that my approach – flexible, affirmative and personal – is an easier way to integrate the paleo diet into your life.

For nine months I've been developing, testing and photographing paleo-inspired recipes for the site, building a community, educating myself and advocating good nutrition and healthier lifestyle habits. My audience grew quickly and I knew I was onto something. You know you're doing something right when you start receiving emails and comments from real people telling you they had a fabulous dinner with their family thanks to your recipes, or that your content and passion inspires them on their journey. I realised that I'd found a way to connect.

Making a cookbook was a natural progression. I had so many fantastic recipes in my head and I really wanted to produce something that was different to what was available. I envisioned a cookbook that reflects my 80/20 philosophy, showcases real food and natural ingredients, and screams 'cooking is fun'.

This cookbook is direct from the heart of someone who really loves to cook. It's been created in a very small kitchen using basic equipment and common ingredients, demonstrating that the recipes can be cooked by pretty much anyone. It's also special because it was originally self-published and made possible by many friends and strangers who believed in my crazy dream and gave me an unbelievable opportunity to share it with you. Irena xo