It tends to happen every year, but this year’s summer months have been especially busy for our family and in truth I’ve had a heck of a time maintaining my weekly blogging schedule. I’ve been sent several excellent cookbooks over the past couple months and I wanted to take a second and do some quick write-ups about them in case you’re interested in expanding your Paleo and Gluten-Free cookbook library.

Everyday Paleo Around the World: Italian Cuisine by Sarah Fragoso
Release Date: July 23, 2013

When changing to a Paleo-style diet, the first cuisine I thought I’d never enjoy again was Italian food. Seriously, try going to Olive Garden and finding something worth eating (not that Olive Garden is an excellent example of Italian fare, but you get my point). So I have some mad props for Sarah Fragoso, who tackled Italian eating from a Paleo perspective in Everyday Paleo Around the World: Italian Cuisine. This is her third cookbook, and it’s definitely a more solid, varied collection of dishes compared to her earlier books, which is impressive considering her focused approach this time around. She traveled around Italy preparing for this book, and you can tell, as there are representative dishes from several Italian regions. Favorite recipes: Tiramisu with grain-free ladyfingers; béchamel sauce; red clam sauce.

Against All Grain: Delectable Paleo Recipes to Eat Well and Feel Great by Danielle Walker
Release Date: July 30, 2013

Against All Grain: Delectable Paleo Recipes to Eat Well and Feel Great is the debut cookbook of Danielle Walker, who writes at the appropriately-named Against All Grain blog. The book is a smörgåsbord of dishes, ranging from breakfasts, to kids’ dishes, to drinks. Danielle’s blog is probably most known for its grain-free breads and desserts, and her book won’t disappoint her fanbase: it’s chock-full of indulgences that are made with whole foods and look tasty enough to compete with the real deal. I’d say a good third of this book is baked goods. Favorite recipes: black-bottom banana cream pie; club sandwich wraps; grilled artichokes with rémoulade.

Paleo Lunches and Breakfasts on the Go by Diana Rodgers
Release Date: August 6, 2013

Diana Rodgers, nutrition consultant and blogger at Sustainable Dish, released her first cookbook this week, Paleo Lunches and Breakfasts on the Go. The book is full of tasty, easy recipes, and provides a quick guide for people trying to eat a wholesome diet in general – including a guide to eating out in various types of restaurants. The book is broken down into meal categories: wraps, salads, soups, breakfasts, sides, dressings, and entry-level essentials. One of my favorite things about this cookbook is that it includes recipes that use white potatoes, which I also consider to be a safe starch. Hopefully this will usher in a new era of Paleo eaters that acknowledge that white potatoes are just as much a part of a nutritious diet as sweet potatoes! Favorite recipes: smoked duck wraps with cherries and hazelnuts; crab, avocado, and grapefruit sushi rolls; Brazilian fish stew.

Fermented: A Four-Season Approach to Paleo Probiotic Foods by Jill Ciciarelli
Release Date: August 6, 2013

I’m a big fan of home fermentation, and I feel that the next logical step in a Paleo approach to eating is to regularly incorporate probiotic foods into meals. In that sense, Fermented: A Four-Season Approach to Paleo Probiotic Foods is the perfect book for Paleo-minded folks looking for an all-in-one resource so they can start fermenting or step it up to a more involved level. Jill covers everything from drinks to meats, and provides both basics and different sections (divided by season) with some very interesting recipes. I have a feeling I’ll be coming back to this book often over the next few years. It’s also beautifully photographed by Bill Staley, with a very clean, simple approach to the pictures that I really love. Favorite recipes: corned beef; plum shrub; spicy carrot kvass.