Last Updated on December 21, 2023
A healthy cookbook focusing on animal proteins—what could be better? Carnivore-ish: 125 Protein-Rich Recipes to Boost Your Health and Build Muscle gives readers an easy-to-understand education on how to add more healthy protein to your meals.
The book explains how and why animal protein should be included in a varied diet—including delicious flavor and satisfying your appetite. The “ish” is important here; while the carnivore diet contains only meat and animal products, Carnivore-ish’s recipes are sprinkled with vegetables, fruit, and other ingredients throughout.
The best part: Carnivore-ish offers plenty of entrees, but also appetizers, sides—even desserts and cocktails. So it’s truly a book you can incorporate into all of your cooking.
Also: One of our favorite Just Cook contributors is a co-author. We’re excited for Beth Lipton and her co-author Ashleigh VanHouten.
Lipton is a recipe developer and food writer whose work has been featured in many publications, including Clean Eating, Outside, FoodNetwork.com, Epicurious and more. VanHouten is a health coach, podcast host and public speaker. Both women share a passion for healthy, protein-forward eating, which they share in-depth in this book.
Whether you’re someone who’s always eaten meat, or you’re looking to add it back into your diet, this book is full of inspiration and education. With sections highlighting different animal proteins, from the standard beef, poultry, and pork to less familiar goat, game, and offal, along with tips on outfitting a meat-friendly kitchen, and a bunch of resources and reading suggestions, Carnivore-ish will set you up well.
We’re sharing two recipes from the book: A banana bread with bacon and peanut butter and a chicken and broccoli casserole. Delicious comfort foods, re-imagined for a healthy, meat-centric diet.
Elvis Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 4 ounces bacon about 4 slices
- 1½ cups blanched almond flour 156 grams
- ¼ cup arrowroot powder 36 grams
- 3 tablespoons unflavored grass-fed collagen peptides 18 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 medium ripe bananas mashed (about 1¼ cups)
- 1/3 cup unsweetened salted peanut butter
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ounces dark chocolate at least 70% cacao, finely chopped (optional)
- ¼ cup chopped roasted salted peanuts optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Put the bacon in a medium unheated skillet over medium-low heat; cook until crisp, flipping once or twice, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board to cool, then finely chop or crumble.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, arrowroot, collagen, baking soda, and salt. Put the bananas, peanut butter, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla in a medium bowl and whisk well. Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture and stir until well combined. If using the chocolate and peanuts, set aside one tablespoon of each for garnish, then fold the remaining chocolate and peanuts and the chopped bacon into the batter.
- Spread the batter evenly in the lined loaf pan. Sprinkle the reserved chocolate and peanuts on top, if using. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cover loosely with foil while baking if the top is browning too quickly.
- Put the pan on a rack to cool for 10 minutes, then turn the bread out onto the rack to cool completely. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 4 days, or wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months.
Ingredients
- 4 ounces ButcherBox bacon about 4 slices
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil divided
- 1 pound ButcherBox Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs trimmed and thoroughly patted dry
- 1 large head broccoli about 1 pound, stems peeled and sliced, florets cut into bite-sized pieces (about 4½ cups)
- 3 cloves garlic peel left on but thin, papery skin removed
- Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 ounces cremini mushrooms sliced (about 2 cups)
- 1 medium onion chopped (about 1¹/3 cups)
- ¾ cup avocado oil mayonnaise
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 12-ounce package frozen riced cauliflower, thawed
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese about 4 ounces
- Chicken bone broth if needed
Instructions
- Place the bacon in a large unheated skillet; cook over medium-low heat, turning occasionally, until just browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a cutting board using a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the skillet.
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF; place 2 rimmed baking sheets in the oven as it preheats.
- Rub the chicken with 1 tablespoon of the avocado oil and toss the broccoli and garlic cloves with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil; season both the chicken and broccoli moderately with salt and pepper. Spread the chicken on one hot baking sheet and the broccoli and garlic on the other. Roast until the chicken is cooked through and the broccoli is tender and lightly caramelized in spots, turning the chicken and stirring the broccoli once halfway through, 20 to 25 minutes (remove the broccoli sooner if it begins to brown too much).
- Meanwhile, add the mushrooms to the skillet with the bacon fat and season lightly with salt. Raise the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have released their water, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the onion, sprinkle with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender and the mushrooms are turning golden in spots, 6 to 7 minutes longer. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, chili powder, paprika, ¾ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Add the riced cauliflower to the bowl.
- When the chicken and broccoli are done, remove the pans from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 375ºF. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and allow to rest for 5 minutes; let the broccoli cool until it’s cool enough to handle, then coarsely chop it and add it to the bowl with the mayonnaise mixture. Squeeze the roasted garlic from the skins, mince the garlic, and add it to the bowl along with the onion and mushrooms. Chop the chicken; add it to the bowl, along with any juices that have accumulated on the cutting board. Add ¾ cup of the cheese. Chop the bacon and add it to the bowl. Fold all of the ingredients together. If the mixture is dry, stir in broth ¼ cup at a time until it is creamy.
- Grease a 9 by 13-inch baking pan. Spread the chicken mixture evenly in the pan. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup of cheese. Bake until the casserole is heated through, bubbling, and golden in spots, 20 to 25 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
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