The Laura Lea Balanced Cookbook. Laura Lea

meant to encourage home-cooking. The aim

       of my cookbook is to make you excited to

       create your own nutritious food by removing

       the pressure of a dogmatic approach and by

       setting you up for success in the kitchen.

      I took control of my mental, physical, and

       emotional health by learning how to take

       control of my kitchen. Now, my kitchen is my

       sanctuary whenever I need to regain my sense

       of balance, and this cookbook will help you

       do the same.

      The LL BALANCED APPROACH to FOOD:

      1 Focus on whole, fresh foods that make you feel great.

      2 Ditch any preconceived idea of what you should eat, and listen

       to your body; it is your best wellness guru.

      3 Indulge in moderation, and occasionally, not in moderation!

      4 Have fun and don’t take yourself, or your food, too seriously. Enjoy

       food in a relaxed atmosphere and in the company of dear ones.

      5 Above all, practice self-love and patience in the kitchen.

       It will translate to the rest of your life.

      Special Recipe

       Symbols and Labels

      Symbols are included throughout the book

       to make it easier to identify recipes that fit

       special diets and lifestyles. If a recipe fits into

       a diet as-is, without substitutions, it will have

       that diet’s symbol on the left of the title bar.

       If substitutions are required, the symbol will

       appear on the right of the title bar, and the

       subs will also be designated with the symbol.

       Although there can be several interpretations

       for paleo, vegan, and vegetarian lifestyles, in

       this book, definitions should be taken to mean

       the following:

      VEGETARIAN

      Free from: poultry, red meat, and fish/seafood.

       Note that in this book, recipes including eggs

       are classified as vegetarian. Note than any

       recipes including chicken stock can be made

       vegetarian by substituting vegetable stock.

      VEGAN

      Free from: poultry, red meat, fish/seafood, eggs,

       dairy, and honey. Note that any recipes including

       the following can be made vegan by substituting.

      • Mayonnaise can be swapped for

       vegan mayonnaise

      • Dairy yogurt can be swapped for a

       non-dairy yogurt

      • Honey can be swapped for maple syrup

      • Chicken stock can be swapped for

       vegetable stock

      DAIRY-FREE

      Free from: dairy-based milk, cheese, yogurt,

       and butter. Note that most recipes with dairy

       in them can be made dairy-free through

       substitution of non-dairy counterparts.

      GLUTEN-FREE

      Free from: wheat, barley, rye, farro, or spelt.

       Note that any canned or packaged food should

      be certified gluten-free, such as (but not limited

       to): oats, canned tomatoes/paste, canned beans,

       soy sauce, mustard, ketchup, other sauces,

       flours, pastas, and crackers. All recipes in the

       cookbook are gluten-free unless otherwise

       noted, if certified gluten-free products are used.

      PALEO

      Free from: grains, gluten, legumes/beans,

       dairy (except butter), and refined sugar.

       Note that any recipes including dairy

       yogurt can be made paleo by substituting a

       coconut or almond-based yogurt. Also be sure

       to use gluten-free prepared products as noted

       under Gluten-free. Some paleo diets do not

       include mayonnaise. If this describes your

       diet, replace any mayonnaise with paleo-

       approved mayonnaise.

      DAIRY-FREE NOT RECOMMENDED

      These recipes are not recommended to be

       made dairy-free by making substitutions.

      HANDS-ON AND TOTAL COOKING TIMES

      Note that all total and hands-on times are

       approximate. Times don’t include preheating

       the oven, boiling water, or making optional

       toppings or sauces. If marinating is required,

       the least amount of time required is included

       in the total time. For recipes with sauce or

       dressing, those instructions are included in

       the order in which the timing is most efficient

       for the entire recipe.

      1 HOUR OR LESS

      These recipes can be made completely within

       an hour.

      SOAKING REQUIRED

      This label applies to recipes that include

       soaking an ingredient for 1 hour or more.

      CHILLING REQUIRED

      These labels apply to recipes that require

       chilling for 30 minutes or more.

      SECONDARY RECIPE

      This label only applies if the secondary recipe

       isn’t optional (e.g., teriyaki sauce for teriyaki

       meatballs). Even so, sometimes store-bought

       options can be subbed. This does not include

       salad dressings or optional toppings.

      SLOW COOKER

      These recipes require the use of a slow cooker.

      Important Tips & Tidbits

      Understanding measurements. To avoid any

       wording confusion, let me clarify how dry

       measurements are described: If I say, “1 cup

       cucumber, sliced into ½-inch rounds,” that

       means you are measuring a cup of ½-inch

       rounds, not a whole cucumber. Another

       example is: If I say “⅓ cup shallot, minced”