Nom nom paleo: let's go!

In this winning follow-up to the graphic cookbook Ready or Not!, husband and wife Tam and Fong bring their playful sensibility to paleo-friendly weeknight meals. Many of the East Asian recipes on offer--such as scallion pancakes and shoyu ramen--get a healthy twist by switching out grains and refined sugars with alternatives like cassava flour and spiralized daikon "noodles," which lend dishes an extra kick thanks to their "peppery bite." Other satisfying options--including grass-fed hot dogs, and shrimp simmered in green mole--take inspiration from immigrant cultures in the San Francisco Bay area where Tam grew up. Combining step-by-step instructions with quirky illustrations, the solid recipes showcase Tam and Fong's fun yet detailed approach. Depicted as cartoons themselves, along with their children, the couple serves up intriguing food trivia (nutritional yeast, an "umami-packed, nutrient-dense flavor booster" otherwise known as "Nature's Cheeto Dust," is "grown on molasses"), helpful tips (if readers can't find fresh banana leaves for the patra ni machhi, parchment paper works just as well), and plenty of jokes sure to keep readers hungry for more. This take on health-conscious cooking will have home cooks of all levels making a beeline for the kitchen. (Jan.)

In this winning follow-up to the graphic cookbook Ready or Not!, husband and wife Tam and Fong bring their playful sensibility to paleo-friendly weeknight meals. Many of the East Asian recipes on offer—such as scallion pancakes and shoyu ramen—get a healthy twist by switching out grains and refined sugars with alternatives like cassava flour and spiralized daikon "noodles," which lend dishes an extra kick thanks to their "peppery bite." Other satisfying options—including grass-fed hot dogs, and shrimp simmered in green mole—take inspiration from immigrant cultures in the San Francisco Bay area where Tam grew up. Combining step-by-step instructions with quirky illustrations, the solid recipes showcase Tam and Fong's fun yet detailed approach. Depicted as cartoons themselves, along with their children, the couple serves up intriguing food trivia (nutritional yeast, an "umami-packed, nutrient-dense flavor booster" otherwise known as "Nature's Cheeto Dust," is "grown on molasses"), helpful tips (if readers can't find fresh banana leaves for the patra ni machhi, parchment paper works just as well), and plenty of jokes sure to keep readers hungry for more. This take on health-conscious cooking will have home cooks of all levels making a beeline for the kitchen. (Jan.)