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Going Against the Grain - Italian Style - A Gluten-Free Lifestyle Guide and Recipe Book by Nuccia Ardagna (Review and Giveaway)


Going Against the Grain - Italian Style - A Gluten-Free Lifestyle Guide and Recipe Book for Staying Healthy and Eating Amazingly by Nuccia Ardagna
Createspace
ISBN: 978-1499222432
Published November 18, 2014
Softcover, 188 pages

My Review
Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

I know a few people who have Celiac Disease and up until now I thought that they just have to stay away from gluten, but until I read this book I did not realize to what extent and how deeply it can affect one's life. Going Against the Grain is the perfect guide for someone who has just been diagnosed with Celiac, suspects they have the disease or who knows someone in their family who has it and wants to learn more.



Nuccia tells of her own experience of how she was diagnosed and then proceeds to inform the reader by means of question and answer, and detailing how to avoid cross-contamination. She does not fill this book with jargon or useless fillers. In her exuberant and lively way, she includes everything useful a person with Celiac and their family needs to know, and then proceeds to share her mouth-watering passed-down-through-the-generations recipes from her Italian heritage.

Oh, how I loved looking through those recipes! Many of them are the same ones my mother cooks. I became nostalgic just reading these recipes. This cookbook has stirred in me the joy of cooking that I lost now that I work full-time and feel too tired at the end of the day to try new recipes. Thank you, Nuccia!

I've been on a gluten-free diet for almost a year now and it has made a difference for me regarding my fibromyalgia, but you can imagine this has been difficult with a family who eats pasta, pizza and tiramisu! My mom has made me gluten-free gnocchi and Nuccia includes a recipe in this book as well. What I like about this cookbook is that Nuccia makes all the recipes easy. Recipes I thought would be difficult are not.

Because my family likes (or shall I say, loves pizza) I decided to make the Cauliflower Crust Pizza. First off, I knew it was delicious because I had already tried it at Nuccia's home and marvelled that it was made with--of all things!--cauliflower. Not a popular veggie in my family unless eaten raw. Let me tell you, my kids will never look at cauliflower the same way again.

Cauliflower Crust Pizza with Aragula and Grape Tomatoes that I made using Nuccia's recipe

So I followed Nuccia's simple instructions carefully and my pizza was awesome! The house smelled so good!

Once you shred the cauliflower in a blender you then cook it on medium heat with garlic until softened.

Once the cauliflower is drained of water, it's mixed with mozzarella and parmesan cheese, an egg and oregano and salt. Mixed into a ball it's then flattened on parchment sheet on a pizza pan.

This recipe is so versatile. I used Brick cheese instead of mozzarella cheese. I used my mother's basil pesto and replaced the goat cheese with more Brick cheese as a topping.

Topped with basil pesto, Brick cheese, grape tomatoes and baby aragula. Credit for all pics goes to my 11-yr old son!
I cut the pizza into four slices, one for each member of my family and it was gone in 30 seconds flat!

If you like to eat well, enjoy cooking easy gourmet recipes, and want to do so all while eating gluten-free, then I urge you to get Nuccia's book. It was created with love and meticulous care from a woman who wants to share her Italian recipes with those who have been told they can no longer eat the same way again. Nuccia is so positive in that she makes you see you can eat even better. She has turned a devastating situation into a fantastic experience for her and her family.

Nuccia's passion, meticulous research and work to bring traditionally well-known Italian culinary delights to our palates comes through beautifully in this book. Buon appetito!

Note: This book is rated G and suitable for all readers.

Want to know more about Nuccia? Head on over to Essentially Italian where I interviewed Nuccia about her book and Italian roots.

To read more reviews, please visit Nuccia's tour page on Italy Book Tours.



Where to buy the book



About the Author


Nuccia Ardagna loves to travel to the place of her roots: SICILIA! Being Sicilian, she grew up with mamma, nonna and all her zie learning all the tricks of the trade and creating DELICIOUS Italian food from scratch. When diagnosed with celiac disease she was forced to learn new habits and, now, after trial and error and experimenting, wants to share her exquisite culinary creations with you.

She IS a true Italian to the core.

Connect with Nuccia:  Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook


And now for the Giveaway!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I bought this cookbook. I was not compensated in any way, nor told how to rate or review this product.


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