It Takes Guts

Food (and life) is all about perspective: having an open mind and an adventurous spirit can take you to wonderful places you’d never experience otherwise.

From health and nutrition writer, podcast host, and self-proclaimed health nerd Ashleigh VanHouten comes this entertaining and user-friendly guide to enjoying some of the more adventurous parts of the animal, as well as understanding the value of whole-animal cooking. Enjoy 75 delicious and uncomplicated recipes sourced from an enthusiastic advocate of nose-to-tail, ancestrally inspired eating who does not have a background in cooking or organ meats—so if she can do it, so can you! Ashleigh has also enlisted the help of some of her chef friends who are known for their beautiful preparations of nose-to-tail dishes to ensure that her recipes nourish and satisfy both your body and your palate.

There are many great reasons to adopt a truly whole-animal, nose-to-tail approach to eating. It Takes Guts: A Meat-Eater’s Guide to Eating Offal with over 75 Healthy and Delicious Nose-to-Tail Recipes is more than a cookbook: it’s about education and understanding that the way we eat is important. Our choices matter, and we should seek to know why a particular food is beneficial for us, the ecosystem, and the animals, and how our food choices fit into the larger food industry and community in which we are a part. Through interviews with experts, more than a few hilarious and thoughtful anecdotes, and of course, delicious recipes, you’ll learn the cultural, environmental, and health benefits of adding a little “variety meat” to your diet. As the saying goes, the way you do anything is the way you do everything. So let’s all approach our plates, and our lives, with a sense of adventure and enthusiasm!

In this book, you will find
• An entertaining introduction into the “offal” world of organ meats, and why it’s more delicious (and less scary) than you may think
• A breakdown of the healthiest and tastiest organ meats, from heart, liver, and kidney to tongue, bone marrow, and blood
• An interview with a butcher on how to source the best organ meats, including what to look for and ask about
• 75 delicious, fun, and easy recipes that you don’t have to be a chef to prepare
• Plenty of background and personal anecdotes about specific recipes: where they come from, why they’re special, and why you should add them to your meal plan
• A number of contributed recipes from respected chefs, recipe developers, and fellow health nerds, including the Ben Greenfield family, Beth Lipton, and Tania Teschke

From the author: “I encourage, whenever I can, a little adventure when you eat. One bite of something new won’t hurt you, and it just might open up a whole new world of pleasure and health. By eating nose-to-tail, we’re also honoring and respecting the animals who sacrificed for our dinner plates by ensuring none of it is wasted.”