Celebrations became my third cookbook to hit the New York Times Best Sellers list, and I made my first appearance on the Today show. My blog following also continued to expand, which meant that even more people were starting to embrace and reap the benefits of grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free living.
But without question, our biggest celebration of 2017 came on June 12, when Ryan and I welcomed our daughter, Kezia (Kez-ee-ah) Elisabeth, to the world. We named her after one of the daughters of the biblical character Job. After suffering a series of devastating losses, including the deaths of all of their children, Job and his wife had ten more children. Job named his second daughter after the sweet-smelling cassia (cinnamon) tree, a reminder that God had brought him through his many trials and made his latter years sweet. A Hebrew verb meaning “It is done” is also connected to the name, so perhaps Job chose this name because he knew his time of suffering had come to an end. It was a name I had written in tiny print on the top right corner of my journal when I was still pregnant with Aila. I wasn’t sure I would ever have a chance to use it, or if I would even want to, but it stood out to me and I noted it just in case.
A promise to hope for.
When we found out this baby was a girl, I was terrified to get excited. My ache over losing Aila and the joy I’d had anticipating our mother-daughter bond persisted. But as this pregnancy progressed and my doctor assured me she was healthy, I slowly opened myself to those dreams again.
The moment they placed Kezia in my arms, my heart erupted with love, and a piece of it healed that I wasn’t sure would ever heal. I realized that Asher’s heart healed that day, too, as he held her for the first time and bent down to kiss her forehead. She was the balm for our hearts we hadn’t known we would ever find. And she taught me that it was okay to hope again.
Now six months after Kezia’s birth, I still felt good and was heading to Home & Family to show the audience that food can be healthy and taste amazing—that we aren’t really giving up anything by eating foods that heal us.
“I’m making your favorite,” I said, winking at Ryan.
His face lit up. “Short ribs?”
“Yep. The Cabernet-Braised Short Ribs with Parsnip-Turnip Puree.” I had included this recipe in the Valentine’s Day section of Celebrations. We both loved these ribs because they’re so tender they melt in your mouth.
“Good choice.” I knew he’d say that. Ryan loves short ribs. Ribs of any sort, really. We used to go to Houston’s, a fancy restaurant in the city, on his birthday so he could order a rack of their ribs. But when we began eating differently, short ribs had to go—until I decided to recreate them, coming up with different gluten- and sugar-free sauces, and splurging on 100 percent grass-fed ribs. I had developed several different recipes—one for each of Ryan’s birthdays—and whether it was the Thai red curry or the barbecue beef, each was every bit as delicious as the original. I knew that when people thought about “healthy” eating, they probably didn’t think of short ribs cooked in luscious red wine. I was excited about shattering that misconception.
Because Hallmark doesn’t mess around when it comes to Christmas, I knew the set would be decked out with trees and fake snow, so I took Asher with me to see it. As expected, he was in awe of the dozens of Christmas trees and the artificial snow in the 90-degree heat, just as his Christmas-obsessed mama was. He even got to stand behind the cameras while we filmed the segment, which might have been as much fun for me as it was for him.
That day, I cooked for the two hosts, Debbie Matenopoulos and Mark Steines, along with show regulars Ken Wingard, Paige Hemmis, and Matt Iseman and two guests. Before I started the segment, the group sat behind a countertop overlooking the stove and my work area and began eating their own previously prepared dishes.
“This is fall-off-the-bone delicious,” Matt announced, his mouth dripping with sauce.
I smiled politely, but inside I was doing a happy dance.
“I can’t do white potatoes because they cause inflammation in my body,” I explained as we moved on to the parsnip and turnip puree, “so I do some different root vegetables instead.”
“That wasn’t mashed potatoes?” Matt blurted out, stunned.
“Nope,” I smiled, elated that he hadn’t missed the taste of mashed potatoes with milk and butter mixed in.
“Can you believe it?” Debbie remarked.
“I love parsnips,” Ken chimed in enthusiastically, “and this is the best parsnip puree I’ve ever had. They’re so light and fluffy.”
“Thank you,” I said, ready to burst with joy.
After we completed the dish and showed the finished plate, which looked beautiful, Debbie grabbed the bowl of freshly made puree from the food processor and walked it over to Matt. “I’m going to give Matt this right here.”
“And how about a little more of that?” he said, pointing to the ribs as he grabbed a spoon and dipped out more of the puree. Then he passed the bowl to Ken, who scraped a nice helping onto his now-empty plate.
The appearance couldn’t have gone better. It was awesome watching everyone genuinely enjoy what I had made—in front of a national audience, no less! I knew that every time they commented on how delicious something was, part of them was thinking, Wait, this has all of this alternative, healthy stuff in it—and it tastes this good?
And in my mind, I answered back, Yes, yes, it does!
Taken from Food Saved Me by Danielle Walker. Copyright © 2021. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
You can live a full, happy, and healthy life without ever feeling excluded or deprived.
When doctors told Danielle Walker that food didn’t cause her autoimmune disease and couldn’t help control it, she set out to prove them wrong.
Diagnosed with an extreme form of ulcerative colitis at 22, Danielle was terrified she’d never be able to eat all the wonderful, great-tasting foods she loved growing up or host warm, welcoming gatherings with family and friends. So when the medicine she was prescribed became almost as debilitating as the disease itself, Danielle took matters into her own hands, turned her kitchen into a laboratory, and set to work creating gut-healthy versions of the foods she thought she’d never be able to enjoy again. Three New York Times bestselling cookbooks later, Danielle has become a beacon of hope for millions around the world suffering from autoimmune diseases, food allergies, and chronic ailments.
Now for the first time, with stunning transparency about the personal toll her illness took on her physically, emotionally, and spiritually, Danielle reflects on everything she’s learned during her decade-long journey toward healing—including the connection between gut health and overall well-being, the development of her favorite recipes, and the keys for not simply surviving her autoimmune disease but thriving despite it. Through her resilience, Danielle tells a story that provides hope—hope that despite your ailments or hardships, you can live a full, happy, and healthy life without ever feeling excluded or deprived.
Food saved Danielle Walker. And it can save you, too.
Includes six fan-favorite recipes and the stories behind them!
Danielle Walker After being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease when she was 22 years old, Danielle realized that she needed to make dietary changes to end her suffering. She removed grains, lactose, and legumes from her diet, and started her blog to help others suffering from similar ailments continue to enjoy food. With her acquired culinary skills, love for food, and an equal love for journalism, she has become a source of hope for others suffering from all types of diseases or allergies.
A self-trained chef, Danielle is the new face of grain-free and gluten-free cooking, tempting foodies of all stripes with her innovative, accessible recipes for delicious, vibrant Paleo food. Paying homage to the dishes she loved from her pre-Paleo life, she has ingeniously recreated all of her favorites without grains, gluten or dairy.
Omitting grains, gluten, dairy, and refined sugar doesn’t correlate with omitting taste in these recipes. Easy-to-follow instructions are complemented by mouthwatering photos that seem to burst off the page with flavor. Danielle’s recipes are sure to leave you feeling satisfied and exhilarated, rather than deprived.
What do you think?