Hoffman Estates woman wanted to eat better, so she learned to cook better

One thing is certain: Our Cook of the Week, Kelly Kelley from Hoffman Estates, did not learn to cook from her mother. For two reasons.

First, Kelley was one of 11 children. “My mom cooked for the masses,” Kelley said with a laugh. “She was more concerned with quantity, not quality.”

Second, “Irish cooking is very plain, so no, I was not influenced whatsoever by my heritage.”

Kelley admits learning to cook wasn't easy.

“I was really, really bad. My college roommate would joke with me, ‘Hey, I'm boiling water, do you want me to teach you how?'

Even after marrying her husband — mostly Irish in last name only — Kelley confesses their house was never known for good cooking. The kids had their favorites, such as stuffed manicotti. But between sports, school, and work (Kelley is a hair stylist) the goal was to eat and carry on. Kelley's real interest in cooking developed only a few years ago when she wanted to make better food choices. A friend of the couple was visiting, looking and feeling very fit, and introduced them to the paleo diet. The paleo diet consists of food that humans would have eaten 2 million years ago, such as lean meats, fish, fruit, vegetables, and nuts and seeds. The theory is that once humans began farming and processing foods, (think bread) they messed up their diets.

“Now, if I'm cooking, it's paleo. If other people are cooking and it's not paleo, I'll probably eat it, but maybe I won't. When I do eat gluten, I can feel it.”

Kelley's pantry looks very different these days.

“There were some ingredients I had never seen before, like a special, natural soy sauce, and different oils, olive of course, but also grapeseed oil and different kinds of vinegar — balsamic, apple, red wine, and rice wine. The rest is all fresh food.”

The one starch allowed, sweet potatoes, sometimes makes an appearance in Kelley's meals, and she does try to buy organic fruits and vegetables.

Kelley makes cauliflower rice or crusts and likes to grill a lot of vegetables because she believes grilling enhances the flavors.

”Cooking paleo is not complicated, but you do need to like chopping,” she said. “It's all about the prep, not the cooking.”

As a gift, her husband gave her a new set of knives and a knife skills class, which Kelley enjoyed immensely. A typical meal might be chorizo burgers on the grill — sans bun — or a salmon filet topped with a fragrant mixture of smoked paprika, pecans and maple syrup. That's a recipe she shares today. Or, try her lemony garlic shrimp served over a bed of pesto zucchini noodles.

Strict paleo observers eliminate alcohol, and while Kelley doesn't always comply, she notices that when she does drink, she feels weighted down and with a kind of arthritis-like stiffness.

“It's like everything; you fit what works for you,” she said. “It helps you make better choices and be more mindful.”

One thing Kelley won't bother with, however, is baking paleo.

“I tried it, but everything was flat and it's very expensive. I bake cookies around the holidays, and I go outside the paleo world for that,” she said with a laugh. “Everyone loves them.”

Other occasions call for a step off the paleo path as well. Take St. Patrick's Day, for example. With a name like Kelly Kelley, throwing a St. Paddy's Day party is expected.

“The menu was not paleo at all,” Kelley said, “with the exception of the shepherd's pie, which was made with mashed white sweet potatoes.” More than 30 guests enjoyed Guinness Stew and a corned beef Reuben casserole, both of which were not paleo. And, it's a good guess there was lots of beer — definitely not paleo!

“I have my splurges,” she said withe a smile. “And then I get back to it.” Sláinte!

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