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Featured Chef / June 2018

Kaylie Watson

AIP Chef, Healthy Food & Lifestyle Blogger, Nourished Wellness
San Francisco, California

Kaylie is an AIP chef and real, whole food enthusiast. Her recipes encourage a healthy, active and vibrant lifestyle.

IN THE KITCHEN WITH KAYLIE WATSON

Tell us about yourself:

Hey there! My name is Kaylie Watson. I am excited to share the month of June with you all. I was born and raised in the great state of California. I attended college at Brigham Young University- Idaho where I received a degree in Marriage and Family Studies and a minor in Culinary Arts. I met my husband in college and we moved back to the San Francisco Bay Area for work. Within the last few years I have been diagnosed with Lyme and autoimmune and CIRS due to toxic black mold in a house I was living in. These conditions really disrupted my every day living. It made me really assess life and what was most important to me. Per the recommendation of my functional medicine doctor I started the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP). This diet removes potentially inflammatory foods that could be causing more harm than good and by removing them, your body has a better chance of healing itself. After a period of time, you can slowly add the foods back into your diet and see if there is any adverse reactions. I really believe in this diet, it has helped me tremendously especially in managing symptoms and flairs. All three of the recipes I am providing this month are strict AIP, but don’t worry, even if you don’t eat AIP I promise you will still enjoy them!

How did you get involved in cooking?

Growing up my mom cooked dinner every night. I think that is what really started my healthy relationship with real food. Also, I always had the Food Network on and I loved to watch Rachel Ray and her 30 Minute Meals show. Do you remember that show? It’s where she coined the term “EVOO” for extra virgin olive oil! When I was old enough to get a job I worked with a catering staff that catered weddings every weekend, that was a fun job! Throughout my life, I have always been around food in some form or another.

Describe your cooking style:

My cooking style has changed over the years but my focus really switched when I became more health conscious when I was in college. As I learned about Paleo my cooking switched toward real foods. Today, I would describe my cooking as healing, real whole foods, and simple.

How did you learn about grass-fed meats?

I first learned about grass-fed meat in college back in 2009 from Mark Sisson. I read his blog, Mark’s Daily Apple, everyday. Even though I didn’t buy grass fed/ finished meat because I was struggling college student, I understood the benefits of it.

What is your favorite recipe featuring grass-fed meat?

This is a hard question! I would have to say, a burger made with plain ol’ ground beef. It’s what really got me hooked on USWM.

You’re stranded on a desert island; luckily, you’re stranded with your top 5 ingredients and one must-have kitchen tool:

Salt- I think under seasoned food should be a crime.

Pepper- (Pepper is not AIP, but we are stranded on a desert island so all bets are off)

A head of garlic – I shouldn’t even need to explain this.

Onion- Because caramelized onions are the best.

Bacon- This is like a two-for-one. You can have delicious bacon and rendered fat to cook with. Win win!

As for my kitchen tool, a sharp knife because gadgets are overrated.

Best cooking secret/tip/piece of advice you’ve learned:

Be confident in your cooking! I would cook for my family and I would always put out a disclaimer, “I’m not sure if this is going to be good or not!” I finally learned to stop doing that, and people seem to always love what I cook.

What’s your favorite quote/song for culinary inspiration (if any)?

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” – Hippocrates.

Food is such a powerful tool when it comes to overall health and is often overlooked by conventional medicine. I’m not saying that food can fix everything and that medicine is never needed, but certain foods can make a huge positive impact on health.

Anything else you want to share?

I hope you come join me on social media where I share AIP and Paleo recipes along with navigating chronic illnesses.

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