DAY TWENTY:
We are going strong! Meal prep and cooking and planning are a definite commitment to this 30 day challenge and believe me, some days it is a challenge. I’m pretty certain if I were doing this alone, I would fail, most likely with some fresh-baked bread or a bottle of wine or Manchego cheese –– goes to show where my motivation is, right!? If you are thinking about doing a round of Whole30 try to buddy up, it helps, a lot. On with the food:
Breakfast:
PURPLE SWEET POTATO PIÑA COLADA PARFAITS
Serves 2
Ingredients:
2 purple sweet potatoes
1 can coconut milk
1/2 cup coconut chia pudding (recipe follows)
1 cup fresh pineapple, chopped
flaked coconut to garnish
COCONUT CHIA PUDDING
1 can (about 2 cups) coconut milk (pure coconut milk not coconut extract)
6 tablespoons organic chia seeds
For the Chia Coconut Pudding: Place ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until combined, about 30 seconds. Pour into a Ball canning jar with a lid and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, preferably overnight.
For the Purple Sweet Potatoes: In a blender or food processor, puree the purple sweet potatoes with 1 can of coconut milk until smooth and combined. In a ramekin or small jar, layer a portion of the purple sweet potato puree, then top with pineapple, followed by chia and another layer of purple sweet potato. Finish with the rest of the pineapple and flaked coconut.
Lunch: Of course leftovers, but this time instead of zoodles (zucchini noodles) we tried spaghetti squash. I was afraid it may be too sweet, but much like mushrooms like squash absorbed the flavours of the sauce and it was delish.
BEEF TONGUE BOLOGNESE OVER SPAGHETTI SQUASH
Serves 4-6
For the Spaghetti Squash
Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash, cut in half, seeds scraped out with a spoon
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Preparation: Place the halved spaghetti squash on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Roast in a 375F oven for 40-50 minutes, or until the flesh is soft and golden. When cool enough to handle, using a fork, scrape out the “spaghetti”. Use with your favourite pasta sauce.
For the Beef Tongue Bolognese
Ingredients:
1 beef tongue
1 onion
1 bay leaf
a few sprigs of fresh thyme
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
salt to taste
Preparation: Combine everything in a large stock pot, fill with water and bring to a boil. Simmer over medium heat about 3 1/2 hours or until the beef tongue is fork tender.
Remove the beef tongue to a large cutting board (if it’s too hot for you to handle, quickly plunge it into an ice water) the reasoning is that the tongue must be peeled while it’s still hot, otherwise it’s too difficult. With a sharp knife begin to peel the tough outer layer of skin from the beef tongue, also remove any extra fatty or sinewy pieces. Chop the meat and set aside. Reserve 1 cup of the beef tongue broth for the sauce.
For the Bolognese Sauce:
Ingredients:
chopped beef tongue, (from the recipe above)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 28oz can San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes
1 cup red wine (omit for Whole30) use a 1 cup of the beef tongue broth instead
1/2 cup milk (omit for Whole30)
1 bay leaf
Few sprigs of thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation: In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat, add the chopped onion and saute until translucent followed by the carrots, celery and garlic. Saute about 5-8 minutes. Add the beef tongue and the red wine (or the beef tongue broth) and simmer until juices cook off. Next, add the milk continue to simmer another minute or two.
Add the can of San Marzano tomatoes crushing them with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil. (Without rinsing the can which the tomatoes were in, add a bit of water about 1/4 of the can using up the leftover tomato pulp from the sides and bottom of the can, and add to the sauce) Set to simmer and cook for a few hours as long as the meat begins to fall apart and shred. Serve.
Dinner: Chicken soup is the ubiquitous comfort food around the world and this Thai version is one of my ALL time favourites. Bright Kaffir lime, creamy coconut milk, the zing of galangal and fresh cilantro warm your senses from your nostrils down to your belly. I followed Kris Yenbamroong’s recipe with a few tweeks from his MUST HAVE cookbook Night + Market: Delicious Thai Food To Facilitate Drinking And Fun-Having Amongst Friends.
COCONUT LEMONGRASS CHICKEN HOT AND SOUR SOUP (TOM KHAR GAI)
Since the recipe is not my own, I’ve provided the list of ingredients only, if you want to try this soup, check out the Night + Market cookbook, it’s packed with GOODNESS.
Ingredients:
green onions
shallots
shrimp paste
chicken thighs
cilantro
canned coconut milk
fish sauce
galangal
garlic
kaffir lime leaves
lemongrass
limes
palm sugar (omit for Whole30)
chicken broth
chicken bouillon cubes (Whole30 compliant)
oyster mushrooms
white pepper
dried New Mexico chiles
tamarind water
dried chiles
ORANGE CHICKEN OVER GARCLICKY GREEN BEANS
I made a few substitutions with this one for Whole30, noted below
Since the recipe is not my own, I’ve provided the list of ingredients only, if you want to try this recipe, check out the Night + Market cookbook
Ingredients:
green onions
chicken thighs
fish sauce
garlic
lemongrass
oranges
distilled vinegar
vegetable oil (sub Whole 30 compliant oil)
orange marmalade (no sugar added)
dried chiles
club soda
tempura flour (sub Tapioca Flour for Whole30)
white pepper
GARLICKY GREEN BEANS
Serves 2
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon coconut aminos
sesame oil, for sautéing
2 cups green beans, trimmed and cut into 3 inch segments
white pepper, to taste
Preparation: Heat oil over high heat in a large skillet and saute the beans until they begin to wrinkle and turn bright green. Move to a plate lined with paper towel to soak up any residual oil. Reheat the skillet over high heat and add the garlic, the green beans, coconut aminos and saute until the garlic is fragrant and the sauce is absorbed about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat, season with white pepper and serve.
P.S. In times of trouble GT’s Mojito Kombucha is there for me!!! (photo via ThePicta)
Table Without Borders 