DAY TWENTY-EIGHT
Holy smokes, two more days and we are winning at our first round of Whole30!!! We started the day on a sweet note, I know dessert isn’t allowed on Whole30, but it was Valentine’s Day and I did stay within ALL the Whole30 rules…
Breakfast: Dessert for brekkie! I made these tropical tarts up for Valentine’s Day, but we were so full we decided to save them for breakfast. P.S. My secret ingredient is a Larabar!
COCONUT CREAM, PAPAYA + PASSIONFRUIT TARTS
Serves 2
Ingredients:
For the Crust:
2 Larabars (I used 1 Coconut Cream Pie and 1 Cashew)
a palmful of almond meal or hemp hearts (I tried both and they worked equally as well)
pinch of coconut flakes
1 tablespoon ghee, melted
Preparation: Combine the above ingredients, mix well and press into the bottoms of two ramekins. If desired, bake in a 250F for 15 minutes. Cool completely.
For the Filling:
1/2 can of coconut cream
1/2 of a papaya
1 passionfruit
Preparation: Blend the coconut cream and papaya together until smooth. Top the cooled tart crust with the coconut cream and refrigerate a few hours until firm. Before serving, remove the tarts from the fridge and let sit at room temp for 10-15 minutes. Top each serving with half of a passionfruit and enjoy.
Lunch: When I do my workout before lunch, all I crave afterward is a LOT of water a sweet banana loaded with my homemade almond butter.
BANANA WITH ALMOND BUTTER
In case you want to try, here is my DIY recipe for almond butter:
Ingredients:
2 cups almonds
Preparation: Process the almonds in a high-speed blender or food processor until a smooth nut butter forms. This can take up to 20 minutes, so be patient, give your blender/food processor some intermittent rests so that the motor doesn’t overheat and be sure to scrape down the sides every so often. The natural oils in the nuts will release, making it smooth and all natural. Store in a lidded glass jar and enjoy.
Dinner: We are on a baba ghanoush kick, in fact, we have it almost every week, tonight we ate it mixed with lemony tabbouli. I used Yotam Ottolenghi’s baba ganoush recipe from Plenty and my recipe for tabbouli without bulgur (because Whole30) is below:
BABA GANOUSH
If you don’t have the cookbook Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi, here is a recipe he shared with the BBC.
4 large aubergines (1.5kg before cooking; 550g after burning and draining the flesh)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Grated zest of 1 lemon and 2 tbsp lemon juice
75ml olive oil
2 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tbsp chopped mint
Seeds of ½ a large pomegranate (80g net weight)
Salt and black pepper
Preparation: Place the aubergines directly on two separate moderate flames on the stove and roast for 15-18 minutes. Use metal tongs to turn them around occasionally, until the skin is burnt and flaky and the flesh is soft. Allow to cool down slightly. Alternatively, score the aubergine with a knife in a few places and place under a hot grill for about an hour. Turn them around every 20 minutes or so and continue to cook even if they burst and break.
Peel the warm aubergines and use your hands to pull the soft flesh into long thin strips. Drain in a colander for an hour at least, preferably longer to get rid of as much water as possible.
Place the aubergine in a medium bowl and add the garlic, lemon zest and juice, olive oil, half a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Stir and allow the aubergine to marinate at room temperature for at least an hour.
When you are ready to serve, mix in most of the herbs and taste for seasoning. Pile high on a serving plate, scatter on the pomegranate seeds and garnish with the remaining herbs.
TABBOULI
Serves 2
Ingredients:
1 tomato, chopped
4 green onions, (white and green portions), chopped
1 bunch parsle,y chopped
1/2 bunch mint, chopped
juice from 1 lemon
pinch of allspice
pinch of cinnamon
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Preparation: Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix together. Adjust seasoning accordingly and let the flavours mingle for awhile before serving. I love eating my tabbouli atop a big dollop of baba ganoush.
Table Without Borders 