I Think I Can! Week 3- Whole30 & New Recipes!
A mango has never tasted so…..mango-ey?
It’s true. Week three on the Whole30 I actually taste things differently. As cliché as it may sound, I feel as though my palate is reawakening!
Suddenly, I notice that the inside of a blackberry actually has a subtly different sweetness and flavor to it than its outer drupelets, and hubby and I both don’t need as much salt on things to bring out flavor. It’s amazing how dulled my senses were just a few weeks ago!
And now for the food highlights of the week…..
Roasting & Salting Your Own Cashews
One of the caveats of the Whole30 cleanse is that you have to avoid several kinds of oils, like canola, peanut, vegetable, etc.
Cashews are one of the “approved” nuts on the cleanse and are recommended “raw.” I prefer them roasted and salted, but every time I go to buy some, it always lists canola or some other sketchy oil added.
So, my mission this week was to figure out how to do it myself! After some trial and error, I think I may have finally nailed it!
You’ll Need:
1 LB raw cashews
1-2 TBS Olive or Coconut oil (*coconut oil gives it a kind of popcorn taste!)
Sea salt
Large bowl
A cookie sheet lined with tin foil
How to:
Preheat oven to 250.
The key is to SOAK the nuts in salt water first. Pour the nuts into a large bowl and add enough warm water to just cover them. Sprinkle about 2 TBS salt over the nuts and stir a few times. The water should be pretty salty. Let the nuts soak in the warm salt water for 15-20 minutes.
While soaking, line the cookie sheet with foil and rub a bit of oil on the foil. Drain nuts and spread out onto the lined and oiled cookie sheet. Sprinkle a bit more salt over the wet cashews and place in the oven.
Bake at 250 for 1-1.5 hours, or until slightly golden. Let cool and enjoy!
Some of the salt you sprinkled will fall off when you move the nuts to store them, but some of that saltines from soaking with remain!
Fun New Veggie Of The Week:
ROMANESCO!
It’s hard to miss this crazy vegetable in the store. It is neon green, spiky, and downright otherworldly! A cross between cauliflower and broccoli, romanesco (also known as green cauliflower) packs a punch of B vitamins, as well as A, C, and K, fiber, magnesium, protein, potassium, omega 3, and even tryptophan!
I chose to simply pull apart the flowers and sauté it in ghee, sea salt, and lemon pepper, with some carrots, zucchini and yellow squash. It was a hit! My daughter enjoyed the funky texture and asked for more!
Maté Latte !
I enjoy my maté the traditional way, in the gourd, with the bombilla (see my earlier post!). But it’s also nice to just have a cup the lazy way with a tea bag sometimes.
This week I tried the Guayaki brand. Since the individual bags contain only a fraction of the leaves you would use when drinking it in the gourd, the flavor is definitely not as strong (which some may prefer), but it did allow me to enjoy my tea as a “latte.”
I simply added 1 TBS of coconut milk, and for extra immunity, energy, and good fats, I threw in a teaspoon of coconut oil.
The result was a smooth, creamy, yerbalicious latte !
(Might try with a tad bit of honey when I’m off of the cleanse).
Simple Salmon
I found a lovely wild caught filet at Trader Joe’s this week and here’s how I recommend preparing it:
Drizzle a little olive oil and lemon juice over the filet. Sprinkle some sea salt and chipotle seasoning (ground garlic, cumin, cayenne, and onion). Set the oven on low broil and move the top rack as high as it goes. Broil for about 10-12 minutes or until the fat turns while on the top and inside the thickest part is still a little translucent and juicy.
Served it up with some sweet potato and kale sautéed over medium heat (covered) with ghee, sea salt, and herbs de province. Easy peasy!
Prosciutto Egg Cups
Breakfast is so important. But eggs every morning can get a little boring. So I tried this….
Got the inspiration from a pin on pinterest, (but used prosciutto instead of ham). My finished product does not look as pretty, but they were tasty and a nice variation from scrambled eggs!
Directions:
Simply spray a little olive oil in a few cups in your muffin pan. Line the cups with prosciutto (one slice per cup should do it, but may need a piece or two extra to fill an any gaps). Crack one egg into the cup. Sprinkle with a little pepper and sea salt. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until the eggs whites are cooked. If you like them more over easy, you may want to take them out sooner. These yolks were cooked all the way through.
Speaking of Pinterest….
You may be interested in following me on Pinterest. I’ve been pinning many whole30 and paleo recipes, some of which I had tried, and many of which I have yet to try!
(**Side note** If you’re living in or new the San Diego area, you also might be interested in the Pinterest site I manage for Dining Out San Diego- The Magazine. I pin and review all the best local restaurants. It’s a helpful tool for choosing from one of the many, many amazing places to eat! We’ve also got a tumblr site, and you can follow us on Fabcebook as well!) #shamelessplug
