Kerala Crab Curry
It has been over two months since I completed the Whole30 and I still feel the benefits of the program. For the most part, I’ve continued to eat Whole30 unless I am at a restaurant and then I get carte blanche to indulge. I typically only eat out 2-3 times a week so these off-program meals haven’t really made too much of a difference in how I feel. And my weight has remained consistent. In fact, after the program I have lost another couple of pounds which is an unexpected bonus. This is the only “diet” I’ve ever been on where I have lost weight even though I am never hungry. And of course, that is just the tip of the iceberg as far as health benefits are concerned. I detailed all my personal benefits in an earlier post.
Many of you of started on your own Whole30 journeys which is SO fabulous to see. At this point, I have cooked quite a few compliant recipes and even developed a few. I thought is might be handy to round up my favorites. So without further ado, here are the Whole30 recipes I turn to the most and still make on the regular. Even if you aren’t doing a Whole30, these dishes are just plain tasty and you should have them in your repertoire.
Whole Roasted Romanesco with Indian Spices
I’m going to start with Indian food first because this blog is called samosa junkie after all. Surprisingly, Indian food can be very Whole30 friendly if you stay away from the rice and breads. I find most curries taste fabulous over cauliflower rice and even developed an Indian Pilau and Berry Pulau that both pack an extra punch of flavor. For meats, I like to use a tandoori marinade and just sub out the yogurt for coconut milk. You can’t even taste the difference. I also like using the cilantro and jalapeno heavy reshmi kebab recipe with coconut milk in place of yogurt. Brush the chicken with ghee instead of butter and you are golden. For veggies, Indian cuisine is almost an embarrassment of riches with compliant recipes for whole roasted cauliflower, stir fried green beans, and sautéed bell pepper just scratching the surface of what is available. And if you have a hankering for seafood, the Kerala crab curry is a gem. Just omit the sugar and serve over cauliflower rice.
If you are anything like me, you can’t only eat Indian food for 30 days so obviously you are going to need some other options. For a hearty dinner, I love making a curried shepherd’s pie or chocolate chili. For something I can batch cook and have stashed in my fridge, I love spicy tuna cakes made with sweet potato. And for an addictive side dish, you can’t beat tostones. Mel Joulwan’s recipe calls for boiling the plantain slices first, before smashing and then frying them which gets them nice and crispy. I love to dip them in cilantro-mint chutney. I leave out the yogurt and add some avocado instead to give it a touch of creaminess. I am also slightly addicted to this roasted cabbage. Before discovering it, I preferred my cabbage pickled please.
Roasted Cabbage with Almond Sesame Sauce
Another favorite in our house is taco night which we still do in a modified way. We use butter lettuce to make lettuce wraps out of the filling or make taco bowls over a base of mashed potato. Our go-to protein is this dead easy carnitas recipe that takes less than ten minutes to put together. For continued recipe inspiration I follow Nom Nom Paleo, Well Fed, and So Let’s Hang Out. If you have a favorite Whole30 recipe or blog, please do share in the comments below!
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