As we were heading on to the tail end of our trip, the Missus told me She was going to do something called the Whole 30 Program. I didn't think much of it until I read about the foods She would need to avoid for 30 days….you might recall, I do almost all the cooking in our household and would have to adhere to these rules when cooking. Basically, no sugars of any kind – real or artificial (that would include honey, maple syrup, agave syrup, coconut sugar), no alcohol even for cooking (forget about the Shaoxing in the stir fry or mirin for that matter), no legumes or beans (No soy sauce – why don't you just stab me in the heart and get it over with, no peanuts, peanut butter, all forms of soy – you need to check for lecithin), no grains of any kind (including quinoa, no starches for thickening, nothing battered, no breads, no bogus gluten free stuff), no dairy (forget the cheese, except for clarified butter and ghee), no MSG or sulfites (gotta read those labels), basically, NO FUN.
I promised the Missus I'd do a "Whole 7" in support….I'd already lost 17 pounds on my trip. I always lose weight on vacation, I even joked with Kirbie during our dinner that Villa Manila, calling our upcoming trip my annual visit to the fat farm….I can eat anything, drink anything, and I will lose weight. So if you've wondered why my posts were kind of sparse for a while that's it….along with the fact that even though I waited a whole 7 days before popping open that beer, we're still doing the Whole 30 when we eat at home….in case you've been wondering why the Missus has been absent in my restaurant posts….first thing I had…noodles….oodles of noodles.
Basically, food looks like this everyday. You know, the thought of having steak every night might sound like fun…..but I need variety….
I've been grilling a couple of nights a week….I've gotten pretty good at Weeknight grilling over the years, but man, not being able to use soy sauce, any sweeteners, and the like makes things tough and I'm having to rely on doing basic rubs. Salads are basically vinaigrettes, I guess vinegar (so long it has no sugar – you end up reading labels like crazy, and oh, malt vinegar has gluten so no bueno) is ok. This itself can get pretty old, think about sauces…..you can't really use anything you don't make yourself.
So here's one the Missus really enjoys – very simple……oh, and one of Her latest things is Avocado Oil. Sauces like this makes this diet survivable.
I've made this a couple of times and She enjoys it. Though it doesn't totally take the "die" out of diet. I'll post some other stuff I've been making at home later on.
Cilantro Sauce:
2 bunches cilantro – stems removed
1/2 cup Avocado Oil – plus more in necessary
5 cloves garlic
1/4 small onion choppped or 2-3 shallots chopped
2-3 Serrano Peppers chopped
3 Tb pepetas – toasted and crushed
juice from 2 limes
Chipotle Powder, Salt, and Pepper to taste
Water as needed
– Tear up cilantro and place in food processor, along with the garlic, serranos, onion/shallots
– Add 1/4 cup of the avocado oil and lime juice
– Turn on food processor and slowly add the rest of the avocado oil.
– If too thick you can add more oil and water as necessary
– Taste and add the pepitas, Chipotle Powder, Salt, and Pepper – pulse several times and taste again
This tastes great with grilled chicken (skin on please – since fat seems to be a virtue), burgers, and even some fish.
