Whole30 Vegetarian Days 2-3: Coconut Curry with Zucchini Noodles (Vegan, Paleo).

Day two of the Whole30 diet (with me trying it as a vegetarian) and things are still looking good. So far I'm not feeling restricted at all, if anything, I am eating more food than usual (which, honestly, kind of freaks me out). For breakfast we had sweet potato hash, poached eggs and avocado. My usual fare: toast. I'm not usually hungry in the morning and eating within 30 minutes of waking has been challenging. Yummy, but challenging.

Lunches have consisted of totally delightful, and HUGE salads topped with whatever we can get our hands on, from tomatoes, to fruit and nuts. It's been really nice actually. I'm a fan. And so far I'm not having any food cravings. I don't eat much in the way of sugar, and can do without grain for a while, at least. I can see missing beans in the long run, and haven't ruled out allowing myself a portion here and there.

The first night we had a TOTALLY scrumptious variety of veggies and fruit, including a baked sweet potato, roasted cauliflower with tahini sauce, apple,walnut and kale salad in a grapefruit vinaigrette, and fresh pineapple. All Whole30 approved foods. Doesn't feel like deprivation to me!

A few insights about Whole30 so far. First: I am not going to be paleo forever. I am sure of that. But I can see eating this way a majority of the time. Second: so far it's not that hard. It's not that far off of how we usually eat, and I'm enjoying eating so much fresh fruit and veg. Plus, it's been great to see my husband consume so much of it himself. I can imagine that if your normal diet consisted of a lot of processed food, that this transition would be exponentially difficult. Like today I brought 40 cupcakes to my son's school for his 5th birthday, but wasn't tempted to eat one. But then again, I'm not normally tempted by sweets, particularly baked goods, so no real shocker there.

So far the transition has been pretty easy, if not a little exciting, because I have even more reason to try new things. Like the "Vegetti."

Last night I made coconut curry with this new-found gadget. It's a contraption that turns veg into noodles. Well, kind of. It just spiral slices them. I'm up for anything, especially if it will get us through the next 30 days without eating each other's faces off.

The sauce I made came out top-notch and really made the whole dish. We would eat this again, and definitely the sauce is going to make a comeback!

Ingredients:

1-2 cups mixed vegetables of your choice. I used broccolini and carrots

3 large zucchini, spiralized

1 small onion, chopped

For the sauce:

1/2 can coconut cream

1 cup water

1 tsp each curry and turmeric

salt to taste

1/2 to 1 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne

1 inch of ginger, peeled and chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and blanche your vegetables for a few minutes, until bright and to desired softness. Drain, set aside.

Then "spiralize" or shred your zucchini.

In a sauce pan, saute the onion until soft, about 5 minutes or so. Then add in the spices, ginger and garlic, and cook 1-2 minutes more. Stir in the salt and coconut cream. Bring to a simmer and cook about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, blanche your zucchini for 2-3 minutes. Drain. Top with your blanched vegetables and curry sauce. Enjoy!



Red Lentil and Barley Soup with Homemade Gluten-Free "Meatballs"

Inspired by my recent realization that masa is the key ingredient for a nice, dense veggie "meat." These meatballs are gluten-free and stand up to soup and sauces without falling apart.

This is really two recipes in one blog post. The meatballs are time intensive when it comes to length of cooking, so make them ahead of time. The can also be frozen.


Meatball Ingredients:

4 eggs, beaten
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp celery powder
2 cups of shredded cheese
1 cup masa flour
3/4 cup of finely chopped nuts of your choice
2 cups of vegetable broth

Combine all of the ingredients, except the broth, in a bowl and let sit for 20 minutes to thicken. Then form into 1 inch balls and place on a greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. They should be browned and firm.

Then place the meatballs in a casserole dish and pour two cups of vegetable broth over them. Cook at 350 for 45 minutes.

At this point you can freeze them or throw them into your favorite sauce or soup recipe.

For our lentil soup:
3 stalks of celery, chopped
3 carrots, diced
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp each cumin and chili powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 boxes (8 cups) of vegetable broth
1 can of diced tomatoes, or about 2 large fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 cup of lentils
1 cup of barley
salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Saute the onion and celery until soft. Add in the garlic and the spices and cook until fragrant. Next add in the broth, carrot, lentils, barley, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the lentils and barley are soft, about 30 minutes, adjusting the liquid as necessary if it becomes too thick. Remove about 4 cups of soup and blend in a blender until smooth. Pour back into the stockpot.

Place the meatballs in the soup and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes if fresh, about 10 minutes if frozen.