Another work day! So breakfast stayed pretty much the same, two hard boiled eggs and a pear. I was short on time, so rather than fry up bacon I grabbed a bag of turkey jerky that had finished dehydrating that morning at 5:30am when I went for my morning jog. I split the jerky to supplement breakfast and then to snack on a bit in the afternoon.

Lunch: Turkey Bolognese with Zucchini Noodles

This is seriously delicious. I kept exclaiming as I ate my lunch “Yum! This is delicious.” and other such sentiments. Maybe I annoyed my co-workers, but really, who cares? It was fantastic. Here’s how I made it:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 lbs tomatoes, finely chopped
• 3 tbls. clarified butter
• 3 zucchinis
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Spiralize zucchinis and set aside
2. Heat 1 tbls. clarified butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Once it’s melted and bubbling, add the ground turkey and onions and cook until turkey is browned and onions are soft, about 5 – 7 minutes
3. Add tomatoes and butter, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes. Taste, add salt if needed…it’s done when you think it’s done. It should still be saucy but will thicken up as it cooks down.
4. Top a plateful of zucchini noodles with the sauce, and enjoy.

I only added the sauce to the portions I was eating at the time…this way any leftover zoodles can keep, and you can have leftovers to add whatever other sauces you want. I still have peanut sauce, yum, and am planning a pesto for tonight.

Dinner: Kerala Beef with Cauliflower Rice

 

This is fantastic. It’s a dish I cook a lot cause I love it, and I just subbed out one or two things to make it Whole 30 friendly. I got the recipe from the NY Times (they are awesome). You can find the original recipe here.

Kerala Beef:

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• ½ tablespoon chili powder
• Salt to taste
• 1 pound beef tenderloin, cut into 1 1/2-inch strips
• ¾ tablespoon tamarind concentrate
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
• 5 fresh curry leaves (these are a must for this recipe!!!)
• 3 medium red onions, finely chopped
• 2 green chilies, or hot peppers, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons garam masala
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ½ teaspoon powdered black pepper
• 3 tablespoons coconut milk yogurt or coconut milk. I used Anita’s, which is glorious.
• Freshly chopped cilantro for garnish

Preparation:

1. Combine the garlic, ginger, chili powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Rub the mixture into the beef and let sit for at least 20 minutes.
2. Combine the tamarind concentrate with 3 tablespoons boiling water in a small bowl; stir until tamarind concentrate is dissolved, and set aside.
3. Put 2 tablespoons coconut oil in a large skillet on medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Let simmer for 1 minute, then add the onions and chilies, and cook until onions start to soften, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the garam masala, ground coriander, ground turmeric, powdered black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the onions. (The mixture will be quite dry.) Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then reduce the heat to low and stir in the tamarind concentrate and yogurt. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, or until the liquid is almost completely evaporated.
5. Heat the additional tablespoon coconut oil in a second skillet over high heat. Add the beef strips and sear for 30 seconds, turning once.
6. Using tongs, carefully transfer the beef strips to the skillet with onions, folding them into the onion mixture, and let simmer 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender and cooked through. Discard the curry leaves; taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt if necessary. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

Cauliflower Rice:

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower
• clarified butter to taste
• salt and pepper to taste

1. “Rice” a whole cauliflower: either grate it with a box grater (laborious but effective) or put it through a food processor with the grating attachment (much simpler, quicker and also effective).
2. Heat clarified butter in a large pan. Once bubbling, add cauliflower rice. Sauté until satisfied, and add salt and pepper to taste.