Emily was in charge of the June cooking club. She sent us the following email, which I am sharing because I think she's hilarious:
"So, Marc has talked me into doing a Whole30. Has any of you done this before? It's my fault - I brought it up with him all gung ho after reading a bunch of articles online. I'm very impressionable! The next day, I read a bunch of different articles and decided it's basically just paleo and that it's a bogus fad based on pseudoscience, but by then it was too late. Marc thinks it'll be "a fun challenge" and "something we can do together". And we might both lose some weight. So, fine, we're doing it.
What is this thing, you ask? Well, in case you haven't heard of it, for 30 days (starting June 1), here are the things my husband and I won't be putting in our mouths: grains, dairy, legumes (beans, peanuts, soy) sugar/sweeteners, processed food, foods masquerading as other foods (vegan "cheese", etc.), and, omg worst of all...alcohol.
Before you panic, I would NEVER DREAM of hosting a "dry" cooking club. But apart from that reasonable departure for the rest of you lovely, sane people, the theme of next month's cooking club is...Whole30!
"It'll be a fun challenge!!" Um, right. So here's what IS allowed: all fruits, all vegetables including potatoes, nuts and coconut, eggs, meat, seafood, fats (butter is actually ok if it's clarified, i.e. ghee), and all herbs and spices. Perhaps most importantly, the idea is to use ingredients that are as real and fresh as possible. So no msg or soy lecithin or carrageenan, etc., as found in prepackaged foods, however bought things like mustard and almond milk are fine as long they don't have anything weird or verboten in them. And technically you also aren't supposed to make, say, pancakes or something made of approved ingredients (e.g. coconut flour) that are a sorry excuse for the real thing - you're supposed to just wait 30 days and then eat a real freakin pancake.
30 days for me, that is. Just one meal for you. We can make this delicious, right? How hard could this be, right? Right??"
We accepted the challenge, and gathered at Emily's for a Whole 30 lunch. Valerie made baked coconut shrimp with mango jalapeno sauce. They were delicious!
Summer made a grilled sliced potato salad, heavy with mint and parsley.
Emily (and Gabby) fried plantains!
Look at how beautiful Whole 30 is making Emily's HAIR!
She served them with a kicky dipping sauce of cilantro, lime, almonds, serrano chili peppers, and olive oil.
Whole 30 table!
Nancy made a salad using beet greens and spring mixed, topped with oranges, walnuts, and roasted beets. With an orange vinaigrette. So flavorful!
Gabby entertained us with her cuteness.
Cauliflower rice is something I've seen before in many recipes, and have always wondered about. I made it, and it's DELICIOUS!! I would make this again.
I topped the cauliflower rice with a yummy vegetable curry.
Yumi cooked some delicious red snapper.
With a tomato caper topping!
Mmm!
Since it was a gorgeous day, we headed to Nancy's pool. We felt great from all that healthy food!
