We’re taking a break from reader-submitted Steal This Meal submissions to bring you a Whole9 reminder. While there are plenty of fancypants Paleo recipes out there, calling for carmelized this or braised that, we’d like to point out one simple fact. Your Whole30 meals don’t have to be complicated to be delicious. They don’t have to be gourmet-inspired, they don’t have to take hours to prepare, they don’t even have to be real honest to goodness ‘meals’. Sometimes, you can skip the slaving-away-in-the-kitchen part and just eat the INGREDIENTS of a meal. (I know! How freeing, right?)
Take today’s S.T.M. suggestion – a giant fiesta of meat and veggies that Dallas grilled just last night for Melissa’s parents in NH. It was simple, it was easy, it was 100% Whole30 compliant… and it more closely resembled ingredients than an actual prepared ‘meal’. Steak tips. A ton of fresh veggies. Some fruit. That’s it. And it turns out it was one of the tastiest dinners we’ve had in a long time. Proof that sometimes, the ingredients don’t just make a good meal… they are a good meal.
Steal This Meal: Meat. Vegetables. Grill. Go. (Serves 4)
- 2-3 lbs. of high quality steak tips, Paleo marinade of your choice optional
- 3 peppers (1 green, 1 yellow, 1 red)
- 2 sweet Vidalia onions
- 2 portabella mushroom
- 2 zucchini
- 1 pineapple
- 2 mango
Slice all vegetables and fruit into wide, thick slices. No oil is needed, although some prefer to brush a little on the vegetables to keep them from sticking. Set your grill to medium heat. Add steak and the denser vegetables (peppers, onions, zucchini). Add portabella and pineapple. Save the mango for last, because it cooks the fastest. Turn vegetables and pineapple often.
Grill until meat is cooked to preference (rare, aduh) and vegetables are to the desired tenderness. Grill marks taste good, so don’t be afraid of a few lines seared into your pineapple. Fill your plate, serve and eat.
Got a delicious, simple list of ingredients for our next Friday recipe feature? Send your Steal This Meal entry (along with photos and YOUR Whole30-inspired story!) to recipes@whole9life.com.
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Heck yeah, this is the kind of cooking I love! Way to keep it simple and awesome guys.
Melissa or Dallas,
I love what you guys are doing and whole9 really keeps me on track! My one question for you is, how do you feel about Kohlrabi? They are delicious and there are a ton of them in my garden right now… but I’m lost as to the nutritional value of them, and if they are a paleo food or not. Any Ideas?
Thanks!
Is Mrs.Dash okay to add?
@Jesse: We love keeping it simple too – and this Friday’s S.T.M. will continue the theme! Nice to hear from you.
@Don: Kohlrabi is in the cabbage family, and can be eaten either raw or cooked. Kohlrabi is 100% good to go on the Whole30, and you can see nutritional information here. As for how to cook it… I’m not totally sure myself. I think you can boil them like turnips, but don’t quote me on that. Google recipes and let me know what you come up with!
@Chris: Read your labels. Some varieties, like the “original” blend, are fine, containing only spices and herbs. Other flavors (like the “fiesta lime”) contains rice concentrate, which is not okay.
Best,
Melissa
love the simplicity look forward to more STMs like this!!
Absolutely, actually being able to taste the food that you’re eating instead of covering it with artificial flavors, not only gives your tastebuds a workout, but just feels healthy too.
Halved limes cooked on the grill and then squeezed over veggies or salad is a yummy sweet and sour drizzle!
@Barb: Sweet, thanks for the positive feedback!
@Cassie: Amen! Once you’ve gotten away from those artificially sweet/sour/savory/salty processed foods, your taste buds will learn to appreciate the natural flavors found in REAL food!
@Meredith: Yep, lemons/limes grilled are gorgeous!
I love it! So simple and looks wonderful. Thanks for sharing.
I saw the comment about “rice concentrate” and what it is. It is a natural / organic alternative to “silicon dioxide” (which is a synthetic chemical) used for anti-caking in spices. Our company takes whole rice hulls, steam sterilizes them and grinds them; that is rice concentrate. When Mother Nature made the rice plant, she concentrated the silica (that is taken up from the soil) in the hull / husk of the rice. We are simply trying to offer a natural / organic alternative to the synthetic alternative. Also, this 20% fraction of the rice plant is typcially thrown away or burned. Based on our efforts, 100% of the rice crop can be utilized. That is our definition of utilization / sustainability.
I hope this brings additional meaning / understanding to the issue of “rice concentrate”.
Steve,
Thanks for chiming in, but I think you’ve missed the point. We’re less concerned with “natural” or “synthetic” than “healthy”. Manufacturers sometimes hide behind the “natural” word to sell their product. Though we’re glad that you’re making what is otherwise a waste product into something sale-able, that doesn’t make it automatically healthy. Rice hulls are not (healthy).
Dallas: Thanks for your feedback. You state that rice hulls are not healthy. What is the basis for your conclusion? I am interested in learning from your experience. Thanks.