Welcome to the first edition of Whole9’s newest feature – Steal This Meal. The below is a complete meal, and all ingredients are detailed. Most importantly, the entire menu – main course, side dish and salad – are 100% Whole30-approved. The nutty flavor of Sunshine Sauce goes perfectly with chicken and roasted carrots, while the crisp mandarin and avocado salad is a sweet, cool contrast. So hit the grocery store, farmer’s market or local health food shop and Steal This Meal for an easy, delicious, healthy dish this weekend! (Serves four.)
Sunshine Sauce, courtesy of Melissa Joulwan
- 6 Tbsp Organic Sunbutter (no sugar added)
- 3 Tbsp lime juice
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1½ tsp chili-garlic paste
- 3 Tbsp coconut aminos
- 6 Tbsp coconut milk
- Grated fresh ginger, to taste
This can be made a few hours ahead of time. Mix in a glass bowl or food processor until creamy. (Do not mix in metal, as that can interfere with the lime juice.) Do not refrigerate.
Roasted Carrots and Parsnips
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Four bunches of small to medium-sized carrots and parsnips
- 1 Tbsp Coconut oil
- Salt and pepper
Trim and wash the carrots – do not peel. They should be all about the same size – cut larger carrots in half. Place foil on baking sheet, add carrots. Heat coconut oil gently until it liquefies, pour over carrots on baking sheet and mix by hand. Sprinkle salt and pepper.
Cook at 400 degrees for 20 – 30 minutes, depending on carrot size. The skin should be slightly crisp and wrinkly, but the carrot should be easily pierced with a fork.
Chicken
- Three pounds of free range, organic chicken breast
- Chili powder (1 tbsp)
- Garlic salt (2 tbsp)
Combine the chili powder and garlic salt in a bowl, and sprinkle over chicken breast. Cook with coconut oil. Throw in a hot pan to sear in the juices, reduce heat and finish cooking.
Sunshine Sauce turns even the most basic ingredients into a gourmet meal
Mandarin and Avocado Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
- Two heads of fresh butter or Bibb lettuce
- 4-6 mandarin oranges
- 2 ripe avocado
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds
- ½ cup EVOO
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- Juice of one lemon (freshly squeezed)
- ½ – 1 garlic clove
- Salt and pepper to taste
Wash and trim lettuce. Peel and separate oranges, peel and cube avocado. Mix in a large bowl, sprinkle sunflower seeds over the top.
Mix olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper in a glass jar with a lid (or some other shake-able container). Shake to mix, dress salad and toss.
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i’m drooling here….and Melissa, i love you! i need some variety in the kitchen…
just one question: what’s a coconut amino? i thought i was pretty well versed with ingredients, but maybe no…..
@Sally: Coconut aminos are a fantastic sub for soy sauce. Made only from coconut (100% Whole30 approved!) it’s very similar in taste to soy sauce without any of the down sides. We’ve used it on our sushi and in our recipes for a few weeks now, and can’t tell the difference. It’s still a bit hard to find, but you should be able to pick it up in Whole Foods or other health food stores, in the same section as soy sauce and Bragg aminos.
I made the salad last night and it was delicious. I substituted toasted slivered almonds for the seeds and local leaf lettuce for the bibb. Served it with pan-fried rainbow trout (with dill and lemon juice) and local yellow beans. It was a hit with my husband, but my toddler only wanted to eat the oranges. I may try the chicken and sauce – any substitutes for the coconut aminos? We don’t have Whole Foods where I live :(
Now that I think of it, I haven’t been able to find sunbutter here either — any subs? Is chili-garlic paste something you can make? Maybe this recipe will have to wait…
FWIW, I found garlic-chili paste in the Thai section of my grocery store. Glass jar.
Made the whole meal tonight. Thanks for sharing.
I am now in love with sunshine sauce!
Looks yummy. That Melissa Joulwan has some seriously good recipes! Loving her blog! I have a question, is Tahini considered an acceptable food for this program? Ive been making a similar sauce with that for my salads lately.
Georgia,
We have (in our pre-Coconut Aminos days) used wheat-free tamari (soy sauce) in small amounts for Sunshine Sauce, but it’s certainly not optimal or Whole30-approved. I’d recommend ordering some Coconut Aminos online, or ask your local green grocer or natural foods store to start carrying them.
Brandy,
Melicious makes GOOD food. Every recipe we’ve ever tried of hers (and every dish she made for us when we visited her) was amazing. Plus, she’s a super, super girl. Tahini gets a thumbs-up in technical Whole30 terms, but a serious cautionary note because of the very high content of linoleic acid (LA), the parent molecule for inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids. So, go seriously easy on the sesame seeds and sunflower seeds, and you’ll be okay.
@dallas, thanks for the response. I have been probably overdoing it on the tahini. So yummy, but prolly need to moderate it more.
One more question – I have read some allusions to special post-workout meals in a few posts, is there anywhere I can read to find out more about the concept behind this? I am a CF newb. Thanks.
@Brandy: Read this post from our friend and mentor Robb Wolf. He explains the concepts and strategy behind getting a good post workout meal in IMMEDIATELY after you train, and says pretty much EXACTLY what we tell our clients – and do ourselves post-workout! There are other strategies that can get pretty complicated based on a whole bunch of factors – but we prefer to keep it simple, and follow these basic recommendations.
http://robbwolf.com/2008/11/03/post-wo-nutrition/
Best,
Melissa
So my girlfriend and I just finished the sunshine chicken and it was awesome! We had to tweak a few things though. We didn’t have any unsweetened sunbutter, so we went with cashew butter and left out the coconut aminos simply cause we couldn’t find them. The only other change was using a little extra garlic in the sauce with chili powder instead of the chili garlic paste. I’m sure it was a little different, but still tasty none the less. I’ve always loved the coconut and ginger combo! Thanks a bunch!