How I Learned to Love Salads

One of the biggest lessons I learned from the whole30 is that often eating whole requires tedious organization and preparation. Because of that, I’m hoping our blog will be a place to help folks eat wholly with speed and ease. My newfound love of salads has been a lifesaver. To some this may be surprising because while I’ve always been a veggie lover, I’ve never been a huge lover of my own salads because no matter which delicious, fresh vegetables and homemade dressings I put on them, they’ve always lacked an element of “heartiness” for me. Before the whole30, my favorite go-to fast dinner was a huge pan of roasted veggies with roasted pecans or almonds for protein. In making this lifestyle change, I discovered that my love for a pan of roasted veggies is about the warm, rich, heartiness that unfolds when earthy vegetables are roasted. It seems like I should have learned this years ago but by adding any combo of warm, roasted veggies to those cold, crisp greens, salad takes on another meaning. Rich, hearty and filling. This can truly be done with any veggies you have on hand and meat or cheeses can be added based on dietary needs and restrictions. After many re-creations of Danielle Walker’s beet & bacon salad from the fabulous grain-free cookbook “Meals Made Simple,” I’m learning that veggies roasted with bacon take on all kinds of decadence. Use what you have, use what’s fresh, ready and easy. Here’s a recent roasted veggie concoction I made for a surprise visitors and have since recreated a couple of times. It’s whole, hearty and easy!

Roasted eggplant & bacon salad with easy honey dijon dressing
Ingredients (Makes 2-3 large salads) 
Greens of choice (spinach, field greens, fresh romaine or any combo)
1 eggplant – peeled and cubed into 1 inch cubes
1 sweet potato with skin on rinsed and sliced into thin, round chips
6 pieces of bacon (optional for roasting and topping salad)*
1 avocado
1 yellow onion sliced into rings
1 tomato thinly sliced
3-4 eggs (optional for extra protein)
Salt, pepper & olive oil for seasoning

For the dressing
1/4 cup Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons homemade dijon mustard or store bought (Homemade mustard recipe coming soon!)
1 tablespoon of raw honey (leave out for whole 30)
Pinch of salt & pepper

What to do: Pre-heat oven to 375. After eggplant is peeled and cubed, spread it evenly on large baking sheet. On one side of the baking sheet, lay sweet potato chips evenly. Try not to overlap. (Note: You need a pretty large baking sheet to fit both eggplant and sweet potatoes and can use two pans if necessary but extra dishes, no thanks!) After evenly placing, eggplant and sweet potatoes on pan, lay slices of bacon over top the veggies. Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes until bacon is crisp. While veggies roast, chop tomatoes, onions and avocado. Remove sweet potatoes and bacon and set aside. Eggplant should be still on the pan, toss and spread and then place back in the oven for 5-8 minutes until crisp and brown.

While the tomatoes & the onions can also be roasted, I think they both have better flavor when sauteed. In a small sautee pan, heat a teaspoon of olive oil on medium heat, sautee onions first, for about 4-5 minutes until strongly aromatic, soft and golden. Set onions to the side. Throw in tomatoes and sautee for 4-5 minutes until soft and golden on the outside. If you like heavy protein meal, fry a quick egg in the same pan. To fry, crack egg in pan, cover immediately and let fry for 5 minutes and then take off heat immediately for runny centered egg.

Dressing: Whisk vinegar, mustard and honey together. Slowly drizzle in olive oil and whisk until combined. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.

Deck it out: Layer on the goods. Stat with the greens, drizzle the dressing on the greens, then add your roasted veggies, onions, tomatoes, chopped avocado, bacon and egg on top. The yolk mixes with the dressing for a magical combination.

*Note on bacon: true whole 30 bacon should be cured without sugar. In our rural region, this is impossible for us to find. Both MM and I prefer no sugar or additives when possible but are flexible on this rule.

Spicy Sweet Potato Hummus

Hi. My name is Marisa and I am addicted to sweet potatoes.

Like… If I could, I’m pretty sure I would eat them at every meal. In fact, there were days during the Whole30 when I DID eat them at every meal and I have definitely made a mid-week run to the grocery store JUST to pick up sweet potatoes. Not milk. Not bread. Sweet potatoes.

It’s excessive.

Given this predilection of mine, you can imagine that when I first heard about sweet potato hummus (through this post over at the Not So Desperate Housewife) I was enthralled in the “come to me, my precious” kind of way.

After some experimenting, I have a recipe for Pure Magic Spicy Sweet Potato Hummus to share with you today! This stuff makes a spectacular finger food for parties or simply a delicious snack, and it is especially awesome because you likely have all the necessary ingredients in your pantry already!

Afternoon delight? Hummus stuffed bell peppers, carrot chips, root vegetable chips, and a big bowl of hummus makes an easy tray for a party or a delicious afternoon snack. #nom

Ingredients:

2 large sweet potatoes, baked in oven at 400 degrees until very tender

3 Cloves of Garlic, peeled

2 TBS Red Pepper Flakes (start with less, and then add it in to taste)

1/4 c Lime Juice (lemon juice will work, too, but I prefer the lime with the red pepper)

1/4 c Almond Butter or Tahini (Tahini is more traditional, but I used almond butter today and it was delish!)

1/4 c Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Ground sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Bake your sweet potatoes in the oven at 400 degrees (poke them several times with a fork to vent). They will take anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes, depending on size, so keep an eye on them. Once the sweet potatoes are very soft, set them aside to cool.
2. When sweet potatoes have cooled, cut them into large chunks (to make them a little more manageable for the food processer/blender), add all other ingredients, and run the food processer until smooth. Note: you can use a blender if you don’t have a food processer, you’ll just want to work in batches because blenders tend to get stuck with foods this thick. As you are blending, you’ll want to stop to check the balance of flavors fairly often to find a balance you prefer:
   1. If it is too sweet, add lime and/or red pepper
   2. If it is too salty, try adding a little more tahini or almond butter (depending on how salty your particular brand is). Otherwise, you can add some more sweet potato or some mashed carrots or some canned pumpkin.
3. Serve as a dip with fresh veggies or root vegetable chips, or stuff hummus into mini-bell peppers for an easy finger food. This would also be great as a filling between slices of cucumbers for mini-sandwiches.

Enjoy!