Whole30, day 16: Curiousity & cravings

For the first time in two weeks, I was really craving something sweet today. First I was thinking about chocolate, later it became a serious craving for a giant glass of cola. I resisted. A challenge is a challenge and I can keep anything up for thirty days, right?

Also, I'm very curious to see if I have lost any weight. I've been stalling for nearly two months before starting this challenge and I really want to know if I have broken that stall. Some people report a loss up to 12 pounds, and although that would be awesome, I would really be happy with "just" 4-6 pounds. Oh well...I resisted getting on the scale too. I will for it patiently.

Carrots with orange and cumin

A few months ago I subscribed to an initiative of a few organic farmers in my area. All kinds of farmers, produce, cattle and dairy, joined forces and created a website where customers (in a certain area) can order their foods. They deliver it at your house every friday for a measly three euros (about four dollars). So, every week I look what they have to offer and order what I want: all organic/grass fed and local. Brilliant!

This week they had these rainbow carrots on sale and I thought they were too pretty not to buy. So I ordered them and then had to figure out what to do with them. Because they are so pretty, I thought it would be a waste to chop them up and dump them in a dish where you could hardly recognise them.

Super fast smoked fish salad

This recipe is great for lunch on the go. Because it has no leaves in it, it won't go limp if you don't eat it right away. And best of all: it's really easy to make!

You can use any kind of smoked fish you want. I chose smoked trout for this recipe, but I'm sure some smoked mackerel will be just as good. Or even smoked chicken. It's just that the smokiness is so good with the freshness of the rest of the ingrediënts.

Roasted beet salad with goat cheese

Earlier I did a post on roasted beets. That was my first attempt on roasting beets and I think that roasting is now my favorite way of preparing beets. But, as with almost everything else, you need to try some different flavors, otherwise things get boring. It turns out that goat cheese is a great companion for beets. Along with a tiny hint of sweet and sour. 

"Pebre", Chilean salsa with cilantro

One of my best friends is Chilean. I met her when I was fifteen and for over a year I spend a lot of time at her place. Of course because she was my friend, but the fact that her mum made great food was a huge bonus. The amount of beef empanadas we ate must have been huge. And with that stack of empanadas, were the bowls of pebre. How I loved that salsa! At my friends house, it was usually made with a mild variety of chili pepper, so it was never a problem to bury your food underneath a pile of the pebre. One time they had a barbecue and I was piling the pebre on top of a piece of baguette, as usual, when it turned out that not my friends mum, but a friend of hers had made the pebre. She hadn't used mild peppers, but brutally hot scotsch bonnets. My gluttony was severely punished, and it took me an hour to recover from the burning sensation in my mouth.

Asian inspired green bean salad with coconut

Because of all the hard work I had to put in to obtain fresh coconut meat, I didn't want to put it in a blender to make coconut milk. Maybe some other time, but not today. I wanted to fully enjoy the coconut flavor and I wanted it to be still recognizable in the dish as coconut, not as a flaky or milky substance, like I was used to.

Amazing carrot and cabbage salad with apple

This is a ridiculously tasty salad! Nice and crunchy, with the freshness of the apple and sweetness of the raisins. Try this and you will not be disappointed (unless you really don't like cabbage, or carrots....or apple).