Food Talk, Resources

How to do a Vegetarian Whole30

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Nearly every year, somewhere in the weird limbo land between Christmas and New Years, I get these strong put-my-life-back-together pangs. I think about January, the new year, and how I’m going to finally fix everything I’ve been doing wrong. Eat less, exercise more. Stress less, sleep more. Waste less, wash my sheets more. My internal monologue is filled with lots of LESS-of-this and MORE-of-that, and visions of me emerging from January skinnier, shinier, and noticeably more muscular than I entered it.

You feel me?
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The last few Januarys I’ve succumbed to this self-imposed pressure by voluntarily committing to a January Whole30.  For those who aren’t familiar, Whole30 is a nutritional reset program. Thirty days of super clean eating to help you cleanse your body (and your mind) and get your eating habits back on track. The simplest, shortest way to explain Whole30 goes a little something like this: a lot of vegetables, meat, and healthy fats and… nothing else. That means no grains, no beans, no sugar, no dairy, no processed what have you’s, no Paleo baked goods (or other technically-Whole30-approved “junk food”), and NO BOOZE for thirty days.

That’s right, just vegetables, meat, and healthy fats. There’s just one problem. Over a year ago, I quit meat. It wasn’t planned, and it may not last forever, but for the foreseeable future, I won’t be putting any land animals in my mouth. So, what happens when you take meat out of the Whole30 equation, and all you’re left with is vegetables and fat?

According to the official Whole 30 book It Starts With Food, you can’t really do a vegetarian Whole30.  Pescetarian?  No prob.  Vegetarian though…  First, the authors do their best to convince vegetarians to just “give up” their meat-free ways for 30 days, like it’s as simple as deciding you’re not going to eat ketchup anymore.  If you aren’t up for such a sacrifice, a vegetarian diet will require some Whole30 modifications to ensure your food intake is balanced and wholesome.  It’s called Veg Whole30.

bell-peppers

Here’s what you get to swap in for all the meat when you do a Veg Whole30:

  • Limited dairy from pastured, organic, fermented sources (like yogurt and kefir)
  • Minimally processed, fermented soy products like tempeh or natto
  • Organic edamame
  • Nonfermeted soy (extra-firm tofu)
  • Legumes (soaked for 12-24 hours, rinsed, then boiled for at least 15 minutes to reduce anti-nutrient and inflammatory compounds)
  • Whey protein powder from grass-fed organic sources
  • Hemp or pea protein powders

The authors caution to avoid all grains and grain products, including seitan and quinoa, while doing the Veg Whole30.  Likewise, they suggest eating beans and tofu in rotation (i.e., not eating them every day).

When you quit meat, people often wonder how the heck you get your protein in.  It’s a good question, though, I think most people are eating way more protein than they need each day.  I recently read a series of posts on No Meat Athlete, which argue that only 10-15% of our daily calorie intake needs to come from protein.  Say you eat about 1800 calories a day.  That means at least 180 should come from protein, which is the equivalent of at least 45 grams of protein a day.

#vegwhole30 {ferventfoodie.com}

Here’s an example of how to easily hit 45g of protein by lunch time under Veg Whole30:

Breakfast:  2 eggs* + 1 cup sauteed kale + 1/2 cup lentils  = 23g protein

Lunch:  3 oz tempeh + 1 cup broccoli + 1 med banana + 1 tbsp almond butter = 24g protein

*Note that if you don’t eat eggs, you could easily double the kale/lentil combo and exceed the 45g protein goal.

At risk of sounding crass, Veg Whole30 isn’t really that hard.  Sure, it takes dedication, planning, and more time spent cooking than most folks are used to, but I actually enjoy all that stuff.  I like the excuse to get into the kitchen, and I think it’s fun to make every darn thing from scratch.  Whole30 isn’t meant to be a long-term “diet” — it is a 30-day reset.  Which, in January, feels especially welcome after weeks of holiday overeating under our bulging belts.  Speaking from the other side, Whole30 will change the way you eat (and drink) long term, far past the end of January.

      

Some links that may be useful:

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Food Talk, Recipes

5-Minute Fancy Cheese Plate on a Budget

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Being able to throw together a solid cheese plate in a short amount of time is one of the keys to adulting.  It’s also key to making a night at home feel like a special occasion, even when you’re short on energy and the budget is tight.  Sure, you could eat the cheese on crackers pulled straight from the box while standing in the kitchen mindlessly trolling Facebook, but why not take five minutes to make the whole cheese and carbs thing a little more special?

In my experience, the secret to making a great cheese plate is variety:  contrasting flavors and textures make all the difference!  So, let’s talk cheese.  I like to think that there are four main categories of cheese:  soft, hard, stinky, and the wildcard.  Other folks may use stuffier categories, but this is what works for me!  When picking cheese, I try to select only one from each category.  For example, I might pick a brie (a classic, soft cheese that deserves a place on any cheese board), Manchego (hard), Gorgonzola (stinky), and smoked Gouda (wildcard).

Good news.  You don’t have to spend a lot of money to make a good cheese plate–with just one nice cheese and some inexpensive accouterments, you can create an impressive spread for less than ten buckaroos.

one-cheese-plate-close-up

For this simple cheese plate, I picked a rich and creamy goat milk brie ($2.79 at Trader Joe’s), gluten free rice crackers ($2.50 per box), a handle of almonds I had on hand ($FREE), and several goodnessknows snack squares (half a box = $2.50). That’s a fancy, filling cheese plate for less than $8! As an added bonus, this combination is totally gluten free.

Sure they call it a “cheese plate” but I think it’s really all the OTHER stuff that makes a cheese plate shine.  Rather than spending tons of money at the grocery store, take a look in your pantry and your fridge, and pull out anything and everything that looks good for nibbling.  Pickles of any variety, dried fruit, chocolate, honey, fruit preserves, mustard, nuts, cured meats, fresh bread, crostini, croutons…  I realize this sounds like a big hodgepodge, but, assuming you only keep things on hand that you actually enjoy eating, I don’t think you can go wrong!  One of my favorite stumbled-upon combinations, for example, is goat cheese Gouda + dill pickles + stadium mustard.  THE BEST.  The odds-and-ends plate is where it’s at.

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Food Talk

It’s all about the “O”

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Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the case of the macaron vs. macaroon.  I have eaten both macaroons and macarons in my day, and though I’ve pronounced both as maca-two-o’s-oons (despite their obvious disparities) not once has a server indicated that I was pronouncing the daintier dessert (pictured on the left below) incorrectly; in fact, I believe they, too, pronounced the name wrong.  It’s sort of like how we’re all in denial and order “brushetta” even though we’ve learned the proper pronunciation is “brusketta.”  Same goes for gyro and “year-ro” I (grudgingly) suppose…

But back to the case at hand.  Both of these similarly named confections start with meringue:  egg whites and sugar whipped to glossy stiffness.  That’s where the cookies reach the fork in the road, the whisk in the peaks, if you will:  the difference lies in the execution.

macaroons

Macarons are of Parisian decent, and (to further complicate things) are sometimes referred to as “Parisian Macaroons” (note the 2 o’s).  Luckily, macarons are easily identifiable by the sandwich-style presentation, the buns of which are light, airy almond meringue cookies.  Macaron filling options are limitless; buttercream, fruit preserves, and chocolate ganache are frequent choices. The cookies and fillings are typically dyed in bright and fashionable coordinating colors, and the hue arguably makes a bigger statement than the flavor of the delicate cookie itself.  It’s confection couture at its finest.

Notoriously difficult to prepare (Sally’s recipe requires two hours of prep time), traditional macaron recipes require advanced planning and aging of the egg whites.  The whites are separated from the yolks and left to age in the fridge (sometimes for several days), and are then incorporated with almond flour and sugar.  The batter is piped out with precision into round, flat, equally-sized discs, and as the cookies bake, a ruffled “foot” forms at the base, later serving as a frilly filling garter.

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Recipes

Cherry Tomato & Ricotta Frittata {recipe}

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Remember when I promised to post my cherry tomato and ricotta frittata recipe “very soon”?  Like 2 months ago, soon?  Well, here she is, just in time for the first frost and an impending seven solid months of the tomato-less hell that is winter.

I know, I know.  Excuses, excuses.  But seriously, grad school is tough y’all.  Over the past couple of months, I’ve cried in front of several fellow PhD students, cried my self to sleep after my first accounting seminar, cried in my professor’s office, cried when my boyfriend “jokingly” locked me in the bathroom, and left my first microeconomic theory midterm choking for breath because the tears were gushing so fast and so hard that all my facial orifices had clogged.

I am a character from a cheesy 80’s sitcom.

But I took a break from all that excitement, just to get this frittata recipe up here on the blog.  Now hurry outside and pick the last of the cherry tomatoes before the first frost comes!

cherry tomato and ricotta frittata

Check out the bite-size video below to see just how darn easy this frittata is to throw together.  It tastes great when reheated and makes for a pretty mean breakfast sandwich, should you be so inclined.

Print
Cherry Tomato and Ricotta Frittata
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
20 mins
 

A quick, simple breakfast for a crowd bursting with summer flavor.

Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: baked eggs, breakfast, brunch, frittata
Servings: 6
Calories: 148 kcal
Author: Fervent Foodie
Ingredients
  • 1/2 medium onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cup packed arugula, roughly chopped
  • 8 large eggs
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan
  • 1/3 cup ricotta cheese
Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

  2. In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Once hot, add onion, season with salt and pepper, stir to combine, and reduce heat to medium. Cook the onion until soft (approximately 5 minutes), then add the garlic and cook one minute more. Gently fold in the cherry tomato halves and arugula, season once more with salt and pepper.

  3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine eggs, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and parmesan cheese. Whisk to combine. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet, and use a spatula to evenly arrange the ingredients. Cook for a few minutes, until the sides begin to set, then remove from heat. Using a spoon, dollop the ricotta cheese on top of the eggs.

  4. Bake until the eggs are nearly set (approximately 7 minutes), then switch the oven to broil, and broil until the top of the frittata is set (approximately 1-2 minutes).

  5. Remove from oven and allow frittata to cool. Slice and serve.

Recipe Video

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Fitness, Food Talk, Product Review

Gluten-free-for-all

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Thanks to goodnessknows for sponsoring this post and encouraging me to refocus on healthy living goals!

I remember once proclaiming that I’d rather date a vegetarian than someone who was gluten-free.  I said “vegetarian” like it was something utterly disdainful, the penultimate compatibility failure.  Fast forward a few years, and I’m the (most-of-the-time) vegetarian touting a gluten-free fellow.  Oh, how the tables turn!  Starting this blog 6.5 years ago was sort of like my healthy living “puberty” — back then, I was dipping my toe in the internet’s complex, often conflicting, never-ending pool of health-focused information.  I was intrigued, excited, and totally misguided.  But, just as our bodies physically mature over our lifetimes, our tastes, preferences, and views shift and expand, strengthen and sag too.  And thank god for that.  Otherwise I’d still be eating fat-free dairy for snacks and microwaved broccoli for breakfast every day. goodnessknows

Near the time I started blogging, I learned about the gluten-free diet from my friend Tracy, who, after an onslaught of tummy troubles, found that dairy-free, gluten-free foods made her feel “normal” again.  At the time, “gluten” was a word few people knew or cared much about, and this whole gluten-free diet thing sounded MISERABLE to me.  So, I made it my mission to find Tracy a decent gluten-free, dairy-free pizza so that her new GF life wouldn’t be completely devoid of joy.
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