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Do you want delicious food, high energy, great sleep, or to just feel great in general? Why pick just one?! Cooking Whole30. This is the new updated version of the Whole30 Cookbook. I have both, and this one has more cultural information behind the recipes and bonus recipes! I’ve got all of the Whole30 and Whole30-endorsed books with the exception of the slow cooker title, and they are all fabulous. Melissa Hartwig’s dishes are fantastic, and she has a lot of other contributors, which is really nice, because you can taste a bunch of people’s recipes and have a good idea of what works for you. This is filled with easy, healthy, delicious, make you feel oh-so terrific food. Food preppers strapped for time will be excited because there are a few of what I call “Mother recipes” in here. You make the base recipe and use that in a few different ways over the course of the week. Shortcuts without boredom. Ahhhhh. Totally recommend!
I’d love to share Jessica McMullen’s recipe for Chiles Rellenos with Mexican Picadillo with you. Mexican picadillo is a lot like Cuban picadillo, with potatoes and carrots instead of olives and raisins. To keep it Whole30, she uses cloud-like eggs as her coating. The result is souffle-like. It’s just wonderful. I hope you love it, too!
Excerpted from COOKING WHOLE30: Over 150 Delicious Recipes for the Whole30 & Beyond © 2020 by Melissa Urban. Photography © 2020 by Brent Herrig. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Chiles Rellenos
FROM JESSICA MCMULLEN OF DASH OF COLOR AND SPICE
SERVES 6
PREP: 50 minutes
COOK: 50 minutes
TOTAL: 1 hour 40 minutes
Chiles rellenos are a labor of love, but are absolutely delicious and satisfying. Chiles rellenos were a staple in our Mexican household growing up, and the filling possibilities are endless. Stuff them with picadillo, chicken tinga, or any protein or veggie mix your heart desires. This traditional Mexican dish is sure to be a hit with everyone!
FOR THE PEPPERS
6 large poblano peppers
3 cups Mexican Picadillo (below) or preferred filling (see Tip)
Olive oil
7 large egg whites
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
5 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons tapioca flour
FOR THE SAUCE
1 (14-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
½ cup Whole30-compatible chicken broth
½ yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¾ teaspoon ancho chile powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
MAKE THE PEPPERS: Heat the oven to 425°F. Line a large rimmed baking pan with paper towels. Place a wire rack over the paper towels. Line another large rimmed baking pan with foil. Arrange the peppers on the foil-lined pan. Roast about 20 minutes or until peppers are charred.
MEANWHILE, MAKE THE SAUCE: In a blender, combine tomatoes, broth, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, and chile powder. Blend until smooth. In a small saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. When hot, carefully add the tomato mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened and reduced, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the vinegar. Set aside.
Turn oven down to 300°F. Transfer roasted pep-pers to a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Let stand about 20 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Use a small knife to scrape away the charred skin. Carefully cut a slit down one side of each pepper, leaving a ½-inch margin at the top and bottom of the pepper. Gently open each pep-per and use a teaspoon to scrape out the seeds, leaving the stems intact. Gently fill each pepper with picadillo just until pepper is full but you are still able to close it at the opening.
In a very large skillet, heat ½ inch of the oil over medium-high heat. In a large bowl, beat egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form. In another bowl, beat egg yolks about 1 minute or until light in color and slightly thickened. Gently fold egg yolk mixture into egg whites (the batter will be light and airy). Pour the batter into a large shallow dish.
Place the tapioca flour on a large plate and gently roll stuffed peppers in it to coat, making sure stuffing stays in place. (This will help the batter to adhere better.)
Gently place a filled pepper, seam side up, into the batter. Using a spoon, gently spoon batter over the top of the pepper until coated. Use one hand to hold onto the pepper stem and the other hand to place a large metal spatula under the coated pepper. Carefully transfer the coated pepper to the hot oil, seam side up. Fry, two at a time, about 4 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Using a slotted spoon, transfer fried peppers to the rack on the prepared baking pan. Keep fried peppers warm in the oven while coating and cooking the remaining peppers.
Serve topped with the sauce (warm the sauce if necessary).
TIP Substitute ground meat of choice seasoned with your favorite seasonings for the picadillo. You can also use your favorite shredded chicken recipe as a substitute.
Mexican Picadillo
FROM JESSICA MCMULLEN OF DASH OF COLOR AND SPICE
SERVES 4
PREP: 15 minutes
COOK: 35 minutes
TOTAL: 50 minutes
Here’s a Mexican version of a hearty potato and meat dish that is sure to keep you satisfied! Full of flavor, it’s a great dish on its own or perfect as a stuffing for chiles rellenos. Picadillo is a must-try for a quick and delicious meal.
1 large russet potato, peeled and diced (¼ inch)
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced (¼ inch)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 pound ground beef, or ground meat of choice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 jalapeño, finely chopped (seeded if desired)
2 garlic cloves, minced
Juice of 1 lime
½ cup chopped cilantro
Place the potatoes and carrots in a pot with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook just until they start to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add oil. Once hot, add the onion and ground beef. Cook, breaking meat apart with a wooden spoon, for about 5 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and cumin and cook for 5 minutes more.
Add the tomatoes, jalapeño, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and carrots and lime juice. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the cilantro.
TIP This can be made in advance and stored in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
JESSICA MCMULLEN is a nurse and a Whole30 Certified Coach. She is the founder of Dash of Color and Spice, a food blog known for recreating traditional Mexican dishes with a healthy twist. Her recipes stem from her grandma’s and mom’s shared love and passion for cooking, and she encourages her readers to try something new through her delicious, flavorful food.
My thoughts and pics of some dishes we tried…
Toston Chicken Gyros with Coconut Cream Tzatziki Sauce. She uses tostones in place of the usual pita bread and coconut cream instead of yogurt for the tzatziki. It’s Cuban Greek fusion and we all loved it.
Grilled Jamaican Jerk-Inspired Salmon with Fresh Mango Salsa. We all adored this dinner! It’s so fresh and light, and super filling. You don’t need to make anything else with it.
Bison Burgers with Roasted Shaved Brussels Sprouts and Crispy Shallots. The caramelized Brussels sprouts and shallots were a really nice change for a burger. Really flavorful.
Chicken and Olive Meatballs. Chicken meatballs can be dry. This is just a genius idea. The olives add a healthy fat and salty element and keep those meatballs juicy, but with a flavor punch. Staying in that vein, she flavors it with paprika, giving the dish a tapas vibe. The tomato sauce and spaghetti squash are lovely.
Chicken Cutlets with Bitter Greens, Caramelized Pears, and Shallots. Loved this. It’s like a schnitzel salad. The caramelized pears play beautifully with the bitter greens and shallot dressing.
Herbed Rutabaga Oven Fries with Spicy Garlic Ketchup. These are delicious. My youngest loves French fries and thought these might be even tastier. Don’t skip the garlic ketchup!
Sausage Potato and Kale Soup. Absolutely delicious bowl of comfort food. You don’t need anything else, but oranges and berries play nicely with this.
Chiles Rellenos with Mexican Picadillo. We loved these. Mexican Picadillo is a lot like Cuban Picadillo, with potatoes and carrots instead of olives and raisins. The coating is like a cloud of eggs, very souffle like. To our delight, we preferred this healthier exterior with the dish. We had the leftover picadillo for with some fruit the next morning.
Spicy Shrimp Twice-Baked Potatoes. All the yes! The coconut cream instead of the traditional dairy in the twice-baked potatoes made this even more decadent! The shrimp are wonderful! Both of my teenagers proclaimed this to be their favorite shrimp. I’m making the shrimp again with green vegetables.
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The Whole Smiths Good Food Cookbook
Happy New Year!
Those rellenos turned out really well. The recipe makes it sound so easy, lol. And the shirmp recipe definitely looks fantastic.
Happy New Year! They really are easy, Servetus! I smiled when I first read this because I knew the shrimp recipe was up on deck! 😀
I’ve never made chile rellenos, and yours/hers look fabulous! Love the picadillo!
Thanks ChefMimi! I hope you love them. The egg coating makes them even better than the usual!
that was very delicious, I liked it 🥰❤️
Thanks Geno! I’m so glad you did!
Why can’t I get my chili rellenos right?