Cooking Whole30

November 7, 2016
Hartwig, a sports nutritionist and cocreator of the Whole30 diet plan, packs her fourth book on the subject with 150 recipes that are, as the cover proclaims in all-caps, “totally compliant.” That means heavy emphasis on eggs, meat, fish, and fresh vegetables, but no grains, dairy, legumes or added sugars. Whether or not one buys into Whole30, there is no denying that Hartwig has come up with a clever array of healthy and flavorful dishes. Highlights include Asian beef zoodle (zucchini noodles) soup, which is similar to Vietnamese pho but uses zucchini noodles, and grilled Jamaican jerk salmon with fresh mango salsa. Many of the recipes come courtesy of guest cooks from various food blogs. For instance, Michelle Smith, from the Whole Smiths blog, contributes cherry-chipotle BBQ chicken thighs, with the fruit providing the sweetness and ground chipotle bringing the heat. Veteran food and cocktail photographer Brent Herrig drives home the point that a burger served on a tomato slice is as delectable as one on a bun, and that meatballs do just fine in a cream sauce made with coconut milk.