MY KITCHEN IN SPAIN: FEBRUARY: EATING THE “WHOLE 28”

Did you have a vegan January or no-alcohol month? Maybe you dieted and lost 10 pounds. For me, January zoomed by with dinner guests and plenty imbibing. Here it is February, a slow month, so I’ve signed on for the Whole 30 diet. It’s a 30-day elimination diet but, as February is the shortest month, I’m doing 28 days!

Elimination means not eating/drinking any of these categories of foods: No sugar (that’s easy—I don’t use sugar or honey anyway) and no sugar substitutes; no dairy; no grains or grain look-alikes (the list includes wheat, oats, quinoa, rice, corn); no legumes—beans, lentils, chickpeas, soy products, peanuts—(green beans and peas are exceptions); no baked goods, pasta, pancakes (not even if made with alternative flour or vegetables), chips nor fries (unless you make them at home); no alcohol, not even in cooking. And no weighing-in until 30 days are up.

The “whole” signifies a whole month but it also means wholesome foods. No processed stuff, no labels with dozens of ingredients.

Why? Eliminating foods can help you figure out what ails you by identifying food sensitivities. At the end of the 30-day elimination period, you reintroduce one type of food at a time and pay attention to whether any symptoms return.

Is it easy? The regimen requires attention. Meal planning is rigorous with so many foods eliminated. But, I love a challenge when it comes to food. Divising ways to use the acceptable foods—fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, seafood, nuts, and olive oil—has been engrossing. I’ll share with you some of the dishes I’ve enjoyed.

These recipes are perfectly suitable for family members who are not on the diet. I tell them to cook their own rice or pasta to accompany my main dish.

Breakfast timbale with zucchini, spinach, eggs.

Breakfast, my biggest stumbling block. Without my usual non-fat yogurt with fruit, I don’t know what to eat in the morning. Eggs are allowed on the diet, but I sure don’t want to eat eggs before heading out for aerobics. Besides, if you eat eggs for breakfast, you can’t really eat them for lunch or snack as well.

I made a pan of my favorite zucchini-spinach timbale. A slice of timbale is perfect for breakfast or segundo desayuno—a mid-morning snack. I make the timbale with almond milk instead of dairy milk and omit the cheese.

Sauté a chopped zucchini, scallions, and spinach in olive oil. Beat 6 eggs with 1 cup almond milk. Season with salt, pepper, and chopped herbs. Bake in an oiled baking dish until eggs are set.

Chicken-zoodle soup for lunch.

Lunch. February is soup month, so lunch is easy: chicken-zoodle soup (pictured above), curried squash soup with coconut milk, fish and vegetable chowder, minestrone with green beans instead of cannellini, alioli instead of cheese. Zoodles are zucchini ribbons microwaved until crisp tender then added to any favorite chicken soup. For the zoodles, use a vegetable peeler to cut thin slices, then a knife to cut them into noodles of any width. By the way, the technique works with potatoes and squash too. Pick the longest potato you can find.

Cauliflower fritters with mayo.

Snacks. I miss cheese so much! And I crave crispy crackers to put the cheese on. Nuts of all kinds somewhat satisfy the craving. I make guacamole to dip with endive leaves; black olive spread (recipe below) to scoop with red pepper strips, and homemade olive oil mayonnaise to go with cauliflower fritters.

Black olive spread.

I looked at the label on my preferred mayonnaise: soy oil, vinegar, egg plus sugar, starch, coloring agent, and antioxidant. That's why I made it homemade--egg, extra virgin olive oil, Sherry vinegar.

To make 20 cauliflower fritters, combine 1/2 cup mashed potato and 1 cup cauliflower "rice" (see below for how to make the rice) with 2 tablespoons chopped scallions, 1/4 teaspoon each of cumin and hot pimentón, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, and 2 tablespoons almond flour. Chill the mixture. Scoop up by teaspoons and drop in hot oil. Fry until browned.

Happy hour. Much of eating is habit: at 7:45, while dinner is cooking, I pour a glass of wine and sit down to watch a cooking show on TV. No wine this month! Instead I enjoy grapefruit juice spritzer (with agua con gas (seltzer), hibiscus punch or a virgin Mary, half and half seasoned tomato juice and bubbly water. A handful of pistachios and I have a happy hour.

Málaga-style seafood stew.

Dinner. Mostly I've been adjusting favorite dishes to comply with the diet rules. For my Málaga fish stew (above) I needed only to eliminate the bread and use almonds to thicken the sauce (recipe follows). Potatoes are allowed! They are my main carbohydrate this month.

Chicken curry with mango served with cauliflower "rice."

I get a lot of mileage from a roast chicken, using leftovers for curry or stir-fry. To accompany chicken curry with mangos, I prepared cauliflower “rice” (shown above).

To make cauliflower rice, cut out and discard the center stalk of the cauliflower. Cut the cauliflower into florets. Place them and small stems in a food processor and pulse until they are chopped to about the size of grains of rice. Place them in a microwave-safe bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Stir. Microwave for 1 or 2 minutes more until cauliflower is crisp tender. Add salt. The "rice" can be prepared in advance and reheated in the microwave or in a steamer.

Meatballs with zoodles.

These chicken meatballs in a Southeast Asian curry sauce (shown at right) are served with zoodles, those aforementioned zucchini noodles, instead of rice noodles. In place of bread, the meatballs are mixed with chopped onions and mushrooms.

Stir-fry with cauliflower "rice."

More leftover chicken in this stir-fry served with cauliflower "rice." Luckily snow peas are exceptions to the no legume rule, as I have lots of snow peas in the garden this month. Instead of soy sauce (not allowed on the diet), I smash some anchovies into the stir-fried veggies and chicken.

Sweet potato mousse with walnuts.

Dessert. A piece of fresh fruit is always good. Or sliced mango embellished with grated ginger and a spoonful of thick coconut milk. I got fancy with this sweet potato mousse.

Soak 2 pitted and chopped dates in ¼ cup almond milk, then blend until smooth. Mash 1 medium cooked sweet potato with the date milk. Stir in 1/8 teaspoon each of salt and cardamom, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon grated orange peel, and 1 tablespoon orange juice. Separate 1 large egg. Mix the yolk with the sweet potato. Beat the white until it holds stiff peaks. Spoon the mixture into 4 oiled oven-safe cups. Place them in a pan with boiling water and bake in preheated 375ºF oven until set, about 20 minutes. Serve with chopped walnuts.

Seafood Stew

Cazuela de Pescado

I used fillets of gallineta, rockfish, for this stew. Monkfish or grouper, both firm-fleshed, would be good also. Add squid, clams or mussels if you like.

Serves 2 to 4

Firm-fleshed fish fillets for the stew.

1 pound fish fillets

Salt

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, peeled

¼ cup almonds

½ cup chopped onions

½ cup chopped green pepper

½ cup peeled and chopped tomato

½ teaspoon pimentón (paprika)

¼ cup water

1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar

1 pound potatoes, peeled and cut in pieces

1 cup + fish stock or water

Shelled peas or blanched snow peas

12 peeled shrimp

Parsley to garnish

Cut the fillets into 2-inch pieces, salt them lightly and allow to come to room temperature.

Heat the oil on medium-high in a cazuela or deep skillet. Fry the garlic and almonds until they are golden. Skim them out and reserve.

Add the onions and green pepper to the pan. Sauté, stirring occasionally, on medium heat until onion is softened, 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and continue to fry a few minutes.

Place the fried garlic and almonds in a blender with the pimenton, ¼ cup of water, and vinegar. Blend until smooth. Stir this mixture into the pan. Add 1 cup of the stock. Bring to a boil and add the potatoes. Lower heat and cover the pan. Cook until potatoes are tender, 20 minutes. Add the fish and shelled peas to the pan. Cook until fish flakes easily, 10 minutes. Add the snow peas, if using, and the shrimp. Cover and remove the pan from the heat. Allow to set 5 minutes. Serve garnished with parsley.

Black Olive Spread

Olivada Negra

Make this umami-rich spread with the wrinkly kind of salt-cured black olives. (Mine are home-cured Manzanillas.) If Spanish ones are not readily available, substitute Kalamata olives. You will need to pit the olives. Serve the spread with crudités for dipping—I like endive leaves and red pepper. It also goes well with hard-boiled eggs. Or, obviously, toasts or breadsticks if you are not avoiding bread.

Umami-rich ingredients for the olive spread.

1 cup pitted black olives

2 pitted prunes, dates or figs

1 clove garlic

3 sun-dried tomatoes

3 anchovy fillets (from a can)

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons walnuts

1 tablespoon drained capers

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of dried thyme

Endive leaves to serve

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and process until nearly smooth. Store refrigerated but bring to room temperature to serve. Serve with endive leaves.