Mango "Salsa"- AIP Recipe

I am on week 2 of the Auto Immune Protocol and I miss condiments.  Like seriously, what am I supposed to put on my food?  Later today I am going to attempt to make some "flat bread" and "bbq sauce" (I put those in quotes because they will be far from the real thing), but for now I am going to share this salsa recipe with you.  It's not exactly like salsa, but it is close enough for me, and it gives my food some flavor!

In a large bowl, add 1 diced red onion*, 5-7 diced radishes (these will give us a little peppery kick since we can't have real peppers), 2 diced mangos, the zest and juice of 2 limes, 1 clove of garlic minced, and a handful of chopped cilantro.  Mix to combine well, and then allow to chill in the fridge a few hours (or over night). Once it is chilled, taste and add a sprinkle of Himalayan sea salt (you won't need much) if needed.  I serve it on top of everything (like lettuce wrap tacos!), occasionally combined with avocado to make guacamole!

21 Day Fix Conversion- 1 purple

*note- this as a really strong onion flavor, especially once the radishes and onions sit in the lime juice over night. I like onions, but if you don't, you might want to use less to start with.

No-Mato Marinara Sauce

My family and I have decided to do a not so fun elimination diet to see if it helps clear up any of our issues.  We've known we needed to try it for awhile, but we've kind of been putting it off.  We got back last week from vacation, and with 2 months before the holidays really get going, we decided now was the time to buckle down and commit!

We will be following the Auto Immune Protocol Diet, which means no grains, dairy, seeds, nuts, sugar, alcohol, and nightshades.  Out of all of those, it's the nightshades I miss the most.  Enter, No-Mato Marinara Sauce.  For not having any tomatoes, it is pretty tomatoey.  I made mine on the thick side, so I can thin it out as need for different recipes.  I am also going to try to use it in place of tomato paste in beef stew (per my husband's request), but more on that later.

I started by sautéing a red onion in a small amount of olive oil.  Once they were soft I added a clove of minced garlic, 3 cups chopped carrots, and 1 chopped beets.  After stirring, I added 1 cup water and brought the mixture to a boil.

I reduced the heat to low, and allowed the veggies to simmer for 1 hour.  Once cooked, I transferred the ingredients to a blender with the juice of 1 lemon, a palm full of Italian herbs, and a tsp of himalayan sea salt.  I blended until smooth, adding more water as needed to keep the mixture going.  This batch made 12 servings. Adding more water, or liquid when cooking would increase the serving size.

To serve, I combined the sauce with ground beef (pre cooked, from my freezer stash), additional seasonings (because the meat was unseasoned), and 1/4 cup pork stock (made from cooking down a ham bone, and straining off most of the fat).  I heated the ingredients until well combined, and then served the meat sauce over roasted spaghetti squash.  If you are following the 21 Day Fix (which I am not currently on, but I try to keep the balance on the containers in the back of my mind), the plain sauce counts as 1 green.  With the ground meat, it would be 1 green and 1 red.