Local fitness enthusiast Jason Murphy remakes favorite meals of his youth into healthy dishes. See the full list of his recipes at www.mysaline.com/shirtless.
Whether it’s fish, BBQ, or burgers, the best part of summer eats to me was always the sides. Potato salad, cole slaw, fries and hushpuppies… those were always what I really loaded up on at the lake picnic. I would severely test the tensile strength of my paper plate on the precarious walk back to the picnic table.
Most people believe a healthy diet means they have to give up those sides, or even the entire meal. As any regular reader of this article knows, we don’t subscribe to that theory. Any food can be made over to be healthy and fit an abs-friendly lifestyle, and summer meal sides are no exception. You just need an open mind, a little bit of know-how, and the good sense not to mention how healthy it is to the rest of the family at the lake picnic. You can always tell them later when they wonder why they feel so good after stuffing their faces.
The cole slaw recipe probably isn’t too different from regular cole slaw, other than using minimally processed avocado oil mayo and fresh organic veggies instead of some out of date pre-packed salad mix bag with listeria lurking in every crinkly, damp bag. You know, the ones that are just waiting to force you to spend your entire lake day fast walking back and forth to the port-o-potty.
The potato salad, however, that is a different story, as there are no potatoes in it. That’s right, anything a potato can do, cauliflower can do it just as good or better. I just need you to trust me here, because once you make it, you won’t miss the real thing. I have real trouble keeping it around when I make it as it goes fast with huge bowls of the stuff disappearing at a time.
Pair these with some jicama fries from my previous articles, some pecan or almond crusted baked fish or pork tenderloin, and you have a meal that will make you forget all the nutrients, fiber, and healthy fats you are getting from these powerhouse sides. All you will remember is the taste.
My uncle keeps me well stocked with fresh fish caught in the gulf, so some baked red fish was the meal this time, along with a healthy homemade tartar sauce, which I will also include here. I hope you give these a try, and feel free to spoon a little extra, because these sides will have less calories, more vitamins, and taste so good you won’t be able to tell a difference.
Cole Slaw
Ingredients:
- 3/4 organic red cabbage, rough chopped
- 3 organic carrots, shredded
- 1/3 cup stevia in the raw sweetener
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
- 1/2 cup Primal Kitchen Avocado oil mayo
- 1/2 cup grass fed heavy cream
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 2 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
Instructions:
Rough chop the red cabbage with a large kitchen knife. The size of the pieces will affect the texture, so finely chop to your personal taste.
Peel the carrots and use a box grater to shred the carrots, then add to the cabbage:
In another bowl, mix the mayo, sweetener, salt, pepper, heavy cream, vinegar, and lemon juice:
Stir the mix into the cabbage and carrots, cover the bowl and let chill in the fridge for at least 8 hours.
Cauliflower “Potato” Salad:
Ingredients:
- 1 large head organic cauliflower or 2 smaller ones
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1/2 tsp sea salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder, smoked paprika
- 3 hard boiled eggs
- 1 bunch green onions (scallions)
- 1/2 cup Primal Kitchen avocado oil mayo
- 1/2 cup grass fed plain greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 3 slices cooked bacon
Instructions:
Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. Wash and cut the cauliflower into bite size pieces, toss in a bowl with the avocado oil, and 1/2 tsp of sea salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder, and smoked paprika. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and bake the cauliflower for 40 minutes, stirring the cauliflower and rotating the baking sheet after 20 minutes. Let cool completely:
Use a large bowl to mix the mayo, greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, vinegar, and all seasonings. Whisk together until smooth.
Add in the chopped hard boiled eggs, diced green scallions, and crumbled bacon, stirring gently to combine, then add the baked cauliflower and gently fold it in with a spatula:
Cover and chill for at least 8 hours for maximum flavor and texture.
Healthy Tartar sauce if cooking fish:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Primal Kitchen Avocado oil mayo
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Zest of one lemon
- 2-3 organic dill pickles, finely chopped
- 2 tsp dried dill
- 6-8 capers, finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 to 1/2 half tsp salt
Instructions:
Mix all ingredients except the salt. Taste test and then adjust salt to taste, then chill for 4 – 8 hours.
Served here with baked redfish and jicama fries:
See the list of all the Shirtless Chef recipes at www.mysaline.com/shirtless.