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Believe it or not, I don’t do all the cooking in my house. When my husband and I did our first Whole30, we started meal planning. In order to split up the work, we divided our meal planning and cooking week by week. This recipe was inspired by a salad he made for me with shredded carrot and toasted coconut, but I decided to put my own farmers market twist on the recipe.
This Whole30 Curry Coconut and Carrot Salad is spicy, sweet, savory, and crunchy. A great blend of flavors inspired by the artisanal spice blends found at the farmers market.
Try a new spice blend from the Farmers Market
Much of the flavor in this recipe comes from the spice blend used in the dressing. Curry powder is a spice blend that usually consists of turmeric, garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, and more. What we know as curry powder was invented by the British, and is completely unrelated to curry leaves. But, wherever it comes from, it is a delicious and aromatic spice blend
Many farmers markets have a vendor that sells artisanal spice blends. This salad is a great opportunity to try out a blend from a local business. Often, they will be willing to sell small amounts of their blends (many vendors sell spice blends by the ounce), and you’ll only need a little bit to see if you’ve found a new favorite.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Carrots
Carrots are mostly sweet with a little bit of earthy notes in the background.
Save those tops! Carrot tops are completely edible and taste like a cross between carrots and parsley. Minimizing food waste is one way to make your farmers market purchases more economical. Try making a carrot top pesto with them; it’s delicious on pasta and vegetables!
Cilantro
The most polarizing herb of all is cilantro. It’s my favorite, but I know there are many who find it soapy. Cilantro is grassy and spicy, and used across many cuisines across the world.
If you don’t like cilantro (I’m sorry), try using parsley instead. Parsley doesn’t have the same aromatic spiciness, but it will add an herbal and fresh green flavor to the salad.
Dried Coconut Flakes
Do not substitute with sweetened, dried coconut flakes. Not only is this substitution not Whole30 compliant, the sweetened flakes are unnecessarily sweet and will completely change the flavor and texture of the dish. The carrots themselves have a natural sweetness to them that will balance the spiciness of the jalapeno olive oil.
Tips and Tricks
I wholeheartedly recommend using a vegetable peeler to shred the carrots. The thicker ribbons are easier to eat, and facilitate a better ratio of dressing to carrot.
I don’t recommend buying pre-shredded carrots for this recipe. The premade stuff tends to be dried out, and the thin matchsticks don’t hold the dressing very well.
Serving Suggestions
As for pairings, this curry coconut and carrot salad pairs beautifully with lamb chops for a hearty Whole30 meal.
This salad can be made up to one day ahead of time if you keep the toasted coconut separate from the rest of the salad before serving.
Whole30 Curry Coconut and Carrot Salad
This Whole30 Curry Coconut and Carrot Salad is spicy, sweet, savory, and crunchy; a blend of flavors inspired by the spice blends found at the farmers market.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup chopped cilantro
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp curry powder
- 1 lime
- ¼ cup jalapeno olive oil (can substitute with avocado oil)
- 4 large carrots
- ⅓ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
- Mix cilantro, salt, curry powder in a bowl and add the juice of one lime. Whisk in jalapeno olive oil to finish the dressing.
- Shred carrots into bowl using a vegetable peeler and toss with dressing.
- Toast coconut flakes in a small cast iron pan over medium heat until golden brown, approximately 2-3 minutes over heat, stirring constantly. Let cool, then toss with carrots.
- Serve immediately.
