Whole30 BBQ Sauce

Woohoo! I woke up this morning with energy! I was starting to thinking passing out from exhaustion at 9 pm was going to be my new thing.

Well, Day 4 proved that your energy will come back, but Day 4 and 5 are known as the kill all things days. Now the book describes these days as pretty awful. I was certainly feeling hangry and moody, but not ready to kill all things. On day 4, your brain realizes that the sugar and fatty food fix the previous week, and the Super Bowl is gone. You have started to deal with the stressful days without a pint of ice cream, and your brain/body is a little confused. Hang in there, beg for forgiveness and try to surround yourself with happy things.

For dinner, I decided to use the leftover Whole30 pulled pork carnitas and gave it a new life with Whole30 BBQ Sauce. I roasted squash and Brussel sprouts to finish this delicious, healthy meal.

Whole30 BBQ Sauce Ingredients

MAKES 2 CUPS

PREP TIME: 15 minutes

COOK TIME: 1 hour 10 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour 25 minutes

• 2 tablespoons ghee or clarified butter
• 1 small onion
• diced 3 cloves sautée garlic
•  1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch
• dice ½ cup apple cider
• can (3 ounces) tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon chipotle powder

Whole30 BBQ Sauce Recipes

1. HEAT the ghee in a medium skillet over medium heat.
2. When the ghee is hot, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to brown and caramelize, 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Towards the end of caramelizing the onions, toss is garlic and sauté.
4. Meanwhile, combine the roasted garlic, sweet potato, and apple cider in a medium saucepan. Add enough water to just barely cover the sweet potatoes— do not over-cover.
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the sweet potato is fork-tender, about 15 minutes. Strain and reserve the liquid pan.
6. Combine the sautéed onions, garlic and sweet potato mixture in a food processor or blender.
7. Add the tomato paste, vinegar, paprika, salt, and chipotle powder.
8. Add 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking liquid and blend on low to medium speed.
9. If the mixture is still too thick, add more liquid, ¼ cup at a time, while blending until you arrive at the desired consistency. (The sauce should pour like ketchup.)
10. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 to 3 days.