When I did my first Whole30 in the spring of 2017, I had not yet identified my egg intolerance. In fact, I don't think the intolerance had developed yet, because I was eating at least 2 eggs most days and feeling great. During my first round of Whole30, I relied upon eggs for most of my breakfasts, and often incorporated them into lunch and dinner. I mean, throw a drizzly yolk atop most things and you've got a delicious, well balanced meal on your hands. Who doesn't love that?
Cut to a few months later. I was experiencing a good deal of stomach upset, so I embarked upon a full elimination diet under the guidance of my functional MD. I removed eggs (among many other things) from my diet for a full 3 weeks to determine what might be causing the stomach issues. When I re-introduced them, the symptoms were undeniable. I was bloated, my stomach was cramping, and I had a "sour" feeling in my gut for nearly a full week after eating just a couple sunny-side uppers. My doctor agreed-- I definitely have an intolerance to eggs.
Now, I'm nearly 2 weeks into my second Whole30, which is actually a "Part30"-- I'm sticking to Whole30 guidelines in all arenas other than at school or when cooking for clients. I'm glad I'm doing this round, but since I had relied so heavily on eggs in my first round, the prospect of doing it egg-free almost kept me from starting!
For this Part30 to be successful, I knew I needed to find some viable substitutes for all of my egg-based Whole30 delights. In my first round I was essentially guzzling Whole30 approved mayo (which is made with raw eggs), often in the form of chicken, tuna, and egg salads. This Curry Chicken Salad is where I started with my search for delicious eggless subs--I know I absolutely love chicken salad, and I've had success using cashew cream as a mayo-replacement in the past, so I figured it would be a home run. I figured correctly--I nailed this recipe on the first shot and have re-tested a few times since, always with spectacular results.
By way of a real time egg intolerance update: I've been doing a little testing to see if my body might be able to tolerate egg yolks. Egg intolerances are different from egg allergies in that egg allergies are a chemical/histamine reaction in the allergic person's body--the immune system recognizes the egg protein as a potential harmful intruder and attacks--whereas a person with an egg intolerance (me) often has difficulty physically processing and breaking down the proteins in the egg white, which causes stomach upset. Many people with egg intolerances can actually digest the yolk fine, it's the white that they're reacting to. Fingers crossed that I'm one of them!
In the meantime, this recipe has become an eggless essential, but it's also just plain delicious--I highly recommend regardless of your relationship with eggs! It's perfect served atop a salad, in lettuce cups, or between two slices of bread if you're not doing Whole30!
Whole30 Friendly Curry Chicken Salad (AIP Friendly, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
Ingredients
For Chicken Salad
- 1 lb chicken (dark/light/or mixture will work)
- ¾ cup cashew cream
- 1 date (soaked in warm water for 20 min)
- ¼ cup pecans (chopped)
- 1 Tbsp curry powder
- 2 stalks celery
For the Cashew Cream
- 1&½ cup raw cashews
- ¾ cup filtered water (room temperature)
- Juice from ½ lemon (~½ Tbsp)
Instructions
For Chicken Salad
- Shred chicken--you can use a store-bought rotisserie chicken, plain roasted or poached chicken, or I like to use chicken thighs I've cooked in my InstantPot.
- Mince date. In a medium bowl, mix date, raisins, and curry powder thoroughly into cashew cream. Your cashew cream should be the consistency of a standard mayo. If it's too thick, add water 1 Tbsp at a time until it reaches the appropriate consistency.
- Small dice (~¼ inch pieces) celery. Mix cream, celery, and chicken thoroughly in a large bowl.
- Serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to 4 days.
For the Cashew Cream
- Bring 4 cups water to a boil, add to a separate bowl with cashews and set aside. Allow to soak for 1 hour.
- Drain and rinse cashews. Add to a high power blender with room temperature water and lemon juice. Blend on high for at least 3 minutes, scraping down the sides as necessary--until creamy texture is achieved.
- Use ¾ cup of cream for chicken salad. Reserve rest for a half batch of Zesty Ranch Dressing.