As part of the Righteous 21-Day Challenge, enduraLAB sat down with executive chef/owner of Righteous Foods Lanny P. Lancarte II. His menu is known for being clean, organic, unprocessed and made with only high-quality ingredients. We evaluated every breakfast, lunch and dinner entree before picking our favorites and discussing strategies for refining these dishes to match various nutrition guidelines.
WAKE UP AND EAT RIGHTEOUSLY
We are obsessed with the Paleontology loaded with organic eggs, sweet potato and zucchini, uncured bacon, sliced avocado and toasted pistachios. It’s loaded with protein, good fats and high-quality carbs. If you wanted to lighten up this dish, we would recommend omitting the bacon and pistachios. Although, we found it hard to give up either of these items.
The quinoa porridge mixes picked golden raisins, organic banana, almonds, coconut and almond milk into a delightful breakfast that is visually breathtaking. We love this festive take on a basic porridge because of the quinoa, a natural superfood, and tropical fruit complex. Bahamas anyone? We modified our bowl by substituting milk/almond milk in place of the coconut and almond milk mixture, which is sweetened with a dash maple syrup.
Think a breakfast burrito can wreck you diet? Think again! The Righteous swine burrito is made with four organic eggs, Niman Ranch uncured bacon and queso Chihuahua wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla. The veggie option is a real game-changer with four organic eggs, piquillo, black beans, organic marinated kale, quinoa, tomato preserves, queso Chihuahua and whole wheat tortilla. As it prescribed, each burrito contains approximately 400 calories. Need something with a few less calories to kick-start your day, ask for egg whites and/or less cheese in your burrito. Next level? Ditch the whole wheat tortilla and go with smaller corn tortillas for a real fiesta.
Ask around and everyone’s favorite brunch always offers an omelet. Righteous is no exception with their meaty omelet filled with organic eggs, pork shoulder, Niman ranch uncured bacon, organic chicken apple sausage and queso chihuahua. Veggie lovers can enjoy their own version made with organic eggs, piquillo, black beans, organic marinated kale, quinoa, tomato preserves and creamy goat cheese. Like the burrito, cut calories and fat by substituting egg whites, less cheese and consider omitting the bacon and sausage. The pork shoulder alone is a delicious filling in the meaty omelet.
A HEALTHY DOSE OF FRGGIN’ AWESOME
Not every meal can be eaten before 11:00 a.m., so we went back for lunch. Every Texan likes three things at the start of every meal: chips, queso and guacamole. The toasted pistachio guacamole with organic egg white, piquillo pepper and corn chips is nothing shy of perfection. Don’t let the egg white scare you, it adds protein and the flavor is all about the avocado. We lightened this small plate by substituting veggies for the corn chips. Note: you can substitute veggies for chips on any of their grabs.
We got down to business with Coach Lee’s favorite, the baby romaine lettuce salad with uncured bacon, organic egg, Point Reyes blue cheese, mandarin orange, candied walnuts and avocado dressing. You can reduce the sugar by omitting the oranges and candied walnuts. Throw in some olives for a salty kick. We also learned that Righteous salads aren’t overdressed in the kitchen. Chefs use a one-ounce ladle and all-natural ingredients to flavor their creations and that’s it! Don’t worry, you can still ask for your dressing on the side.
Next, we had the ahi tuna poke bowl. It’s a stunning mix of amino marinated ahi tuna, sticky rice, marinated kale, apple, avocado, cucumber and black sesame seeds. A simple way to reduce calories in this dish is to omit or reduce the amount of sticky rice and bulk up on the other veggies. Trust us, this dish has so much flavor that you won’t miss the rice.
HEALTH FOOD THAT TASTES LIKE IT’S BAD FOR YOU
As expected, we couldn’t leave the table without ordering tacos. The “Cochinita Pibil” pork tacos are filled with Niman ranch pork, chile poblano, pickled onions, queso fresco and wrapped in heirloom corn tortillas. The grilled shrimp and Mojo de Ajo tacos include wild gulf shrimp, queso fresco, pickled cabbage and carrots wrapped in heirloom corn tortillas. The organic salmon tacos are swimming in flavor with guacamole, pickled cabbage and carrots and heirloom corn tortillas. Each is served with a side of black beans. No alterations needed as enduraLAB coaches got lost in the heavenly flavors, excellent sources of protein and balance of carbs and fat.
Craving a burger? The 44 Farms beef burger and the hemp seed, mushroom and black bean burger can both be served on a salad. So delicious, you won’t miss the bun. Gluten free? Righteous now has a GF bread option that you are going to love.
Looking for the perfect post-workout beverage, try the green juice and coconut water detox drink (Lanny’s favorite). For those who can’t live on Cabernet alone, Righteous offers several cold pressed organic juice exclusively pressed locally by Juice Junkies.
We were also excited to learn that all Righteous servers are well-versed and ready to help patrons make the right food choices no matter their nutrition guidelines. That includes Keto and Whole30 lifestyles, vegetarian and vegan diets, gluten free, lactose intolerant and those with nut allergies.
In a hurry? Righteous has a user-friendly app for that, or you can simply go online and order directly from your computer. Remember to grab the boss an order of churros and he’ll probably give you a raise.
