Clean Recipes Abound

I had an interesting exchange with a friend and her husband on Sunday. This lovely lady has been very courageous in the kitchen, cooking up all sorts of feast, and some have shall we say, fallen short. When the topic of clean eating came up, her sweet husband piped up with,"I hate Tosca!" (As in Tosca Reno, clean eatings poster girl.) I guess the biggest kitchen flop is one that promises to be healthy...and turns out like cardboard. No one will eat a meal simply because it's chock full of goodness, so here's a little round up of some of my favorite clean eating recipes (Darius tested and approved.) I hope these pass the buck at your dinner table too.

And because I'm me, lets start with a dessert! These tasty cookies are gluten free, easy to make, and soooo good!

Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies *  via www.cleaneatingmag.com

 

Makes: 24 cookies
Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Total time: 22 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup unsalted almond butter, stirred well
• 3/4 cup Sucanat
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 3 oz dark chocolate (70% cocoa or greater), broken into small pieces

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, stir together first 5 ingredients until blended. Stir in chocolate.
2. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and let cool for 15 more minutes.

Nutrients per cookie: Calories: 110, Total Fat: 8 g, Sat. Fat: 1.5 g, Carbs: 10 g, Fiber: 1 g, Sugars: 3 g, Protein: 2 g, Sodium: 55 mg, Cholesterol: 10 mg

Nutritional Bonus:

While dark chocolate contains potent antioxidants, think twice before enjoying it with milk. Researchers have found that the bittersweet treat’s free-radical fighters may bind with the protein in milk, interfering with antioxidant absorption and possibly negating any associated health benefits.

 

 

Now onto real meals:

 

 

Apple Walnut Oatmeal

Ingredients

• ½ cup / 120 ml uncooked oats
• 1 medium apple, chopped
• 1 tsp / 5 ml cinnamon
• 1-2 Tbsp / 15 – 30 ml water
• 1 Tbsp / 15 ml chopped walnuts

Preparation

1. Prepare your oatmeal according to package instructions.
2. Place chopped apple in a bowl. Add cinnamon and lightly toss to coat.
3. Add the 1-2 Tbsp of water along with the chopped apple to a saucepan on medium heat.
4. Cook until the apple is softened.
5. Mix oatmeal, softened apple and walnuts in a bowl.
6. Serve and enjoy!

Yummy Egg Salad Sandwich

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup / 60 ml fat-free cottage cheese
• 1 Tbsp / 15 ml skim milk
• 1 tsp / 5 ml mustard
• 4 hardboiled egg whites, diced
• 1 hardboiled yolk
• 2 Tbsp / 30 ml chopped green onion
• 2 Tbsp / 30 ml chopped celery
• Dash curry powder
• 1/4 tsp / 1 ml sea salt

Preparation

1. Whip cottage cheese and milk until smooth in medium-sized mixing bowl.
2. Blend remaining ingredients except egg whites with cottage cheese mixture.
3. Add diced egg whites to cottage cheese mixture. Mix well.

Crispy Chicken Tenders*

Ingredients

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts weighing about 6 oz. / 170 g each
• 1/4 cup / 60 ml of oat bran
• 1/4 cup / 60 ml of wheat germ
• 1 Tbsp / 15 ml coarsely ground flaxseed
• 1/4 cup / 60 ml coarsely ground almonds
• 1/2 tsp / 2 1/2 ml sea salt
• 1/2 tsp / 2 1/2 ml white pepper
• Pinch garlic powder
• 1/2 cup / 120 ml water or low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare baking sheet by lining with parchment paper or coating lightly with best-quality olive oil.
2. Cut chicken breasts into nugget-sized pieces, about 1.5 inches square. Set aside.
3. Next, combine all dry ingredients in a large container with a tightly fitting lid. Shake well. This is your coating mixture.
4. Combine water and egg in a medium bowl. Dip each piece in the water/egg-white mixture. Then dip each piece in the coating mixture. Make sure each piece is well coated.
5. Place on the baking sheet. When all of your chicken has been coated and your baking sheet is full, place in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden.

* I revised this recipe a little when I made it, since my brother is allergic to nuts, so I omitted the ground almonds, and it was still delicious!

Black Bean Burger Patties

Ingredients

• 1 small onion
• 7 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 2 (15.5 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2; tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp hot sauce
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp Creole seasoning

How to Make It
1.) Cook onion with 1 tbsp olive oil in sauté pan until lightly caramelized. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds more.

2.) In a bowl, mash beans with back of a fork until smooth. Stir in cooled onion mixture, cilantro, egg, salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, and hot sauce. Mix well.

3.) Shape into patties and dust with flour and seasoning.

4.) Heat remaining oil in a non-stick skillet. Cook patties until golden on both sides.

5.) Optionally, top with tomatoes, sour cream, or guacamole.

— If the bean mixture is too soft to form into patties, let it cool for 10 minutes.

 

Give these a try, and I promise you won't miss the orignal versions! The cookies are soft and delicious, so start there, then head on into the breakfast, lunch, and dinner ideas to broaden your clean eating perspective. I have many more recipes (sweet potato chili, yummy mummy granola bars, quinoa salad and so much more!) to share, but a girl needs to start somewhere!

What are your favorite clean eating recipes?  What is your go to pantry staples clean eating meal?