CREATE EASY, DELICIOUS CLEAN EATS ALL DAY

We all need inspiration sometimes. And, I received just that in the kitchen when I reached for Clean Eats, a book I reviewed here. All of the dishes below come directly inspired by Dr. Junger’s book. I have not enjoyed a cookbook as much as this one in a long time.

You can find the original recipes in the book. (See the page number next to the adapted recipe below.) But, I made several changes and adapted them based more than anything on what I had already in my kitchen or my family’s preferences.

BREAKFAST, LUNCH AND DINNER WITH CLEAN EATS

First up, a great way to start your day . . .

The original recipe calls for pumpkin, which I think would be delicious, too.  However, I used plain mashed sweet potatoes I had from dinner the night before. I also took liberty with changing a few spices and the amounts around and used almond milk instead of coconut milk as that is what I had as well. I also warmed the blueberries in with the porridge to soften them a bit rather than creating a topping with them.

OVERNIGHT QUINOA PORRIDGE

Adapted from the recipe on page 43 of Clean Eats
Serves 2

Gather

• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup sweet potato puree
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of pink salt
• 2 tablespoons raw honey or maple syrup
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• Chopped pecans or walnuts, raw pumpkin seeds

Now do this

• Soak quinoa in 2 cups of water with 1/2 teaspoon lime juice overnight covered.
• In the morning, strain and rinse well.
• Combine quinoa with next six ingredients on the list.
• Simmer for 15 minutes and stir frequently to prevent sticking.
• Add blueberries and cook an additional five minutes.
• Once cooked, stir in honey or maple syrup.
• Adjust seasonings and garnish with nuts or pumpkin seeds.

Second, let’s move on to lunch . . .

Technically, this second dish was dinner AND lunch for my daughter and me.  It is a vegetarian main dish I made for us one summer evening when it was just the two of us at home for dinner that night. It made a great packed lunch the next day, too! Mediterranean food is a favorite at our house.  I wrote about the many benefits of that diet here and here.

I adapted this recipe quite a bit as well.  The original recipe calls for rice noodles, which I think would be nice but I used a gluten-free pasta that we like at our house (and we have tried many now). I also added quite a few more vegetables and cooked them a bit to soften them.  I also threw in some more fresh herbs I had and added a bit of cheese.

MEDITERRANEAN NOODLES

Adapted from the recipe on page 200 of Clean Eats
Serves 2 with leftovers

Gather

• 1 package Tinkyada Pasta Joy, spirals
• 2-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil – perhaps more
• 3 small organic zucchini, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups or more organic cherry tomatoes sliced in half
• 1 organic yellow pepper diced
• 1/2 cup pitted and chopped olives of choice
• 10 – 12 fresh basil leaves slivered
• 1 teaspoon fresh oregano
• zest and juice of 1 large lemon
• 1 teaspoons pink salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh Parmesan cheese

Now do this

• Cook the pasta to package directions al dente. (So important, especially with gluten-free pasta)
• While pasta is cooking, saute zucchini, pepper and tomatoes and garlic in saute pan on low in 1 tablespoon olive oil to just soften a bit  – maybe10 minutes.
• When pasta has cooked, drain well.
• Toss pasta with 2 tablespoons olive oil in large bowl.
• Add vegetables and fresh herbs. Toss well.
• Squeeze lemon juice and zest over the pasta as well as salt and pepper.
• Sprinkle with chopped olives and cheese.
• Taste and adjust seasonings.  Add more olive oil, if needed to moisten.

And, now dinner . . .

The third and last in the trio is a recipe that I think would be great for a fall evening as it has all those warm, fuzzy flavors that we seem to start craving right about now. You can make the chutney ahead if you like.  I adapted this recipe by using thin turkey cutlets rather than duck and added some vinegar to the chutney and substituted some fruits and spices. I also added some parsley and lemon to the mix.

TURKEY CUTLETS WITH DRIED CHERRY AND PEAR

Adapted from the recipe on page 165 of Clean Eats
Serves 2

Gather

• 2 4-6 ounce pastured raised turkey scallopini cutlets
• 1 teaspoon pink salt
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• ground fresh pepper

Chutney

• 1 pound ripe organic pears, chopped into small pieces
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 cup dried organic cherries
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/3 cup water
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (I had a cherry balsamic vinegar but regular is fine)
• pinch of pink salt
• 1/4 cup raw honey or more

• 2 teaspoons minced parsley
• half a lemon

Now do this

• In a heavy saucepan, place all chutney ingredients except for honey and simmer over medium heat until fruit begins to break down.
• Continue to simmer for 15 minutes or so.  Add water by the tablespoon if it gets dry.  You want this to be saucy.
• Once the fruit has softened and the flavors had melded, add honey and warm for a minute or two.
• Taste and adjust seasonings.
• Keep warm.
• Place coconut flour and salt and pepper in Ziploc bag and add turkey cutlets one at a time to flour.
• Saute each cutlet in a heavy skillet with 1-2 tablespoons high heat oil like avocado oil until browned on each side.
• Serve each cutlet with several tablespoons of chutney on top and sprinkle with parsley and a squeeze of fresh lemon.

Have you tried any recipes from this book? If so, what was your favorite?

number 1 photo credit: photo credit: <a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/lwr/38840453/”>Leo Reynolds</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/”>cc</a>
number 2 photo credit: photo credit: <a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/lwr/46039833/”>Leo Reynolds</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/”>cc</a>
number 3: photo credit: <a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/lwr/109143709/”>Leo Reynolds</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/”>cc</a>