If you are like me and you try to avoid mass-produced processed foods, the best option is to make your own. When you make your own, you get to control which ingredients you use and how much or how sweet you want it to be. Once you have a go at making your own and realise how easy it is, you will never go back to store-bought again.
Reinvention
Years ago, I was looking for something to go with my garlic pulled pork. I had a great recipe from my former mother-in-law for a classic slaw that I decided to tinker with. This recipe is what I ended up with. The crisp apple goes so well with the crunchy cabbage and tangy honeygar. Like the normal slaw, it is quick and easy to make but packs a lot more punch in the flavour stakes.
If you have the attachments on a food processor, I recommend using the shredding and grating features to make it even faster to make your slaw.
Add in the honeygar and lemon juice, mix and serve. This makes enough slaw to go with a 2kg pork shoulder and will easily fill six grown and hungry men.
Mix vegetables together in a bowl.
Add in the honeygar and lemon juice, mix and serve.
Nutrition
Per Serving: 71 calories; 0.2g fat; 17.5g carbohydrates; 1.8g protein
Equipment
Chopping board
Knife
Grater
Vegetable peeler
Mixing bowl
Fork
Nutritional disclaimer
Nutrition information is provided as an estimate based on the ingredients used and available in my area (New Zealand). The nutritional information is here to help you understand the recipe; I use MyFitnessPal to generate my estimates. For more accurate nutritional information, please use a nutritional calculator with the ingredients in your area.
Are you looking for a way to make that white fish fillet more interesting? What if you could have a creamy fillet with a crunchy crust that takes 15 minutes to cook? Would you be game? This take on a crusted fish fillet is easy to make, tasty and a great weeknight option.
More nut challenges
I am one of those unfortunate people that are allergic to not only peanuts but also tree nuts. When it comes to food options, not having nuts on the menu can be challenging at times and frustrating at others. There are so many foods I would love to try or eat regularly but will never get the chance, thanks to nuts. Not eating nuts doesn’t have to be the end of the world; there are always replacements and alternatives that mean you can have a nut-free option. This recipe is my attempt to create a nut-free version of a usually nut-packed recipe.
No almond crust, thanks
At a restaurant a few years ago I saw almond-crusted fish that looked and sounded delicious, but there was no way I would get to find out how delicious it was. Thankfully I love the challenge of making something I’ve seen but never tasted. I set about trying to make a crust full of flavour that had a great crunch and would make everyone in the family happy. This is what I came up with. The sunflower seeds give the fish a great crunch; toasting them adds an extra level to their flavour and makes them a great alternative to nuts.
Line a baking tray with baking paper or a silicone liner.
Lightly grease the liner or paper with the avocado oil.
Take a large frying pan and place it over medium heat.
Add half the sunflower seeds to the pan when the pan is warm.
Move the seeds around, so they don’t burn, but so they can get some colour.
When the seeds are golden, transfer them to a plate to cool slightly.
Repeat with the remaining seeds.
Place the seeds in a food pressor and blitz to break up the seeds.
Take care not to over-process them; you don’t want sunflower seed meal.
Place the seeds on a plate and put them to one side.
Place the fish fillets on a flat surface and season them.
Once seasoned, brush the fish with a coating of mayo; you can do this with a knife or a brush.
Roll each of the fish fillets in the seeds, and be sure to coat them all over.
Place the coated fillets on the baking tray.
Bake the fish for 15 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
When the fish is cooked, remove it from the oven and squeeze the lemon over the fish.
Serve with a salad or roasted vegetables.
Nutrition
Per Serving: 471 calories; 37.7g fat; 14g carbohydrates; 25.2g protein
Equipment
Measuring cup
Measuring spoons
Knife
Chopping board
Baking tray
Baking paper or a silicone liner
Fork
Frying pan
Spatula
Food processor
Nutritional disclaimer
Nutrition information is provided as an estimate based on the ingredients used and available in my area (New Zealand). The nutritional information is here to help you understand the recipe; I use MyFitnessPal to generate my estimates. For more accurate nutritional information, please use a nutritional calculator with the ingredients in your area.
Eating clean gets a lot easier once you have mastered a few essential recipes. This recipe is basic; not like basic unicorn basic, more like beard and flannel basic. Back to the point (which isn’t Unstable unicorns), having basic skills and recipes in your arsenal means you will never be left with only Uber Eats as your weeknight option. Once you master this recipe, the possibilities are endless.
Simple meal
The omelette is stupidly easy and only takes a few minutes to make. The omelette is one of my go-to recipes when I’m short on time and low on options. They are an excellent option for breakfast, lunch or even a simple dinner with a salad. The method is simple, and you can add extras whenever you want to make some tasty meals.
Omelette recipe
Ingredients
2 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
A small knob of butter
Instructions
Crack eggs into a mixing bowl and beat them well.
Add a pinch of salt and pepper.
Over low heat, melt the butter in a frying pan.
When the butter has melted, and the pan is hot, pour in the eggs.
Make sure the eggs are evenly spread in the pan.
The eggs will set and start to firm around the edges; if you have any liquid egg on top, gently push the egg away from the edge and allow the liquid egg to move into the space created.
When all of the egg looks set, use your spatula to fold the omelette in half.
When the bottom is golden brown underneath, it is ready to serve.
Crack eggs into a mixing bowl and beat them well.
Add a pinch of salt and pepper.
Over low heat, melt the butter in a frying pan.
When the butter has melted, and the pan is hot, pour in the eggs.
Make sure the eggs are evenly spread in the pan.
The eggs will set and start to firm around the edges; if you have any liquid egg on top, gently push the egg away from the edge and allow the liquid egg to move into the space created.
When all of the egg looks set, use your spatula to fold the omelette in half.
When the bottom is golden brown underneath, it is ready to serve.
Transfer the omelette and serve.
Nutrition
Per Serving: 173 calories; 14g fat; 0g carbohydrates; 12g protein
Equipment
Mixing bowl
Whisk
Frying pan
Spatula
Nutritional disclaimer
Nutrition information is provided as an estimate based on the ingredients used and available in my area (New Zealand). The nutritional information is here to help you understand the recipe; I use MyFitnessPal to generate my estimates. For more accurate nutritional information, please use a nutritional calculator with the ingredients in your area.
If you are like us and you try to avoid mass-produced processed foods, the best option is to make your own. When you make your own, you get to control which ingredients you use and how much or how sweet you want it to be. Once you have a go at making your own and realise how easy it is, you will never go back to store-bought again.
Easy to make
Most store-bought balsamic glaze comes with added ingredients like colouring, preservatives and sweeteners, which none of us wants. This glaze is simple to make, has only two ingredients, and can be used on salads, pizzas, chicken, and anything else you think needs a flavour elevation.
Quality ingredients make a difference
To ensure you get the best balsamic glaze, you want to start with the best quality vinegar you can; this can significantly impact the flavour. If you have good-quality vinegar, you can make the glaze without adding any sweetener.
Balsamic glaze recipe
Ingredients
1 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. honey
Instructions
In a saucepan over medium heat, mix together the honey and vinegar.
Mix until the honey is dissolved.
Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
Stir the vinegar occasionally to check how much it has reduced.
The glaze is ready when it coats the back of a spoon.
Take it off the heat and transfer it to a glass jar as soon as possible.
In a saucepan over medium heat, mix together the honey and vinegar.
Mix until the honey is dissolved.
Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
Stir the vinegar occasionally to check how much it has reduced.
The glaze is ready when it coats the back of a spoon.
Take it off the heat and transfer it to a glass jar as soon as possible.
The glaze will thicken as it cools.
Nutrition
Per Serving: 24 calories; 0g fat; 6.9g carbohydrates; 0g protein
Equipment
Saucepan
Whisk
Spoon
Nutritional disclaimer
Nutrition information is provided as an estimate based on the ingredients used and available in my area (New Zealand). The nutritional information is here to help you understand the recipe; I use MyFitnessPal to generate my estimates. For more accurate nutritional information, please use a nutritional calculator with the ingredients in your area.
I only recently discovered that you could freeze them, with that piece of information you now get to have avocado all year round. With this potential abundance of avocado in your life, you will need to find new and interesting uses for avocado.
Enter avocado desserts
I love this dessert because it is quick, easy and packed with healthy ingredients, what more can you ask for?
We are working hard to eat clean with no slip ups so having a dessert that tastes like really rich chocolate while being good for you is a big tick in the win column.
This mousse passed the little (and big) boy chocolate test, they thought it tasted just as good as mousse that you buy.
The beauty of this dessert is that you can make it before dinner and put it in the fridge.
Avocado mousse recipe
Ingredients
2 avocados
125ml milk
1/4 cup cacao powder
1 tbsp. chia seeds
1 tsp. stevia
1 tsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Place all of the ingredients into a food processor and blend until everything is smooth.
Put the mousse into glasses and chill for an hour before serving.
Chocolate and avocado are a match made in heaven, this rich mousse is perfect for a weeknight treat
Credit: Cath @ easycleaneats
Ingredients
2 avocados
125ml milk
1/4 cup cacao powder
1 tbsp. chia seeds
1 tsp. stevia
1 tsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Directions
Place all of the ingredients into a food processor and blend until everything is smooth.
Put the mousse into glasses and chill for an hour before serving.
Nutrition
Per Serving: 60 calories; 2.2 g fat; 7.8 g carbohydrates; 2.7 g protein
Equipment
Measuring spoons
Measuring jug
Knife
Chopping board
Spoon
Food processor
Spatula
Glasses
Nutritional disclaimer
Nutrition information is provided as an estimate based on the ingredients used and available in my area (New Zealand). The nutritional information is here to help you understand the recipe; I use MyFitnessPal to generate my estimates. For more accurate nutritional information, please use a nutritional calculator with the ingredients in your area.
If you are like us and you try to avoid mass-produced processed foods, the best option is to make your own. When you make your own, you get to control which ingredients you use and how much or how sweet you want it to be. Once you have a go at making your own and you realise how easy it is, you will never go back to store-bought again.
Master the basics
Eating clean gets a lot easier once you have mastered a few essential recipes. This recipe is basic, not like basic unicorn basic, more like beard and flannel basic. Back to the point (which isn’t Unstable unicorns), having basic skills and recipes in your arsenal means you will never be left with only UberEats as your weeknight options. Once you master this recipe, the possibilities are endless.
Something fancy for the weekend
I’ve been craving a brunch fix for a few weekends, so I decided to do something about it. Hollandaise sauce is the perfect opulent topping for poached eggs and crisp bacon. I was fortunate enough to be gifted a stick blender not long ago, so I had a go at making my hollandaise with that instead of my blender jug. After a bit of trial and runny sauce, I handed on the perfect method to create thick and creamy hollandaise for my homemade eggs bene.
Easy hollandaise sauce recipe
Ingredients
1/2 cup ghee, melted
2 egg yolks
1 tbsp. lemon juice
salt
pepper or cayenne papper
Instructions
Using a stick blender
Place the egg yolks, lemon juice in a glass jar with some salt, and pepper.
Pulse the eggs to break them up.
Add 2 tablespoons of the melted ghee to the jar and blend until the ghee has emulsified.
Continue to add 2 tablespoons of ghee to the jar at a time and blend until you have a thick and silky sauce.
1.Melt the ghee over low heat or in the microwave, it should be liquid, not boiling.
Using a blender
Place the egg yolks, lemon juice in the blender with some salt, and pepper.
Start the blender on low and run for about 30 seconds.
Slowly pour the ghee into the blender through the hole in the lid.
You must go slowly so that the emulsion does not separate.
When all the ghee is added, and the sauce has thickened, you are finished.
Using a stick blender
Place the egg yolks, lemon juice in a glass jar with some salt, and pepper.
10.Pulse the eggs to break them up.
Add 2 tablespoons of the melted ghee to the jar and blend until the ghee has emulsified.
Continue to add 2 tablespoons of ghee to the jar at a time and blend until you have a thick and silky sauce.
Nutrition
Per Serving:153 calories; 16.2 g fat; 0.1 g carbohydrates; 1.6 g protein
Equipment
Saucepan
Blender
Spatula
Nutritional disclaimer
Nutrition information is provided as an estimate based on the ingredients used and available in my area (New Zealand). The nutritional information is here to help you understand the recipe; I use MyFitnessPal to generate my estimates. For more accurate nutritional information, please use a nutritional calculator with the ingredients in your area.
The meringue started as little cookies that were crispy on the outside and chewy inside. There are a few different types of meringues from across Europe that have slightly different ingredients and techniques. Meringue has been used for cookies, pavlova, Eton mess, and lemon meringue pies.
Big on sugar
There is one thing that all meringues have in common is a considerable amount of sugar, which isn’t my bag. Some recipes take a long time to get right from a technical cooking perspective and others from a flavour perspective, it is usually one thing or another, but in this instance, it took a long time to get the flavour and the technique right. I will save you the tale of woe and the many failed experiments to get a recipe that gave me silky meringues that once baked were crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. All you need to know is the best combination of cream of tartar, apple cider vinegar and monkfruit sweetener.
No sugar meringue recipe
Ingredients
3 egg whites
1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp. Cream of tartar
3 tbsp. Monkfruit sweetener
1/4 tsp. vanilla bean powder
Preheat to 135 degrees C / 275 degrees F.
Crack the eggs and separate the egg whites from the yolks*.
Place the egg whites into a large, clean bowl or a mixer.
Using an electric whisk, start to beat the egg whites, use a medium speed setting on the whisk.
Beat the whites until they become foamy.
Whisk in the apple cider vinegar.
Add the monkfruit sweetener one tablespoon at a time, then whisk in the vanilla bean powder.
Keep beating the egg whites until they are stiff peaks and look glossy.
Line a baking tray with baking paper or a silicone liner.
You can use a spoon to put the whites onto the baking tray; alternatively, you can use a piping bag to create shaped meringues.
Bake at 135 degrees C 275 degrees F for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, turn down the oven’s temperature to 100 degrees C 210 degrees F and cook for another hour.
After an hour, turn the oven off and keep the meringues in for another 2 hours.
When the oven has cooled completely, remove the meringues and put them into an airtight container.
You can store the meringues at room temperature until you need them.
*keep the yolks. You can add them to your homemade mayo to make it more creamy
Crack the eggs and separate the egg whites from the yolks*.
Place the egg whites into a large, clean bowl or a mixer.
Using an electric whisk, start to beat the egg whites, use a medium speed setting on the whisk. Beat the whites until they become foamy.
Whisk in the apple cider vinegar.
Add the monkfruit sweetener one tablespoon at a time, then whisk in the vanilla bean powder.
Keep beating the egg whites until they are stiff peaks and look glossy.
Line a baking tray with baking paper or a silicone liner.
You can use a spoon to put the whites onto the baking tray; alternatively, you can use a piping bag to create shaped meringues.
Bake at 135 degrees C 275 degrees F for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, turn down the oven’s temperature to 100 degrees C 210 degrees F and cook for another hour.
After an hour, turn the oven off and keep the meringues in for another 2 hours.
When the oven has cooled completely, remove the meringues and put them into an airtight container.
You can store the meringues at room temperature until you need them.
Nutrition
Per Serving:14 calories; 0.1g fat; 0.3g carbohydrates; 3.3g protein
Equipment
Mixing bowl
Electric whisk
Baking tray
Baking paper or silicone liner
Piping bag
Star piping tip
Nutritional disclaimer
Nutrition information is provided as an estimate based on the ingredients used and available in my area (New Zealand). The nutritional information is here to help you understand the recipe; I use MyFitnessPal to generate my estimates. For more accurate nutritional information, please use a nutritional calculator with the ingredients in your area.
Eating clean gets a lot easier once you have mastered a few essential recipes. This recipe is basic; not like basic unicorn basic, more like beard and flannel basic. Back to the point (which isn’t Unstable unicorns), having basic skills and recipes in your arsenal means you will never be left with only UberEats as your weeknight options. Once you master this recipe, the possibilities are endless.
Always make friends with salad
In my book, salad is something to get excited about; it is an amazingly fresh meal full of endless possibilities, not limp lettuce, sad dressing and soggy tomatoes. I’m one of those strange people that could happily eat salad for every meal. Gone are the days when I couldn’t plan to have salad as a family meal; I still can’t get away with a salad at every meal, but I do get a lot more salad than I once did.
This is my take on the classic Caesar salad, it is portioned for one person but can easily be increased to feed more people.
Place the cos lettuce into a bowl or onto a platter.
Slice the egg, chicken and bacon and layer them on top of the lettuce.
Drizzle the Caesar dressing over the top.
Mix gently to cover the cos
Add the shaved parmesan cheese and anchovies before serving.
Nutrition
Per Serving: 244 calories; 10.5 g fat; 3.3 g carbohydrates; 30.3 g protein
Equipment
Knife
Chopping board
Mixing bowl or platter
Scales
Nutritional disclaimer
Nutrition information is provided as an estimate based on the ingredients used and available in my area (New Zealand). The nutritional information is here to help you understand the recipe; I use MyFitnessPal to generate my estimates. For more accurate nutritional information, please use a nutritional calculator with the ingredients in your area.
Caesar salad is one of my favourites, this dressing is easy to make and will finish off your Caesar salad just right.
Sauce without sh*t
It is a sad fact that you can find sugar in pretty much every mass-produced food item. If you stop and read the back of the bottles of sauce and salad dressing, you will find a scary amount of sugar in sauces and dressings that you don’t need it in. The first dressing I learned to make at home without any sugar was the classic Caesar salad dressing. The dressing can be created in just a few minutes using easy mayo and some simple pantry ingredients. Learning to make your own dressings means you won’t get caught out by shit-filled dressings or stung for extra cash to buy ‘clean’ versions at your local health food store.
Caesar salad is one of my favourites, this dressing is easy to make and will finish off your Caesar salad just right.
Credit: Cath @ easycleaneats
Ingredients
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbsp. easy mayo
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, fresh grated
3 anchovy fillets
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Directions
Set aside the olive oil.
Put all of the other ingredients into a food processor.
Turn on and pulse the ingredients until everything is smooth and creamy.
While the food processor is running slowly drizzle the oil through the chute, make sure to take your time pouring the oil so that it emulsifies properly.
Store the dressing in the fridge; it should keep for about a week.
Alternatively
Place all of the ingredients into a jar.
Blend to a smooth dressing using a stick blender.
Nutrition
Per Serving: 121 calories; 13 g fat; 1 g carbohydrates; 1 g protein
Equipment
Food processor
Spatula
Nutritional disclaimer
Nutrition information is provided as an estimate based on the ingredients used and available in my area (New Zealand). The nutritional information is here to help you understand the recipe; I use MyFitnessPal to generate my estimates. For more accurate nutritional information, please use a nutritional calculator with the ingredients in your area.
Hands up if you are busy. Who is way too tired to get in the kitchen to cook at the end of the day? Definitely not me.
My days are filled with meetings, to-do lists, emails and telling people what to do. By the time I finish work, the last thing I want to do is get stuck into cooking a meal and then cleaning up afterwards. I want to work out and spend some time with Jaime. That is why freezer meals are my favourite solutions to the challenge of a busy life. A few hours on the weekend, and you find yourself with a stack of options for dinner that can be thawed and cooked for a healthy, delicious meal for the family.
Comfort food
Apparently, being British and growing up with winter warmer meals all year round, you want to share those meals with your kids to make them feel warm and happy in the winter. It helps that my partner grew up with the same comfort foods and loves when I break out a classic. Shepard’s pie is one of our favourite comfort foods, while nowadays I don’t go in for potatoes, that didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy something I love. To make the traditional recipe for Shepard’s pie a better fit for clean eating, I made a few changes but didn’t take away from the favours.
Shepard’s pie recipe
Ingredients
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
500g pack lamb mince
2 tbsp. tomato purée
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
500ml beef stock
900g sweet potatoes, cut into chunks
85g butter
3 tbsp. milk
Heat the oil in a medium frying pan
Add the onion and carrots and cook until they soften.
Turn up the heat on the pan.
Crumble in the lamb mince and brown off the meat.
If you have a lot of fat, pour off the excess.
Add the tomato purée and Worcestershire sauce, and then fry for a few minutes.
Pour over the stock and bring to a simmer.
Cover the pan and keep simmering for 20 minutes when the stock is simmering.
Remove the cover and simmer for another 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 180 degrees C / 350 degrees F.
Set up a vegetable steamer.
In batches, steam the sweet potatoes chunks until they are tender.
Place the sweet potatoes in a large mixing bowl.
Mash the sweet potatoes with milk and butter to make a smooth mash.
Put the mince into an ovenproof baking dish and spread it out evenly.
Top the mince with the mash and ruffle with a fork.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the top starts to colour and the mince is bubbling through at the edges.
Add the onion and carrots and cook until they soften.
Turn up the heat on the pan.
Crumble in the lamb mince and brown off the meat.
If you have a lot of fat, pour off the excess.
Add the tomato purée and Worcestershire sauce, and then fry for a few minutes.
Pour over the stock and bring to a simmer.
Cover the pan and keep simmering for 20 minutes when the stock is simmering.
Remove the cover and simmer for another 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 180 degrees C / 350 degrees F.
Set up a vegetable steamer.
In batches, steam the sweet potatoes chunks until they are tender.
Place the sweet potatoes in a large mixing bowl.
Mash the sweet potatoes with milk and butter to make a smooth mash.
Put the mince into an ovenproof baking dish and spread it out evenly.
Top the mince with the mash and ruffle with a fork.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the top starts to colour and the mince is bubbling through at the edges.
Leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Per Serving: 399 calories; 25.5g fat; 27.5g carbohydrates; 14.7g protein
Equipment
Knife
Chopping board
Saucepan
Wooden spoon
Vegetable steamer
Potato masher or fork
Baking dish
Nutritional disclaimer
Nutrition information is provided as an estimate based on the ingredients used and available in my area (New Zealand). The nutritional information is here to help you understand the recipe; I use MyFitnessPal to generate my estimates. For more accurate nutritional information, please use a nutritional calculator with the ingredients in your area.
Easy Clean Eats 