Whole Food Recipes for 2017!

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ChristieisReady
ChristieisReady Posts: 708 Member
in Recipes
Hello! I was thinking it would be cool if we all share our favorite "whole food" recipes (aka clean eating). That would be any recipe that includes only food in its un-messed-with state. So, for instance, lemons, lemon juice, and lemon essential oil would all be ok, but lemon-flavored jello would not. And I'm not going to judge you for marginal stuff, like a dash of soy sauce (not a cup, a dash). The idea here is to get tasty recipes that get GOOD, whole fruits, veggies and proteins into a diet, without a bunch of fillers, sugar and salt. I'll share mine, too. Bonus points for photos. What's your favorite?
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  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited January 2017
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    Don't most recipes involve whole foods? I have tons of recipe books which I use for ideas, and all of them are whole foods based (they might have flour or grains or whatever, but if you don't like that you could skip it, none would have things like jello and it's really quite rare for the recipes for savory dishes to include sugar (some homemade sauces will, and some like to add a bit to tomato based sauces to round out the flavor, but it's often easy to skip). I don't normally cook from recipes, though, but just use those ideas and my own creativity and wing it.

    Good site I'd recommend: http://www.101cookbooks.com/

    Also, for a ton of recipes (mostly whole foods based in my experience): http://www.epicurious.com/ and http://www.foodandwine.com/

    Good basic cookbooks are Mark Bittman's various ones (I learned to cook fish from his Fish), lots of different vegetable ones (I like Greene on Greens and Barbara Kafka's Vegetable Love). Tips for roasting everything are in Kafka's Roasting, but there are millions of others -- I love food/recipe books too much.

    Granted, I use stuff like soy sauce and olive oil and vinegar and wouldn't dream of not, and I learned to cook using salt and pepper (never add it at the table). I also use various other herbs and spices, of course, but would consider those "whole foods" (wouldn't think using salt and pepper would disqualify a meal, I guess, just never crossed my mind, and seems like an unnecessary restriction).
  • wowmanacat
    wowmanacat Posts: 12 Member
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    I try to cook with whole food and I am working at getting better at it. Now that it is just the two of us at home I have more of an opportunity to do that. A lot of the recipes that I get are on allrecipe.com and food.com. I do use canned beans and frozen veggies a lot since there are only two of us here. Being that it is a new year we will see how it goes.
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  • KerrieMac10
    KerrieMac10 Posts: 54 Member
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    I'm obsessed with the Whole 30 plan. I've been doing it way longer than 30 days. Tons or recipes on Pinterest and Facebook.
  • Brithicks
    Brithicks Posts: 148 Member
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    i'm making cheer pan greek chicken tonight
    4 chicken thighs
    1 tbs olive oil
    2 lemons (one slices, one zested and halved)
    .5 onion
    1 pound baby potatoes
    .5 pound carrots
    Salt
    Pepper
    Rosemary or oregano
    garlic powder
    OPTIONAL feta cheese

    Combine oil, seasonings, and the juice of half of a lemon. Add chicken, sliced lemons, potatoes, onion, and carrots and toss to coat. Lay out on a sheet pan (or two if things can't lay evenly). Bake in oven at 450 for 14 minutes then flip veggies over and bake until chicken is cooked. When finished, grate feta over the top and serve (I don't do cheese, but I do add some fresh rosemary on top).
  • ChristieisReady
    ChristieisReady Posts: 708 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Don't most recipes involve whole foods? I have tons of recipe books which I use for ideas, and all of them are whole foods based (they might have flour or grains or whatever, but if you don't like that you could skip it, none would have things like jello and it's really quite rare for the recipes for savory dishes to include sugar (some homemade sauces will, and some like to add a bit to tomato based sauces to round out the flavor, but it's often easy to skip). Granted, I use stuff like soy sauce and olive oil and vinegar and wouldn't dream of not, and I learned to cook using salt and pepper (never add it at the table). I also use various other herbs and spices, of course, but would consider those "whole foods" (wouldn't think using salt and pepper would disqualify a meal, I guess, just never crossed my mind, and seems like an unnecessary restriction).

    Yes, most recipes do feature "whole foods", and the older the recipe, the more likely it is to stick with them. There are some people who view salt as a "preservative", and soy sauce as a "processed food", because, well, they are. But I only mentioned them so that we don't get sidetracked on what is and isn't "clean" eating, and move forward with the spirit of the post, not the nuances. I never really thought about it, but I guess vinegar isn't really a "Whole" food.... but it's in several of the recipes I'm about to post, and I'm not worried about it.

    My goal was to avoid recipes that begin with "take your reduced-calorie american cheese and use it to dress up a rice cake" which is low-calorie, but still basically "junk food" (No hate on junk food. A little is very nice.)

  • ChristieisReady
    ChristieisReady Posts: 708 Member
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    wowmanacat wrote: »
    I try to cook with whole food and I am working at getting better at it. I do use canned beans and frozen veggies a lot since there are only two of us here.

    To my thinking, those are "minimally processed" foods and 100% welcome in anything but a "detox" diet.

  • ChristieisReady
    ChristieisReady Posts: 708 Member
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    My first one's a dessert, but healthy life needs dessert sometimes, too.

    Clean Berry Parfait (also GF and Vegan)
    • 1 tsp(s), Vanilla extract
    • ¼ agave syrup
    • 1 can Coconut Cream
    • Juice of ½ Lemon
    • 4 cups berries

    Refrigerate the coconut cream (or full-fat coconut milk) overnight, sitting in the bowl that you’re going to make whipped cream in (so it’s cold, too). Begin whipping coconut cream, slowly adding agave syrup, then vanilla, until peaks form. You have whipped cream.
    Wash your berries and squeeze lemon juice over them. Take parfait cups (or pint glasses) and put alternating layers of berries and coconut whipped cream in them. Garnish with cocoa (cacao) powder, if desired.
  • ChristieisReady
    ChristieisReady Posts: 708 Member
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    Roasted Broccoli
    • 1 Tbsp, Lemon zest
    • 1 lemon yields, Lemon juice - Raw
    • 4 clove, Garlic - Raw
    • 4 tsp, Parmesan Cheese
    • 1 tbsp olive oil
    • 6 cup, chopped, Broccoli – Raw
    Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil. Clean, DRY and chop broccoli. Put on baking sheet. Grate the zest from 1 lemon over broccoli. Finely chop 4 cloves garlic. Toss with broccoli, shredded parmesan cheese, and olive oil. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops are crispy.

    Other roasted green vegetables:
    Brussels Sprouts: Omit lemon zest and juice, garlic, and parmesan. Use salt and pepper only.
    Green beans: Omit Parmesan and garlic. Add cumin and ground oregano. (~1 tsp each)
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
    edited January 2017
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    I cook a lot...pretty much everything I cook comes from scratch, whole ingredients or minimally processed ingredients (like a can of crushed tomatoes, etc)...I would think most actual recipes you would find most anywhere would be comprised mostly of whole foods. I get most of my stuff from Pinterest.
    ChristieisReady wrote: »
    wowmanacat wrote: »
    I try to cook with whole food and I am working at getting better at it. I do use canned beans and frozen veggies a lot since there are only two of us here.

    To my thinking, those are "minimally processed" foods and 100% welcome in anything but a "detox" diet.

    Detox? And why on earth couldn't you eat frozen vegetables on a detox...they actually contain more nutrients than fresh.
  • ChristieisReady
    ChristieisReady Posts: 708 Member
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    Herb-Crusted Flank Steak
    • 2 tsp(s), Spices, thyme, dried
    • 2 tsp(s), Spices, rosemary, dried
    • 1.50 tsp(s), Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt (omit if going REALLY clean)
    • 0.75 tsp(s), Spices, pepper, black
    • 2 tbsp(s), Oil - Olive
    • 3 tbsp chopped, Shallots, raw
    • 2 tbsp(s), Balsamic Vinegar
    • 24 oz, Flank Steak - Grilled
    Combine first 5 ingredients. Rub steak with herb mixture. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Cook steak 6 to 7 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove and cover loosely with foil.
    Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to pan, and sauteé shallots 5 to 6 minutes or until shallots just begin to soften.
    Remove from heat, and let stand 1 minute. Stir in vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Slice steak against the grain into thin slices.
  • ChristieisReady
    ChristieisReady Posts: 708 Member
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    Autumn Salad & Blueberry Vinaigrette
    Vinaigrette:
    • 1 cup, Blueberries - Raw
    • 0.33 cup, Oil - Olive
    • 0.5 cup, Apple Cider Vinegar
    • 2 tbsp Water
    • 2 tbsp(s) Pecans
    • 0.5 tsp salt (omit if going for REALLY clean)
    Put all of the above in a food processor. Blend til there are no lumps of blueberry.

    Salad:
    • 3 cups, Spring Mix
    • 1 large (3-1/4" dia), Large Apple
    • 2 stalk large (11"-12" long), Celery - Raw
    • 0.50 cup, Grapes - Raw
    Chop apple and celery. Slice grapes in half if desired. Toss together.
  • ChristieisReady
    ChristieisReady Posts: 708 Member
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    Mexican Green Bean Salad
    • ¼ onion, Onions - Sweet, raw
    • ½ c Apple Cider Vinegar
    • 2 cups green beans (fresh or frozen)
    • 5 clove, Garlic - Raw
    • 4 tbsp, Lime Juice
    • 1/4 tsp, Coarse Kosher Salt (omit if going REALLY clean)
    • 0.25 tsp, ground oregano (dried)
    • 2 tbsp olive oil
    • 1 cup, Coriander (cilantro) leaves chopped
    • 1 pepper, Pepper - Serrano, raw
    • 0.50 medium mango
    • 0.25 tsp, Ground Chili Pepper
    Slice up onion. Place in small bowl, pour in enough apple cider vinegar to cover onions, set aside (needs to marinate for at least 20 minutes). Blanch green beans (means boil in hot water til bright green, then strain and drop in ice water). Toss garlic, lime juice, salt, oregano, cilantro, olive oil and serrano pepper in blender. Blend til smooth. Slice mango. Toss with chili powder. Drain onions (after 20 minutes marinating). Toss with green beans, mango, and dressing. Can be served over mixed greens for added veggies.
  • ChristieisReady
    ChristieisReady Posts: 708 Member
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    Indiana Herbed Corn
    • 1 ½ cups corn kernels
    • 0.75 tbsp, olive oil
    • 2 leaves fresh basil
    • ¼ cup fresh Coriander (cilantro) leaves
    • 1 clove garlic, minced
    • ¼ tsp Original Creole Seasoning (for REALLY clean, use a dash each of paprika, cayenne, black pepper, and ground oregano)
    • 3 sprigs fresh Dill weed
    Finely chop all fresh herbs. Place all ingredients in a pan. Cook on medium heat until warmed through.
  • ChristieisReady
    ChristieisReady Posts: 708 Member
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    Guacamole Salad
    • 1/2 cup Coriander (cilantro) leaves - chopped
    • 3 cloves garlic, minced/crushed
    • 1 fl oz, Lime juice - Raw
    • 2-3 small avocados, cubed
    • 1 large Beefsteak Tomato, cubed
    • ½ Jalapeno pepper, finely sliced (optional)
    Combine all ingredients. Serve.
  • ChristieisReady
    ChristieisReady Posts: 708 Member
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    Chicken Shish Kebabs
    • 6 oz(112g), Chicken Breast
    • 1 medium, Squash - Zucchini, includes skin, raw
    • 0.5 medium (2-1/2" dia), Onion
    • 10 medium Mushrooms
    • 24 Grape Tomatoes
    • 1 medium bell pepper
    • 1 tablespoon, Oil - Olive
    • 0.5 tsp (1g), Sumac OR Original Creole Seasoning (creole seasoning is not as "clean", but is easier to find)

    Chop everything into bite-size cubes/chunks. On one set of skewers, alternate chicken, onion, and mushrooms. On another, alternate squash, tomatoes, and bell pepper. Put chicken skewers in broiler. After 5 minutes, add squash skewers to broiler. Cook 5-8 minutes. Serve with rice pilaf (below) or quinoa.
  • ChristieisReady
    ChristieisReady Posts: 708 Member
    edited January 2017
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    If you're not onboard with rice, I imagine you could use riced cauliflower, but I have never been that adventurous. Honestly, for tastiest results, use jasmine rice. But brown rice works too.

    Rice Pilaf with Raisins
    • 1 tbsp, olive oil
    • 0.25 large, Onions - Raw
    • 2 tsp, Garlic - Raw
    • ¾ cup uncooked brown rice
    • 0.34 cup, packed, Raisins - Seedless
    • 1 tsp, Tumeric
    • Dash of ground cinnamon
    • 2 cups Chicken Broth (ideally, clean chicken stock)
    • 1 cup water
    • Dash of sumac (optional)
    Sautee rice and onions in olive oil in a POT, not a pan. Add garlic as rice begins to brown and onions begin to soften. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add raisins, spices, and chicken stock. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    I don't understand what is unclean about salt.
  • ChristieisReady
    ChristieisReady Posts: 708 Member
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    janejellyroll wrote: »
    I don't understand what is unclean about salt.

    Some people need to reduce their salt intake, and "clean eating" has been part of how they do that. Many people don't need to monitor their salt intake. If you don't need to, then don't worry about it. There are whole books about added salts and entire panel discussions on whether or not it's beneficial. But if you don't need to worry about salt, then don't worry about it.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    ChristieisReady wrote: »
    My goal was to avoid recipes that begin with "take your reduced-calorie american cheese and use it to dress up a rice cake" which is low-calorie, but still basically "junk food" (No hate on junk food. A little is very nice.)

    Ah. I just never run into such recipes, so your thread seemed like "post any recipe," which seemed confusing. Anyway, hopefully my links are interesting to people.
    There are some people who view salt as a "preservative", and soy sauce as a "processed food", because, well, they are.

    They are both processed foods, sure. I've just never thought of clean eating (which granted is a term I hate) as excluding salt. If so, might as well exclude pepper, paprika, chili powder, cinnamon, Japanese 7 spice, etc. But anyway, you aren't -- it just struck me. (One reason I care about good cooking with whole foods is that I think it's tastier, and using a little salt to me helps with that. Not a lot, but a little coarse salt of some sort.)

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