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  3. Clean Eating Dinner Recipes

Clean Eating Dinner Recipes

January 02, 2017
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Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
Clean eating dinner recipes are affordable and can be enjoyed by the whole family. Set the table with meals that are made with real ingredients, absolutely no processed foods, and no added sugar. Everything can be picked up at your local grocery store, and dinner will be done within an hour. These easy dinner recipes focus on real food with bold flavors and a quick turnaround in the kitchen to make dinner tonight more enjoyable.
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Sweet Potato Noodles with Shrimp and Thai-Style Almond Sauce

Credit: Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas
View Recipe: Sweet Potato Noodles with Shrimp and Thai-Style Almond Sauce

Smarter carbs are easy with the handy spiralizer—it works like a pencil sharpener to create long strands of veggies. Find the tool at kitchen stores and amazon.com. Spiralized veggies are showing up everywhere—in salads, in place of pasta, and even in desserts. These sweet potato "zoodles" transform a traditional pad thai recipe into a fun twist on a weeknight favorite. The best news? This recipe comes together in 20 minutes, making it a go-to for any busy weeknight. Break out your spiralizer, get the family involved, and get cooking on your new favorite recipe featuring the best of fall flavor.

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Seared Tuna with Eggplant and Edamame

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Seared Tuna with Eggplant and Edamame

Eggplant is the real star here, with its meaty texture and savory notes that match those of the tuna. Soy sauce and sesame oil deepen the effect, and edamame offers delightful chew.

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Kale, Apple, and Almond Chicken Salad

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Kale, Apple, and Almond Chicken Salad

Let kale become you all-purpose green. It’s tender enough for salad and sturdy enough for wilting and blending, with zero prep. Crisp, sweet-tart apple varieties (Fuji, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady) add freshness and crunch—or a juicy, sweet contrast to seared or roasted meats. Vastly underrated skinless, boneless thighs are rich and moist, perfect for stewing, grilling, or searing. Herb, lemon, and garlic vinaigrette doubles as the marinade for the chicken. This is the salad you are going to want to be packing for your lunch everyday.

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Grapefruit, Endive, and Arugula Salad

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Grapefruit, Endive, and Arugula Salad

Give yourself the gift of one worry-free dish this holiday season. This 15-minute, no-cook, citrus-flecked salad tastes best when it sits at least 10 minutes. No guest will be able to resist our lemony homemade vinaigrette, which adds sweet flavor without lots of fat, calories, or carbs. Tossing the endive leaves in the vinaigrette first softens their bitter edge. You could also sub thinly sliced fennel or chopped Romaine hearts. Top with chopped walnuts, Gorgonzola cheese, and grapefruit slices.

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Sumac Chicken with Cauliflower and Carrots

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Sumac Chicken with Cauliflower and Carrots

A bright citrus kick is just the thing for cold nights. This sheet pan supper gets a double dose from thin lemon slices roasted until tender, and fresh lemon juice added to a quick herb dressing that’s spooned over the finished dish. Sumac has a tart, lemony quality as well. It’s fantastic as a rub here, but is also delicious in vinaigrettes or sprinkled over dips. If you can’t find sumac, you can substitute 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind. If you want a little extra browning, pop the pan under the broiler for about 5 minutes, being careful not to let the vegetables get too dark.

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Salmon with Potatoes and Horseradish Sauce

Credit: Photo: Romulo Yanes
View Recipe: Salmon with Potatoes and Horseradish Sauce

You’ll be surprised at the sophistication of this 5-ingredient dish, which is easy, elegant, and beautiful. You can honestly never go wrong when you start with salmon and a sour cream sauce, especially if that sauce is flavored with dill and horseradish. Fill out the plate and complete the meal with a side of steamed asparagus or haricots verts (slender French green beans), or barely wilted spinach or Swiss chard. If you have a mandoline in your kitchen, use it—carefully—on the potatoes to make the job of slicing go faster.

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Maple-Mustard Roasted Chicken with Squash and Brussels Sprouts

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Maple-Mustard Roasted Chicken with Squash and Brussels Sprouts

We give the large bone-in breasts a head start in the oven so they will be perfectly cooked by the time the vegetables are done. This cut is also rather juicy; you’ll want to drain off the liquid from the pan before adding the vegetables so they can caramelize evenly. Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, and acorn squash are at their absolute best when roasted. The trick is to cut them into even pieces with a maximum surface area (halves or cubes) so they can benefit from all the direct heat. A sprinkle of hazelnuts is a fine finishing touch, but you can skip it if you like.

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Miso-Ginger Braised Chicken with Bok Choy and Barley

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Miso-Ginger Braised Chicken with Bok Choy and Barley

Serve this one-pot complete meal in shallow bowls, ladling the rich broth over the tender chicken, vegetables, and grains. We call for whole-grain hulled—sometimes labeled hull-less—barley here. Pearled barley is not ideal for this dish; while tasty, it is not a whole grain, and it would overcook as the chicken simmers. If you can’t find hulled barley, you can use wheat berries, spelt, whole-grain (not pearled) farro, or rye berries. Toasting the grains first delivers deep, malty flavor; it’s worth the extra few minutes to get that extra depth.

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Sautéed Scallops with Shaved Celery Salad

Credit: Photo: Greg Dupree
View Recipe: Sautéed Scallops with Shaved Celery Salad

Celery is an underrated vegetable, often used as a flavor accent for soups or Thanksgiving stuffing. But it shines as the star in a salad, thanks to its fantastic crunch and naturally salty flavor. For ease and speed, we advise slicing thinly on a mandoline. To cut by hand, line up 3 stalks and slice all at once instead of slicing each stalk individually. The crisp texture of the salad provides a nice contrast to the creamy-meaty scallops. Golden raisins are a surprising and delicious addition, offering a pop of sweetness and chewy texture; you can substitute regular raisins, dried currants, or dried cranberries.

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Pan-Seared Salmon with Pear and Walnut Spinach Salad

Credit: Photo: Iain Bagwell
View Recipe: Pan-Seared Salmon with Pear and Walnut Spinach Salad

Wild salmon has less saturated fat, fewer calories, and 5 to 10 times fewer contaminants and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) than farm-raised (in early studies, POPs have been linked to impaired brain development, type 2 diabetes, and obesity). There’s no need to give up all farmed salmon, and eating some is always better than none. Aim to eat at least 1 to 2 servings of omega-3 rich fatty fish weekly.

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Sweet Potato Medallions with Almond Sauce and Chickpea Salad

Credit: Photo: Greg Dupree
View Recipe: Sweet Potato Medallions with Almond Sauce and Chickpea Salad

It may seem too good to be true, but it's not: This impressive plate requires only 5 ingredients (water, oil, salt, and pepper are freebies). Microwaved sweet potatoes are sliced into medallions, brushed with oil, and lightly seared so they become satisfyingly steak-like. The creamy, nutty sauce adds richness, and the lemon-dressed arugula-chickpea salad bulks up the plate beautifully. In place of almond butter, you can use any nut butter you like—try peanut, cashew, or sunflower butter. And if canned chickpeas aren't in your pantry, try cannellini or navy beans.

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Lemony Chicken Kebabs with Tomato-Parsley Salad

Credit: Photo: Justin Walker; Styling: Carla Gonzalez-Hart
View Recipe: Lemony Chicken Kebabs with Tomato-Parsley Salad

Sticking to low-ingredient meals helps keep your dish in check when following a clean-eating diet. This six-ingredient dish delivers big taste with minimal fuss. Start marinating the chicken in the morning to make prep time quick and easy in the afternoon. Serve the salad on a bed of bulgur for a twist on tabbouleh and a fiber boost. If parsley salad isn't your thing, try a spinach salad instead. This is the perfect clean-eating dish for summer.

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Tuna Poke Bowls with Brown Rice and Kale

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Tuna Poke Bowls with Brown Rice and Kale

Upgrade summer's coolest dish, poke, with whole grains, heart-healthy fats, and crisp kale. Want to go beyond the bowl? Serve this 10-minute mixture over mixed greens or with crunchy brown rice crackers, or tuck into corn tortillas.

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Spicy Buttermilk Chicken and Vegetable Kebabs

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Spicy Buttermilk Chicken and Vegetable Kebabs

Time: 40 minutes

Get Ahead: Make the kebabs, prepare the buttermilk mixture, and make the broccoli salad a day ahead; then refrigerate.

Serve with Cheddar and Almond Broccoli Salad

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Pineapple Chicken Kebabs with Cilantro-Lime Slaw

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Pineapple Chicken Kebabs with Cilantro-Lime Slaw

A sweet-tangy-spicy glaze of Asian pantry staples caramelizes beautifully under the broiler. To complete the meal, serve with jasmine rice tossed with sliced green onions and lime rind strips.

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Turmeric Pork Chops with Green Onion Rice

Credit: Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez
View Recipe: Turmeric Pork Chops with Green Onion Rice

Our turmeric slathered pork chops may look polished, but don't let this quick weeknight supper fool you. It's complex flavor belies it's simple preparation. 

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Pork Chops and Couscous with Tomato-Caper Sauce

Credit: Photo: Victor Protasio
View Recipe: Pork Chops and Couscous with Tomato-Caper Sauce

This dish easily works with chicken if you don't have pork on hand. Toasting the turmeric in oil is a simple way to develop savory depth—try this technique with any spices you're cooking with. Couscous makes for a quick, versatile side dish that easily adopts different flavor profiles. Israeli couscous has more of a bite to it and can also be served chilled for picnics and to-go lunches. The tomato-caper sauce pairs well with other proteins beyond pork and poultry such as sole or shrimp simply cooked with garlic and butter. It's an impressive dish that's quickly prepared whenever you're short on time.

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Shrimp With Grilled Citrus and Leek Relish

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Shrimp With Grilled Citrus and Leek Relish

Drew Curren, chef-partner of Elm Restaurant Group in Austin, cooks both the shrimp and the relish on a grill at his Texas restaurant. If the weather is mild enough for you to grill, live-fire cooking makes this dish even more delicious, adding a hint of smoky flavor. Roll the citrus between your palm and the cutting board before slicing and juicing—it crushes the pulp a little and makes it easier to extract juice. The 16-20 count for shrimp refers to how many shrimp make a pound, which is helpful since the designations “medium,” “large,” and “extra-large” can vary from market to market. A quality, fruity, and grassy olive oil is best here to bring a touch of velvety richness to the dressing.

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1 of 18 Sweet Potato Noodles with Shrimp and Thai-Style Almond Sauce
2 of 18 Seared Tuna with Eggplant and Edamame
3 of 18 Kale, Apple, and Almond Chicken Salad
4 of 18 Grapefruit, Endive, and Arugula Salad
5 of 18 Sumac Chicken with Cauliflower and Carrots
6 of 18 Salmon with Potatoes and Horseradish Sauce
7 of 18 Maple-Mustard Roasted Chicken with Squash and Brussels Sprouts
8 of 18 Miso-Ginger Braised Chicken with Bok Choy and Barley
9 of 18 Sautéed Scallops with Shaved Celery Salad
10 of 18 Pan-Seared Salmon with Pear and Walnut Spinach Salad
11 of 18 Sweet Potato Medallions with Almond Sauce and Chickpea Salad
12 of 18 Lemony Chicken Kebabs with Tomato-Parsley Salad
13 of 18 Tuna Poke Bowls with Brown Rice and Kale
14 of 18 Spicy Buttermilk Chicken and Vegetable Kebabs
15 of 18 Pineapple Chicken Kebabs with Cilantro-Lime Slaw
16 of 18 Turmeric Pork Chops with Green Onion Rice
17 of 18 Pork Chops and Couscous with Tomato-Caper Sauce
18 of 18 Shrimp With Grilled Citrus and Leek Relish

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