Top 5 Easy Healthy Clean Eating Recipes For Your Weeknights

1. Southwestern Sweet Potato and Egg Hash

Image credit: Greg Dupree

If pizza, salad, or pasta is your go-to solution for meatless dinners, switch it up and check out a vegetable hash instead. Traditional hashes are often tossed together from various leftovers found languishing within the fridge, but we're bringing them back as stars of the board and for excellent reason. Here, a beautifully poached egg tops a bowl of hearty, fibrous vegetables to create a balanced vegetarian meal in a flash. Feeling the need for extra protein? Add an extra egg to your serving. Meatless meals have not been easier, or more colorful!

What you’ll need:

3/4 cup diced peeled sweet potato 

2 teaspoons water 

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, divided 

2/3 cup chopped red bell pepper 

1/4 teaspoon chili powder 

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt 

1/8 teaspoon ground cumin 

1/4 cup canned black beans

1 large egg 

2 tablespoons Green Goddess Avocado Sauce 

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

How to Make It:

Step 1

Place potatoes and a couple of teaspoons of water in a very microwave-safe dish; cover with wrap. Microwave at high until tender, about 4 minutes. Place potatoes on a paper towel-lined plate. Let indicate 5 minutes.

Step 2

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in an exceedingly cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Add potatoes, bell pepper, flavorer, salt, and cumin; cook until potatoes are crisp, 6-8 minutes. Stir in black beans; transfer to a plate.

Step 3

Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon oil to the pan. Crack the egg into pan; cook until whites are set, 3 to 4 minutes. Place incite potato mixture. Top with sauce and cilantro.

2. Pesto Corn Salad with Shrimp

Image credit: Taste of Home

This recipe showcases the attractive bounty of summer with its fresh corn, tomatoes, and delicious basil. Prevent browning by spritzing the salad with juice.

What you’ll need:

4 medium ears of sweet corn, husked

1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

1-1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 medium ripe avocado, peeled and chopped

1 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined

How to Make It:

Step 1

Boil corn until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain; cool slightly. Meanwhile, in an exceeding kitchen appliance, pulse basil, oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt until blended.

Step 2

Cut corn from cob and place during a bowl. Stir in tomatoes, pepper and remaining salt. Add avocado and a couple of tablespoons basil mixture; toss gently to mix.

Step 3

Thread shrimp onto skewers and brush with basil mixture. Grill over medium heat until shrimp turn pink. Remove shrimp from skewers; serve with corn mixture.

3. Fig and Arugula Salad With Walnuts and Goat Cheese

Image credit: Caitlin Bensel

Super clean salads highlight all types of fresh, wholesome, unprocessed foods, like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and more. Chickpeas, cheese, and walnuts pump up the protein during this arugula salad, making it a hearty meatless main. Dried figs add an enormous fiber boost—more per serving than the other fruit. Nuts (and seeds too) are a standard ingredient in “clean” cooking because they fill you up, provide hard-to-get nutrients like magnesium, zinc, selenium, and a fat-soluble vitamin, and are chock full of good fats.

What you’ll need:

1/2 cup walnut halves

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

3/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 tsp. kosher salt, divided

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon honey

1 can of unsalted chickpeas, drained and rinsed

5 ounces fresh arugula

1/2 cup dried figs, quartered

1 medium carrot, shaved

3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)

How to Make It:

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Toss together walnuts, cayenne, 1 tablespoon oil, and 1/8 teaspoon salt on a little baking sheet. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and put aside.

Step 2

In a small bowl, whisk together honey, balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons oil and 3/4 teaspoon salt.

Step 3

In a large bowl, toss together carrot, chickpeas, arugula and figs. Top with cheese and toasted walnuts. Place 2 cups of salad in each of 4 bowls; drizzle evenly with dressing to serve.

4. Lemon and Garlic Turkey Breast

Image credit: Taste of Home

It's simple to prepare a main dish that easily morphs into tender slices of dinner meat. This turkey breast is delicious, healthy, and super easy to make!

What you’ll need:

2 medium lemons, sliced

6 pounds bone-in turkey breast

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

8 garlic cloves, minced

4 teaspoons grated lemon zest

2 teaspoons salt-free lemon-pepper seasoning

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

How to Make It:

Step 1

Line bottom of a greased 6-qt. slow cooker with three-fourths of the lemon slices. Place turkey over lemons, breast side up. Mix garlic, parsley, lemon zest, salt and pepper seasoning; rub over turkey. Top with remaining lemon slices. Cook the turkey over low heat for about 5-6 hours until it is tender.

Step 2

Remove turkey from slow cooker; tent with foil. Let stand a quarter-hour before carving. 

5. Tahini-Carrot Soup with Pistachios

Image credit: Jennifer Causey

Vegetable purees particularly are an excellent thanks to enjoying fresh-tasting creamy soups without wishing on cream and butter for flavor. Here, a touch of toasted vegetable oil lends depth to the present velvety soup. The taste will be better if you use real baby carrots

What you’ll need:

2 medium lemons, sliced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped (about 2 cups)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 pound carrots, peeled and chopped

3 cups unsalted chicken or vegetable stock 

3 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste), well stirred

8 teaspoons Tahini Sauce

6 tablespoons unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves

How to Make It:

Step 1

Heat oil in an exceedingly large Dutch oven over medium-high. Add onion; sauté for 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, turmeric, salt and paprika; cook them for 1 minute. Add carrots; cook for 1 minute. Stir in stock; waken a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until carrots are soft.

Step 2

Combine carrot mixture and three tablespoons Tahini in an exceeding blender. Process until smooth. Divide soup evenly among 4 bowls. Drizzle 2 teaspoons Tahini Sauce over each serving. Top each serving with 1/2 teaspoon oregano leaves and 1 1/2 tablespoons pistachios.

Credit: 

Caroline Stanko (tasteofhome.com)

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