COOKBOOK CLUB

THE CLEAN PLATE

I love this cookbook, for the most part the recipes are super easy, healthy and use very minimal and basic ingredients. Everything I’ve eaten out of the book so far has been delicious. I’ll list the recipes I’ve tried below that I’ve loved. One note, is that some of the recipes may require you to add a protein if you’re making it into a meal on it’s own. I am applying what I learned from ‘Body Love Everyday’ to the recipes I cook out of this book. The ingredients and eating style is very similar so if like me, you’ve read and loved ‘Body Love Everyday’ I think you’ll like this book too.

Recipes I’ve tried

*I’ve noted recipes that I’ll cook on the regular below with the heading ‘Essential Recipe’.

ESSENTIAL RECIPE

VEGGIE SCRAMBLE

pg. 19

I love this recipe, it’s a go-to for me on weekend mornings and when I am in a rush or am just being lazy but want something healthy for dinner.

virus tip: eggs will keep for a long time. We stocked up. Keep your green onions in a mason jar with 2 inches of water at the bottom to keep them alive longer. Freeze spinach and greens to keep them longer, as you’ll be wilting them in the pan they’ll still taste great out of the freezer.

TERIYAKI BOWL

pg 73

This a favourite recipe for when you have a little more time or when you are in the mood to cook. It’s also great if you need left overs for your weekday lunches. This meal is filling, so it’s a great option if you’re really hungry.

virus tip: you can freeze the chicken and leave it out to thaw the morning you want to cook it. I pre-made cauliflower rice and froze it. The lettuce will spoil faster so if you have some lettuce lying around you might want to whip this up earlier in the quarantine.

click for recipe

ESSENTIAL RECIPE

POACHED EGGS OVER SAUTEED GREENS

pg 22.

This is another favourite recipe that’s become a go-to in my home. Similar to the scrambled eggs, this is great on weekend mornings and when I am in a rush or am just being lazy but want something healthy for dinner. Poaching the eggs takes a little more effort than scrambling them so if you’re lazy you might want to go for the scrambled eggs.

virus tip: eggs will keep for a long time. We stocked up. Keep your green onions in a mason jar with 2 inches of water at the bottom to keep them alive longer. Freeze spinach and greens to keep them longer, as you’ll be wilting them in the pan they’ll still taste great out of the freezer.

CLEAN CARROT SOUP

Pg 33

I LOVE this recipe. It was relatively easy and required very few ingredients. I didn’t make my own broth because I am not that awesome at life yet but maybe one day. This served Nick and I for dinner and extended to two lunches for me. I used my porter soup container to bring it to work. Linking to it here if you need a good to-go soup container.

virus tip: this recipe is super easy to make, with minimal ingredients and you can freeze it and safe left overs for later.

BLACK RICE WITH BRAISED CHICKEN THIGHS

pg. 109

This was delicious and so filling. It made about 2 meals for me. One dinner and one lunch. It’s a great option if you’re really hungry and need something to fill you up. I wouldn’t have it all the time as it does have rice as a main ingredient. I would cook this maybe once or twice a month when I am really hungry and need a re-fuel.

Nick’s a pescatarian so we cooked two batches at the same time. One with chicken and the other we cooked the rice on it’s own and nick grilled some shrimp to add to it when there was about 10 minutes of cooking time left for the rice and chicken.

He really enjoyed it. He advises against cooking the shrimp with the rice as it will make the rice too fishy. We tried the meal with salmon originally and it made the dish too fishy.

virus tip: this recipe is great because the ingredients are mostly dried (rice), canned (coconut milk) or can be frozen (chicken). Plus it major comfort food vibes.

CARROT + BEET SLAW

pg. 56

I used cooked beets, and I think I was meant to use raw beets. So I didn’t eat it as a salad on it’s own. But we added it to these black bean burgers we buy at Costco (Morning star brand) and it was delicious. I ate my naked style with no bun and topped it with the slaw which was delicious and Nick added his slaw ontop of his burger within a burger bun and he loved it. He said it reminded him of sloppy joes. So my mistake turned into a happy accident. I’ll try it again with raw beets and report bag. Regardless I would pair it with protein as it won’t be filling enough on its’ own.

virus tip: we made this and it’s a great way to add flavor and color to frozen veggie burgers. It’s super easy to make as well. I wouldn’t make large quantities though as it can’t be frozen and I am not sure how long it will keep.

SHEET PAN CHICKEN CURRY

pg. 119

This was another delicious recipe and it was ‘stupid easy’ to quote the book. I was so lazy the night I made this but forced myself to cook and eat something healthy. This was fantastic. I had left overs for the next two lunches, it was tasty and filling and I would definitely make it again.

virus tip: another great recipe that requires minimal ingredients (cauliflower) and chicken (which can be frozen). It’s super quick and easy and great comfort food vibes. Makes left overs.

ESSENTIAL RECIPE

PICKED CUCUMBERS

pg. 209

I love these pickled cucumbers, they’re great to just keep in your fridge for a snack. I made them to accompany a recipe and now snack on them when I need to tide myself over between meals.

virus tip: I’ve been loving snacking on these and adding them to meals. It’s a good healthy snack to have on hand. They’re essentially homemade pickles. It’s a great way to preserve your cucumbers before they spoil as well.

PICKED RED ONIONS

pg. 206

These are great too, and it’s a great way to use a red onion before it spoils. I made these for a specific recipe and haven’t used them as much beyond that but they’re delicious none-the-less.

virus tip: These are a great addition to meals and it’s a great way to preserve a red onion before it spoils.