Last week I prepared yet another fabulous recipe from Tosca Reno’s Eat Clean Diet Cookbook.  These sesame-roasted broccoli and green beans are just divine. The roasting brings out the sweet nuttiness of the broccoli while the red bell pepper gives this dish just the right pop of color. It’s not only delicious but packed full of important phyto-nutrients that are found in dark green vegetables. Best of all, it’s a snap to put together and perfect as a side to  fish or poultry. I’d eat this dish any day of the week but I’d also serve it at dinner party because of its festive flair. Eating clean never tasted so good!

Cook’s note: The only downside to this dish is the expense of red bell peppers. I live in the Southeast where red bell peppers retail for $2.00 each. Yikes! I couldn’t bring myself to spend nearly $5 bucks on two red bell peppers so I made due with one and the recipe was still fantastic. You might try frozen bell peppers which are significantly cheaper but not as good tasting.

Ingredients:

2Tbsp/extra-virgin olive oil

1lb/green beans, trimmed

1lb/broccoli, trimmed and cut into florets

2 sweet red bell peppers, sliced in strips

2Tbsp/ oyster sauce or hoisin sauce

2 Tbsp/ maple syrup

1 Tbsp/ roasted sesame oil

2Tbsp/ white sesame seeds

Preparation: Preheat over to 400 F. Prepare roasting pan by coating it lightly with oil. Place all vegetables in the roasting pan. Mix oyster or hoisin sauce, maple syrup and sesame oil in a small bowl. Pour over the vegetables. Toss gently to coat vegetables.

Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Don’t let the vegetables get burned. Remove the roasting pan from the oven and turn the vegetables over. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and return to the oven for another five minutes.

Nutritional information: 111 Calories; 61 Calories from fat; 3g of Protein; 10g Carbs; 3g Dietary Fiber; 4g Sugars; 6g Fat; 87mg Sodium. Weight Watchers Note: Each serving is 3 Points Plus value

Crockpot Porridge from the Eat Clean Diet Cookbook

Earlier this month, I resolved to accept the realities of my slowing metabolism, clean up my diet and lose the tummy pooch I gained from my pregnancy with D2. Armed with Tosca Reno’s Eat Clean Diet Cookbook and a copy of Clean Eating Magazine, I’ve been working on changing my family’s diet by weeding out white sugar, white flour and incorporating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables into our meals. Because I love to cook and we’ve always eaten relatively healthily, it hasn’t been as big of a change as I thought. The biggest challenge has been breaking our (my) addiction to carbohydrates and sugar. I’ve been pleasantly surprised that all of the recipes I’ve made thus far have left me feeling satisfied and without the normal carb jones that I get from eating certain meals. Bonus? I’m feeling much more clear-headed and energetic. I truly feel that the food I’m eating now is fueling my body and not just filling it up. Here are a few recipes I’ve tried this week.

This recipe for Crockpot Porridge from Tosca Reno’s Eat Clean Diet Cook book and companion website  is my new favorite breakfast. It’s super fast to make and is very tasty. I eat it with a side of scrambled egg whites and it keeps me feeling full until late morning.

Cook’s notes: Keep an eye on this dish and stir frequently as some crock pots cook faster than others. Also, I couldn’t find rye flakes at my local Whole Foods so I substituted bulgar and also added a dash of cinnamon.  I’ve made this dish now with both milk and almond milk and both versions were very tasty.  You can whip up a batch of this cereal and then refrigerate and store in a tupperware container for up to a week. To reheat, simply add a little milk or water and then heat for 1-2 minutes. Fab!

Crock Pot Porridge

• 1/2 cup / 120 ml cracked wheat
• 1 1/2 cup / 335 ml steel cut oats
• 1/2 cup / 120 ml rye flakes
• 1/2 cup / 120 ml brown rice
• 1/4 cup / 60 ml wheat germ
• 6 1/2 cups / 1.5 L water or any combination of liquids including water, rice milk, soy milk, almond milk, goats milk and/or water to equal 6 1/2 cups
• 1/2 cup / 120 ml raisins
• 1/2 cup / 120 ml chopped dates (or other dried fruit like cranberries or raisins)
• 1 1/2 tbsp / 22 ml best-quality vanilla
• Pinch nutmeg

Preparation

1. Place all ingredients in a 3-quart-or-greater crock-pot. Stir well to combine all ingredients. Cover.
2. Set on lowest cooking temperature and cook overnight. If your crock-pot cooking time is set by length of cooking time, set for the longest cooking time and lowest heat.
3. Spoon into cereal bowls in the morning and serve piping hot!

I also tried out a couple of other recipes from the October issue of Clean Eating Magazine. Below is Garlic-Cilantro Shrimp Rotini, a clean recipe submitted by a reader. Made with whole-wheat pasta and fresh shrimp, this is a lighter, healthier version of a traditional pasta with pesto sauce dish. The combination of garlic, cilantro and olive oil is so fresh tasting, you’ll wonder what took you so long to discover this dish. We loved it!

Garlic-Cilantro Shrimp Rotini

Southwestern Turkey Meatballs

I also tried my hand at the Southwestern Turkey Meatball Skillet Supper from Clean Eating Magazine. The recipe makes four – six servings and I had hoped to get a couple of meals out of this recipe but Dr. D. loved the dish so much he ate nearly the entire thing in one sitting. Next time, I’ll double the recipe. The flavor was fantastic and at only 4 grams of fat per one cup serving, this dish will be on regular rotation at Chez Boss Mom. Have you made any changes to your family’s diet? What worked and what didn’t? Do share!