In the Kitchen with Clean Cuisine…
What Does it Mean to “Cook Clean”?
What is Clean Cuisine’s Definition of a “Clean” Recipe?
Our Clean Cuisine nutrition program is based on unrefined “whole” foods packaged in their most natural and unrefined state (think apples instead of store-bought applesauce or steel cut oats instead of a granola bar “made with oats.”)
In addition to being based on whole foods, our recipes have an exceptionally high nutrient to calorie ratio and incorporate a wide variety of phytonutrient-rich plant food ingredients. Additionally, a wide variety of “superfoods” (such as chia seeds, hemp seeds, kale, etc.) are frequently incorporated into many Clean Cuisine recipes.
Although Clean Cuisine is not vegan, we place heavy emphasis on phytonutrient and antioxidant-rich plant foods and many Clean Cuisine recipes contain no animal foods at all. The animal foods that are used are of the absolute highest quality (for example we choose grass-fed beef as opposed to grain-fed beef and pastured free-roaming chicken as opposed to factory farmed chicken.)
Clean Cuisine recipes are all milk free and the vast majority are also dairy free (we still use a very small amount of cheese as a condiment); cashew cream, hemp milk and almond milk are the most frequent substitutions for milk.
Whether our recipe is vegan or not, they are all rich in plant-based foods (especially from nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables) with animal foods added as more of a condiment. Fish and seafood are the exception to the Clean Cuisine “reduced animal food” rule as the consumption of these omega-3 rich foods containing EPA and DHA are encouraged.
Flavor Counts!
Clean Cuisine recipes are everything any foodie could ask for—flavor-forward, fresh food that we guarantee you will want to eat regardless of whether it is good for you! We truly place every bit as much importance on how our food tastes as we do on how nutritious it is.
Many of the robust and full-bodied flavors and textures of our recipes come not from added fats and sugar but rather from herbs, spices and simple culinary techniques.
The culinary herbs and spices used in Clean Cuisine dishes are both flavorful and functional, contributing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory healing properties to the recipes.
Our Clean Cuisine recipe collection has the following features:
- Rich in nutrients (including vitamins and minerals)
- Rich in phytonutrients
- Rich in antioxidants
- Anti-inflammatory ingredients
- Exceptionally rich in fruits and vegetables
- Predominantly based on unrefined “whole” plant-foods (such as beans, legumes, tofu, edamame beans, tempeh, lentils, nuts, seeds, whole grains, etc.)
- Free of empty-calorie vegetable oils (corn oil, soybean oil, “pure” vegetable oil, etc.)
- Rich in fiber
- Milk-Free
- Devoid of refined, empty-calorie flour
- Free of trans fats
- Optimal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats
- Low in animal-based saturated fat (note: recipes include plant-based saturated fats found in extra virgin coconut oil)
- Very low in sugar (note: most recipes are sweetened with “whole” fruit sugar such as dates or contain unrefined sweeteners such as pure maple syrup, raw honey or organic coconut palm sugar.)
Start Cooking Clean Cuisine Today!
Check out our collection of over 200 free Clean Cuisine recipes HERE. A collection of additional Clean Cuisine super-fast “superfood” recipes can be found in our cookbook, available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble for just $2.99 or in our Clean Cuisine hardcover book (Penguin,2013).
