CLEAN LIVING (LUKE AND SCOTT) - THE MEALS ON OUR PLATE THIS WEEK....

4 May 2014


So after making the commitment to actually USE my cookbooks... I kicked off my first week with a book by Luke and Scott (of MKR fame) called "Clean Living"


Luke and Scott have written a beautiful book with tasty 'Paleo' type recipes... there is no gluten ..dairy or sugar and I thoroughly enjoyed the flavours and ideals behind their cooking.

I must make this clear from the start....I am by no way claiming to be a food critic... and this is not a legitimate food review. What it is.... is just my thoughts...and a little "Note to Self" about what we enjoyed from the book. 

Another point I must make VERY clear... is that I learnt very early in the week that I can not take a styled food shot to save my life....and so to give these recipes the visual appeal they deserve I have used snapshots from the book. I wanted to illustrate just how delicious the meals in the book are....and also what quality the food styling is. There photos are all courtesy of the "Clean Living" book.

So what did the week on our plate look like?


Sweet Potato Gnocchi / Pounded Walnut Sauce - I'll begin with the pounded walnut sauce...this was like a rich pesto style sauce with walnut..garlic...basil and rocket..delicious. The sweet potato gnocci I made was disastrous it was rubbery and we didnt like the taste so I discarded it and served the walnut sauce some handmade pasta that I whipped up quickly. (I would love to give the gnocchi another try but instead of using quinoa flour Id use an alternative...)

Sweet potato fries / Lime Aioli - Its impossible not to like sweet potato fries... they are a regular on the menu here long before I bought this book...however I did make and enjoy the Lime Aioli...it had a lovely tang and served with the fries it made then just a bit more special.

Broccolini with Almonds and Fresh Chilli - or my version which was broccolini cooked in chilli infused olive oil with nuts..delicious!!

Surfside Granola with Rasberries - The granola is lovely it reminds me a lot of the IQS granola I have 
made often.. its crunchy and tasty ...everything granola should be.

Quinoa and sweetcorn fritters with Avocado and Tomato Salsa - What a fabulous way to use up cooked quinoa. I love a way to use up leftover. Plus... these were whipped up in 15 minutes ..from start to serving them up on my plate...salsa and all. 

Freekah, Roast Cauliflower and Pomegranate Salad - I changed this up a lot... I couldn't find the freekah so I substituted for brown rice and I swapped the pomegranate for cranberries because I had them on hand. I did however roast the cauliflower...haha This was right up my alley...I am a sucker for Moroccan spices and for a lunch that can be easily transported to work it ticked all the boxes.

Burgers stacked with Sweet Potato fritters and sauteed Kale - These sweet potato fritters were delicious...and I went on to have these three mornings in a row with kale and a poached egg for my breakfast. These are a definite on my make again list seeing as I try to have a large protein breakfast each day. 

Banana and Quinoa Porridge - Love this tasty porridge with a sprinkle of the granola on top.

Week one..was a total success ... my one afternoon of planning..  a trip to the supermarket...an order from our Fruit and Veg delivery and I was set. I didn't specifically set meals for each day I was a little more organic than that... I just fitted the meals in as it suited and made sure we didn't waste any of the leftovers.
So the book?.... its a keeper...it doesn't have a lifetime of recipes...but it has a few brilliant I will likely make again and again.

This week I have chosen an entirely different book...should be fun. 

10 comments

  1. Yummo :-) I have so many cook books too and really don't need any more but this sounds like a great one ... might need one more soon ;-) Can't wait to see more cook book / recipe reviews soon :-)

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    1. Thanks Meredith...its lovely to know someone other than myself might have found it interesting. This book also has a huge section on fitness and fitness regimes....as well as other thoughts on a healthy lifestyle so it was an enjoyable read as well. I don't follow their meal plans or their fitness routines but I did drool over their beach lifestyle shots and wish I loved near the coast.
      What would be your most favourite go-to book? I'm always keen to collect awesome ones.
      Mardi x

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  2. gosh , looks absolutely delicious Mardi......your food styling is pretty damn good...

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    1. Yeah if only I could take credit Jen... all the images were peaks from the book.
      I tossed over whether this was appropriate or not....but I believe food is sold with the eyes...and its no different than picking up a book and flicking through the pages..so I went with it.
      The photos really do sell the recipes in my opinion though.

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  3. Oh perfect timing- I'd spotted this book at the shop recently and wondered if it was worth picking up- sound's like some delicious ideas between the covers. I've been trying to buy the Pete Evans book for weeks now but it's consistently sold out- so this might be my alternative :-)
    Also I read on fb that Pete and a food/paleo kind.of guru from America are going to do a tour and chat about food and eating for health. I was wondering if you might be interested in going???
    Loved reading about your food week Mardi xx

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    1. Hi beautiful.... Totally bummed you haven't been able to get Pete's book...I added that to my birthday wishlist to the kids,..its one I wont hesitate adding to my collection. This book certainly fits within the same ideals and guidelines of Paleo as Pete Evans advocates.. the only downside is its light on for recipes and variation.....there are a few breakfasts... and a couple of 'other' type recipes like dressings and the rest is pretty much dinner type ideas. It does cater for quick and healthy...and doesnt really call for anything too difficult to source or substitute though which is also great. Pick it up and have a flick through... I am glad I have it but I expect Petes will have a lot more variety. Oh and YES!! Id definitely be interested... if you hear of any details give me a shout.

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  4. Fabulous blog post Mardi... and I just love the whole idea of using a different cookbook each week... your choices look amazing... and this book sounds wonderful... thank you for sharing... and look forward to your next post....

    Jenny ♥

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    1. Hello Jenny... hope all is well xx
      You know....its been a wonderful feeling to actually focus on one book for the week... its only early days...but it seems to be working wonderfully. This week I am using a completely different book...and a few days in... its going well...looking forward to another share later in the week.
      Mardi x

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  5. Mardi I hear in the food photographs. There's a knack to it for sure! Happy eating!

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    1. Yep... I am far more skilled in the cook and eat department...I'm happy to leave food styling to the experts...I have a bucket of respect for those guys.

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