Those who eat a minimally processed diet...

[FartingAgainstThunder]

Could you share your favourite dinner recipes please?
I'm aiming to create a four week rolling menu plan and looking for inspiration.

I make a large batch of pizza dough at the start of the week (I use 00 flour, makes a huge difference). I don't prove it for more than an hour in a warm room at the beginning. I portion it up in boxes (making sure there is plenty of room for it to rise) and then through the week make pizzas (tastes best on the 4th day, but anything after 24 hrs is good).

I precook 1kg of beef mince (don't add any oil, let it cook in its own fat) with onions and freeze in freezer bags. then I can easily add to stir frys/pasta for easy protein...

I follow this website www.justonecookbook.com for easy but very healthy Japanese recipes

also follow a few cooking channels on YouTube- chinese cooking demystified and hot Thai kitchen are probably mu favourites

I also recently discovered mythaicurry.com which has freshly made, additive free Thai curry pastes for sale. makes Thai cooking a lot easier!

I made a massaman curry from scratch for NYE it was actually pretty easy (,and delicious!) but it does rely on having things like fresh lemongrass, lime leaves and galangal in. So I am less likely to make it from scratch than say l, an Indian home style curry, that uses quite common store cupboard dried spices

Trying to eat less meat but finding that veggie/vegan means more UPF.

As others have said, cooking from scratch as your base will help massively. We also cook veggie only Sun - Thursday and look forward to some excellent meat at the weekend.

Pretty much anything is delicious if you start off sweating some onion, butter, garlic, leeks, celery combo in a heavy based pan.

Then if you want curry flavours add some garam masala, cumin etc; if you want rich tomatoey flavours add tomato purée.

Then some veg … potatoes, squash.

Then some protein … beans, chickpeas, tofu, lentil.

Then your saucey element - chopped tomatoes, stock, coconut milk.

Then your finishing touches - sprinkle of nuts, spoonful of pesto, smothering of cheese, spoon of yoghurt.

That’s how I try and cook. Then add carbs in the form of bread, baked potatoes, rice.

Add lots of salt, pepper, butter, garlic and herbs to your food. Will all taste much nicer.

I've been ordering massaman paste from mythaicurry.com which is pretty good and no additives

alternatively fresh ingredients eg. lemongrass, galangal and lime leaves can all be frozen. I always keep a stash of these kind of items in my freezer

Not if you eat veggies beans lentils rather than buying meat substitutes

I wouldn’t include meals with bacon or sausage if you’re looking for minimal processing.

We make Dahl, homemade curries, butter bean stews, salmon & roasted veg, halloumi & tabbouleh, vege shepherds pie, tortilla & tagines.

I'm glad you started this thread, I'm bored to death with what we're having

Cottage pie
Spaghetti Bolognese
Chilli con carne
Salmon risotto
Salmon pasta
Prawn chrizo pasta (I buy nitrate free chrizo from sainsburys)
Fish (sea bass/salmon) new potatoes, veg with a creme fraiche based sauce
Meatballs and spaghetti (UPF free frozen meatballs from sainsburys)
Chickpea curry

I add beans/lentils/chickpeas and lots of veg to everything

You’re doing it wrong …

Replace all the ready meals or meat substitutes or whatever with wholefoods.

I believe sausages are classed as UPF.

Meh. I don't really care.

And if you don’t grow your own, consider getting or increasing the size of a weekly veg box. That should be the basis of your diet.

That’s as may be - but it’s not helpful to the OP. What if they’re asking for serious, health related reasons?

Shamelessly place marking for recipe ideas..

I add mushrooms, makes such a difference

Steak, jacket potato, steamed veg

Stir fry chicken and cashew nuts with rice

Chicken/beef soup or creamy soups (lentils, leeks and potatoes, mixed veggies)
Spaghetti aglio oglio
Creamed spinach and eggs
Hummus
Omlette and fritatas
Shakshuka
Chilli con carne
Red thai curries with rice or noodles
Shepherd's pie
Chicken pilaf
Steaks and potatoes/green veggies
Homemade pesto pasta
Sourdough bread
Chicken with creamed spinach and sun-dried tomatoes
Smoked fish, egg, onion and potato salad
Moussaka

Soups are great to use up the veg that is abit soft in the fridge. Just sweat the veg and then throw in stock and lentils, white wine if you want, add bay leaf etc. Use bacon for added flavour if you eat meat.

My other go to is meatloaf. I use three different types of mince usually beef, pork and veal. Add breadcrumbs, mustard powder, onions and other seasonings and bake. Its good cold too. You can also make meatballs this way

You cannot avoid processed food unless you have lots of time and money or grow your own fruit and veg !

Kedgeree (with smoked mackerel)
Fish curry
Chicken curry
Quorn curry
Fish pie
Jacket potatoes with tuna, cheese and salad
Macaroni cheese
Stir fry with tofu
Tofu schwarma wraps
Sausage and cabbage pasta
Chicken/turkey, veg and pasta soup
Aloo gobi
Salmon or trout and brown rice, broccoli, pickled carrot
Split pea or lentil soup
Homemade pizza (often pizza Bianca)
Polenta with spinach, tomatoes and roquefort

Why do you have to grow your own fruit and veg?

I don't think it's too difficult...

Unprocessed I'd take as meaning you can buy/eat

Meat...but not sausages/ham/breadcrumbs. So just ordinary chilcken, lamb, pork or beef.

Fish...same as the meat...so salmon fillets, tuna steaks, cod, trout etc

Eggs

Veg

Fruit

I'd also say rice counts as unprocessed

I do a large pan of goats cheese and pea risotto and freeze half. Risotto is great, easy and you can stick anything in them!

Cook 80/90% unprocessed

One of our favourite 2 night meals is:

Night 1- Beef brisket in the slow cooker. Have half this with veg and potatoes. However you want.

Night 2- Either stir fry the leftover beef. Torn up with soy sauce, honey and sesame seeds. Then stir fry veg, rice/noodles etc
OR
re heat the beef chopped up with garlic, mushrooms, onions and crème fraiche. So basically stronagnoff. Plus rice, potatoes or whatever green veg you have.

I have assumed the OP is talking about ultra-processed food, as discussed here:

Ultra-processed People