lunch

Surprise! Nutritious rhubarb can be eaten raw! Serve this simple compote over nonfat Greek yogurt, homemade granola or even savory dishes such as grilled pork tenderloin.

This determined reader ditched the fatty salad dressings and greasy chips for a healthy potluck favorite that leaves her friends and family begging for more!

Nutty-tasting quinoa adds texture to a backdrop of creamy rich-tasting beans. A dash of smoky chipotle pepper gives this chili a meaty quality without all the fat.

Our salmon burgers (packed with omega-3s!) get a whole lot of pizzazz with herbes de Provence, capers, olives and Dijon, then cool down under cucumber yogurt sauce. Oh, and the whole dish takes just 10 minutes!

Modern-day Italians serve cornmeal-based polenta as a simple side or hearty entrée, enriched with cheeses and herbs. Offering yet another take on the classic, our polenta is used to create a soft crust for a winter vegetable pie.

Top Chef's Angelo Sosa credits his Dominican father for his adventurous cooking style. His beet carpaccio is drizzled with herb-laced Italian honey and a dollop of Greek yogurt.

This quick and easy clean eating pizza uses pita bread for a traditionally thin and crispy crust. Vary the toppings to your taste preferences: add diced Roma or sun-dried tomatoes, chopped olives or even leftover cooked broccoli.

We add depth to the Tetra Pak tomatoes by simmering them with onions, tomato paste, garlic and red pepper flakes. This process also thickens the sauce so it lightly coats the penne instead of drowning it.

Here's a good way to sneak some greens into your kids – and time into your schedule! These lasagna-style roll-ups can be made ahead of time and reheated for a quick, easy weeknight meal.

Bolognese sauce is a rich ragu that simmers for hours, coaxing flavor from aromatic vegetables. Our plant-based lentil bolognese honors its roots with steady (thankfully quicker!) preparation that persuades sweet notes from caramelized vegetables.

A love for portobello burgers inspired this reader to find other ways to incorporate the meaty mushroom into her cooking. Her portobello mushroom recipe is filling enough to be eaten as a full meal!

Clean cook and host of FitTV's Healthy Decadence, Devin Alexander takes the fried out of a beloved chicken dish. It tastes so good you'll wonder why you've relied on the grease for so long!

We clean up our Greek lasagna by topping it with low-fat béchamel, and the meat-and-potato dish doesn't lose an ounce of comfort. Prepare the sliced potatoes, eggplant and red sauce a day or two in advance and refrigerate to save time!

Aside from ample health benefits in Sonja Finn's low-cal salad, there's a bounty of textures and flavors to experience – from the chewy feel of farro between your teeth, juxtaposed with smooth and creamy avocado, to the tangy taste of the Chile-Mint Vinaigrette.

Instead of simply slapping some cheese between two slices of bread (as usual!) why not add black beans and shredded chicken to the mix for a little Mexican infusion?

These vegetarian patties are simple, versatile and addictive! Enjoy them on their own with a dollop of our rich garlic aioli or sandwich one between thin whole-grain buns for a veggie burger!

Candice Kumai's salad gets an antioxidant boost from two kinds of berries, plus the heart-healthy omegas in raw walnuts and iron-laden spinach couple with a fat-free balsamic vinaigrette for a texturally satisfying, guilt-free lunch.

Find out how one reader manages to serve up a lean burger that actually bursts with juiciness.

This fantasic lobster roll has the two key ingredients: lots of succulent lobster and a soft, toasted whole-grain bun.

Set aside 12 minutes on a Sunday to prepare this hearty vegetarian stew, an easy lunch and supper during the week bursting with lentils, celery, carrot, sweet potato and tomatoes.

All it takes are eight simple ingredients to make a cleaned-up classic that'll warm your bones – and you won't believe it's clean!

On a trip to Los Angeles, Chef Jo fell in love with the plethora of food available in the city's varied trucks. Kogi BBQ's Kimchi Quesadillas, a hybrid of Korean and Mexican cuisine, were a definite favorite and she couldn't wait to clean them up! Naturally, accolades followed...

Chard and kale, with their unique vitamin profiles, offer additional nutritional benefits when paired. By adding golden raisins and fresh chopped garlic to the mix, you'll do wonders for the flavor impact of these Italian greens.

Smothered in marinara sauce and oozing with melted cheese, these sliders are seriously indulgent snack food. Your male guests will happily chomp away on these meaty bites – but only you'll know that they're less than 225 calories per serving!

Give your heart some love with this double whammy leek salad: antioxidant-rich artichokes have been shown to help lower cholesterol and leeks have been shown to have positive effects on blood vessels. Plus, you'll be showing your taste buds some love, too!

India's popular rice dish is a meal in a bowl, and ours offers a complete protein thanks to the combination of rice and lentils! Dried currants, toasted almonds and fresh herbs give this 15-minute dish added intrigue.

Main-course salads tend to be relegated to summertime fare, but this satisfying winter supper salad is chock-full of nutrient-rich seasonal fruit and tender chicken to add flavor and filling fiber.

Sliders are easy to serve and fun-to-eat appetizers, and Clean Eating's healthier version strips them of the requisite greasy patty and corn syrup–laden sauces, without sacrificing flavor.

A healthy twist on a classic ham and cheese sandwich, this salad boasts peppery arugula and lightly sautéed bell peppers with a sharp, tangy Dijon dressing.

A small portion of flaky halibut is all that’s needed to impart flavor to this fresh-tasting casserole of beans and brown rice – the Pacific fillet won’t overpower the recipe as other varieties might.

Throw the pear, blue cheese and arugula you're used to seeing in a salad between two slices of country bread with a schmear of Dijon, and you've got a grilled sandwich you won't soon forget!

Our Cuban sandwich has the requisite fillings (ham, cheese, pickle) with a fraction of the calories – just 231 per sandwich. All you need is 8 minutes and a hearty appetite!

Basa is a type of catfish, mild in flavor with a moist texture. Pair it with Greek accents in this fish florentine recipe for a protein-powered, 22-minute meal that's sure to satisfy!

The term "panini" (pronounced pah-nee-nee) is Italian for roll or biscuit. Originally filled with layers of tomato, mozzarella and basil, the Mediterranean sandwich's popularity has transformed it into a meal of endless ingredient possibilities.

Using five different onions makes for a well-rounded and balanced broth. The secret to a great onion soup is to slowly sweat and caramelize the onions.

Mahi mahi is grilled with a coriander and cumin seed crust, which provides the perfect balance to the light and crunchy pineapple jicama slaw, and the whole meal is ready in just 40 minutes!

This versatile robust sauce is a great staple to have on hand in your fridge or freezer. And feel free to jazz up our recipe with your favorite herbs and spices for varied flavor every day of the week.

Homemade soups and stews are perfect staples to prepare in advance. In fact, soups often taste better when flavors have had a chance to develop, so do yourself a favor and make our simple broth a day ahead.

There's something so comforting about tucking into a creamy bowl of potato soup once the weather starts to cool.

Keep your family far from boredom by changing up our curried soup each time you make it. Try stirring in 1 cup of cooked quinoa or brown rice, 8 ounces of cooked and shredded chicken (skinless, of course) or 8 ounces of cubed firm tofu.

Creole dishes are slow simmered, which unfortunately translates to a loss of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. For this reason, we kept the stove-top time for our chicken and okra brief.

Our lighter version of this comfort soup combines potatoes with cauliflower for a nutritious base that's brimming with flavor. Freshly made turkey bacon bits top off this cauliflower and leek soup for an incredibly indulgent lunch.

By ditching the requisite heavy cream and butter, we’ve stripped our creamy asparagus soup of its potentially weighty calorie count – it rings in at just over 200 calories and includes succulent toppers like crabmeat, Parmesan, bread cubes and more!

It's almost too easy to slash fat and calories: Simply cut the floury fillers and mayo-based dips to let the shellfish shine.

We've captured the spirit of the British favorite with a few CE twists on the traditional filling of beef, onion, potato and rutabaga. Serve with clean ketchup for dunking and a simple spinach and arugula salad with a squeeze of lemon.

A staple in Cajun cooking, collard greens are a quick cook's best friend. While the leaves may seem tough, it's important to not overcook them for optimum flavor – five minutes is all you need.

Readers fell hard for this recipe the second it was published, thanks to its 27-minute total time, loads of veggies and bulgur and a curried coconut undertone that sends your taste buds to Cloud Nine!

With its creamy Thousand Island dressing, stacked corned beef or pastrami and Swiss cheese, the traditional reuben is a high-calorie affair. Our version uses a homemade tomato dressing, Jarlsberg cheese, ham and turkey for a full-flavor version under 300 calories

Chipotle adds a little kick of spice and a lot of flavor to this hearty soup. A finishing touch of cilantro and a squeeze of lime brighten the entire meal.

The soufflé has a reputation for being fussy, but the truth is that anyone can whip up this impressive dish. With reduced egg yolks and just a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil, this soufflé also fits comfortably into your healthy lifestyle.

Our handy chile chicken tortillas cost just $2 per serving and take a mere 11 minutes to make. Talk about a quick and easy lunch!

Traveling all the way from Germany, this Thai coconut chicken soup recipe began as a less-than-lean meal from Mom. Our inventive Clean Eating reader decided to take a stab at cleaning it up herself.

Wrap up a refreshing lunch with our clean egg rolls, loaded with chicken, cabbage, mango and cilantro and baked until golden brown – with just 10 minutes of hands-on time!

Our whole-grain breaded fish and baked chips are delightfully crunchy and delicious and, with a $6 price tag and just 300 calories per serving, our version of the English classic beats out any famous fast-food variety.

Fresh mangos and red peppers can turn your tuna dinner into a deliciously refreshing salad at lunch. Plus, its protein-laced peanut vinaigrette will give you a tasty energy boost.

Grains and legumes have reemerged with power and punch – not to mention ease of preparation! Serve your pilaf warm, then simply add a splash of lemon juice to your leftovers and slide them into the fridge to create a chilled salad for the following day.

The ultimate healthy comfort food! Nonfat evaporated milk and reduced-fat cheese make this dish rich and creamy while keeping the overall fat content low and protein levels high.

Light and full of complex flavor, this stew is sure to become a regular in your home. Coconut, coriander and jalapeño give this stew an authentic Latin-American flair, while black cod adds a punch of protein.

Raw endive has a refreshingly bitter flavor, but grilling or braising the red, mineral-rich leaves brings out their natural sweetness.

Black-eyed peas are a staple in the South and, when coupled with whole grains (think brown rice or corn bread), they become a complete meatless protein. Plus, we call upon low-cal, zero-fat and cholesterol-free egg whites to hold it all together.

Our reader's curry wraps let your slow cooker do the work, so you can bid your stove adieu for the day and come home to a hot, calorie-conscious dinner that doesn't skimp on flavor!