5 Recipes Made with Just 12 Different Ingredients - Muscle & Fitness (2024)

Roasted Chicken Breast with Sweet Potato Gratin

Serves: 3Most chefs agree that the trickiest thing about cooking a whole chicken is getting the breast just right without overcooking the legs and wings. To solve that problem, Hatfield likes to cook his whole chickens in a small pot. “I have one that the bird fits sort of snug in,” he explains. “The breast ends up way up at the top of this pot, so there’s enough heat on it for it to get a nice rendering on the skin. And then the juice goes to the bottom, where it gets a little steamier, and that helps cook the legs.”1 whole chicken
Olive oil
2 large sweet potatoes (about 16 oz)
4 oz butter
Kosher salt, to taste
1 oz grated Gruyère
2 handful ripped kale
Red-wine vinegar and pepper, to taste
A few avocado slices1) Preheat oven to 425°F. Pat chicken dry and rub with olive oil. Add 12 oz water to a high-sided pot the bird will fit snugly in; tuck the wings underneath to raise the breast.
2) Place pot on a burner until water boils, then put in oven for about 90 minutes, or until internal temperature of chicken reads 165°F. Remove from oven; let rest for 15 minutes.
3) Peel sweet potatoes and slice to about 1/16 inch. (A mandoline is especially useful for this.)
4) Melt butter in a large sauté pan, then add a third of the potato slices. Season with salt, add another third, season, and add the last third and season.
5) Place pan in oven and cook 15 minutes. Remove and use a spatula to flip the gratin over in sections. (Don’t worry if it falls apart a bit.) Return to oven for 5 minutes, or until potatoes are soft.
6) Sprinkle Gruyère on top and return to oven for a minute to melt it.
7) Place gratin on plates. Remove breasts from chicken, slice, and place on top of gratin.
8) Toss kale with oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and avocado for a salad.The Macros
674 Calories
47g Protein
45g Carbs
34g FatBonus Tip
When the chicken is finished cooking, Hatfield pulls the breasts off for this dish, then, after it cools, he pulls the rest of the meat off the bone and uses it for a chicken salad with mayo, scallion, avocado, diced-up hard-boiled egg, and apple.

Roasted Tri-Tip Steak with Herb Sauce & Scallion Quinoa

Serves: 3Nothing beats the grill for cooking steak, but you can just as easily roast a tri-tip, Hatfield says. “I use a little roasting pan with a rack. I pat the tri-tip dry, rub it with a little olive oil or a rub, salt and pepper, then put it in the oven. Roasting will still give it great color.”1 bunch Italian parsley (about 1 oz), big stems removed, roughly chopped
10 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp red-wine vinegar
2 large eggs, hard-boiled and grated Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 cups cooked quinoa
2 oz butter, separated
2 oz whites of scallion, thinly sliced (about 6 scallions’ worth)
1 tri-tip steak1) Preheat oven to 425°F.
2) To make sauce, mix parsley, oil, vinegar, eggs, salt, and pepper.
3) Cook quinoa per package instructions.
4) Place 1 oz butter in a sauté pan over low heat; add scallions and cook gently. When totally cooked, add quinoa and a splash of water. Mix and warm through. Season with salt and pepper.
5) Rub steak with a little olive oil, then season well with salt and pepper.
6) Put steak in a pan with a rack and cook in oven for about an hour, or until the center reads 130°F on a meat thermometer. (Cooking time will depend on preference and the size of the cut.)
7) Remove from oven; let cool, uncovered, for 15 minutes, then loosely cover with foil and let rest for another 15 minutes.
8) Scoop quinoa into the center of two plates. Slice the steak into 1⁄4-inch-thick slices and lay over quinoa. Drizzle sauce on top and around.The Macros
675 Calories
28g Protein
47g Carbs
38g Fat

Quinoa Salad with Sardines & Kale

Serves: 2“I don’t eat that much meat,” Humm says, explaining the appeal of this hearty but veggie-centric salad. “I focus a lot on vegetables, which I think are more interesting and exciting—fresh ingredients, healthy foods.”Kosher salt
1⁄2 cup quinoa
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Olive oil
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 egg
1⁄2 bunch kale, thinly sliced
1⁄2 avocado, halved and pitted
Sea salt
16 oil-packed sardine fillets
2 Italian parsley sprigs1) Bring three quarts water to a simmer and season to taste with 3 tbsp kosher salt. Add quinoa and simmer until tender, about 40 minutes. Drain quinoa and rinse with cold water.
2) In a bowl, mix quinoa with scallions. Add 1 tbsp olive oil, 11⁄2 tsp lemon juice, and 11⁄4 tsp kosher salt; stir.
3) Bring two quarts water to simmer and season to taste with 11⁄2 tbsp kosher salt. Gently lower egg into water; simmer 10 minutes. Drain egg; cover with ice water. When cold, peel and slice in half.
4) Place kale in a bowl and massage with hands till slightly wilted. Season with 1 tsp lemon juice, zest of 1⁄2 lemon (using a microplane), and 1⁄4 tsp kosher salt.
5) Scoop out flesh of avocado half and cut into two wedges. Carefully season each wedge with olive oil and sea salt.
6) Divide sardine fillets and avocado wedges on two plates. Spoon quinoa salad onto plates. Add kale salad, near quinoa. Place an egg half on each plate. Top with parsley.The Macros
381 Calories
19g Protein
75g Carbs
24g Fat

Avocado Toast with Fried Egg & Gruyère

Serves: 2“Sometimes the simplest things are best, and this is a prime example,” says Humm of this breakfast dish. “The freshness of the avocado is really nice against the richness of the egg.” Humm especially likes this dish after training—it’s loaded with protein and good fats. To fry the perfect egg, always use a nonstick pan; start on high heat and use enough oil to have a thin layer on the entire bottom of the pan. As soon as you crack the egg into the pan, turn the heat down to low and let it cook until the white is set.2 1⁄2-inch-thick slices dark rye bread
Butter, to taste
1 avocado, halved and pitted
1⁄2 tbsp olive oil
3⁄4 tsp kosher salt
11⁄2 tsp lemon juice
2 eggs
Sea salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
8–10 shaves of Gruyère1) Spread each slice of bread lightly with butter, then toast.
2) Scoop out avocado flesh and place in a bowl with olive oil, salt, and lemon juice. Mash with a fork to make a chunky spread. Divide the spread between the pieces of toast.
3) Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Fry eggs, sunny-side up. Season the eggs with sea salt and cracked black pepper.
4) Just before eggs are finished cooking, peel several slices of Gruyère onto them; allow the cheese to melt and crisp.
5) When the eggs are cooked and the cheese has melted, carefully transfer an egg onto each slice of toast.The Macros391 Calories
12g Protein
12g Carbs
34g Fat

Tri-Tip Gruyère Melt

Serves: 2Hatfield’s favorite way to use up leftover steak is to put it in a simple sandwich. For this one, he slices it all thin—the steak, cheese, avocado, and kale—and finishes it off in the oven. “Tri-tip also eats great cold,” he says, “whether on a sandwich or a salad.”1⁄2 lb cooked tri-tip steak, cold, thinly sliced with a serrated knife
2 tsp mayonnaise
2 slices dark rye bread Gruyère, thinly sliced, to taste
1 avocado, thinly sliced
2 handfuls kale, thinly sliced
2 tsp whole-grain mustard1) Cautiously reheat sliced steak in a microwave, using short 15- to 30-second pulses to avoid overheating, “which would completely ruin it,” says Hatfield. Spread mayonnaise on each side of bread. Pile the sliced beef on it and add Gruyère, avocado, kale, and mustard. Place open-faced on a pan in a warm oven till cheese is melted.

Serves: 3

Most chefs agree that the trickiest thing about cooking a whole chicken is getting the breast just right without overcooking the legs and wings. To solve that problem, Hatfield likes to cook his whole chickens in a small pot. “I have one that the bird fits sort of snug in,” he explains. “The breast ends up way up at the top of this pot, so there’s enough heat on it for it to get a nice rendering on the skin. And then the juice goes to the bottom, where it gets a little steamier, and that helps cook the legs.”

1 whole chicken
Olive oil
2 large sweet potatoes (about 16 oz)
4 oz butter
Kosher salt, to taste
1 oz grated Gruyère
2 handful ripped kale
Red-wine vinegar and pepper, to taste
A few avocado slices

1) Preheat oven to 425°F. Pat chicken dry and rub with olive oil. Add 12 oz water to a high-sided pot the bird will fit snugly in; tuck the wings underneath to raise the breast.
2) Place pot on a burner until water boils, then put in oven for about 90 minutes, or until internal temperature of chicken reads 165°F. Remove from oven; let rest for 15 minutes.
3) Peel sweet potatoes and slice to about 1/16 inch. (A mandoline is especially useful for this.)
4) Melt butter in a large sauté pan, then add a third of the potato slices. Season with salt, add another third, season, and add the last third and season.
5) Place pan in oven and cook 15 minutes. Remove and use a spatula to flip the gratin over in sections. (Don’t worry if it falls apart a bit.) Return to oven for 5 minutes, or until potatoes are soft.
6) Sprinkle Gruyère on top and return to oven for a minute to melt it.
7) Place gratin on plates. Remove breasts from chicken, slice, and place on top of gratin.
8) Toss kale with oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and avocado for a salad.

The Macros
674 Calories
47g Protein
45g Carbs
34g Fat

Bonus Tip
When the chicken is finished cooking, Hatfield pulls the breasts off for this dish, then, after it cools, he pulls the rest of the meat off the bone and uses it for a chicken salad with mayo, scallion, avocado, diced-up hard-boiled egg, and apple.

Serves: 3

Nothing beats the grill for cooking steak, but you can just as easily roast a tri-tip, Hatfield says. “I use a little roasting pan with a rack. I pat the tri-tip dry, rub it with a little olive oil or a rub, salt and pepper, then put it in the oven. Roasting will still give it great color.”

1 bunch Italian parsley (about 1 oz), big stems removed, roughly chopped
10 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp red-wine vinegar
2 large eggs, hard-boiled and grated Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 cups cooked quinoa
2 oz butter, separated
2 oz whites of scallion, thinly sliced (about 6 scallions’ worth)
1 tri-tip steak

1) Preheat oven to 425°F.
2) To make sauce, mix parsley, oil, vinegar, eggs, salt, and pepper.
3) Cook quinoa per package instructions.
4) Place 1 oz butter in a sauté pan over low heat; add scallions and cook gently. When totally cooked, add quinoa and a splash of water. Mix and warm through. Season with salt and pepper.
5) Rub steak with a little olive oil, then season well with salt and pepper.
6) Put steak in a pan with a rack and cook in oven for about an hour, or until the center reads 130°F on a meat thermometer. (Cooking time will depend on preference and the size of the cut.)
7) Remove from oven; let cool, uncovered, for 15 minutes, then loosely cover with foil and let rest for another 15 minutes.
8) Scoop quinoa into the center of two plates. Slice the steak into 1⁄4-inch-thick slices and lay over quinoa. Drizzle sauce on top and around.

The Macros
675 Calories
28g Protein
47g Carbs
38g Fat

Serves: 2

“I don’t eat that much meat,” Humm says, explaining the appeal of this hearty but veggie-centric salad. “I focus a lot on vegetables, which I think are more interesting and exciting—fresh ingredients, healthy foods.”

Kosher salt
1⁄2 cup quinoa
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Olive oil
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 egg
1⁄2 bunch kale, thinly sliced
1⁄2 avocado, halved and pitted
Sea salt
16 oil-packed sardine fillets
2 Italian parsley sprigs

1) Bring three quarts water to a simmer and season to taste with 3 tbsp kosher salt. Add quinoa and simmer until tender, about 40 minutes. Drain quinoa and rinse with cold water.
2) In a bowl, mix quinoa with scallions. Add 1 tbsp olive oil, 11⁄2 tsp lemon juice, and 11⁄4 tsp kosher salt; stir.
3) Bring two quarts water to simmer and season to taste with 11⁄2 tbsp kosher salt. Gently lower egg into water; simmer 10 minutes. Drain egg; cover with ice water. When cold, peel and slice in half.
4) Place kale in a bowl and massage with hands till slightly wilted. Season with 1 tsp lemon juice, zest of 1⁄2 lemon (using a microplane), and 1⁄4 tsp kosher salt.
5) Scoop out flesh of avocado half and cut into two wedges. Carefully season each wedge with olive oil and sea salt.
6) Divide sardine fillets and avocado wedges on two plates. Spoon quinoa salad onto plates. Add kale salad, near quinoa. Place an egg half on each plate. Top with parsley.

The Macros
381 Calories
19g Protein
75g Carbs
24g Fat

Serves: 2

“Sometimes the simplest things are best, and this is a prime example,” says Humm of this breakfast dish. “The freshness of the avocado is really nice against the richness of the egg.” Humm especially likes this dish after training—it’s loaded with protein and good fats. To fry the perfect egg, always use a nonstick pan; start on high heat and use enough oil to have a thin layer on the entire bottom of the pan. As soon as you crack the egg into the pan, turn the heat down to low and let it cook until the white is set.

2 1⁄2-inch-thick slices dark rye bread
Butter, to taste
1 avocado, halved and pitted
1⁄2 tbsp olive oil
3⁄4 tsp kosher salt
11⁄2 tsp lemon juice
2 eggs
Sea salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
8–10 shaves of Gruyère

1) Spread each slice of bread lightly with butter, then toast.
2) Scoop out avocado flesh and place in a bowl with olive oil, salt, and lemon juice. Mash with a fork to make a chunky spread. Divide the spread between the pieces of toast.
3) Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Fry eggs, sunny-side up. Season the eggs with sea salt and cracked black pepper.
4) Just before eggs are finished cooking, peel several slices of Gruyère onto them; allow the cheese to melt and crisp.
5) When the eggs are cooked and the cheese has melted, carefully transfer an egg onto each slice of toast.

The Macros

391 Calories
12g Protein
12g Carbs
34g Fat

Serves: 2

Hatfield’s favorite way to use up leftover steak is to put it in a simple sandwich. For this one, he slices it all thin—the steak, cheese, avocado, and kale—and finishes it off in the oven. “Tri-tip also eats great cold,” he says, “whether on a sandwich or a salad.”

1⁄2 lb cooked tri-tip steak, cold, thinly sliced with a serrated knife
2 tsp mayonnaise
2 slices dark rye bread Gruyère, thinly sliced, to taste
1 avocado, thinly sliced
2 handfuls kale, thinly sliced
2 tsp whole-grain mustard

1) Cautiously reheat sliced steak in a microwave, using short 15- to 30-second pulses to avoid overheating, “which would completely ruin it,” says Hatfield. Spread mayonnaise on each side of bread. Pile the sliced beef on it and add Gruyère, avocado, kale, and mustard. Place open-faced on a pan in a warm oven till cheese is melted.