The other day I had a spaghetti squash that was lingering in the kitchen and I wanted to do something with it besides just make a substitute for spaghetti. This pasta-like bake is a little more exciting! It’s filled with lots of vibrant flavors that help bring it to life. And it was delish.
Squash 1 Spaghetti Squash Olive oil Salt & Pepper Sauce 2 cups Marinara (I use Victoria because it’s fresh and simple) 2 tbsp Capers 2 tbsp finely chopped Castelvetrano Olives ½ cup chopped Grape Tomatoes 3 tbsp Pesto (whatever kind you like) 2 tbsp fresh herbs (like Basil or Parsley) ¼ cup chopped Fresh Mozzarella 1 tsp of chopped Garlic Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes Topping A good helping of Shredded Parmesan First, cook the squash. Preheat oven to 400. Chop it in half, scoop out the seeds, and brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place cut-side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Poke a few holes in it with a fork. Cook for 30-40 minutes until the inside feels soft enough for you to fork out the goodness. Once it’s done, fork out the goodness and put in a loaf pan (or similar sized oven-safe pan). While the squash is cooking, get a medium sized saucepan going with all the other Sauce goodies. Simmer until warm and ready for mixing into the squash. Put everything but the Parmesan in the loaf pan, mixing well, and cover with foil. Put back in the oven (still at 400) and cook for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and add parmesan, then put under the broiler for 10 minutes or until the Parmesan looks crispy. Serve with garlic bread (because you’re not getting all the carbs from real pasta, right?).
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On cold winter days (or days I just don’t feel like eating a big breakfast) I reach out for an umami-filled soup like miso to warm me up. I didn’t realize until recently that this soup can be as simple as melting some miso paste in hot water until it develops that rich color and flavor.
Once I got it down, I decided to give it even more flavor with a few of my favorite things. Of course, all of these ingredients are optional, but I like them together. I generally use Mellow White Miso, but you could experiment with different types. I always taste at the end to make sure there is enough miso flavor in there. Finely cut strips of dried seaweed are optional, but they definitely up the fishy flavor! Add a dash of Sriracha and Sesame Oil at the end, if you want. ¼ cup Miso Paste 4 cups Water 1 cup torn Spinach ¼ cup chopped Cilantro 1 cup diced Silken Tofu Juice of 1 lime Throw everything in a pot until it’s hot. Enjoy. This was one of those recipes that came about because I looked in the fridge and realized I needed to do something with some leftover carrots (from this Lentil & Veggie Soup) and some curly kale. And it became my new favorite thing! Also something that would be great to bring to a potluck.
1 bunch Curly Kale 3 tbsp Olive Oil ½ cup Shredded Carrots (hello Cuisinart! You are my best friend.) 3 tbsp Lemon Juice 1 tsp Curry Powder Salt & Pepper, to taste ¼ cup Cashews, chopped Pull the kale off the stems by hand and chop finely. Drain. Once it’s dry enough, massage it with olive oil and lemon juice. Add to a salad bowl and top with curry and salt and pepper and mix. Top with cashews One of my favorite vegetarian dishes at my college dining hall was orzo with feta and tomatoes. So simple and so flavorful! I decided to up the flavor with basil in this simple dish that’s perfect served cold. It’s become a potluck or picnic staple.
1 cup Orzo, cooked according to package directions 1-½ cups Grape tomatoes, chopped 1 cup fresh Basil, thinly sliced 2 tbsp Olive Oil Salt & Pepper, to taste Cook the orzo. When drained and cool, mix with all the other ingredients. Done. My friend Michele turned me onto these, and I started making them right before we had our baby—they came to the hospital with us and have since become a favorite late-night (read: middle of the night) treat, as well as a great burst of nutrition anytime I’m running out of the house or don’t have time for something more substantial. They feel like dessert but are packed with protein!
You can add flax seeds, chia seeds…really any nut or seed you have in the house that you think would sound good. I stick to these basics because they’re usually what I have around. And note that these tend to fall apart when left outside the freezer for too long, so just plan on storing them in there. 1½ cups Rolled Oats ¼ cup Sunflower Seeds ¼ cup Sesame Seeds ⅓ cup Pumpkin Seeds ½ cup Cashews ½ cup Almonds ½ cup Agave Nectar 1 cup natural Peanut Butter (or any nut butter, really) ½ cup Mini Chocolate Chips Combine oats, nuts and seeds in a large bowl and stir well. Add agave nectar, mix, then nut butter, and mix thoroughly. Spoon into a parchment-paper lined 9x9 pan, and freeze for an hour or so. Remove from freezer and cut into 2-inch square bars. Return to freezer to store. I ripped this recipe out of Real Simple, thinking the combination of flavors would make for the perfect light, healthy summer salad. And I was right—I’ve since made it four times in the last month. The best part is it feels like a substantial meal, and you only need to turn on the stove for a few minutes.
I used a spinach/arugula mix in this once when the local store was out of watercress, and it was just as good. 1 cup Whole Grain Bulgur 1 bunch Watercress, thick stems removed 1 15 oz can Cannelini Beans 1 large English Cucumbers, chopped in ½ inch pieces ½ cup Green Olives, pitted (I prefer Castelvetrano) ¼ small Red Onion, very thiny sliced ¼ Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped ¼ cup Olive Oil ¼ cup fresh Lemon Juice Salt & Pepper to taste 1/2 lb Fresh Mozzerella, cut/torn into ½ inch chunks Cook the bulgur according to package directions. Once cooked and cooled, put it in a large bowl and add watercress, beans, cucumbers, olive, onion, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Mix well and top with mozzarella. I don’t know why it took me so long to get this one up on the blog…it’s the recipe our chef friend who catered our wedding came up with when we asked for a kale salad. Needless to say, it was well-loved by our wedding guests (as was everything he created for us that day!).
The easiest way to do it is to grate a bunch of parmesan, make a big batch of candied almonds and dressing, then keep them on hand so you always have the fixings. The only unusual ingredient is the Togarashi, which I had to search out at our local specialty spice shop. Toss together: 1 bunch Lacinato/Dinosaur Kale, washed, deribbed and thinly sliced ¼ Parmesan, finely grated 1 Honeycrisp (or similar) Apple, thinly sliced ¼ cup Apple-Togarashi Vinaigrette ¼ cup Candied Almonds, roughly chopped Apple-Togarashi Vinaigrette ½ cup Apple Cider Vinegar 2 tbsp Honey 1-1/2 cups Olive oil 1 tbsp Thyme, chopped 1 tsp Togarashi Salt & Pepper to taste Combine in a mason jar and shake, or mix with an immersion blender. Candied Almonds 1-1/4 cup Water 1-1/4 cup Sugar 1 lb Almonds, raw 2 tbsp Sugar 1 tbsp Salt 2 tsp Togarashi Preheat oven to 350° F. In a large pot, create a simple syrup by combining the sugar and water and bringing it to a boil; simmer until the sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Add almonds and bring back to a boil. Reduce to simmer for 10 minutes. Drain completely in a colander, allowing to drip dry for 5 minutes. In a large bowl, toss with sugar, salt and togarashi. Bake on a cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes, and cool on a drying rack. I have this tried-and-true (and loaded with nutrition) Butternut Squash version of enchiladas, but let’s be honest—there are a lot of steps that make it rather time consuming. So when I found this recipe from Real Simple the other day, I decided to add it to my repertoire. It’s filled with just a few diverse ingredients that make it really bright and delicious!
I tweaked just a bit to make it even simpler—grab presliced mushrooms and grated cheese—and to incorporate the green chili flavor I love. 3 tbsp Olive Oil 1 large Onion, chopped 1 Poblano Pepper, seeded and chopped 8 oz White or Cremini Mushrooms, sliced 1 tsp Ground Cumin 15.5-oz can Black Beans, rinsed 8 oz Cheddar, grated (about 2 cups) Salt & Pepper, to taste 14 oz can/jar Green Chili Enchilada Sauce (about 1 1/2 cups) 10+ Corn Tortillas Fresh Cilantro and Greek Yogurt, for serving Heat oven to 400° F. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and poblano. Cook, tossing often, until the onion is browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cumin. Cook, tossing frequently, until the mushrooms are browned and tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the beans, 4 oz of the cheese and salt and pepper. Spread 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Roll up the filling in the tortillas, dividing evenly and place seam-side down in the dish. Top with the remaining enchilada sauce and the remaining 4 oz of cheese. Bake, uncovered, until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted, 14 to 16 minutes. Serve topped with the cilantro and Greek yogurt. Lately I’ve been making a batch of this by throwing it in a mason jar, putting on the lid and shaking. It’s perfect to have on hand for just about any salad! The secret is in picking a good quality ripe lemon.
Here’s my favorite salad to top with this: baby spinach, good feta, grape tomatoes, walnuts, a few artichoke hearts and a sprinkling of dill and sesame seeds. So good! Juice of one lemon 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard 4 tbsp good quality EV Olive Oil Salt & Pepper to taste A few years ago I got to go to Ojo Caliente Hot Springs Resort outside of Taos, NM…my husband was skiing and I was looking for something a little more relaxing. I booked myself a massage, soaked in the springs and treated myself to lunch at their fantastic little restaurant. It was there that I had the most amazing Tortilla Soup of my life.
Since then I’ve been searching for something comparable, and now that rumors of fall are twinkling in the air, soup seems just about the only thing I want to eat these days. Luckily, I happened upon this recipe from Blue Apron and made it for the first time tonight. It was sheer bliss. A warm, tangy, salty soup with all of my favorite flavors. I even had to tweak the recipe a bit since I didn’t have everything perfectly right, and it still tasted amazing. Here’s what I came up with. 6 Corn Tortillas (6-Inch, Taco-Sized) 1 tbsp Olive Oil 1 Onion, diced 2 Cloves Garlic, minced 1 Jalapeno, seeds and membranes removed 1 Anaheim Pepper, seeds and membranes removed 1 tbsp Olive Oil 1 14.5 oz can Diced Tomatoes 1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin 4 cups Vegetable Broth (I used 2 veggie bouillon cubes and 4 cups of water) 1 14.5 oz can Black Beans, rinsed and drained 1 Avocado, diced 2 Ounces Queso Fresco, crumbled or cubed 1 Bunch Cilantro, separated from stems 1 Lime, cut into wedges Preheat oven to 475*. Stack the tortillas and cut them into ½ inch by 2 inch strips. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to cookie sheet, and toss strips to coat. When oven is hot, bake for 6-8 minutes, until lightly brown and crispy. Dice onion, garlic, jalapeno and anaheim peppers. Add to soup pot with 1 tbsp olive oil and heat on medium. Sauté for 4-5 minutes, until veggies are soft. Add cumin and combine. Add tomatoes and vegetable broth and increase heat until it comes to a boil. Simmer for 3 minutes, then add black beans. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium again and let sit for 10-12 minutes, until soup starts to thicken. Divvy diced avocado, tortilla strips and queso fresco among 4 bowls. Ladle soup into the bowls and top with a handful of cilantro and serve with lime. |
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