Spaghetti Squash Casserole

This is an adapted recipe from Bob Harper and Rachael Ray. It is super healthy, stuffed with vegetables, but surprisingly delicious too. It made enough for two nights for 6 people.

• 2 clove crushed Garlic
• 1 cooked Spaghetti Squash
• 1/2 cup low fat Cottage Cheese or Ricotta Cheese
• 1 lb. Italian sausage
• 2 cups roasted Vegetables (such as red peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts)
• 1+ cup Marinara

1. Roast halved and seeded squash face down in 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.
2. At same time, roast vegetables on cookie sheet.
3. Saute onion about 10 minutes, to translucent.
4. Add sausage and garlic and brown the meat
5. Combine squash, roasted vegetables, cheese and meat in a large bowl.
6. Add marinara sauce
7. Transfer the mixture to a baking dish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and cheese on top
8. Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes

Zucchini Fritters (or pancakes)

Another recipe from my favorite recipe blog, and this one is a big winner. I hate zucchini, but these were delicious. I even ate way more than my share. It wasn't a chore at all to swallow this zucchini down and it was significantly healthier than making bread with the squash.

My mom made something like this when we were kids, that we called zucchini pancakes. I don't think it had the Parmesan cheese in it though. We would douse those in malt vinegar and gobble them up. It's been decades since I've had her version, and had actually forgotten about them until this tasty treat popped up online.

For the record, I'm doubling their recipe here because that's how I made them and we ate every last one.

8 C. grated zucchini (one medium-large and one regular sized zucchini got me there)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 C. Parmesan cheese
1/2 C. sliced green onions
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp minced garlic
4 Tbsp. flour
1 egg + 1 egg white
Olive oil

Place shredded zucchini in a strainer over a bowl or in sink.  Toss with salt and let sit for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Press zucchini down with hands to expel liquid through strainer.  Transfer zucchini to several layers of paper towels and place another layer of paper towels on top of it.  Press and squeeze to remove as much moisture as possible.

Place zucchini in a bowl and add remaining ingredients.  Toss together.  

Heat a large, non-stick skillet to medium-high heat.  Add enough olive oil to coat the pan.  Drop zucchini batter by 2-tablespoons full (I used an ice cream scoop) into pan and lightly spread/flatten.  Cook for 2-3 minutes until golden brown and crisp on one side and then flip.  Continue cooking until golden and then transfer to a wire rack with a paper towel on it.  *note cooking time greatly varies due to pan type, stove, etc.  Go by color and cook until they’re nice and golden-crisp.  

 Nutritional Info (per 1 fritter): Cal: 27, Fat: 1, Carb: 2, Pro: 2, Fib: 0

Quinoa in the pressure cooker

Not a recipe, just instructions so I don't forget...

1 1/2 cups quinoa 
2 1/4 cups water

Cook 2 minutes on high pressure, followed by 10 minutes letting it sit.

Quinoa Couscous Salad

This is a good basic quinoa salad recipe. It's easy to add or take away from this and have it still taste good. I really like the addition of the couscous, which gives the salad a much lighter texture.

1 C. cooked quinoa
1 C. cooked couscous
2 stalks chopped green onions
1 carrot, chopped
1/2 tomato, chopped
1/4 C. pinenuts
1/2 C. corn
1/4 C. raisins
1/8 C. parsley
lemon juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Greek Quinoa Salad

2 C. uncooked quinoa
4C. chicken broth
1 cucumber
1 red onion
1/2 red bell pepper
crumbled feta cheese
1 jar artichoke hearts, chopped
olives
cherry tomatoes halved

Dressing:
1/4 C. red wine vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp. honey
1 tsp. salt
1/4 C. olive oil
black pepper to taste

Bring quinoa and broth to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Chop remaining ingredients. When quinoa is done let it cool. I put the pot in a sink full of ice to speed this process up. Toss all ingredients together and enjoy

Mango Steak Stir Fry

This recipe comes from  OurBestBites.com. It has a distinctly Thai flavor to it. I think it's probably the mint. Whatever it was, delicious would be a great way to describe it. Though next time I might add a bit more salt and red pepper flakes.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons soy sauce (if this needs to be gluten-free, check the soy sauce label)
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
12 ounces flank steak, thinly sliced (if it’s semi-frozen, it’s easier to slice)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon cooking oil (olive, coconut, or canola), divided
1 small red onion, sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, sliced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1 cup cubed, ripe (but not too ripe) mango
1/4 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped or torn
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Instructions:
Whisk together the water, lime juice, sugar, soy sauce, and corn starch. Set aside.

Toss together the basil, cilantro, and mint and set aside.

Sprinkle the steak with crushed red pepper and black pepper and toss to combine. Heat half of the oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. When hot, add the steak and cook for about 3-4 minutes or until almost cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in the skillet and add the onion, pepper, and ginger. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until tender-crisp.

Add the garlic, steak, mango and stir-fry until the steak is cooked through.

Add the sauce and cook until thickened slightly.

Serve immediately over rice and sprinkle with herb mixture. Serves 4.

Calories: 215
Fat: 11
Fiber: 2
Carbs: 13
Protein: 16
WW Points Plus: 6

Butternut squash sausage mushroom pasta

How do you like that? The title has pretty much all the ingredients listed! OK, not really, but it does seem excessive.

This recipe comes from RealHouseMoms.com. It was one of those recipes that my whole family enjoyed eating, and I felt good serving because it was loaded with healthy things.

Ingredients

• 1.22 lb Turkey Sausage (I used Sweet Italian)
• 1 lb butternut squash, peeled and diced
• 1 T butter
• 14.5 oz whole wheat Penne pasta
• 1 T olive oil
• 8 oz. sliced baby bella mushrroms
• ¼ c shallots, diced (I used green onions)
• 3 cloves of garlic, diced
• 2 c baby spinach, roughly chopped
• 2 T shaved parmesan cheese
• 4 sage leaves, thinly sliced
• salt and pepper to taste

     

Instructions

1. bring salted water to a boil in a large pot (Here I just cut my squash in half, took out the seeds and microwaved the heck out of it to get it soft.)
2. add butternut squash and cook until soft
3. remove and add to blender
4. blend with ¼ c of cooking water
5. add pasta to boiling water
6. while that cooks remove sausage from casing and add to a large deep skillet over med high heat, break apart as it cooks
7. remove from pan after fully cooked and set aside
8. add olive oil to pan and mushrooms, cook until tender then removed and set aside
9. add butter to pan and sauté shallots and garlic, cook until golden, stirring often
10. add butternut squash, spinach, sage, parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste
11. add back in the sausage and mushrooms and another ¼ c of cooking water
12. remove pasta once done and add to large dish
13. toss with sauce
14. serve with parmesan cheese, optional

Creamy chicken filo pockets

I gave up working with filo dough several years ago after some very frustrating experiences. Then I lost my mind and decided it couldn't really be that hard to work with and I should try again. It was a terrible, horrible, ugly mess. After wrapping exactly one of these I swore to never use filo again. Somehow I pulled enough torn pieces together to get 5 pockets made. I threw the rest of the dough away, never wanting to set eyes on it again. I cooked the pockets and lo and behold they came out beautiful and delicious. So, yeah, I'm going to make this again. Next time I'll know that it doesn't matter if all the sheets tear and stick together and dry out. It still comes out wonderful :)

2-3 C. cooked chicken, cut up into chunks
1 package of mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, diced
3ish cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 C. chicken stock
2 oz. cream cheese (or a couple spoonfuls of sour cream, or 1/4 C. or so of heavy whipping cream, you get the idea)
1 tsp. vinegar
1 tsp. mustard
salt and pepper to taste
shredded cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, whatever)

Saute the onion and garlic in butter. When about half cooked, add the mushrooms and cook until soft.

Add the chicken stock and cook down about half. Add the cream and mix in.

Remove from heat. When the mixture is nice and creamy, add the vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper.
Add the chicken (crisp bacon, mixed veggies and other things could also be really good in this)

Open one sheet of dough. Spread melted butter all over. Add another sheet on top of the first. Butter again. Place about 1/2 C. of mixture in the middle at the bottom edge. Sprinkle some cheese on top. Fold dough over and around to make a nice, neat pocket (ha, yea right!).

Place on a cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining filling. Butter the tops of all the pockets then bake in 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes, until the pockets are golden and crispy.

Asian BBQ Chicken (and Pork)

I made this as a marinade for my chicken, grilled it up and served it over rice. It was superb! The next day I made the same marinade and tossed it in a crockpot with a pork roast. I served that on pita bread with coleslaw. It also was superb. This is a great sauce!

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2011/05/asian-bbq-chicken/

1/4 C packed brown sugar
1/4 C soy sauce
2 T lime juice (about 1 lime)
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/4 t curry powder
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 t grated fresh ginger
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Combine everything but the chicken in a small bowl. Whisk to dissolve brown sugar. Place marinade and chicken in a zip-lock bag. Pop that bag in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours, or longer if you have it (even overnight)

Preheat a grill (or an indoor grill pan or broiler). Spray cooking surface with cooking spray and place chicken on it to cook. Cook for 5-10 minutes on each side depending on the thickness.  Optional:  garnish with sliced green onions

Cabbage Enchiladas

Credit http://healthylivinghowto.com/1/post/2012/01/winner-winner-beef-enchilada-dinner.html for this recipe.

A weird thing happened. My kids asked what we were having for dinner (8,000 times) and every time I told them it was cabbage enchiladas, they said things like, "That sounds yummy!" & "Mmmmm". It was kind of weird, but I ran with it. In the end, everyone liked the meal. I didn't even have to remind them to stop staring at the food and put it in their mouths. And this enchilada sauce is super good. I'm officially saying goodbye to the canned stuff.

• Enchilada Sauce
• 2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp. Chili Powder
• 1 C. Beef broth
• 5 oz. tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt

Directions

In saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together all ingredients except olive oil.

Bring to low boil then reduce heat to low to keep warm.

Before pouring over cabbage rolls, whisk in olive oil.

 Beef Enchilada Cabbbage Rolls

• 1 lb. Ground Beef
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 green pepper, chopped (optional)
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• medium head cabbage
• shredded cheese
• 2-4 avocados

In a large stockpot, add a couple of cups of water and bring to boil.

Remove core from cabbage and very carefully peel off 10-12 leaves.

Place leaves in boiling water and turn off heat.

While cabbage leaves are softening, pan fry ground beef, onion, salt and pepper in skillet.

Once ground beef is cooked though, remove from heat and add crushed garlic.

With tongs, remove one cabbage leaf at a time, fill with beef mixture, roll tightly and lay in glass baking dish.

Cover cabbage rolls with enchilada sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.

Serve with avocado slices and sour cream and enjoy!