Category: Main Dishes

Spaghetti Squash ‘Pizza’

After the success of my Spaghetti Squash Lasagna, I picked up another squash at the market.  But this time, I wanted to try to use it as a base for pizza.  There are a lot of low carb pizza recipes which use spaghetti squash, but they often contain over a cup of cheese in the crust alone.  I wasn’t looking for a low carb option and I prefer to save the cheese for the top of my pizza, so I used a combination of cornmeal, egg, and cheese.

Of course, this is different than a wheat based crust (hence the quotation marks), but the texture was actually very good.  Spaghetti squash tends to release a lot of water, but after the initial bake the crust was firm and even got crunchy at the edges.  Although I love a saucy pizza, I was careful not to add too much tomato sauce here because I wasn’t sure how much the crust could really hold.  I was pleasantly surprised that the sauce didn’t overwhelm the crust at all.

The taste was fairly plain, so next time I would add garlic powder and maybe Italian seasoning to the crust.  And of course, I might add some more exciting ingredients to the top of the pizza.  This is a very delicious way to pack your pizza with vegetables!  The picture below isn’t that pretty, so I think I need to make another pizza soon so I can update the post.

 

 

Spaghetti Squash ‘Pizza’

4 c. cooked spaghetti squash strands (average yield from 1 small squash)
2/3 c. cornmeal
1 c. mozzarella cheese, divided
2 eggs, beaten
1 c. tomato sauce
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese

In a large bowl, combine squash, cornmeal, 1/3 c. mozzarella cheese, and eggs.  Mix well.  Spread onto a greased cookie sheet, and press mixture towards edges until crust is about 1/2″ thick.   Bake at 400F for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Remove from oven.  Spread tomato sauce on cooked crust, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.  Bake for 10-12 minutes more, until cheese is melted.

 

Crockpot Lentils and Mushrooms

I was a bit under the weather this week with a cold, and didn’t have a lot of energy.  Crockpot to the rescue, again!  This is a very simple recipe, but I love the combination of lentils, mushrooms, and tomatoes.

If you want to make this more of a soup or stew, I would suggest you double the vegetable broth.  I liked the thick consistency, and served it over brown rice.  It was just the kind of warm and comforting meal you want when you’re not feeling well.  And I had so much energy after eating it that I decided to bake!  So come back Monday for some fall inspired cookies.

 

 

 

Crockpot Lentils and Mushrooms

1 c. lentils
1 (8 oz.) package sliced mushrooms
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 c. chopped onion
1 t minced garlic
2 c. vegetable broth

Mix all ingredients in a crockpot.  Cook on Low for 8-10 hours.  Serve over brown rice.

Spinach and Smoked Gouda Quiche

Quiche is great because it is so versatile.  You can eat it for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner.  It travels well, and can be enjoyed warmed or cold.  You can pair it with soup, salad, or fruit, or all three if you’re serving it to company.  So I was pretty excited when my friend and blog reader Sarah sent me this recipe for Spinach, Green Onion, and Smoked Gouda quiche along with her notes on the recipe.  Smoked Gouda is one of my very favorite cheeses, but I hardly ever have a good reason to buy it.

I made a few tweaks to the recipe based on Sarah’s feedback and what I had on hand.  First, I decided to use a Vidalia instead of green onions since the big sweet onions were on sale this week.  I also used a bit more cheese than the recipe recommended because I just couldn’t resist.  Sarah said her crust came together pretty easily, but I admit that I struggled a bit.  The mixture just seemed too crumbly at first, so I added a few extra drops of milk.  When it came time to roll the dough into a circle, I ended up with an slightly crooked oval.  I am by no means an expert at making dough, but I do know you can’t rush the process.  Take your time with each step, especially rolling it out, and remember that no one really cares what the crust looks like.  Here’s my ugly crust for all the Internet to see!

 

 

When it comes time to bake the final product, you also need to be patient.  The original recipe quotes 35 minutes; mine took around 45 minutes, and Sarah said hers took closer to 60 minutes.  But this quiche is well worth the wait!  I had a piece straight out of the oven, and loved the combination of flavors.  If you buy a bag of fresh spinach for the recipe, you’ll have some extra for a salad to accompany the quiche.  If you tackle this project on a weekend afternoon, you will have a gourmet dinner by evening.

 

 

 

Spinach and Smoked Gouda Quiche

6 T butter, softened
2 T nonfat milk, plus more if needed
1/4 t salt
1 egg yolk
1 1/4 c. flour
1 T canola oil
1 large Vidalia onion, peeled and sliced thinly
3 c. fresh spinach
1 c. nonfat milk
1 c. shredded smoked Gouda cheese
1/4 t black pepper
3 eggs

Place butter in a mixing bowl, and beat until fluffy.  Combine 2 T milk, salt, and egg yolk in small bowl and whisk well.  Incorporate milk mixture into butter, 1 tablespoon at a time.  Add flour, and beat just until combined.  Add more milk if mixture seems too crumbly.  Press dough into a small disk in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for at least one hour, or overnight.

Remove dough from refrigerator.  Roll out dough on a floured surface into a circle.  Place dough in a 9″-10″ pie plate.  (My Pyrex dish is somewhere between 9 1/2″ – 10″.)  Freeze for 15 minutes.  Bake at 350F for 25 minutes, until lightly brown.  Allow to cool.

Heat oil in a large frying pan.  Add sliced onions, and saute until tender and lightly brown, about 15-20 minutes.  Add spinach, and saute for 5 more minutes.  Meanwhile, combine milk, cheese, black pepper, and eggs in a large bowl.  Add onion/spinach mixture to bowl.  Pour into prepared pie crust.  Bake at 350F for 45-55 minutes, or until set and lightly browned.

-Adapted from Cooking Light

Poached Eggs over Spiced Lentils

I have to confess….this was the first time I ever poached an egg myself.  Oh, I’ve cooked eggs a hundred other ways, but never poached them.  I was inspired by this recipe for Spiced Lentils and Poached Eggs from Cooking Light.  I am always ready for some spiced lentils, so why not put an egg on top?

I changed a few of the steps and cut out the garnish, with the goal of a simple and quick vegetarian meal.  Keep in mind that red lentils get quite soft, similar to split peas.  It was difficult to really drain them well. If you want lentils which have a little more bite, use the traditional brown ones.  But don’t hold back on the spices here; I was actually glad I used an extra dash of cayenne.  It really makes this recipe great!

To save time, you could prepare the lentils on Sunday, and then heat them up and either poach or fry a fresh egg when you get home from work.   My first poached egg was fine, but the yolk wasn’t as firm as I like.  While poaching eggs isn’t difficult, I think frying eggs is even easier.  Either way, I’ll be making this recipe again soon.

 

 

Poached Eggs over Spiced Lentils

1 c. red lentils
1 bay leaf
3 c. water
1 T olive oil
1 large Vidalia onion, chopped finely
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
2 t minced garlic
1 t curry powder
1/2 t cumin
Dash cayenne
1 T white vinegar
4 eggs
Salt and pepper

Place lentils, bay leaf, and water in a pot.  Bring to a boil, and simmer covered for 15-20 minutes.  Drain and discard bay leaf, set aside.

Heat olive oil in a pot.  Add chopped onion, and cook on medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes, until softened.  Add tomatoes, and cook for 5 minutes.  Add garlic, curry powder, cumin, and cayenne, and stir well.  Cook for 1 minute, then add lentils to the pot and heat through.  Scoop desired amount of lentils onto each plate.

Meanwhile, fill a shallow wide pan with water and bring to a boil.  Add vinegar, and reduce heat slightly until simmering.  Pour each egg into a small cup, and then slide into the pan.  Simmer for 3 minutes, then remove eggs with a slotted spoon and serve over lentils.

-Adapted from Cooking Light

Apple Chicken Bake

We had a slight change in plans for cooking club on Sunday due to the best of reasons: the arrival of a healthy baby!  So I also ended up making this Apple Chicken Bake, based off a recipe from Cooks.com. I needed to make something relatively easy which didn’t require a lot of fuss at the end.

I don’t bake chicken breasts very often because they’re….well….boring.  The bed of apples and yogurt makes this recipe slightly more interesting, and the orange slices are a nice touch, but this recipe falls short.

Next time, I would saute the chicken breasts in a pan first, and then transfer them to the dish.  I would also add some fresh herbs (sage? rosemary?) for more flavor and color.  But I would keep the apples, because they turned into a delicious compote, and I would keep the oranges because they look so pretty.  The only way you can figure out whether a recipe works is to try it!

 

 

 

Apple Chicken Bake

2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
2 large Macintosh apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 c. nonfat plain yogurt
5 chicken breasts (about 2-2.5 lbs.)
1 orange, unpeeled and sliced thinly

Place apples in the bottom of a 13″x9″ dish coated with cooking spray.  Spoon yogurt on top of apples and stir to combine.  Lay chicken breasts on top of apples.  Place orange slices on top of chicken breasts. Bake at 350F for about 1 hour, or until chicken breasts are done.

Eggplant and Mushroom Vindaloo

Another craving for Indian food led me to google new recipes.  At HolyCowVegan.net, I found great Indian recipes along with stories which inspired them.  Vindaloo is traditionally from the Goa region in western India, which was colonized by the Portuguese, so the dish has both Portuguese and Indian influences.  The two key ingredients are vinegar and garlic, and the dish was traditionally made with pork.  As the dish evolved, it was also known for being spicy, and in some cases quite hot.  To get the original recipe and read the whole story with beautiful photos of Goan beaches, head over to HolyCowVegan.  Of course, her version of the dish uses eggplant and mushrooms in place of the pork.

The recipe is long, but the combination of spices is what makes Indian dishes so good, so I wanted to follow it as closely as possible.  I had most of the ingredients in my cabinet, with the notable exception of black mustard seeds.  I took a field trip to the Indian market in Waltham and picked up a large bag of mustard seeds for just $1.49.  I assumed that I could grind the seeds in my food processor, but this wasn’t the case.  I don’t own a coffee grinder, and I actually don’t have a mortar and pestle either.  So I  ignored this issue and left the mustard seeds whole in the marinade.  I have no idea what kind of difference this made, but it was my only option at the time.

Regardless of the issue with the mustard seeds, this recipe was great.  I loved the sweet/sour/spicy flavor combination and the texture of the eggplant and mushrooms.  It actually wasn’t that hot, which might be due to my mild chili powder.  I don’t know if this recipe tasted authentic or not, since I can’t compare it to a restaurant dish.  But I can say that after eating this fabulous meal, my craving for Indian food was completely satisfied.

 

 

Spaghetti Squash ‘Lasagna’

Spaghetti squash is so much fun, I really should cook it more often.  I picked one up from the produce market the other day, but wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with it.  So I searched the archives of my own blog.  (Pathetic, I know, but I forget which recipes I’ve made!) I found this Spaghetti Squash Bake from 2009, and decided it could use a few updates.  There may not be any pasta in this lasagna, but there’s still a fantastic tomato sauce and 3 types of cheese.  I happened to have a container of Crockpot Tomato Sauce in my freezer, but you can use whatever sauce you like.

The only way to make this recipe manageable from a time perspective is to cook the squash the day before.  Slice it open, clean out the seeds, pop it in the oven, and pick up a good book or watch some TV.  Let it cool while you chat on the phone.  Then scoop out the flesh into a container and put it in the refrigerator.  On your way home the following night, you’ll be so excited that the hard part of dinner is done!

I really liked the updates I made to this recipe, but it was still somewhat watery.  That’s not a big problem, but you may want to serve this with a slotted spoon.  While this isn’t a traditional lasagna, it’s still a great dish packed with flavor.

 

 

Spaghetti Squash ‘Lasagna’

1 large spaghetti squash
1 1/2 c. fat free ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 c. reduced fat mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 t Italian seasoning
1 t Garlic Gold toasted garlic bits
1 1/2 c. tomato sauce, divided

Cut open spaghetti squash.  Clean out seeds and pulp.  Place facedown on a baking sheet and cook at 350F for 30-40 minutes, until softened.  Allow to cool.  Scoop out the flesh with a fork and set aside. (This can be done the day before.)

In a small bowl, mix ricotta cheese, 1/4 c. mozzarella cheese, 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, and garlic.

Place 2 c. of spaghetti squash strands in a 9″ square dish coated with cooking spray.  Spread half of ricotta mixture on squash, followed by 1/2 c. tomato sauce, and 1/4 c. mozzarella cheese.  Place another 2 c. of squash on top, and repeat layers.  For the top layer, place any remaining squash in casserole dish and top with 1/2 c. sauce, 1/4 c. mozzarella, and 1/4 c. Parmesan.  Bake at 375F for 30 minutes.  Allow to cool slightly before serving.

 

Chili Lime Chicken Bowls

You know I love a good one-bowl meal, but it’s still a little too hot outside for soup, chili, or stew.  I saw this recipe for Chili Lime Shrimp Bowls which offers a good alternative.  With layers of rice, beans, shrimp, and salsa, it’s  a bowl of many flavors and textures.  I was initially intimidated by the long list of ingredients, but I only ended up needing to buy a few things at the grocery store.

While I really do like shrimp, it just doesn’t work well as leftovers.  And you all know that I am a “cook once, eat 3-4 times” kind of person.  So the first change I made was to substitute chicken thighs for the shrimp.  I also sauteed onion with the black beans instead of putting onion in the salsa, and reduced the jalapeno in the recipe to cut back on the heat.  Finally, I added some cucumber to bulk up the salsa.

 

 

Of course this isn’t a bowl, but it was much easier to photograph this recipe on a plate.  And right after the picture was taken, I tossed everything in a bowl and gave it a good stir.  I loved the mix of hot and cold – both in flavor and temperature!  This recipe was somewhat time intensive with the marinating, chopping, and sauteing, but it was worth it in the end.  I stored the rice, bean mixture, chicken, and salsa in separate containers so I could quickly create my own bowl for lunch or dinner.  This is a pretty flexible recipe, and I hope to create other bowl-type meals soon.

 

Chili Lime Chicken Bowls

1 t chili powder
1 t honey
1 t soy sauce
2 t minced garlic, divided
1 T lime juice
3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, visible fat removed and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 c. cooked brown rice
1 T canola oil
1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded and diced
1 t cumin
1 Vidalia onion, peeled and chopped
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (10 oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1/2 c. chopped cilantro
Salt to taste

Mix chili powder, honey, soy sauce, 1 t minced garlic, and lime juice in a bowl.  Add chicken, toss to coat, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Heat oil in a large frying pan.  Add 1 t minced garlic and diced jalapeno.  Cook for 1 minute, and add cumin.  Cook for 1 minute more, and add chopped onion.  Saute for 15-20 minutes, until onion is soft.  Add beans and heat through.  Remove from pan and set aside.   Add chicken and marinade to pan, and cook until chicken pieces are done.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix pineapple, cucumber, and cilantro, and season with salt to taste.

Prepare bowls with a base of brown rice, followed by beans, chicken, and pineapple salsa.

-Recipe adapted from Budget Bytes

Black Bean and Tomato Pizza

What’s been keeping me well fed lately?  My freezer!  (And no, I don’t mean ice cream, though that is tempting.)  I almost always have whole wheat pizza dough from Trader Joe’s in my freezer, and I also had a small container of Way Better than Canned Black Beans.  These aren’t ordinary black beans; they are simmered with onion, garlic, and cilantro so they are packed with flavor.

I decided to make individual Latin-inspired pizzas with the seasoned beans, halved grape tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese.  I threw the pizzas together quickly, and after just 10-15 minutes in the oven at 400F, dinner was served, with leftovers for lunches.  When I made these beans back in January, I had no idea they would come in so handy – I need to make another batch soon.

 

Kale with Grilled Sausage and White Beans

I told you I was in a cooking rut in July, but thankfully my family kept me well fed on the weekends.  My Mom found this recipe for Kale with Grilled Sausage and White Beans in the Hartford Courant, and decided to give it a try.  With greens and beans and sausage, she figured there would be something for everyone in this dish.

There are so many nutritional benefits to eating kale, but it just doesn’t cook as easily as other greens like spinach.  In my experience, you generally need to give kale two things: time and liquid.  The recipe says to cook the kale for 6 minutes until wilted, but we cooked it much longer than that for a more tender texture.  This recipe also uses a combination of wine and water for liquid, but any broth would also work nicely.  The sundried tomatoes were a good addition.

The kale and beans turned out soft and flavorful, and I loved it, but not everyone in the family was sold on this dish.  Anticipating that, we served the sausage on the side.  It worked out well for me, because I got to take home all the leftovers!  In fact, I think this dish was even better the second day.  Whether you already like kale, or want to try it for the first time, I would recommend this recipe.