Fresh Spaghetti Squash Pasta

I have to give a little shout out to my friend in Ohio.  The one.  The only.  Jess.  She rocks.  A few nights ago I was tired and frustrated with a lot of things going on.  To make matters worse, I reached a roadblock with a few recipes I am working on.  When it came time to figure out what to make for dinner, I was completely uninspired.  So, I texted Jess and she responded with one ingredient that inspired the entire meal: spaghetti squash.  Now, I have had spaghetti squash before, but I’ve never prepared it myself.  With that one text, I decided dinner would be an Italian staple.  What’s more, I already had most of the ingredients for an incredibly fresh meat sauce.   So, Jess, this one goes out to you!  Here are the details:

Spaghetti Squash Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the spaghetti squash in half.  If you’ve never handled spaghetti squash, be aware that cutting it in half can be difficult.  You may need to use a towel to help hold the squash in place.

Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds.  Place the halves down on a rimmed baking sheet.  I add a little bit of water of the baking sheet to help the squash get a little moisture.  It isn’t necessary; it is just a personal preference.  Bake for 30 to 45 minutes.

Pasta Sauce

1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

1 package Sweet Italian sausage

1 white onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

42 ounces diced tomatoes  (If you are using canned diced tomatoes, make sure the tomatoes are canned in water)

¼ cup red wine

¾ ounces fresh basil, chopped

handful of fresh Italian parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

* Optional: Crimini mushrooms, sliced.

Here is some good news: the pasta sauce can be made in one pot.  With the burner on medium to high, pour a tablespoon or two of olive oil into a large pot.  Add the sweet Italian sausage and lightly brown.  Add onion and garlic.  Cook until the onion is translucent. 

Who ever said you can't 
play with your food?

Pour diced tomatoes into the pot and mix with the rest of the ingredients.  Add red wine. If you are like me, and you love mushrooms, add them after the red wine.  Finally, mix in the basil, parsley, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.  Turn the heat down to low or simmer and keep warm until the squash is done.  When the spaghetti squash is coked, remove it from the oven and use a fork to scrape the noodles.  Add the noodles to a bowl and top with the sauce.  Top with some fresh basil and Italian parsley!

Now, keep in mind the sauce will be chunky.  If you prefer a smoother sauce, then I would recommend cooking the sausage in a separate pan.  Add all the other ingredients as I listed above.  Once the sauce is completed, use an immersion blender or a food processor to smooth out the sauce. 

Finished product!

Chris and I have been eating this spaghetti for the past few nights and the sauce tastes better and better.  You could also use it for lasagna, which I may have to do soon! 

I hope y’all enjoy it! 

On an unrelated note, my mom made the apple cider cookies back home and shared with a few friends.  The reviews have been great!  So y’all start baking!

-Kim

TEX-MEX REVISITED

Before diving into tonight’s recipe, I have to share some recent discoveries with you.  I am starting week four of consciously making an effort to eat clean and cut as much processed food from my diet.  When I first started, I wanted to see if I experienced any noticeable health benefits.  As I said before, I do not have any specific food allergies, so this was just a challenge to learn how to cook with new ingredients and to document side effects.  If I am being honest, last week was a bust for me.  I was busy and I was distracted so I did not take the time to make smart decisions with the food I ate.  And I have to say, the side effects have been much more noticeable than I ever imagined.  I felt sluggish and cranky.  My energy level was not a stable as it had been the past few weeks.  Last week, I had a harder time recovering after a grueling workout and I noticed a very sharp decline in my ability to focus for long periods of time.  If anything, falling off the clean eating wagon solidified that we have to be smart about the food we eat.  The food we choose to cook with and consume makes a huge difference in our every day lives.  The whole “you are what you eat” thing is not just a cute catchphrase; it should be one’s life motto.  So, with that in mind…. let’s get to tonight’s dinner.       

Beef Tacos

If you know me, you know I could eat Tex-Mex all day, every day.  I love it.  I think my love of Tex-Mex stems from my obsession with avocado and cilantro.  Honestly, not having access to really good Tex-Mex is my one pet peeve about living in Oregon.  Well, that and the fundamental lack of understanding about Mardi Gras. But that is a story for another day.

Tonight, I decided to use Danielle Walker’s beef taco recipe and make some adjustments.  Per the self-imposed challenge to eat as clean as possible, burritos with flour tortillas were not an option.  Instead of having a lettuce taco, I decided to make a burrito bowl with the amazing cilantro cauliflower rice from the first recipe I made. 

In the past, Chris and I always cheated when it came to seasoning meat for tacos.  By that I mean, we bought the tiny package of taco seasoning for 50 cents at the grocery store and never really thought twice about it.  According to the recipe in Meals Made Simple, the seasoning for the meat requires using actual spices and herbs in your cabinet.  I expected it to taste exactly the same as the cheap, pre-packaged seasoning.  I was wrong.  The flavor was stronger, richer, and more complex.  Even Chris said it tasted better, which is huge praise coming from him.  Chris likes to keep things really simple in the kitchen.  He doesn’t like a mess (because he does the dishes when I cook) and he doesn’t like to use 100 different ingredients if you can just buy the mix ready-made.  So I was shocked he admitted that taking a few more minutes to make the seasoning actually enhances the flavor of the dish.  

We topped the burrito bowl with homemade guacamole, which is just about the best thing in the world.  I made the guacamole the way my mom taught me: avocado, tomato, onion, garlic, cilantro, lime, and salt to taste.  So simple.  Absolute perfection.  The only thing missing from dinner tonight was a homemade margarita.

Tonight's dinner.  

Since I mentioned my mom, I have to wish her a very happy birthday today.  For her birthday, she treated herself to the Against All Grain: Meals Made Simple cookbook and decided she and my dad will cook their way through the book with me.  I’ll be sharing some of her experiences on the blog.

I am hoping to start working on a mushroom soup recipe this week!  Wish me luck!

-Kim

Grain Free and Dairy Free Apple Cider Cookies

After the success of my pumpkin spice cake, I decided to try a new take on another fall staple: Grain Free/Dairy Free Apple Cider Cookies.  The best part about the cookies is the fact that the cookies do not taste like “healthy” cookies.  Chris had no clue the cookies were grain free.  In fact when I told him the cookies were made of almond butter, he looked completely stunned.  Then he proceeded to eat a few more cookies, so obviously he loved it. 

So, here is the recipe!  I hope y’all like it.  Let me know what you think!   

Grain Free and Dairy Free Apple Cider Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup almond butter *

1 egg

½ cup light brown sugar

2 teaspoons apple cider

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons apple cider spice mix **

1 teaspoon full fat coconut milk

Pinch of Salt

Icing:

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon ghee

2 tablespoons coconut milk

3 tablespoons apple cider

½ teaspoon apple cider spice

To make the cookies, preheat the convection oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. 

Cookie batter on the cookie sheet before baking

In a blender or with a hand mixer, combine the egg with the light brown sugar.  Add almond butter, apple cider, baking soda, apple cider spice mix, coconut milk, and salt.  Mix well.  Spoon the batter onto the cookie sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Once cooked, cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

To make the icing, mix the powdered sugar, ghee, coconut milk, apple cider and apple cider spice until blended.  Once the powdered sugar is completely mixed, you can increase the speed on the mixture to get the icing a nice, fluffy texture.  Cookies are ready for the icing once the temperature is cool.       

Finished product.

* Almond Butter: I make my own almond butter because it is the easiest thing in the world.  Step 1: Dump a few handfuls of plain almonds into a food processor. Step 2: Turn on.  That’s it.  It takes a few minutes to fully turn into an almond butter texture, so be patient.  The first time I made almond butter, I was tempted to add water to it because it seemed so dry.  Do NOT add anything.  You may have to scrape the sides of the bowl a few times, but the almonds will turn into a creamy, delicious almond butter. 

* * My Apple Cider Spice consists of ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and either ground cloves or ground allspice in a 4:2:1 ratio.  [4 teaspoons cinnamon, 2 teaspoons nutmeg, 1 teaspoon clove or allspice]

I hope y’all enjoy these cookies as much as I have!

-Kim