Gourmet Carrots and Peas with Arugula

Last week David informed me that his office was having its annual Thanksgiving Smorgasbord and asked if I wanted to make something. I told him I probably wouldn't have time but I could pick out a recipe that incorporated the ingredients we had in the fridge and pantry for him to make. He agreed.

Fast forward to last Thursday evening. As anticipated I didn't have time to cook but I set all the ingredients on the counter and pulled the recipe up on my laptop to make things as easy as possible for him. However, despite these efforts I have never heard so much frustrated muttering/ swearing coming from our kitchen. The knife wasn't sharp enough, he couldn't find the peeler, he should have just picked something up etc. It's a good thing I am a much more patient cook or this blog wouldn't exist!

In spite of all the suffering and hardship that he endured preparing this dish it turned out amazingly well. Not your children's peas and carrot this dish is extremely flavorful and paired perfectly with the turkey and other fixings at the Smorgasbord. It would also make a great addition to your Thanksgiving feast :)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup red wine
3 tbsp honey
2 pound carrots
2 1/2 cups frozen peas
2 cinnamon sticks
4 star anise
2 garlic cloves
2 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp kosher salt (or 1/2 tsp regular salt)
pinch of black pepper
Arugula






Directions:
Combine the orange juice with the red wine. Drizzle in the honey.
Stir until the honey has dissolved, then add the cinnamon sticks and star anise.
Cook gently for 10 to 15 minutes. (Once the liquid is reduced you end up with 1/3 of what you started with.)
Peel the carrots and slice them at an angle in about 1/2 an inch thick slices. Place them in a big casserole dish. Pour in the 2 1/2 tbsp olive oil and add the coriander seeds.
Add the crushed garlic, black pepper to taste and the kosher salt. Stir it and bake the carrots for 15 minutes in a preheated oven at 445Fº
If using frozen peas boil them for 2 minutes in lightly salted water. Drain well.
After 15 minutes stir the wine and orange juice reduction into the carrots.
Mix it all up and put the carrots back into the oven for another 7 minutes.
As soon as the carrots are done stir in the drained peas.

Let the mixture cool to room temperature, then add the arugula

Enjoy!

Baked Spaghetti Squash with Spinach

I will be forever grateful to the person who introduced me to spaghetti squash several years ago. Back then the idea of going grain free seemed nearly impossible, especially as it meant giving up pasta. (A staple of my then diet.) But I quickly developed a taste for spaghetti squash and love discovering new ways to cook it.

Oddly Thanksgiving is one of the few times each year that I make an exception for traditional pasta as my Italian grandma prepares a bowl of rigatoni which rivals the turkey in size. Until then I will continue to prepare spaghetti squash in anticipation of the the starch fest that is Thanksgiving (though stay tuned for some healthier options:)

Ingredients: 

5 1/2 cups cooked spaghetti squash (from about 2 small)
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 cup gluten free flour
2 cups skim milk
1 cup fat free chicken broth (vegetable broth for vegetarian)
8 oz Sargento 2% reduced fat mild cheddar
salt and pepper, to taste
4 cups (about 4 oz) baby spinach
1/8 cup grated parmesan

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375ºF
Cut the squash in half lengthwise; remove and discard seeds. Place squash on a baking sheet. Bake until tender, about 1 hour.* Separate the strands of squash with a fork and place in a medium bowl; discard shells.

Heat butter and oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook about 2 minutes. Stir in flour. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring continually 3 - 4 minutes.
Add milk and chicken broth and continue whisking, raising heat to medium-high until it comes to a boil and becomes smooth and thick, about 2 minutes stirring; season with salt and pepper. 

Once it becomes thick, remove from heat, add cheddar cheese and mix well until cheese is melted. Adjust salt and pepper to taste, add cooked spaghetti squash and baby spinach, pour into a baking dish and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Bakeuntil bubbly and golden 25 to 30 minutes.

*If you have a microwave you can poke several holes in the squash and heat for 10 minutes before cutting in half and removing the strands.

Zucchini Pizza Crust

This is the perfect recipe to make with any zucchini left over from the veggie stuffed zucchini I posted earlier this week:)

I have made pizza crust with cauliflower before and, although it was delicious, it was very moist and fell apart easily. Upon reading this recipe I realized that the cauliflower recipe was missing a very important step which is to squeeze all the moisture out of the vegetable with a towel after microwaving/steaming so I have gone back and added that step in the cauliflower crust pizza recipe.

Toppings can be whatever you like. I have chosen to use fresh mozzarella and basil (which is not fresh though I wish it was!)

Ingredients:
4 cups grated then chopped fresh zucchini (I used the grating blade on the food processor.)
1/2 cup finely grated low-fat mozzarella blend
5 tbsp gluten free flour
3 tbsp finely grated parmesan
1 tsp. garlic powder
pinch of salt
1 egg, beaten
oregano
1 small can tomato paste
fresh mozzarella
fresh basil



Directions:
After zucchini has been grated and chopped, put it in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for about 5 mins on high. If you don't have a microwave you can steam for a few minutes.
Then, this is a very important step, transfer the zucchini to a towel or cheesecloth and squeeze out as much moisture as possible.
Mix the cooked zucchini, grated mozzarella blend, flour, parmesan, oregano, garlic powder, salt and egg to make the crust mixture.
Spray a baking sheet with olive oil or nonstick spray and divide the crust into two balls. Then use your fingers to press the mixture into two crusts. (Be sure not to make the edges too thin.)
Bake the crust in the oven until its firm and starting to brown (about 12-13 mins).
Spread each small pizza with half the sauce, then top with basil leaves and fresh mozzarella chunks (or the toppings of your choosing covered with grated mozzarella.)
Put back in the oven and cook until the cheese is nicely melted, about 3-5 mins.

Veggie Stuffed Zucchini

Sorry for the long absence, I have been in Japan celebrating my one year wedding anniversary:)

The trip was amazing but as noodles and rice are staples of the Japanese diet it was very difficult, ok impossible, to stay grain free.

For the next week I will be slimming down by eating vegetables, lean protein and no grain. Check back for more recipes...

Ingredients:
2-3 zucchini
1/2 cup lentils
1 tomato
1/2 green pepper
1/2 medium onion
chopped parsley
grated Parmesan
salt and pepper
5-6 oz chicken stock

Instructions
Cut zucchini lengthwise and clean inside with a spoon or melon baller. Sprinkle a small amount of salt in each zucchini shell.
Simmer one cup water and cook lentils until they absorb moisture. Place a layer of cooked lentils in zucchini shells.
Chop 1/2 onion, pepper and tomato, then place the mixture over lentils. Sprinkle with parmesan and chopped parsley.
Place stuffed zucchini in a baking dish and pour broth into dish so it surrounds the squash. Put in the oven at 400 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

Meat or Meatless Stuffed Eggplant

I searched for years for the "perfect" eggplant recipe stumbling many times along the way. I now have several and am thrilled as there are so many health benefits and negligible calories.

Among those benefits eggplants are loaded with dietary fiber. Dietary fiber is essential for regulating digestion (read: keeps you regular) and is also helpful for dieters as it takes a long time to move from the stomach to the digestive track. This will help you feel full much longer which will in turn keep you from craving unhealthy snack food between meals.

I also love that I was able to make this into a vegetarian meal by using beef-less ground "beef" from Trader Joes. So flavorful... you will never know you're not actually eating meat.

Ingredients:

2 medium eggplants, stems trimmed off and halved lengthwise
3 links sweet Italian chicken sausage, casings removed -or- beef-less ground beef
1/2 small onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/3 cups crushed tomatoes
5 basil leaves, chopped (plus more for garnish)
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
4 teaspoons grated Pecorino Romano

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Hollow out the flesh of the eggplant to create a boat using a melon baller or small knife, leaving a 1/2-inch of the skin all around to create a shell. Roughly chop the scooped out eggplant flesh.

Drop the eggplant into the boiling water and cook 3 minutes (poking it with a spoon so they stay submerged). Remove with a slotted spoon and set them on paper towels on the counter. Meanwhile, brown the "beef" or sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking the sausage up while it cooks into smaller pieces. Add the onions and garlic and cook on a medium-low heat for about 2-3 minutes, until onions are translucent. Add 1 cup chopped eggplant and cook about 2-3 minutes. Add 1 cup crushed tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in fresh basil.
Pour 1/3 cup of crushed tomatoes on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish and place the eggplant boats on top. Season the eggplant with salt and divide the sausage and sauce evenly among the 4 eggplant boats.
Bake 40 mins and let cool.