Spaghetti Squash with Pumpkin and Sausage

A few months ago the display went out on my microwave. Upon further investigation I discovered that it wasn't just the display that had shorted out, it was the entire microwave. My first instinct was of course to buy a new one. But once I thought about it I couldn't remember the last time either Dave or I had used it. We laughed at the fact that a useless appliance had been taking up so much counter space in our tiny kitchen. Then spaghetti squash season returned :-P

For those of you lucky enough to have a microwave, poke holes in squash(es) and microwave for 10 minutes. Once squash has cooled, cut in half lengthwise, remove seeds and scrape the strands out with a fork and transfer to an extra large bowl. Otherwise cut in half lengthwise, remove seeds, and place cut sides down in 1/2 inch water in a baking pan. Bake on 375 for 40 minutes. Let cool, remove seeds and scrape strands into an extra large bowl.

Ingredients:

Olive oil
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage (I used spicy chicken sausage from Trader Joes)
4 cloves garlic, cracked and chopped
1 med. onion, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
1 bay leaf, dried
4-6 sprigs fresh sage leaves, chopped
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup low fat evaporated milk
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
Course salt and black pepper
Romano or Parmigiano cheese for grating

Directions:
Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over med. high heat. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to the pan and brown the sausage in it. Transfer sausage to paper towel lined plate. Drain fat from skillet and return pan to the stove. Add the remaining 1 tbsp oil, and then the garlic and onion. Saute 3-5 minutes until the onion is tender.
Add bay leaf, sage, and wine to the pan. Reduce wine to half, about 2 minutes. Add stock and pumpkin and stir to combine, stirring sauce until it comes to a bubble. Return sausage to pan, reduce heat, and stir in evaporated milk. Season the sauce with the cinnamon and nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer mixture 5-10 minutes to thicken sauce.
Transfer spaghetti squash into a large pot. Remove the bay leaf from sauce and pour the sausage pumpkin sauce over the squash. Combine sauce and squash and toss over low heat for 1 minute. Garnish with lots of shaved cheese and sage leaves.

Apricot Chicken with Pumpkin Pesto Mash

I just returned from a GORGEOUS weekend in San Francisco where I celebrated my bachelorette party with some of my closest girlfriends. I have been to the city dozens of times in my life and I don't remember it ever being that warm (or that fun, or that big of a blur!) Which made it very hard to return home to cook "fall" recipes. But, alas, nothing can last forever. The weather started to turn last night and today's southern california forecast is calling for rain (gasp!)

The turn in the weather inspired me to search the internet for a squash or pumpkin recipe, preferably something savory, filled with onions and garlic. I got even more than I bargained for when I found this gem which includes all of the above and one of my favorite indulgences...dried apricots.

My only suggestion is to substitute the pumpkin with another squash. The result was delicious and worth it if you have a ton of time on your hands. But if you've ever carved a jack-o-lantern you know how difficult pumpkins are to work with. Also, by time you separate all the seeds and pulp there isn't much meat left. (And the only thing more time consuming than carving one pumpkin would be carving two!)

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
40 g dried apricots (about 6-8)
The meat from one small pumpkin/ large squash deseeded and roughly chopped
2 tsp butter
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 large handfuls baby spinach, stemmed
olive oil spray
4 skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 tbs basil pesto
extra baby spinach leaves to serve

Directions:
Place the apricot in a small heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside for 10 minutes to soak. Drain.
Cook the pumpkin/squash in a saucepan of boiling water for 10 minutes or until soft.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring, for 1 minutes or until soft. Add the spinach and cook, stirring for 2 minutes or until the spinach wilts. Add the apricot to the spinach mixture and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
Use a small, sharp knife to cut a horizontal slit in the thickest part of each chicken breast to create a pocket. Divide the apricot mixture evenly among the pockets. Seasons with salt and pepper.
Spray a large non-stick frying pan with olive oil spray. Heat over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes each side or until cooked through. Thickly slice.
Drain the pumpkin and return to the pan. Place over medium heat and stir to remove the excess moisture. Stir in the pesto. Season with salt and pepper.
Divide the mash among serving plates. Top with the chicken. Serve with spinach.

Butternut Squash and Quinoa Casserole

It may still be in the 90s in Los Angeles but I've already transitioned to "fall" foods like pumpkin spice lattes and butternut squash.

Butternut squash contains many of the same health benefits as zucchini even though it is technically a fruit. It is high in fiber which aids in digestion, potassium which is important for bone health, and caretenoids which protect against heart disease. Is is also full of antioxidants which have anti inflammatory effects and can improve conditions such as asthma, arthritis and acne.

As if the health benefits weren't motivation enough, this recipe is a casserole which means less cooking during the week! I'm packing the leftovers for lunch at this very moment...

Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive oil, divided

1 large onion, diced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp paprika
2 1/2 tsp ground cumin, divided
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground allspice
2 18-ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 cups frozen chopped spinach
1 cup quinoa or whole wheat couscous
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 cup water
1/2 tsp salt, divided
2 10-12 ounce boxes frozen pureed squash, thawed*
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Heat two tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until tender and browned, 9 to 11 minutes. Add garlic, paprika, 2 tbsp cumin, coriander, cayenne, and allspice and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in chickpeas, tomatoes, spinach, quinoa (or couscous), raisins, water and 1/4 tsp salt. Cook, stirring for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
If thawed squash is watery, place in a fine-mesh sieve and gently press to extract excess liquid. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the remaining 1 tbsp oil, 1/2 tsp cumin and 1/4 tsp salt.
Transfer chickpea mixture to a baking dish and cover with squash. Cover the dish and bake until steaming hot, about 45 minutes for quinoa (15 mins for couscous). Let cool for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro if you insist.

*I couldn't find pureed squash at Trader Joes so I bought two fresh butternut squash. I sliced each down the middle vertically, placed cut side down on a slightly greased baking sheet and cooked for 45 minutes at 400 degrees. Once the squash cooled I scooped the meat into a large bowl and used an immersion blender to puree.

Mu Shu Pork Wraps

This recipe is perfect for those who are living a grain free lifestyle (me, at least until my wedding on Nov. 9th) as well as those who love pork (me again.)

I was able to whip up the filling and leave in the fridge before work, then throw it back on the stove for a few minutes upon arriving home. Although I enjoy the process of cooking dinner I did less snacking in the short amount of time it took "reheat" the filling and toss it into lettuce wraps. I also consumed less wine;)

Ingredients:
1 small head iceberg lettuce
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp dark sesame oil
1 tsp cornstarch
1 (8 ounce) boneless pork loin, trimmed
1/2 cup carrots, diced
4 mushroom caps, thinly sliced
2 tbsp canola oil
3/4 cup sliced green onions
3 tbsp water
2 tsp minced fresh garlic


Directions:
Combine soy sauce, sesame oil and cornstarch. Cut pork crosswise into 1/4 inche thick slices. Stack several slices vertically; slice into 1/4 inch thick pieces. Repaeat prodcudre with remaining pork. Add pork, carrots and mushrooms to soy sauce mixture; toss.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil, onions and garlic; saute 30 seconds. Add pork mixture; saute 3 minutes or until done. Place pork mixture in each of 6-8 lettuce cups.

Chicken with Honey Beer Sauce

When I started this blog last year I titled my before and after pictures "beer" and "vodka soda." Friends thought I was being clever (and perhaps I was) but I was also being 100% truthful.

Two years ago my lifestyle was very different than it is now. On the average weekday evening I could be found either at taco tuesday (two for one tacos/beer) or "South", the bar down the street from my apartment (fried pickles, tator tots and, of course, beer.) Sundays consisted of playing kickball, which really meant sitting in a softball dugout drinking beer, followed by a trip to the local watering hole to play flip cup (beer) and beer pong (more beer).  And did I mention my favorite sport is baseball (beer) especially watching live games (more beer) and traveling to Scottsdale every year for spring training (the most beer.) So, as you can see, cutting beer completely out of my diet for three months and drinking it only on occasion now is one of the most dramatic lifestyle changes I have made.

 That said I was thrilled to have an excuse to buy a six pack and then proceed to split all but the 1/2 cup we needed for this recipe with Dave. (We couldn't let it go to waste;) I think this can also be considered cheating on my grain free diet. But it was worth it!

Ingredients:
2 tsp canola oil
4 (6 oz) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
tsp salt
tbsp thinly sliced shallots
1/2 cup wheat beer (I used Hoegaarden from TJs)
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp whole-grain Dijon mustard
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Directions:
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan. Sprinkle chicken evenly with pepper and salt. Add chicken to pan; saute 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Add shallots to pan; cook 1 minutes or until translucent. Combine beer and next 3 ingredients (through honey) in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Add beer mixture to pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook 3 minutes or until liquid is reduce to 1/2 cup. Return chicken to pan; turn to coat with sauce. Sprinkle evenly with parsley.

Chickpea and Tomato Casserole with Poached Eggs

No I don't have a family to feed. Sometimes I don't even have a soon-to-be husband to feed. But that clearly doesn't stop me from making an enormous casserole and spending the next several days eating it. (Note: these leftovers make a great breakfast:)

My favorite thing about this recipe is the fried eggs on top. And by fried eggs I mean fried egg YOLKS. In the past year I have become accustomed to purchasing egg whites by the carton and ordering my omelettes sans yolk. (Which is more expensive by the way. Less egg apparently = more money. The same way our tiny bikinis cost twice as much as a pair of board shorts. Hmph.)

My least favorite part of this recipe is the cilantro. If you insist upon it be my guest but those who know me know I wouldn't let cilantro so much as occupy space in my refrigerator let alone touch my food;)


Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 jalapeños, seeded, finely chopped
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand, juices reserved
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup coarsely crumbled feta
8 large eggs
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro (optional)




Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F. Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and jalapeños; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 8 minutes. Add chickpeas, paprika, and cumin and cook for 2 minutes longer.

Add crushed tomatoes and their juices. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle feta evenly over sauce. 

Transfer to baking dish. Crack eggs one at a time and place over sauce, spacing evenly apart. Bake until whites are just set but yolks are still runny, 5–8 minutes. Garnish with parsley and cilantro (if you insist).

Spicy Mango Chicken Salad

Trying to savor every last moment of mango season, I scoured my cookbooks and magazines for yet another mango-friendly recipe. Of course this was a week ago and by last night the groceries I had bought for said recipe were long gone. Lettuce had done double duty in salads and wraps, cucumber slices had been used to flavor water and frozen mango slices had perished in my morning smoothies. But, determined to make this work I grabbed a fresh mango from the produce mart and set out to wing it! Here is what we (Dave was instrumental in this one) came up with....

Ingredients:
2 Chicken Breasts
8 oz Thai Red Curry sauce (Trader Joe's)
 2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 Mango peeled, pitted and cut into chunks
1/2 cucumber (diced)
1/2 red onion (finely chopped)
Greens (I mixed spinach and kale)
Olive Oil

Cut  the chicken breasts into long, thin slices. Saute olive oil in a pan and brown the strips on either side, then add the red curry sauce. Add the yogurt to cucumber, red onion and mango slices and toss gently.
Tear the greens into bite size pieces and arrange on two plates.* Spoon the mango mixture over the top, add the warm chicken strips and serve immediately.

*I massaged a mixture of equal parts lemon juice and flax seed oil into the kale 15 minutes before serving to soften it. I then tossed with the spinach before plating.