Roasted spaghetti squash with mushrooms + sausage

Well, time flies by and I have some posts up my sleeve. More Paleo (-ish) friendly dishes that will satisfy your soul, coming soon. For now, I have spaghetti squash.

Spaghetti squash is kind of bizarre. There is something so strange about cutting open a pumpkin-like thing to find a plethora of stringy, spaghetti-like vegetable substance. Zack and I had never had it before, but since we've been attempting to eat low-carb, low-sugar (or a somewhat loose Paleo diet), we thought there was no time like the present.

I don't know if I would go for it plain, but mixed in with some mushrooms and sausage, your mind just might be tricked into thinking your eating some sort of pasta. And that's not a bad thing.

Roasted spaghetti squash with mushrooms

As adapted from Bliss.

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash

2-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

3-4 branches of fresh sage leaves

Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

8 ounces fresh cremini mushrooms, stems removed and caps sliced

1/4 cup sliced scallions

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan

Shaved parmesan for garnish, optional

Chicken or turkey sausage of your choice, sliced on the diagonal (I used a combination of Trader Joe's Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage and Garlic Herb Chicken Sausage)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Slice spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds, drizzle with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, lay sage leaves on top, season with salt and pepper, then place squash, cut side down, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake squash for 45 minutes, or until squash flesh separates and strands easily with a fork. In a skillet over medium heat, saute garlic and mushrooms, until mushrooms are brown and tender. (I sauteed the chicken sausage in a separate skillet over medium-high heat at this point to heat through and brown slightly.) Add the squash, combining until heated through. Remove from heat and toss with scallions and parmesan. Serve squash with sausage and parmesan shavings on top.

Spaghetti squash, minus the chicken sausage.

Well, to be honest, I wasn't quite sure about the spaghetti squash when I first got started. First of all, it was hard to slice in half. My little arms were like quivering by the end. I was seriously thinking, "Am I going to be able to cut this thing in half, or will I have to wait for Zack to get home?" Ha. Then I just had this weird is-this-really-coming-out-of-a-squash moment, as I pulled out the strands. And I was worried it was going to be too bland. However, with the combination of mushrooms and sausage, this meal was overall, very pleasing and satisfying. And when Zack and I took our leftovers to eat at a local coffee shop for lunch the next day, one of the girls working there just couldn't seem to believe how good it looked and smelled when she brought over our lattes. She was amazed. And then I thought, "Either she is seriously starving or maybe this doesn't look too weird/bad after all."

That's my spaghetti squash story. And this is my conclusion: spaghetti squash makes a nice pasta replacement given that you've got some other strong herbs/flavors or a nice sauce to pair it with. It's worth trying if you haven't. Cheers.

Hearty spinach and chickpea soup with turkey

Since I had "mushroom success" with my winter greens and mushroom pasta, I decided to give mushrooms another go. I had tried this recipe before, omitting the mushrooms and adding ground turkey as a protein instead. The soup was wonderful the first time. I find that some good ground turkey adds amazing flavor to soups. Anyways, I decided to make this again with both the turkey and mushrooms.

For some reason, this soup has sort of an Asian feel to me, but that is somewhat strange because it also has dried rosemary and calls for grated parmesan as garnish. Whatever feel you get from this soup, it is a really solid recipe and one that I know I will be going back to again and again. And Zack loves it too.  And it's a nice detour from my usual, go-to tomato-based chilies. 

Plus, you can be assured that this soup is good for you. According to Power Foods, mushrooms are "bursting with compounds that can reduce cholesterol and improve immunity." I didn't realize, but apparently they have not only nutritional benefits, but curative abilities also. I know, it sounds a little hokey-pokey, but they've been shown to have antioxidant and cancer-fighting properties. Guess I'll be cooking with mushrooms more often. And we all know spinach is wonderful - vitamin K, anyone? Lastly, brown rice offers up the antioxidant vitamin E, B vitamins, and plenty of fiber. There's your nutritional overview.

Hearty spinach and chickpea soup with turkey

As adapted from Power Foods - 150 Delicious Recipes with the 38 Healthiest Ingredients.

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups water

1/2 cup short-grain brown rice

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped (1 1/2 cups)

2 garlic cloves, minced

3/4-1 pound ground turkey

8 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps cleaned and thinly sliced (4 cups)

6 cups reduced-sodium chicken stock

1/2-3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

8-10 ounces baby spinach

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 ounces (1/2 cup) grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Bring the water to boil in a saucepan. Sir in brown rice, return to boil, and reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook until rice is tender and has absorbed all liquid, 30-40 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan or dutch oven, heat oil over medium. Cook onion and garlic, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Push onion and garlic to edges of pot, add additional olive oil if necessary, and add ground turkey to middle of pot. Break up turkey into chunks with a spoon, then add dried rosemary, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper, mixing to combine. Cook turkey until it is browned and just about cooked through, mixing in the cooked onion and garlic. Add mushrooms, gently stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and bring to boil. Stir in rice and chickpeas; return to boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover, and continue cooking 5 minutes more to allow flavors to blend. Stir spinach into hot soup immediately before serving and sprinkle with parmesan, if using. 

This soup was actually a little exploratory for me because I had to shift around the original instructions a bit to incorporate the ground turkey and mushrooms. I also added the crushed red pepper flakes for a bit of heat, and chose to add the spices sooner (since I wanted them to really penetrate and flavor the ground turkey). I also "eye-balled" my rosemary and red pepper flake measurements, adding a bit more than called for, to compensate for the added turkey. What can I say, maybe I'm starting to make some of my own judgement calls and am becoming some sort of cook. (Ha ha.)

This is a great, wholesome soup with wonderful flavor. Try it and enjoy! We did.

Week Eight: Green Quesadillas, Winter Greens and Mushroom Pasta, and Nut and Pretzel Mix

Week eight was the week before Christmas, so I wanted to do a couple lighter recipes, keeping all the wonderful holiday food and treats we would be indulging in in mind. These recipes were very green, fresh, and vegetarian. There is actually a sort of grassroots movement going on known as Meatless Monday. Apparently, going meatless just one day a week can decrease your risk for cancer and other major health issues. Not a bad thing to keep in mind when you are doing your meal planning.

Winter greens and mushroom pasta.

Now. Do take note. If you are cooking for a man (or for people who just like meat in general), pick your meatless Monday recipes wisely. Make sure your dish has something hearty like mushrooms, lentils, sweet potatoes, tofu, etc. to substitute your meat lover's appetite. You'll find these dishes are more satisfying than, let's say, an entree salad.

This week also includes a wonderful nut and pretzel mix that I wanted to try out for the holidays. Chex mixes are such a great kid- and adult-friendly appetizer or snack, and I had never made one homemade, so I took this Christmas as an opportunity.

Sweet and spicy nut and pretzel mix.

Green Quesadillas

I love quesadillas. And I like making unusual quesadillas. So when I stumbled upon this recipe from Whole Living, I had to try it. Plus, it was perfect for my healthy eating plans for the week before Christmas.

Essentially, this recipe has you make an avocado mixture or guacamole. You then sauté leeks and red onion, stir in green lentils - and you have your lentil mixture. To assemble your quesadillas, lay one tortilla in a warm pan, top with some of the lentil mixture and havarti cheese. Then, spread another tortilla with the avocado mixture and lay on top to create your quesadilla. Carefully, flip and heat through until cheese melts and tortillas brown slightly.

Avocado mixture.

These quesadillas were really good. Zack and I are calling them "French" quesadillas. After all, you are using French green lentils, European-derived cheese, and leeks. But then the recipe has you throw in guacamole, red onion, cilantro, etc. - flavors that make me think Mexican. It really is interesting. I mean, who would have thought, right?

Find this delicious and unique recipe here: Green Quesadillas.

Winter Greens and Mushroom Pasta

with Toasted Croutons

This recipe was a tear-out from the January 2011 issue of Sunset Magazine. Find the recipe here: Winter Greens and Mushroom Pasta. Again, like the green quesadillas, this recipe was a little unusual, but so delicious.

First of all, I made the croutons with some cracked wheat sourdough bread I had on hand that was drying out a bit...perfect. I wasn't really sure how one makes a proper crouton, so I turned to Ina Garten (who I usually turn to when I want to make something in particular that I want to be sure will be particularly good). Find her instructions at the following link (scroll down a bit as these croutons are included in a recipe for lemon chicken with croutons): Ina Garten's Croutons.

Homemade croutons.

Next, the mushrooms. I was a little nervous about this because I am kind of a mushroom amateur. I'll be honest...the last time I sautéed mushrooms, they turned out rubbery and gross. However, with some good mushrooms and the instructions from this recipe, I ended up with some perfectly browned mushrooms. I mean, it was like heaven was shining down into my kitchen straight onto these mushrooms. So relieved. 

Next, leeks (I know, I know...I can't seem to get enough of leeks and lentils lately).

As far as the greens, the recipe calls for a bunch of dandelion greens and radicchio. I couldn't get my hands on some dandelion greens, so I used an organic mixture of various leaves that also included radicchio. Lastly, I used whole-wheat angel hair pasta.

I really loved this recipe. The mushrooms added the heartiness I was looking for and the multitude of textures was so great. You have the tenderness of the mushrooms and greens, the crunch of the croutons, the bite of the whole-wheat angel hair pasta, and the ricotta. The ricotta. Is ricotta not the most incredible, velvety item there ever was? I've fallen in love with it because it happens to come on the Hudson pizza from Brooklyn Bros. Pizzeria in Everett (a.k.a. the best pizza you will ever have). I have a feeling that ricotta will continue to appear in my cooking; that is, if I can figure out when and how to properly use it.

Sweet and Spicy Nut and Pretzel Mix

It's sweet. It's spicy. And it has fresh herbs. But it's also kid-friendly?

This nut and pretzel mix may be one that can satisfy both kids and adults, make a great "bar snack" to enjoy with friends while having beer, and it makes your kitchen smell cozy and warm like the holidays. If it's possible for something to smell cozy and warm, that is. I think it might be.

Find the recipe for this great mix at the following link: Sweet and Spicy Nut and Pretzel Mix.

New cookbooks for Christmas means new recipes to try. Tune in soon for my next weekly post! Cheers.

Brown Rice with Shiitake Mushrooms and Spinach

Power Foods. Brown rice with mushrooms and spinach. Fact of the matter was this. I originally wanted to serve this rice dish with pork tenderloin, but Zack and I ended up just wanting a quick meal after our long days of work. So we just grilled up a couple chicken breasts; nothing fancy.

Stir together short-grain brown rice, water, finely chopped fresh ginger, minced garlic, and salt. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook until rice is tender and all liquid is absorbed (45-50 minutes). Stir in baby spinach, cover, and let steam for 3 minutes. Stir in sauteed shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped scallions (white and pale green parts only), chopped cilantro, tamari soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil.  

This rice was really delicious (even though it doesn't photograph that amazingly), but apparently, Zack and I need to learn how to saute mushrooms. Because ours were mediocre. Like so mediocre we pulled them out the next day when we were eating leftovers. More on that later I suppose, because I'm sure I'll be cooking with mushrooms again. Other than that, this rice was real comforting and had great chunky texture. And I am totally digging my experiments with Asian-influenced sauces lately.