Tomato, Mushroom, Spaghetti Squash Bake

Super low-cal and really delicious, this recipe takes some prep time, but none of it is difficult. The flavor makes it worth the effort. Pair it with a protein of some sort and it's an easy meal. I've got it down for six servings, but the serving size is huge if you split it in six. You can easily make eight comfortable servings with it.


Tomato, Mushroom, Spaghetti Squash Bake

2 spaghetti squash (2-3 lbs each)
2 teaspoons olive oil
8 oz white mushrooms, sliced
1/2 videlia onion
4 cloves garlic
2 roma tomatoes, diced
.5 can diced tomatoes, well-drained (I use italian flavor, but you do you)
1 cup mexican blend cheese
1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds or pepitas
2 tbsp fresh basil, chiffonade
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp dried basil
Red pepper flakes (to taste)
Salt
Pepper

Start by cooking the spaghetti squash. It actually works really well if you do this earlier in the day, or even the day before, and refridgerate the squash before you shred it. Gives it a more toothsome texture, I find. Anyhow, cook the squash by cutting one end off so that it will stand up straight, then slicing it in half. Scoop out the seeds, and place both halves facedown in a baking dish filled with about 1 inch of water. You can either roast it in the oven (~40 min at 357F) or microwave it on high  for about 15 minutes (I find microwaving is easier). Once the squash is cooked, reserve either in the fridge or to one side.

When you're ready to cook your spaghetti bake, preheat the oven to 350F.

Use a fork to shred the spaghetti squash into strands in a large bowl or colander. Reserve. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with nonstick spray.

In a large (emphasis on the large) saute pan, heat 2 tsp olive oil and cook the mushrooms, stirring, until partly done. Add the onions, and let them cook down. When the onions are sweated through and starting to get some color, add the garlic. Cook most of the moisture off the mushroom mixture, then add both the roma and the drained canned tomatoes to the pan. Cook until the moisture is almost wholly gone, again. Add half the reserved spaghetti squash, stir until well-mixed and heated through, then add the other half and stir again. Again, saute until much of the moisture is gone. Spoon it into the 9x13 casserole, making sure to leave any remaining moisture in the saute pan, not the baking dish. To the mixture in the dish, add 2/3 cup of the cheese, reserving the other 1/3 cup. Add the sunflower seeds or peptitas. Season with salt, pepper, oregano, basil (both fresh and dried), and red pepper flakes. Stir the whole thing together until well-mixed and gooey, then flatten it out evenly and place it in the oven uncovered to bake for 20 minutes.

After 20 min, sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup cheese on top. Bake for another 10 minutes. Finish by placing it under the broiler on high for 2 min to brown the cheese on top. Let stand for 5 minutes, then slice and serve hot.

Servings: 6

Mom's Lasagna

I already have a recipe on this blog for a lasagna with bechamel, but the one I grew up eating doesn't do it that way. Here's the recipe my family ate when I was younger. I use slightly different proportions today (for example, it's virtually impossible to find 15 oz spaghetti sauce jars in stores nowadays, so I usually just use a 24 oz one. Doesn't hurt the recipe at all) but the principles are the same.


Mom's Lasagna

12 oz lasagna noodles
1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
24 oz jar spaghetti sauce with mushrooms
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
2 cup cottage cheese
2 cup shredded mozzarella
1 cup grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cook noodles according to package directions, drain.

In a large skillet, brown beef and onions, drain if there's excessive fat. Stir in spaghetti sauce, garlic salt, oregano, and basil. In 2 qt greased rectangular baking dish, layer 1/3 of noodles, 1/3 of sauce, 1/3 of cheeses. Repeat layers twice (ending with cheeses on top).

Bake at 350F for 45 min, until hot and bubbling. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting to give it time to set up.

Baked Chicken Breasts

A quick, easy recipe that produces fantastically tender and flavorful chicken breasts in the oven.


Baked Chicken Breasts

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or 2 large breasts butterflied in half to make 4)
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Paprika

Begin by brining chicken for 15 minutes. Fill a bowl with warm water, add 1/4 cup salt, stir until the salt dissolves, and add the chicken. You can preheat the oven to 450 while the chicken is brining.

Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Lay it out in a baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray and brush both sides with olive oil. In a separate dish, combine approximately equal parts salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder. sprinkle mixture over chicken and rub in, on both sides of all four pieces.

Bake at 450 for 15-18 minutes, then allow to rest for at least 5 min before cutting.

Serves: 4

Chicken Salad

This is a take on the classic chicken salad with grapes and nuts. My version adds mustard and tarragon for a bit of flavor interest.


Chicken Salad

2 large chicken breasts, thawed (about 1.25 lbs chicken)
15 large red grapes, cut into 1/8ths
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup celery, minced
1/4 cup red onion, minced
1/2 cup mayonnaise (don't substitute greek yogurt, it'll wind up too watery with the added waer from the grapes)
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp tarragon
Salt
Pepper

Begin by poaching the chicken breasts in boiling water for 15 minutes. I like to salt my water and add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes to try and get some flavor into the chicken as it poaches, so it won't be too bland, but what you do to your poaching liquid is totally optional. When the chicken is done, remove it from the liquid, dice it into slightly smaller than 1/2 inch cubes, then add salt, black pepper, and poultry seasoning to taste. Put it in the fridge to cool while you chop the rest of your ingredients.

Go ahead and do the rest of your chopping, then in a large bowl combine the grapes, celery, red onion, pecans, mayo, mustard and tarragon and stir. Adjust the mayo amount so that the salad achieves your desired level of creaminess, the 1/2 cup in the recipe is more of a guideline than any hard-and-fast law. Serve chilled.

This plates really well on a bed of spinach or lettuce leaves, with grape tomatoes around it for color. It's also great on sandwiches if you want to go that route.

Serves 6.

Asian Lettuce Wraps with Teriyaki Pineapple Meatballs

These are fast, require little cleanup, and are surprisingly both tasty and healthy. Even my father, who is wary of all things Asian-inspired, loved them. It uses meatballs that I sampled at the store and liked, which is a lot faster than making your own.


Asian Lettuce Wraps with Teriyaki Pineapple Meatballs


For the coleslaw:
1/2 head red cabbage, grated
1 granny smith apple, cored and grated
1/2 cucumber with the seeds scooped out, minced
12 baby carrots, minced
1 tsp dried cilantro (fresh can also be used and is better, but dried is what I had)
Salt
Pepper

For the dressing:
3 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sriracha sauce (add more to taste)
1 tbsp lime juice

For the lettuce wraps:
6 leaves romaine or iceberg lettuce, large enough for wrapping
1 package Aidells Teriyaki Pineapple Meatballs
Coleslaw (see above)

Start by mixing all the ingredients in the coleslaw dressing into a small bowl, whisking vigorously, then setting aside. They'll meld while you prep the slaw vegetables themselves.

Grate the cabbage and the apple, chop your carrots and cucumber. Add all the ingredients for the slaw into a large bowl and pour the dressing over them, then stir well. Add salt and pepper to season to taste. Set slaw aside. If you're prepping this in advance, the slaw can go in the fridge for up to a couple days.

Prepare the meatballs according to package directions. I used the oven for 12 minutes at 375 and they came out well. Rinse your lettuce leaves and pat them dry.

Serve meatballs, slaw, and lettuce leaves and let guests assemble their wraps themselves. Sriracha sauce, sprigs of cilantro, and lime slices are optional garnishes.

Serves 3

Peach Galette with Vanilla Whipped Cream

Galettes - for when doing a pie sounds like too much work. This is a rustic little pastry that doesn't require much in the way of fuss or cleanup, but still tastes outstanding and looks good enough for company. If peaches aren't in season, this recipe adapts well to plums, pears, berries, etc.


Peach Galette

1 Simple Pie Crust
3 large peaches, sliced thinly
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Optional: whipped cream for topping (see recipe below)


Preheat oven to 375F.

Mix sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and ginger in a large bowl. Add in peach slices and toss until completely coated. Set aside.

Line baking sheet with parchment or silicone baking pad, roll out pie crust onto baking sheet. Pile peaches in center of crust, leaving at least 2 inches on all sides. Fold crust up and over edges of peaches to form galette.

Bake 35-40 min, until crust is golden and filling is bubbly. Let cool at least 15 minutes before slicing to serve. Serve with fresh whipped cream, garnish with mint leaf.



Vanilla Whipped Cream

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk ricotta cheese

Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl, beat on medium high until soft peaks form. Chill until needed.

Chocolate Pavlova with Mascarpone Whipped Cream and Blueberries

Sounds and looks fancy, but this one is fairly easy to prepare and doesn't take as long as I thought it would. Honestly, chopping the chocolate bar finely enough was the most time-consuming thing here. So this is the recipe for when you want to flaunt your haute cuisine dessert skills, without putting in haute cuisine time and effort. Plus it's gluten-free, so if you've got a gathering with a bunch of people whose allergies and diets you don't know, you can still walk in and knock the socks off everyone present!


Chocolate Pavlova with Mascarpone Whipped Cream and Blueberries
Used with minor adaptations from Once Upon a Chef

Pavlova:

6 large egg whites 

Pinch salt 

1 1/2 cups superfine sugar (You can buy superfine, or grind regular sugar in the food processor until it's fine enough. You can't use powdered though, because it's got cornstarch and other additives in it to keep it from clumping) 

3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder 

1 tsp red wine vinegar 

2 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (Use the best chocolate you can get. With not many ingredients, quality matters.)

Mascarpone Whipped Cream:

8 oz (1 cup) mascarpone cheese, cold

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Topping:

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries


Preheat the oven to 300°F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a dark marker, draw a 9-inch diameter circle on the parchment paper by tracing around a 9-inch cake pan or plate. Flip the paper over so your meringue won't touch the marker. 

Use a mixer to beat the egg whites and salt on medium speed until foamy soft peaks form, about a minute. Increase the speed to medium-high and gradually add the sugar; continue beating until stiff peaks form, 8-9 minutes. (The meringue will be glossy.)

Pass the cocoa powder through a sieve or sifter and add to the meringue. Add the vinegar and chopped chocolate. Using a large rubber spatula, fold the mixture until well combined. It should be a light mocha color with no white or brown streaks. 

Secure the parchment paper to the baking sheet by taping it down, or have an assistant hold it still while you spread. Mound the meringue onto the parchment inside the circle. Using the spatula or a butter knife, spread the meringue to fill the circle. Even the top and sides just slightly -- it shouldn’t be perfectly smooth or overworked. Place in the oven and cook for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until the meringue is puffed and crisp all over. Don't worry if the top is cracked -- that's normal and it all gets covered with whipped cream in the end. Turn off the oven, prop the oven door open, and leave the meringue in the oven to cool to room temperature, at least 30 minutes. (The meringue won’t collapse as much if it cools gradually.)

Before serving, carefully peel the meringue off of the parchment paper and place it on the platter on which you intend to serve. In a medium bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese, heavy cream and vanilla until combined. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until it holds soft, pillowy peaks. Do not overbeat; it should not be too stiff or grainy. Mound the mascarpone cream onto the meringue and gently spread it out about an inch from the edge (don't worry if the meringue cracks in the process). Top the pavlova with the blueberries. Cut the pavlova into wedges, wiping the knife in between slices, and serve.

Note: This pavlova can be made ahead and assembled up to 12 hours ahead of time. Keep in the refrigerator.