Simple Arrabbiata Sauce

Simple Arrabbiata Sauce (from Allrecipes, Total Time: 45 minutes, Servings: 4)

Ingredients

·         2 (28 oz.) cans diced tomatoes

·         2 Tbsp. olive oil

·         1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

·         4 cloves garlic, minced

·         1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

·         Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1.       In a large saucepan, combine tomatoes, olive oil, and red pepper flakes. Simmer 30 to 40 minutes, or until sauce is thickened.

2.       Stir in garlic, and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in basil, salt and pepper.

I served this sauce with spaghetti squash.  It had a good heat, not too much, though, so my husband could eat it.  The sauce is very thick and chunky.  I like that it’s easy to make and has a robust flavor – you can really taste the garlic and red pepper flakes.  I used minimal salt and pepper, but I did use dried basil, maybe about 1 Tbsp.  The fresh basil in our garden is definitely done for the season.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Filling

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Filling
Makes 12-14

Pie Ingredients

·         3 cups All Purpose Flour

·         1 Tbsp. cinnamon

·         1 tsp. baking soda

·         1 tsp. baking powder

·         1 tsp. ground ginger

·         ½ tsp. salt

·         ½ tsp. ground nutmeg

·         ¼ tsp. ground cloves (or allspice)

·         1 cup brown sugar

·         1 cup sugar

·         1 cup canola oil

·         1 - 15 oz. can of pumpkin

·         2 large eggs

·         1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.      Beat together brown sugar, sugar, oil and pumpkin. Add eggs one at time, mixing well after each addition, followed by the vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.

3.      Using a pastry bag with a round tip, or a big zip top plastic bag with one corner snipped, squeeze out concentric circles of batter, starting from the middle and working outward until the circles are about 2 inches in diameter.

4.      Bake for 11 minutes and cool on a rack.

Cream Cheese Filling Ingredients

·         1 - 8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened

·         1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature

·         1 - 16 oz. package of powdered sugar

·         about a capful of vanilla extract

·         1/8-1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon (to taste)

Directions

1.      Beat together cream cheese and butter. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Frost flat side of half the pies and top with another piece.

2.      Enjoy right away or chill overnight.

My husband sent me this recipe and asked me to make them. I am not sure of the source.  The only adjustment that I made was using canola instead of vegetable oil and upping the cinnamon in the cream cheese filling (my husband loves cinnamon).  I am not a fan of whoopie pies or cinnamon, but they were for him and his family for Thanksgiving.  I didn’t have a pastry bag and I’ve found that Ziploc bags can get messy with this type of work, so I just used a spoon to dollop the pumpkin mixture on the baking sheets.  That may have been a mistake - These were huge!  I’m talking bigger than my hand huge.  Oh well.  Everyone that had them enjoyed them and I even tasted one.  It was pretty good, even with my aversion to cinnamon.  I recommend going for it!

Cajun Pasta Fresca

Cajun Pasta Fresca (slightly adapted from AllRecipes, Total Time: 25 minutes, Servings: 4)

Ingredients

·         1 spaghetti squash, cut in half with seeds and inner membrane scooped out

·         2 Tbsp. olive oil

·         1 tsp. minced garlic

·         1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained

·         1 tsp. dried parsley

·         1 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning

·         ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place spaghetti squash on baking sheet, cut side down.  Bake for 45 minutes.

2.      Remove squash from oven and allow to cool slightly.  Using fork, scoop out inside (should look like spaghetti strands).

3.      While squash is cooling, briefly sauté garlic in oil. Stir in tomatoes and remainder of juice. When tomatoes are bubbly, mash slightly with a fork. Stir in parsley, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes more.  Add Cajun seasoning and Parmesan and cook 2 minutes.

4.      Toss squash with tomato sauce. Top with shredded mozzarella if desired.

The biggest change that I made to the original recipe is that I didn’t use pasta, I used spaghetti squash.  I am currently in a love affair with this variety of squash – I love the taste and texture and it serves as a healthy alternative to pasta.  I also used canned diced tomatoes instead of buying 13 plum tomatoes!  Looking back, I should probably have upped to 1.5 or 2 cans of 28 oz. size, but hindsight is 20-20. 

This dish is really easy and quick to make, even the spaghetti squash is pretty easy – just be careful when forking out the innards, no burns allowed!  The sauce was very thick and chunky, which is why I think more tomatoes would have been a good idea (or petite diced).  I liked the soft texture of the tomatoes against the firmer squash.  My sauce was slightly spicy, just a hint of heat, and full of flavor.  I feel that each element stood on its own, the garlic and parsley were not overpowered by the tomatoes or the Cajun.  I also only used the Parmesan and not the additional mozzarella called for in the original recipe – even the Parmesan felt a bit overwhelming with only the 1 large can of tomatoes.  The cheese and Cajun seasoning work nicely together with a bit of a flavor explosion!  If I used more tomatoes, I’d probably keep the other seasonings the same, or increase just a tad, and add the mozzarella.  I hope that you make this dish because my mouth is watering just writing about it!

Oven Baked Zucchini Chips

Oven Baked Zucchini Chips (from Skinny Ms., Total Time:40 minutes , Servings: 4)

Ingredients

·         1 (large) zucchini, cut into 1/8" - 1/4" slices  (I had to use 3 small-medium sized ones)

·         1/3 cup Panko breadcrumbs

·         ¼ cup finely grated parmesan cheese, reduced fat

·         ¼ tsp. black pepper

·         Kosher or sea salt to taste

·         1/8 tsp. garlic powder

·         1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

·         Non-stick cooking spray

Directions

1.       Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2.       Combine breadcrumbs, parmesan, black pepper, salt, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.

3.       Spray zucchini slices with non-stick cooking spray. Dip zucchini into bread crumbs to coat both sides. Note: It may be necessary to press crumbs onto zucchini slices to ensure the crumbs stick.

4.       Arrange zucchini on a non-stick cookie sheet.

5.       Bake 15 minutes, turn over and continue baking until golden, approximately 10-15 minutes (being careful not to burn). Allow to cool to room temperature before storing in an airtight container.

These were pretty easy to make since I used a mandolin to slice the zucchini.  I found that the breadcrumb mixture did not want to stick onto the zucchini slices, so I pressed it on and added a bit more on top.  When they were done baking, they were still a bit soft and I thought that they would get more crispy, unfortunately, that was not the case.  I found them to be soggy, which kind of ruined the taste.  My husband enjoyed them though, and so did the people at the work potluck (why I made them).  If you plan to make this recipe, I recommend sprinkling the zucchini slices with a little salt and letting sit for a few minutes before coating them.  It will help draw out some of the moisture and hopefully help them crisp up.

Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed Shells

Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed Shells (slightly adapted from Naturally Ella, Servings: 4, Total Time: 45 minutes)

Ingredients

·         ½ box lasagna noodles

·         ½ Tbsp. olive oil

·         ¼ cup onion, finely diced

·         2 cups pureed acorn squash (from 1 roasted acorn squash)

·         ¼ cup part-skim ricotta cheese

·         ¼ cup shredded Parmesan

·         Salt and pepper to taste

·         2 Tbsp. margarine

·         1 tsp. dried rosemary (divided in half)

Instructions

1.       To roast acorn squash, cut squash in half and remove seeds. Place cut side down on a baking sheet. Roast at 400˚ until squash is tender (about 30 minutes.) Remove and let cool. Scoop out the insides and set aside.  After the squash is cooked, turn oven down to 350˚.

2.       While the squash is baking, cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and let cool.

3.       In a bowl, stir together the squash, ricotta and Parmesan.

4.       In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions to pan and cook until they are translucent and cooked through. Stir in the squash mixture and cook over low heat until warm.

5.       In a small skillet, heat butter and rosemary over low heat until ready to serve. Once everything is ready, spoon some squash mixture onto each of the lasagna noodle and roll up.   Place in a baking dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Once all the mixture is used, drizzle the butter over shells.

6.       Place dish in oven and cook for about 20 minutes, until lasagna rolls are heated through.  Serve hot.

I made some minor changes to the original dish because I had lasagna noodles and no shells – alas, lasagna roll ups!  Everything else was pretty much the same as the original (except using dried instead of fresh rosemary and margarine in place of butter).  I had a little trouble with the lasagna noodles and ended up with some think pieces from rips, but that’s alright.  If I was perfect, I would be working in a restaurant, not trying my efforts out as a home cook.

I have never had acorn squash before, but I like it!  When it’s baked, it is soft and creamy and has a bit of a sweet taste.  Maybe similar to the taste of spaghetti squash as opposed to butternut squash.  Anyway, I found this dish a little bland and would probably add some more butter sauce or more cheese.  My lasagna noodles got really tough when I reheated the dish, but the acorn squash portion was still good.  I say, give it a try!

Butternut Squash Curry

Butternut Squash Curry (from Real Simple, Total Time: 40-45 minutes, Servings: 6)

Ingredients

·         4 cups butternut squash soup

·         1 (1 lb.) bag frozen mixed vegetables (I used California vegetable blend – cauliflower, broccoli, carrots)

·         1 Tbsp. curry

·         2 cups basmati rice

Directions

1.)    Cook basmati according to package directions

2.)    When there is about 15 minutes left on the basmati, cook vegetables as directed on package

3.)    Simmer soup, cooked vegetables, and curry powder about 5 minutes or until heated through

4.)    Serve over rice

My basmati took about 40-45 minutes to cook completely, so I have set that as the total time to cook this meal.  I used Trader Joe’s Brown Basmati – it was fluffy and sticky, just as basmati should be (in my mind).  Also, a tad bit healthier than white rice.  I used Trader Joe’s low sodium butternut squash soup and  the California blend of vegetables because I didn’t want corn in my curry dish, just my preference.  You can use any frozen veggies that you like to make this easy dish.

This dish is super easy to make, but it wasn’t that tasty.  I found that with one Tbsp. of curry it was kind of bland – a little too much butternut squash flavor for me.  I added some Sriracha and that did the trick!  When I make this again, I’ll probably add another ½ Tbsp. of curry and maybe some cayenne pepper or chili flakes, just to amp up the heat a bit.  I may also add some turmeric – there are possibilities to make it better, and I intend to try again!

Curried Lentils with Sweet Potato

Curried Lentils with Sweet Potato (slightly adapted from Good Housekeeping, Serves: 6, Total Time: 6 hours, 20 minutes)

Ingredients

·         2 tsp. olive or canola oil

·         1 medium shallot, sliced

·         2 clove(s) garlic, diced

·         1 tsp. ground ginger

·         2 tsp. curry powder

·         1 tsp. ground cumin

·         ¼ tsp. salt

·         1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

·         2 cups dried lentils, rinsed

·         4 cups vegetable broth

·         2 Tbsp. tomato paste

·         5 oz. fresh baby spinach

Directions

1.       In 12-inch skillet, heat oil on medium. Add shallots, garlic, ginger, curry powder, cumin, and salt. Cook 1 to 3 minutes or until slightly softened, stirring frequently. Transfer to 6- to 7-quart slow cooker bowl.

2.       To slow cooker bowl, add sweet potatoes, then lentils, vegetable broth, and tomato paste.

3.       Cover and cook 6 hours on high or 9 to 10 hours on low, or until lentils are tender. Stir intermittently.

4.       Into slow cooker bowl, stir in baby spinach until spinach is wilted.

My dish definitely did not look like the picture on Good Housekeeping’s website.  My dish was very mushy, and was completely brown with just a bit of green from the spinach – no orange sweet potatoes because they cooked down and mashed in with the lentils.  That’s okay, though, because it was good in the flavor department (just not the presentation one!).  I liked the slight hint of sweetness from the potatoes and ginger.  I had mine with rice the first night, but found it much more convenient to use as a spread on pita bread (or in a tortilla).  It was very creamy in texture and I could taste the curry more than any other seasoning, but that’s OK – I like curry!  I also found that mine only needed maybe 4 hours on high to cook through – I put it down to low and then warm as it continued to cook.  The only change I would make is adding in more vegetable broth.