Spaghetti Squash, Tomatoes, Mozzarella, and Basil

Dinner tonight was...

Spaghetti Squash, Tomatoes, Mozzarella, and Basil

There are several ways to cook spaghetti squash: whole or cut in half, in the oven or in the microwave, with water or without... This recipe is how I do mine, but you're welcome to try something different for the squash.

Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash–not gigantic, but not tiny
2–3 roma tomatoes, diced (cherry or grape tomatoes, halved, would be yummy too!)
8ish oz. mozzarella (I found smoked mozzarella, which was soo good.)
8–12 leaves fresh basil, chiffonade
1/2 Tbsp butter or olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2–3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
8 oz. tomato sauce
Salt and pepper to-taste

Directions:
• Preheat oven to 375°/400°. Use a large, sharp knife to stab several holes in the squash. Stick the whole thing in the oven. Cook for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cut in half length-wise. (Either wait a few minutes for it to cool down, or be sure to use an oven mitt. That sucker will be HOT!) Place in an oven-safe casserole dish, like a Pyrex, cut sides down. Fill dish with water, about 1/2 inch deep. Put back in the oven for another 30–45 minutes. When your timer goes off, test to see if it's finished by scraping the insides of the squash to remove the strands. I like mine pretty soft, so I'll often put it back in for another 5–15 minutes. It depends on the squash and your oven and your preference.

• Dice, slice, and mince your veggies and cheese (tomatoes, mozzarella, onion, and garlic) while the squash is cooking. To chiffonade your basil, stack all the leaves lengthwise and use either a knife to slice or kitchen shears to cut into small slices. See a how-to here.

• Heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add the onions and garlic. Sweat them a bit. Sometimes I like mine softer, sometimes more crunch. Again, your choice. Add the tomato sauce. Remove from heat once the sauce is hot.

• When the spaghetti squash is ready, scrapes all the "pasta" out into the casserole dish or a large bowl. Add the tomatoes and toss. The heat of the squash will lightly cook the tomatoes without making them too mushy. Toss in the sauce mixture, basil, and cheese. Add salt and pepper to-taste.

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This is great as-is for a vegetarian, gluten-free meal all on it's own. Or it would be really great as a base for some grilled chicken or protein of your choice. I was looking for something fresh for a summer meal, and a basil/mozzarella combo had been calling my name for weeks!

I was afraid Rob wasn't going to like it—spaghetti squash isn't his favorite, and he's often hungry after a meal with no meat. He's a Kansas boy. But he said, and I quote, "It's actually not bad!" The fresh flavor combination did it for him. And two hours later, he's still not hungry. :)

Peace,

Grilled Chicken Parmesan

Rob has been craving chicken parmesan for some time now, and it's totally doable on a lo-glycemic diet! The best way to do it is to grill the chicken instead of bread it. So I did a quick Google search, and this is what I found:

Grilled Chicken Parmesan

• 1 pounds thin cut chicken breast, cutlets
• Salt and pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling, plus 2 tablespoons
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 small yellow skinned onion, finely chopped
• 1 (14-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, such as Muir Glenn brand*
• 1/2 cup, 10 leaves, fresh basil leaves, shredded or torn
• 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1/4 pound sliced mozzarella
• 1 box Quinoa linguine **

Directions

Heat outdoor grill or indoor grill pan to high. Season chicken with salt and pepper and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil to keep it from sticking to the grill. Cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side and transfer to a foil covered platter to hold. If you are using a grill pan, cook the chicken in 2 batches if necessary. While chicken cooks, make sauce.

Place a medium pot on the stove over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan. Add garlic, crushed red pepper flakes and chopped onions. Cook 10 minutes, stirring often. Add tomatoes and heat through, 2 minutes. Wilt in the basil and season the sauce with salt and pepper.

Preheat the broiler to high.

Layer the chicken with fire roasted sauce in a casserole dish. Top the casserole with Parmigiano and mozzarella. Brown the casserole under the broiler 3 minutes

* I stood in the canned veggie aisle for a good 4 minutes with the $.88 Kroger-brand diced tomatoes in one hand and the $2.19 fire roasted diced tomatoes in the other, weighing my options. At more than twice the price, the organic Muir Glenn seemed a bit extravagant. I mean, I'm on a budget, people. I finally decided to splurge, and boy was it worth it! I love chicken parmesan, no matter how it comes, but that extra fire-roasted flavor, combined with just a bit of heat from the crushed red pepper flakes, really sets this recipe apart.

** Quinoa is a whole grain that is native to South America. The Incas ate Quinoa! It's full of protein, and is gluten-free. It's great for those trying to eat lo-glycemic, and comes as a grain, pasta, flour, and flake, depending on what varieties your store carries. It cooks like wheat pasta (just don't over-cook), and it tastes like wheat pasta. It's a winner! Just watch your portion sizes, since it's still a grain.

We both loved this meal, and it's definitely going into our regular rotation!

Peace,

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Here's another easy, delicious, non-salad lunch option:

Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Adapted from Kelly at TastyKitchen.com

Ingredients

• 2 cups Chicken Broth
• 12 oz Frozen Chopped Broccoli
• 2 Tbsps Butter
• 1/3 cups Onion, diced
• 2 Tbsps All-purpose Flour
• 2/3 cups skim Milk
• 1 cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 1/3 pinches Ground White Pepper

In a large pot over medium heat, bring the broth to a simmer (a few small bubbles reaching the surface). Add the broccoli to the broth and continue to simmer for 15 minutes. To achieve a less ‘chunky’ soup, use a potato masher to smash the broccoli into smaller pieces and thicken the broth.

In a separate skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Then, add the onions and saute for 5 minutes or to desired tenderness. Add the flour to the onions and stir well, forming a pasty substance. Gradually add the milk and stir until thick.

Add this mixture to the broccoli mixture in the pot and stir well. I used an immersion blender to make it really smooth, since that's the way I like it. A regular blender would be fine, just be sure to do it in two batches and hold the lid on tight!

Next, add the cheese, stirring until melted (the heat can be turned off at this point). Finally, add the pepper to taste. We didn't have white pepper, so I just used regular pepper and salt. I topped it with a little bit of cheese and paprika, more to make it pretty than for taste. ; )

I found out as we were eating that Rob likes his soup with bigger bits of broccoli, so next time I might save some of the broccoli that has been simmered to add before serving.

Photos © Me

Either way, the flavor was great!

Peace,

Easy Slow Cooker Chili

We have been getting sick of salads recently. (Literally. I must have an aversion to slimey lettuce or something. I have had a couple of days when I made a salad for lunch and was so grossed out by it that I couldn't eat it.) So last weekend I made chili to have on-hand for easy lunches.

Chili is a fantastic high protein, high fiber, lo-glycemic meal, and is especially wonderful when cooked in large batches in a slow cooker (crock pot, whatever you want to call it...). This recipe makes a gigantic amount, so I freeze half of it. I like to use ground turkey instead of beef in my chili—all the other flavors are so great, even the heartiest beef eater won't really notice, and it cuts the fat content way down.

Simple Chili
adapted from Les DuLunch on TastyKitchen.com

Servings: 6–10
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 1–4 hours

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Ground Beef (or turkey)**
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
• 1 Green Pepper, Diced
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 4 cans (14 Oz. Can) Beans (red, black, kidney, chili, pinto, etc. I like variety, so I mix it up)
• 4 cans (14 Oz. Can) Diced No-salt-added Tomatoes‚—you can always add salt later
• 4 Tablespoons Chili Powder, to taste
• 2 Tablespoons Ground Cumin, to taste
• Optional toppings: Tabasco, salsa, sliced jalapeños, non-fat sour cream, shredded white cheddar (white cheeses have less fat than yellow cheese, FYI)

Brown the ground meat with the onions, green peppers, and garlic together till the ground beef is no longer pink; drain (and rinse if you’re worried about fat).

Turn the slow cooker to "high" setting. Drain and rinse the beans well. (This is supposed to help diminish the flatulence factor. Apparently the juices in canned beans causes most of the problem.) Add beans and tomatoes to slow cooker. I don't drain the tomatoes, as some of the liquid cooks off in the process.

Once the meat is cooked and drained, throw it in the slow cooker. Add the chili powder and cumin, and give it a good stir. Set your timer for anywhere from 1 to 4 hours. Pretty much once it's hot, it's ready to eat, but the longer it cooks, the better the flavors, in my opinion.


This chili tolerates variations well. Try adding unsweetened cocoa powder, brown sugar, star anise (remove before serving), cayenne, ground chipotles, beer, or red wine for some unique flavoring.  I haven't tried any of these, but the original author of the recipe suggests them. Adding cocoa, brown sugar, beer, or wine will make this higher glycemic, so add at your own discretion.

Serve with Tabasco, salsa, sliced jalapeños, non-fat sour cream, shredded white cheddar, etc.

All Photos © Me

**For a vegetarian version, cut three or four carrots into about a half-inch dice and brown them with the onions, green peppers, and garlic. The carrots make for a sweeter chili, but give the mouth-feel of meat. Maybe try some celery too.

Peace,

Fish Tacos

We had some friends over for dinner on Monday, and gave some new recipes a try.

We had fish tacos with lettuce wraps instead of taco shells. So good! Check this out:

Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette
adapted from Our Best Bites

Ingredients:

• 1/4 c. fresh lime juice (about 2-3 juicy limes)
• 1/4 c. white wine vinegar or rice vinegar
• 4-5 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp. Kosher or sea salt
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1 c. canola oil
• 1/2 c. roughly chopped cilantro, stems removed

In the jar of your blender, combine lime juice, vinegar, garlic, salt, and sugar. Blend until ingredients are completely combined. With the blender running, add the oil in a steady stream. Add cilantro and blend until the cilantro has broken down but still maintains some of its texture. Chill a few hours or overnight. Serve with greens, on any type of Mexican salad, or use as a marinade.

Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing (Green Sauce)
adapted from Our Best Bites

Ingredients:

• 1 pack (1oz) Ranch Dressing Mix*
• 1C mayonnaise (I don't like mayo to begin with, but I especially don't like low-fat. So I just use canola mayonnaise, which is more heart-healthy than veggie-oil mayo)
• 1/2 C milk
• 1 lime (about 2T)
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro
• 1/4 C green salsa
• hot sauce

Place milk, mayo, and ranch mix in a blender. Juice the lime in there too. Toss in the garlic, cilantro and green salsa. Blend. Sample it and add hot sauce to taste. Make it several hours ahead of time to allow it to thicken.

Some green salsas are super-hot, so be sure you find one you like before mixing up a whole of this stuff.

To make the dressing, combine the mayonnaise, buttermilk, and 1 tablespoon of mix. Blend well and serve over your favorite salad. Chill a few hours or overnight to allow thickening.

Grilled Fish Tacos
adapted from Our Best Bites 

Ingredients:

• Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette above
• 2 fillets mild white fish (we used tilapia)
• Iceberg (or other large-leaf) lettuce for wraps, in place of tortillas
• Toppings: Green Sauce above, Salsa, Pico de gallo, guacamole, cabbage (cole slaw mix), cotija cheese (this is a soft, crumbly Mexican cheese, like feta, but tastes more like a mild mozzarella), lime wedges for drizzling and salt for seasoning.

Marinate fish in Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette for at least 20 minutes (ours marinated for about an hour & were delicious!), then grill. We made a packet out of foil, which we left open on top to make clean-up easier but still allow us to get some of that good grill flavor.

Serve the fish flaked or in whole pieces, and top as you wish!

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*For an MSG-free option (MSG = monosodium glutamate), I used this recipe for homemade ranch dressing mix:

Ingredients:

• 7 saltine crackers (use gluten-free, if necessary)
  
• 2 tablespoons garlic salt
• 2 tablespoons onion powder
• 3/4 cup dry minced parsley flakes
• 1/4 cup dry minced onion
• 1 tablespoon dry dillweed
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup buttermilk

Blend crackers in an electric blender on high speed until powdered. Now add the parsley, the minced onion, and the dill weed. Blend again until it is powdered. Then, pour the mixture into a bowl. Next, stir in the garlic salt, onion powder, and garlic powder.

Store this dry mix in a container with a tight-fitting lid at room temperature for up to 1 year.

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The Verdict: Thumbs up all around! We ate ourselves silly on this one. The only thing to watch out for is the amount of Green Sauce you use, since it has the full-fat mayo. We're excited to try this again with corn tortillas once we add grains back into our diet. (The link to the vinaigrette has some tips for lightly cooking the tortillas to make them flexible enough for all the fillings.) 

Definitely give it a try!

Peace,

A New Hobbie

Recently R and I have embarked on a new adventure. In eating. We decided that we want to take better care of ourselves, from the inside out. So, we're transitioning into eating a (mainly) low-glycemic diet.

The premise behind the Glycemic Index (GI) is that different foods affect a person's blood sugar differently. Foods with a high GI cause blood sugar to spike, which then leads to a crash. Low GI foods cause a more gradual increase in blood sugar, which means a gradual decrease instead of a crash. The gradual increase/decrease is preferable because it causes the metabolism to rev up and continue working longer, which helps control appetite and delays hunger.

That's a very rough explanation, since we're still learning. See www.GlycemicIndex.com for more information.

Anyway, we are making this change with the aid of a program called Transitions Lifestyle. We have a coach and a few other folks who are going through it with us, and boy is it ever worth the cost of admission (which isn't something to sneeze at, but still totally worth it...). We're getting an education about what different foods do to us, and knowing is half the battle, right? Plus we have encouragement and accountability from people who are struggling with the same things we are. I don't think we would have made it through the first week without them. (Hello fruits-and-veggies-only-detox-for-seven-days.)

The point of all this is to say that we're eating differently. And it's not always easy to figure out what we can eat. Especially when all I want is a gigantic plate of pasta and ice cream for dessert. How do you eat Asian food without rice (super-hi-glycemic) or tacos without...well, without the taco? We're currently not supposed to be eating grains at all (just one more week of that!), and even when we're allowed to, we shouldn't be eating nearly as much as we were before the transition. Sounds like fun, huh?

Bottom line—I want to start keeping track of this adventure—what we eat, new recipes we try, whether we like it or not, how we feel as we change our lifestyle, etc. So, when recipes show up here randomly, that's why. We'll be able go back and see what fun new things we've discovered (or icky things we want to avoid), and maybe along the way we can inspire others to join us in believing that we don't have to eat all those complex carbohydrates and over-processed foods our American diets are full of.

Peace,