Tag Archives: fast meal

Skinny Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

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Skinny Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

So I’ve said this before but seriously, I love spaghetti squash. It is so easy and I am just fascinated by how it turns all stringy and spaghetti like! This is cool recipe becuase it actually is very rich and filling just on it’s own. I am to be honest, not a big alfredo fan. Not that I don’t like it but never really have made it and given the choice out at a restaraunt I’d rather have something more fresh tasting with tomatoes veggies etc….. Anyway, I thought I would give this a try with one of the squashes my mom gave me last time I visited her and it turned out really good! Hope you enjoy!!!

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INGREDIENTS:
1 spaghetti squash ( I used a medium/large sized one)

1 Tablespoon butter

3 cloves of garlic, finely minced

2 Tablespoons flour

1 cup milk (I used fat-free)

1 Tablespoon cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus 2 Tablespoons extra for topping

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Crushed red pepper flakes and fresh parsley or basil, for optional garnish

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

First, cook the squash. There are several methods to do this. I usually just cut in half and microwave for about 10-15 minutes. Usually thats how I do it because I can’t plan ahead/don’t have the patience to cook it in the oven but if you don’t want to use microwaves you can use your oven! Just cut spaghetti squash in half using a large sharp knife, scoop out the seeds and place cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet with some water on the bottom of the pan. Bake until tender, about an hour.

Once squash is cooked, use a fork to gently scrape the “spaghetti” strands into the center. Careful you dont burn your fingers. I usually do everytime, must be that patience thing again 🙂

For the sauce, melt butter in a small pot over medium-low heat. Once hot, add garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Whisk in flour slowly, cooking for another minute while stirring. Whisk in milk until no lumps remain. Once hot, add cream cheese and stir until smooth. Remove from the heat. Stir in Parmesan, salt and pepper.

Spoon sauce equally into each spaghetti squash half. Gently mix the spaghetti strands to coat as much as possible with the sauce. Top with extra Parmesan and place under the broiler of your oven for 2-3 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.

Top each half with a pinch of red pepper flakes and fresh chopped parsley or basil, if desired. Serve hot and enjoy!!

Thanks for stopping by my blog!

xoxo

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Creamy Spinach & Sausage Pasta

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Creamy Spinach & Sausage Pasta

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This picture could definitely use some better lighting but you get the idea 😉

Ingredients

  • 1 package smoked sausage of your liking
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes w/chiles
  • 2.5 cups chicken broth
  • 1 lb pasta (any shape you want)
  • 1 package fresh spinach
  • 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded monterrey jack
  • 1 bunch green onions

Instructions

  1. Thinly slice the smoked sausage and add it to a large skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Saute the sausage over medium heat until it is nicely browned (about 5-7 minutes). Drain off the excess fat.
  2. Dice the onion and add it to the skillet. Continue to saute until the onion has softened (about 5 minutes). Add the can of diced tomatoes with chiles and the chicken broth. Stir to combine and dissolve any browned bits off of the bottom of the skillet.
  3. Add the uncooked pasta to the skillet and make sure it is all submerged under the liquid. Place a lid on the skillet and allow the mixture to come up to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for about ten minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Stir once or twice while the pasta cooks to keep it from sticking.
  4. Stir in the fresh spinach, one cup at a time, until wilted. If you add it all at once, the skillet will be too full to stir. Keep the heat on while adding the spinach, so the liquid will continue to simmer and thicken.
  5. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top, replace the lid, and let it sit for a few minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Slice the green onions and sprinkle them over top. Serve hot!

Jake seriously loved this! He snuck a bit before I sat down and was like ” this is so good! What is in here? Seriously this is really delicious”. That always makes me super happy when he loves what I cook. Now you can share this with your loved ones 🙂 Enjoy!

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Black Bean & Pepper Polenta Bowl

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Black Bean & Pepper Polenta Bowl

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gluten-free, vegan option // yields 4-5 servings

for the onions + peppers
1 tablespoon coconut oil or any kind of oil you want
1 large red onion, sliced
1 1/2 sweet bell peppers, sliced
sea salt

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat.
Add the onion and peppers and stir frequently until just softened. 5-7 minutes.
Generously sprinkle with salt, stir, then reduce heat to med-low for about 25-30 minutes until fully golden brown and caramelized. Stir every few minutes. Seriously I know you’ll be tempted to use them right away before they are fully caramelized but the time it takes to caramelize is totally worth it!! DO ITTTT.

for the black beans
2 tablespoons coconut oil or any kind of oil you want
1 3/4 cup cooked black beans, if using canned- rinsed + drained
1 small can diced mild green chiles
1/4 cup no/low-sodium vegetable broth
1/4 cup salsa
1/2 tsp chipotle pepper powder
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp cumin
sea salt

Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat.
Add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds – 1 minute until fragrant and ever so lightly(seriously hardly at all or it will taste bitter)browned.
Stir in the black beans, green chiles, veggie broth, salsa, chipotle, and cumin.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer uncovered for 10 – 15 minutes until thickened and almost all of the liquid has cooked off, stirring occasionally.

for the polenta
1 cup dry polenta aka “corn grits”
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups low/no-sodium vegetable broth
3/4 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese, * totally optional
few splashes of hot sauce (I used a little Franks and a little Siracha)
black pepper

**I used Bob’s Red Mill polenta grits, so be sure to check your package for exact instructions.**
Bring water + veggie broth to a boil.
Slowly stir in the polenta grits, reduce heat to simmer ( low)
Stir occasionally for 5 minutes.
Stir in the cheese [if using], hot sauce, and a few pinches of black pepper, then cover for 5 minutes before serving. If it thickens too much add a bit more water and heat over med-low until smoothed out and creamy.

The cheese is not necessary at all if you need this dairy-free or vegan. Honestly if I was making this just for me, I’d leave it out. I thought Jake would be more willing to try ‘scary’ polenta if it was cheesy 🙂

Once all the items are done, serve it up! I just put the beans and onion/pepper mix on top of the polenta and garnished with some cilantro and sliced avacado! It was verrrry good. Lots of flavors all coming together. Jake told me it tasted like a restaurant meal 🙂 awww love that man ❤

As always, thanks for stoping by my blog !

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Easy Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

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Easy Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

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Hi All!!

With Thanksgiving coming up soon you will probably have a little extra turkey hanging out in your fridge 🙂  I love finding fun things to do with leftovers because we always seem to have so many each year. Last year we (my mom and I) made a turkey and pumpkin soup and it was delicious!!! Of course there is nothing wrong with cold turkey sandwiches also(personal fav). This recipe is very simple and takes almost no time at all to whip up, which is nice after slaving away for Thanksgiving. It’s also sort of refreshing that it’s a totally different taste combination than all of the traditional flavors we all will have just had! Hope you enjoy!!!

Ingredients

  • 1 can (19 oz) mild enchilada sauce
  • 4 cups shredded chicken(or leftover turkey)
  • 1 bag (8 oz) shredded Mexican cheese blend
  • 2/3 cup Neufchatel cheese (or 1/3-less-fat-cream cheese)
  • 10-15 small flour tortillas
  • Sliced fresh jalapeño peppers, fresh cilantro leaves and diced fresh tomato for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Coat one 4-quart or two 2-quart baking dishes with nonstick cooking spray. If using 1 dish, spread 1/3 cup of the enchilada sauce in bottom. If using 2 dishes, spread half of the 1/3 cup of the enchilada sauce in bottom of each dish.

2. In a bowl, combine chicken, 1 cup of the shredded cheese and 3/4 cup of the enchilada sauce.

3. Spread about 2 tsp of Neufchatel on a tortilla. Spoon 2 to 3 tbsp chicken mixture in a strip in center of tortilla. Roll up tightly to enclose filling; transfer to prepared dish(es). Repeat with remaining tortillas, cream cheese and chicken mixture to yield 16 enchiladas. I used toothpicks to secure each tortilla so that they stayed closed.

4. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas, dividing evenly between dishes(if using two). Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Increase temperature to 400 degrees and bake an additional 5 minutes, until cheese begins to brown slightly. Garnish with whatever toppings you like: jalapeño slices, avocado, and cilantro. Enjoy!!!!

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Thanks for checking out my blog fellow foodies!

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Roasted Vegetable Stacked Enchiladas

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Roasted Vegetable Stacked Enchiladas

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Ingredients:

1 large red pepper, chopped, seeds removed
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 medium yellow squash, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 sweet potato chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups red enchilada sauce
9-10 small corn tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

*This is optional but I added the zest and juice of 1 lime to mine 🙂

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place red pepper, zucchini, yellow squash, sweet potato, and onion on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss until vegetables are coated. Season with salt and pepper. Roast vegetables for 30-40 minutes, or until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove vegetables from oven and let cool to room temperature. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

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2. Grease an 8×8 square baking pan and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine roasted vegetables, black beans, cumin, chili powder, garlic, jalapeño, lime zest and juice(if using) and cilantro. Stir and season with salt and pepper.

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3. Spread 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce into the bottom of the baking pan. Add a layer of tortillas, to completely cover the bottom of the pan(See my picture before for a trick!). Top with 1/3 of the vegetable/bean mixture and 1/3 of the cheese. Make a second layer of tortilla, enchilada sauce, vegetables/beans, and cheese. Top with with a layer of tortillas, enchilada sauce, vegetables/beans, and cheese. Spray a sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray and cover the pan.

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My mom taught my this trick to cut off two sides of the round tortillas. This makes them fit perfectly in the corners of pans with minimal overlap so you have a perfectly even layer. She’s a genius 🙂

4. Bake enchiladas for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and the enchiladas are bubbling. Remove enchiladas from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Cut into squares and serve warm.

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This is another beautiful meal. I served this with some Salsa and chips and we had a delicious light meal. Hope you enjoy and of course thanks for reading my blog. I’m blown away at how many views and comments I get in a day. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that so many people would visit my site when I started this. Seriously you all make me so happy! 🙂

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