Spaghetti Squash Primavera

I've been craving pasta days, and I have yet to buy a spiraler for zoodles. Spaghetti squash seemed like a good stand in, and it was! Very yummy.

Ingredients
1 spaghetti squash
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 handfuls of spinach
1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes
Sea salt
Black pepper
Garlic powder

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise.
3. Scoop out all seed and string things (looks like a pumpkin).
4. Coat insides of both halves in olive oil with brush and place face down on a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil.
5. Bake for 45 minutes.
6. Scrape out "spaghetti" from inside the squash once it has cooled a bit.
7. Saute onions with garlic and olive oil for 3-5 minutes in skillet.
8. Add in spaghetti squash and mix after sprinkling everything with sea salt, black pepper, and garlic powder to taste.
9. Add spinach and sun dried tomatoes, stirring until well mixed.
10. Continue to heat for 3-5 minutes.
11. Remove from heat and serve. I added a little fresh Parmesan on top for a little extra flavor. Definitely recommended to enjoy! 

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Zucchini Pepperoni Sticks

I've been repeating recipes lately so haven't been posting as much. I've had the worst craving for pizza lately, so I decided to make one....on a piece of zucchini. It definitely helped satisfy the craving!

Ingredients
2 medium zucchini
1 small can tomato sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
20 slices of pepperoni
Garlic powder
Italian seasoning

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Slice zucchini in half length-wise and scoop out some of the zucchini to create a little boat.
3. Use paper towel to dab out as much water from the zucchini as possible (It will help you when eating later).
4. Sprinkle garlic powder and Italian seasoning on zucchini slices.
5. Mix about a tablespoon of garlic powder and Italian seasoning with the tomato sauce and then spread two-ish table spoons onto each zucchini slice.
6. Sprinkle mozzarella onto zucchini slices evenly.
7. Add 5 pepperoni slices to each zucchini. (I sprinkled a little of the cheese over the pepperoni.)
8. Bake zucchini for 40 minutes.
9. Enjoy!

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Quinoa Taco Bake

New favorite thing. Soooooooooo yummy! There really isn't anything else I can say about it other than I'm throwing in some fresh peppers and onions next time. I'm sure this would be fabulous vegetarian too! Just include all the seasonings on the veggies instead of in the ground turkey.

Ingredients
1 lb ground turkey
3 cups quinoa (4 if not using ground turkey)
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 can Rotel
1 cup shredded zucchini
1 cup shredded yellow squash
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup shredded cheese
1 cup shredded cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Begin cooking quinoa according to instructions on package.
3. Begin browning ground turkey in large skillet. When turkey is beginning to brown, add minced garlic and cook for 1-2 more minutes.
4. Add chili powder, paprika, cumin, and sea salt and mix thoroughly before meat is finished browning.
5. Once turkey is totally cooked, add can of Rotel and allow to cook 2-3 minutes.
6. Add shredded zucchini and shredded squash (and any other vegetable you want to add) and cook until vegetables are soft.
7. Add quinoa to skillet and mix thoroughly. 
8. Add 1/3 portion of shredded cheese and mix thoroughly.
9. Place contents of skillet into 9x13 baking dish coated lightly in cooking spray.
10. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top of the dish.
11. Bake for 15 minutes.
12. Enjoy! Seriously. So good.

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Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs

These were so easy to make and super yummy. Matt probably ate at least 12 of them for dinner tonight. We paired them with stir fry veggies (I had more of those) and brown rice. Had someone not devoured them like a wild lion eaten all of them, I'm sure they would have stored really well.

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground turkey

3 chopped green onions

2 inches fresh ginger

3/4 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp soy sauce

1 cup plain bread crumbs

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 egg

1 bottle teriyaki sauce

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Cover baking sheet with foil and a light layer of non-stick spray.
3. Place ground turkey in large mixing bowl. Add in green onion, garlic, soy sauce, plain bread crumbs, black pepper, and egg.
4. Continue by grating ginger into the bowl with fine grater.
5. Mix all ingredients thoroughly (easiest to do with clean hands).
6. Separate meat mixture and form small balls, approximately the size of a ping pong ball.
7. Place balls on the cooking sheet, evenly spaced.
8. Pour a small amount of teriyaki sauce into a separate dish. Use this sauce to brush a small amount of sauce onto each meatball.
9. Bake for 40 minutes.
10. With 5-ish minutes left of baking time, warm the rest of the teriyaki sauce in medium-sized sauce pan.
11. Add meatballs to sauce after they are finished baking and stir. Allow them to sit for 1-2 minutes so sauce glazes all meatballs.
12. Serve with rice, veggies, or just plain. They even make really great appetizers. Stick a toothpick in them for easy serving and enjoy!

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Avocado Spinach Pasta Sauce

I was so craving Alfredo tonight - like REALLY craving it. It's been a day full of cravings. Anyway, I found this recipe with the hopes that it would temper that need for buttery goodness. It did a pretty good job. I tried to make zucchini noodles with it, but that didn't go so well. Whole wheat penne got subbed in at the last minute. I threw in some slices of bell pepper and yellow onion along with blackened chicken, just for fun. I'm not much of a sauce person in general so I didn't totally coat my pasta. I'm sure it would be yummy with more on it too.

Ingredients
10 oz whole wheat pasta (or zucchini noodles)
1 avocado
1 cup fresh spinach
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp basil
1 Tbsp crushed red pepper
1 cup pasta water (or chicken/veggie stock)
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp sea salt

Instructions

1. Begin cooking pasta and any vegetables/meat you would like to add to the pasta.
2. While pasta is cooking, add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth.
3. Once pasta is cooked, add desired amount of sauce pasta, and vegetables (optional) to skillet and heat for 2 minutes.
4. Serve and enjoy!

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Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes

I'm not much of a breakfast person, although I've been trying to change that, but I do love breakfast foods for lunch and dinner. This recipe is FREAKING PHENOMENAL. I won't take credit for it. This one came from Sally's Baking Addiction (amazing blog - check it out!). I didn't realize I was out of whole wheat flour - 4H alums tend to have that laying around, so white flour was used in the picture. Sally's are prettier, but hey, we aren't all expert bakers. Whole wheat would definitely make them fluffier and even more delicious! I've copied the recipe below to make it easier to find for down the road.

Ingredients
1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 large egg (or 2 egg whites)
1 cup milk (or almond milk)
1/2 cup mashed banana (riper the better)
2 Tbsp brown sugar (dark or light)
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup of desired add-ins (none pictured)

Instructions

1. Toss the flower, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon together in a large bowl.
2. In separate bowl, whisk together egg, milk, and banana.
3. Whisk brown sugar and yogurt until no lumps remain.
4. Whisk in vanilla until thoroughly mixed.
5. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the well.
6. Stir gently until just combined (DO NOT overmix the batter!).
7. Add any of the mix-in's you've chosen, being careful to not over stir.
8. Heat skillet over medium-heat and coat in cooking spray (or oil or butter...but use cooking spray).
9. Once very hot, drop 1/4 cup of batter onto the skillet and cook until the edges look dry and bubbles begin to form in the center.
10. Flip and cook the other side 1-2 minutes.
11. Continue cooking until batter is gone, re-coating skillet in between pancakes.
12. Enjoy this super yummy, no syrup required deliciousness!

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Mexican Vegetarian Loaf

I haven't been too keen on meat lately, so when I saw a Mexican style recipe involving all veggies, I was happy. I added a few more vegetables and chilies to my recipe. It came out a bit dry, so I would cut back on the bread crumbs/mash everything together more if I were to make it again. (This is reflected in the recipe posted here.) The best part of this one is that a serving (1/8th of a loaf) is only 300 calories, has a ton of fiber, and is packed with protein. I don't typically say this about serving sizes, but I was stuffed after dinner.

Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup diced red onion
1 cup fresh spinach
1/4 cup mushrooms
15 oz drained can of kidney beans (trying chili beans next time)
15 oz drained can of seasoned black beans
1 cup corn kernels
7 oz drained can of green chilies
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
BBQ sauce

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Add onions and cook until tender (5 minutes).
4. Add mushrooms and spinach to onions and cook for another 4 minutes.
5. Add kidney beans, black beans, corn, and green chilies. Stir occasionally until beans are softened (about 5-7 minute).
6. Add oregano, chili powder, cumin, black pepper, and sea salt to skillet and stir thoroughly.
7. Mix bread crumbs and cheese in a large mixing bowl.
8. Add skillet mixture to the large bowl, stirring and mashing until the contents of the bowl can be formed into a loaf (like you would with meatloaf).
9. Place loaf in loaf pan and bake for 30 minutes.
10. Remove from oven and cover in a thin layer of BBQ sauce of choice. Bake for 3 additional minutes.
11. Allow the loaf to cool for 5 minutes.
12. Cut, serve, and enjoy your low fat, high fiber/protein dinner!

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