I’m not a noodle hater by any means. You gotta put Sunday Sauce on something, right? And spaghetti is my favorite. Unfortunately, pasta isn’t exactly a conquering hero for the department of nutrition. But I fret not. Finally after all these years of twirling my fork full of empty carbs, I found a healthier substitute that meets my fancy. Not quite the same consistency as pasta but holding just as much water in a battle of culinary delight, the Spaghetti Squash has won a seat at my table and in the bellies of me and my loved one.

I adapted this recipe from one found on AllRecipes.com. When I first started dapling in the art of food, All Recipes was my go to guide for how-to’s in the kitchen.  I’ve since evolved, but they’ll always be a tried and true.

Spaghetti Squash Delight

Ingredients

• 1 spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed
• 4 roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 4 tbsp goat cheese
• basil, fresh or dried
• 1/4 c. kalamata olives, halved
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• cooking spray

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
• Place spaghetti squash cut sides down on the prepared baking sheet, and bake until a sharp knife can be inserted with only a little resistance (about 35 minutes). Remove from oven and set aside to cool enough to be easily handled.
• Heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic, onion and dried basil (if using),  and cook until tender. Stir in the tomatoes, and cook only until tomatoes are warm.
• Use a large spoon to scoop the stringy pulp from the squash into in a medium bowl. Mix in veggies, olives and fresh basil (if using, I didn’t have any ). Serve warm topped with goat cheese.

This dish was so good! I was really impressed. If you haven’t yet discovered the joys of cooking, I highly recommend it. I get so much satisfaction from sitting down to a healthy and delicious meal that I’ve made myself.

Happy Day-Light Savings!

Oatmeal may appear to be just a bowl of warm carbs, but “oh contraire!” While oats certainly do contain carbohydrates, they’re a little more complex than that. (aahh, how’s that for a pun!)

Anyway. Unlike simple carbs like refined sugar and white flour, oatmeal is full of fiber and digested slower which means two very good things. One…it makes you feel full longer, perfect for those trying to lose weight, and two…it won’t raise your blood sugar levels as much as quickly, making it a good choice for diabetics.  My favorite reason for eating oats in the morning, they go great with an array of toppings.

I went all the way with this morning’s oatmeal recipe. It was so good. Even the All-Star, an old lover of crappy instant packaged oatmeal, filled with sugar and dehydrated fruits, wished for seconds. Houston, we’ve made contact!

So this recipe was inspired by a can of pumpkin that’s been sitting in my cubbard since we moved in.

Just a couple tablespoons…

Some blueberries I picked up yesterday, which aren’t local but are SO good…

A touch of vanilla extract, some crushed walnuts, coconut flakes and voila…

sprinkled with cinnamon…Breakfast deliciousness!

What’s favorite addition to oatmeal?

Okay, so it’s Lent. For many that means no meat on Fridays. But don’t let Lent be an excuse for carbs. Pasta, the easy vegetarian fix, it isn’t exactly a nutritional substance. And while we’d like to think that faux-meat is a healthy alternative, it’s really just another example of a processed food-like substance. So what’s the alternative? Of course you can have fish, a wonderful source of omega-3’s and a nutritious way to keep the ritual. But fresh fish isn’t always an option. I say, turn to the bean! High in fiber and protein and always available, a hearty bean soup can fill your belly and your appetite, especially in these last few weeks before the thaw.  Here’s my recipe for a delicious black bean soup I conjured up. Let me know what you think.

Black Bean Soup

1 lb black beans, soaked overnight in water and rinsed
3 red bell peppers, chopped
1 serano pepper, chopped
1 jalepeno pepper,chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 organic celery stalks, Chopped
3 garlic cloves (optional)
1 cup corn, freshly cut from the cob (if available)
4 cups vegetable (or chicken) broth (according to mom it’s only the flesh of the animal you have to refrain from)
2 tbsp canola oil
2 tsp chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh cilantro
1 lime
a little bit of sour cream (just to be naughty)

I went the total easy route with this recipe. Warmed some oil, added the veggies and beans at the same time, mixed it together, then added the stock and the spices to taste. Set it low and cooked it partially cover until the beans were tender, about an hour. Viola! Perfecto! It was delicious.

Mushrooms keep finding their way into my recipes lately. Maybe my body instinctively knows that they’re a good source of nutrients like potassium, selenium, and vitamin B. More likely it’s just because I dig their earthy flavor. Whatever the reason, I’m happy when there’s fungus on my plate!

For tonight I made a snap pea and mushroom saute. It was de-licious! Snap peas are another favorite of which I definitely don’t eat enough. They too are loaded with nutrients. Vitamin K, manganese and fiber, to name just a few.

I have fond memories from my childhood when my dad grew these puppies in our backyard garden. I would pick and eat them right of the vine. I loved their sweet crunchiness…and I still do!

Snap Pea and Mushroom Saute

• 3 cups snap peas, rinsed
• 2 cups white mushrooms
• half a onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• several sprays of Bragg Liquid Aminos
• red pepper flakes to taste

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add all ingredients and cook for 5-8 minutes.

After this, I definitely feel nourished!

The All-Star and I need nourishment after our Valentine’s Day trauma, so I put my concocting hat on and made a soup. No recipe needed, a Laura original. Always a favorite around here, expect when they’re not so good. We all make a not-so-good dish now and again. It’s all part of learning to cook.

Luckily, this meal was not gross. It was very delicious.

Spinach Soup with Broccoli and Quinoa

Ingredients

• 1 large bunch of fresh spinach, rinsed, steams removed and chopped
• 1 large head of broccoli, cut into small flourets
• 1 yam, peeled and cubed
• 1 medium sized onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups organic chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 16 oz creamy portobello mushroom soup
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 tsp thyme
• 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• In a large sauce pan heat oil over medium heat.  Add onions and garlic and cook until translucent.  Mix in broccoli, yam and quinoa.
• Pour in broth and water and bring to a boil.  Add salt and pepper, set temperature to low and simmer until vegetables are soft, about 30 minutes.
• Stir in mushroom soup, thyme and more salt and pepper to taste. Add spinach and chicken and cook until spinach is wilted, about 5 more minutes.  Serve and enjoy!

Feel free to use whatever herbs and spices you like. I’m a fan of thyme. The All-Star said it gave the meal a minty flavor. Sounds good to me.

Last night I made my first chowder. I was numb-scully calling it fish soup not thinking that it was “duh” – chowder.  Anyway it was delicious and worth sharing with you all.  If you’ve never made chowder, I encourage giving it a try.  It was nice and light and I felt sort of humbled eating it.  Not sure why, maybe it was the mushrooms…in the soup.  They gave it a real earthy feel.

Tilapia and Corn Chowder

Ingredients

• 2 slices of bacon (optional of course)
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 leek, white part only, halved lengthwise, rinsed and thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 Yukon Gold potato, diced
• 2 cups fresh corn kernels, (about 4 ears)
• 2 cups white mushrooms (sliced)
• 1 1/2 pounds tilapia fillets, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Directions

• Chop bacon and cook in a large pot over medium heat until crispy, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
• Add oil to the pan. Add celery, leek, salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables just begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add broth, potatoes, mushrooms, and corn. Bring to a gentle simmer. Cook until the potatoes are just tender and the corn is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Stir in tilapia and thyme; return to a gentle simmer. Cook until the tilapia is cooked through, about 4 minutes more. Remove from the heat.
• Stir in half-and-half, lemon juice and the reserved bacon. Garnish with chives, if using.

Notes from the cook: I didn’t have chives but did have some scallions so I used those as the garnish.  Tasted good.  Also, if you’re not using bacon, you’ll want to add a little more oil to saute the veggies.  Oh yeah, and I modified this recipe from one found on EatingWell.

Enjoy!

And happy long weekend! It’s a beautiful day out in Southern California and we’re going out to play!

Here’s another recipe featured by The Food Network. It’s a Giada de Laurentiis.  I really seem to like her recipes the best. It must be the Italian in me.  As always I changed some things and I’ll probably change some more the next time I make it but the gist will still be there.  The original recipe called for chicken thighs, a pound of lentils, and one head of cauliflower.  The recipe below is a little different.  I used chicken breast and would recommend half the lentils and twice as much cauliflower. Give it a try and enjoy.

Chicken and Cauliflower Curry

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
• 1/2 cup prepared red Thai curry paste
• 3 cups chicken broth, low-sodium canned, or homemade
• 2 cups whole milk plain yogurt
• 6 bone-in skinless chicken thighs, about 2 1/4 pounds
• 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 lb red lentils, rinsed
• 1 large head cauliflower, broken into large florets
• 2 (16-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 bunch fresh mint or cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1 lemon, cut in wedges

Directions

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Heat the oil; add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant. Add the curry paste and continue to cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes more. Whisk the broth with all the aromatics in the pan; then pour the liquid into a slow cooker. Whisk the yogurt into the liquid.

Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper. Add the chicken, lentils and remaining salt to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 6 hours, adding cauliflower and chickpeas about half way through cooking.

Divide curry evenly into bowls and scatter freshly torn mint or cilantro on top. Serve with a wedge of lemon.

I found this website that I really like: EatingWell.com. 

I think Eating Well started as a magazine but who needs paper when you’ve got all their delicious recipes and diet help right at your web-browsing fingertips.  I especially like their Diet, Nutrition and Health section where you can find descent information about food and your health as well as special recipes for those with specific diet needs, ie. gluten free, diabetes, low calorie, etc.  They also include nutritional facts, which is always good.  I’m certainly not saying this is the end all website of healthy cooking but like I say, “when in doubt, go home-made” and this is another great resource for adding healthy choices to your personal recipe collection. 

As always, use your discretion and make healthy diet choices that are best for you.  When in doubt, follow the advice of your doctor.

Well, Super Bowl Sunday turned out to be a lot more eventful then the actually Superbowl.  I’m sorry, but did anyone else think that game was a little boring?  For me the highlight of those four hours was The Who’s performance. Great light show!

Anyway. In the morning I made Irish Soda Bread.  Not exactly a healthy-as-can-be choice but what’s a little bit of bread now and again?  (Oh, I feel like I’m going to health-nut hell for that one)  If you dare, check out my recipe page for the recipe.  And if anyone out there has a gluten-free/vegan/healthy variation of your choice,  please share with the class.  Here’s what my baking mess looked like.

I am such a messy baker.  They even look messy baking in the oven.

This bread is so good though.  It’s worth the clean-up.

After the bread-making extravaganza, we were off to another museum.  This time it was the Bowers Museum in Orange.  The Art-Student, as I am now calling him, needed to go there for an assignment and I was happy to tag along.  I believe part of my path to wellness is being cultured and looking at art is a great way to do it. Bowers is a small museum exhibiting mostly early Californian art.  At present, however, they are exhibiting the ancient arts of China. Very cool.  They are also showcasing Chris Rainer who documented through photography the culture of New Guinea.  Very intense.

This was my favorite piece…I really love paintings of market places.

The Art-Student fancied this piece done in pastels…He tried to do his own pastel piece tonight but realized he had no fixer.  Anyway know what to use to fix pastels?

We both agreed that this chess set was amazing.  The carving detail was incredible…

So that was our culture for the day.  We then went on to watch the Colts give it up to the Saints, who deserved to win anyway, in my opinion.

And now it’s Monday.  I felt kinda sickly this morning and cruddy all day.  I feel better now and just completed another baking escapade.  I’ve been baking a lot lately and I’ll tell you why…I’m terrible at it and this bothers me greatly so I need the practice.  I like to think of myself as a pretty good cook but baking is just not my forte.  Those who are good at it, hats off to you.  Perhaps next time you can bestow on me some your magic touch or whatever it is.  Regardless, tonight I made vegetable muffins.  I know it sounds weird, but they are actually pretty good. Think of it more as bread with veggies in it.  I figure they will be good for an on-the-go breakfast.  Maybe with a hummus spread.  This recipe can also be found on the recipe page.

I’m excited for tomorrow.  I’m making a Chicken and Cauliflower Curry in the crock-pot, with a few of my own modifications, of course. Stay tuned to see how it turns out.

It seems that chili is in season this time of year and I’ve unknowingly joined the trend.  I’m not sure where I got the idea to make it.  Perhaps in was the undeniable force of a collective consciousness. Whatever the reason, I was craving it, so I made it, and it was delicious.  Since my own personal chili-party, I’m seeing other bloggers sharing their favorite chili recipes with cyber space, so I thought I’d jump on the bandwagon too.  I found this recipe while looking for something to warm my winter-chilled belly.  It seemed like the perfect dish.  I hope you’ll try it and enjoy. (p.s. It’s a slightly modified Giada recipe. Hi, I’m Laura and I’m a Food Network junky.  Two months sober. I don’t have cable.)

White Bean and Chicken Chili

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 pounds ground chicken
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 (15-ounce cans) Northern white bean, rinsed and drained
• 1 bunch fresh spinach, rinsed, stems removed, and chopped
• 11/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Freshly ground black pepper for seasoning

Directions

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the ground chicken, 1 teaspoon salt, cumin, fennel seeds, oregano, and chili powder. Cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Stir the flour into the chicken mixture. Add the beans, spinach, corn, and chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a simmer, scraping up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Simmer for 55-60 minutes until the liquid has reduced by about half and the chili has thickened. Add the red pepper flakes and simmer for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Next time I’d like to add some crushed tomato and see how that tastes.  I craved a little acidy-sweet. Maybe even a little Cholula would do the trick!