Spaghetti Squash

In the New Year, everyone resolves to eat better and make better lifestyle decisions. And I'm one of them. In fact, this blog started as a result of a very successful New Year's Resolution a few years back. One thing that I have been wanting to try to make for a while is spaghetti squash. I've had it at various Vegan dinner parties in recent weeks, but I had yet to attempt it myself. Earlier in January I had made my homemade marinara sauce with meatballs. You can see that recipe here. Since it makes enough for a small, hungry army, I often freeze a large amount of it so I can enjoy it throughout the winter. So I decided to break it out for my first foray into spaghetti squash. I strongly believe that with a good topping, anyone can enjoy spaghetti squash as a healthy alternative to regular pasta.

Spaghetti Squash (serves 2-3 people, depending on size of squash)

Ingredients:

• Spaghetti Squash
• Olive oil
• Oregano, dried
• Sea Salt
• Pepper
• Your Favorite Sauce

Directions:

Probably the most difficult part about working with spaghetti squash (or any squash for that matter) is cutting it in half. Those suckers are hard to work with! It took a very large, sharp knife for me to cut these in half...and arm strength I just don't have. So...I elected to cook them for 10 minutes or so first in order to soften them up, and then cut them in half for the rest of the time. But hopefully you're stronger than me!

If you are able to cut these suckers in half, do that first. Then scoop out the pulp and seeds from the middle. You can elect to toast the seeds as a snack, or just toss these. They will not be needed for the dish. Once this is completed, sprinkle the insides with olive oil, oregano, sea salt and pepper. Then place them rind side up and bake in a 375 degree oven for 30-40 minutes, until they have softened on the inside. Then just take a fork and shred out the spaghetti squash. Toss with your sauce and serve!

Chicken Parmesan with Pasta

It's a new year. And with each new year, there is always a mad dash to resolve to eat better and work out more. I always make it a point to try and find healthier version of comfort foods, especially during the winter. This past week was no exception. I effectively had a quiet week where I essentially went to work, went to the gym, and went home and cooked. I relished in the quiet and caught up on some much needed sleep.

But in deciding which dish to make in a lighter, yet tasty way, I found myself gravitating toward a type of cuisine that I don't cook very often: Italian. After discussing eating habits and preferences over the weekend, I came to realize that not everyone is adventurous as me when it comes to eating. And that's to be expected. Everyone has their tastes and their preferences. I have had some great Italian food in my time, but I don't cook it very often. So I was inspired to revisit an Italian classic that just about anyone can get behind...Chicken parmesan.

But before I share the recipe, I want to share a story about chicken parm and veal parm, an oldie but a goodie involving my grandmother. She has always been a fan of the Olive Garden (I will keep my opinions to myself there!) and a few years ago, we were in the process of packing her up to sell her home and to move into an assisted living facility. What we discovered in her large freezer in her basement was pretty amazing. Boxes upon boxes of veal and chicken parm from Olive Garden. She would always pack up half of her meal to take home. Then she'd freeze it. And forget about it. I can only imagine how old some of those Styrofoam boxes were. To this day, she still likes to go to the Olive Garden. So I bought her a gift card to go there with her card playing friends sometime this winter. And I bet she'll order the parm. But at 91, I just hope she indulges a bit and eats the whole damn thing.

Chicken Parmesan with Pasta (serves 4)

Ingredients:

4 oz uncooked pasta

2 (14.5-oz) cans unsalted petite-diced tomatoes, drained

1 1/2 TB olive oil, divided

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided

3 TB finely chopped fresh basil

2 (8-oz) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

2 TB all-purpose flour

1 tsp garlic powder

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated

1 tsp butter

2 oz part-skim mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

Torn basil leaves

Directions:

Preheat broiler to high.

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.

While pasta cooks, place tomatoes in a food processor; process until almost smooth. Heat a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add pepper and garlic; cook 1 minute or until fragrant, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes and 3/8 teaspoon salt; cook 15 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Stir in chopped basil. Toss 1 cup sauce with pasta; keep warm.

While sauce cooks, split each chicken breast half horizontally to form 2 cutlets. There will be four in total. Combine flour, garlic powder, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt. Sprinkle tops of cutlets with half of flour mixture; pat evenly onto cutlets. Turn cutlets over. Sprinkle with remaining flour mixture; pat onto cutlets. Shake off any excess flour. Place egg in a shallow dish. Combine panko and Parmigiano-Reggiano in another shallow dish. Dip cutlets in egg; dredge in panko mixture.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and butter to pan; swirl until butter melts. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned and done. Place chicken on a baking sheet; top evenly with mozzarella. Broil 2 minutes or until cheese melts.

Arrange about 1/2 cup pasta mixture on each plate; top each with 1 cutlet and about 3 tablespoons remaining sauce. Sprinkle with torn basil, if desired. And if you're me, just a bit more cheese.

Homemade Marinara and Meatballs

There are plenty of jarred sauces out there. However, I think when you have a little time to kill, it's worth it to make a homemade sauce.

I have made this sauce a few times, and every time it turn out a bit differently. It makes for a small army, so I suggest having company over for this. It also freezes amazingly well. I will be breaking out some of the frozen sauce in the coming weeks as I continue to pack my lunch daily.

I've posted this on here before, but I'm reposting because I've made some adjustments to how I make it, improving it a bit, in my book at least.

Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• 5 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 small onion, chopped
• fresh chopped parsley (guesstimate, I have no idea how much I ended up using)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 TB oregano
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• Fresh basil (approximately 1/4 cup)
• 3 (28 oz) cans of crushed tomatoes (plum, preferably) in sauce
• 1 (15 oz) can of tomato sauce
• 2 carrots (cut up)
• 1 TB salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 3 sweet Italian sausage links
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp baking soda

Directions:

Put olive oil in large cooking pot, put enough in to cover the bottom of the pan. Put the chopped garlic and chopped onions in and simmer until light brown color.

Add the 3 cans of tomatoes in sauce. Also add tomato sauce and mix. Add the cut up carrots, which help cut the acidity in the sauce.

Next add the salt and chopped parsley. Add basil leaves and oregano to the sauce. Add bay leaves and 1/2 tsp sugar in the gravy. Simmer for 1 1/2-2 hours.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine the ground beef, eggs, parsley, bread crumbs, 1/2 tsp salt and a little pepper. Sprinkle in the garlic and onion powders. Mix up and make into meatballs. Put the meatballs into a frying pan coated in olive oil and brown each side. This should take approximately 5 minutes. Then add meatballs to the sauce.

Add sausage to the sauce. It should naturally crumble during the course of cooking. The meat can probably sit in the sauce for up to 1 1/2 hours as it simmers.

Enjoy over your favorite pasta. I like to serve with fresh shredded parmesan.