Roasted Acorn Squash & Quinoa Pasta

This dish is probably the best thing I've come across in a LONG time.  Not only is this a keeper, but I think it'll be something I make several more times through the end of the winter.

I made this dish twice.  It's based on a recipe found here.  I adapted it to make a pasta sauce, baked pasta dish as well as a soup.  It's more than fair to say that this is a versatile recipe.

ROASTED ACORN SQUASH & QUINOA PASTA

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup onion

1 tablespoon butter or oil

1 garlic clove

2 cups pureed acorn squash (from 1 roasted corn squash)

1/4 cup ricotta cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary (divided in half)

Parmesan for topping

2 boxes elbow pasta (8oz boxes)

DIRECTIONS:

1. To roast acorn squash, cut squash in half and remove seeds. Place cut side down in a pan filled with about a 1/2″ of water. Roast at 400˚ until squash is tender (mine took about 30 minutes.) Remove and let cool. Scoop out the insides and set aside (this can be done the day before as well.)
2. Cook pasta according to package (or about 2-3 minutes less to make it al dente).
3. In a bowl, stir together the acorn squash, ricotta cheese and Parmesan.
4. In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Finely dice onions and add to pan along with chopped garlic. Cook until onions are translucent and cooked through.
5. Add onions/garlic and squash mixture and puree in a food processor till smooth.
6. Once everything is ready, spoon squash mixture onto pasta.
7. **If you're making the baked version** Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 casserole dish. Combine cooked pasta and squash mixture. Put it in the casserole dish and top with either breadcrumbs or parmesan.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, just enough to get the top a little crispy.

PERSONAL NOTES:

Okay.  So I've made this dish twice now.  It was delicious both times.  Actually, the first time I made the acorn squash mix, I was spooning it out from the food processor right into my mouth.  I could have made a meal just out of that alone.  It was that good.

That said, I decided to see what else I could make from the original recipe. 

Let me rewind for a moment.  Since I didn't have pasta shells, I decided to use the quinoa pasta I had which was elbows.  I made the acorn squash mix as a sauce.

Then the wheels started turning and I thought that it would make a good baked dish, similar to a macaroni and cheese - in the loosest sense of the phrase. 

But then I also thought it would make a great soup if it was thinned out to the right consistency.

Oh - the acorn squash.  It's easier to cut through and set up than butternut squash, but once cooked, it's still a little challenging to scoop out the cooked parts.  There's probably an easier way to do it, but I find my hands get mighty dirty in the process.  Then again, maybe it's good to get the hands dirty now and again ;)

TO MAKE ROASTED ACORN SQUASH SOUP:

Add 1 cup vegetable broth and 1 cup half and half (I used fat free, but the real thing would make it even creamier :) to a large saucepan with the acorn squash mix and simmer for about 30 minutes.

YUM.

Baked Zucchini & Sweet Potato Chips

Since I had the zucchini I decided to make these baked zucchini chips.  Then I decided that since I also had a sweet potato to use, I'd try it as a baked chip too.  They're fun, no doubt about that.  But they were a bit time consuming to prepare.  In an effort to save time, I used my food processor, but that wasn't the time-killer.  Dipping the slices into flour-->egg-->bread crumbs (back to)-->egg-->bread crumbs took some time.  Then I had to contend with everything sticking to my fingers which was a little gross.  Then as I'm dipping one piece into the next mix, I'm dragging bread crumbs and things are clumping up and well, take my word for it; it was time consuming.

Once I filled up a cookie sheet with all the chips, the rest was easy.  They don't come out super crispy or anything, but they're just tasty.  Even as leftovers, they're good :)

BAKED ZUCCHINI & SWEET POTATO CHIPS

INGREDIENTS:

2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slices

1/2 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs 

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 

2 egg whites

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C).
2. In one small bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, pepper and Parmesan cheese. Place the egg whites in a separate bowl. Dip zucchini slices into the egg whites, then coat the breadcrumb mixture. Place on a greased baking sheet.
3. Bake for 5 minutes in the preheated oven, then turn over and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until browned and crispy.

PERSONAL NOTES:
I think I cooked mine at about 375 degrees, not 475... that seems awfully high.  I also ended up cooking them for about 10-15 minutes each side.  So my advice to you on this would be to cook them as directed and check to see if they're done or need more time.  Everyone's oven is different. 

And on second thought... since I made the leftover slices the next day, it was too much work.  I'm not sure I'd make these again.  As I said though, they taste really good. They're just time consuming :(

Spinach and Mushroom Frittata

I'm so glad I discovered frittatas.  I've always been a big fan of quiche but the crust is typically so calorie-laden that I tend to shy away from eating too much of it.  But since I've been making these frittatas, I can have the quiche without the crust.  Plus they're easy to make and not guilt-inducing.  Which makes me an even bigger fan!

The following recipe is based on this one from allrecipes.com

SPINACH & MUSHROOM FRITTATA

INGREDIENTS:

1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed thoroughly to remove liquid

4 eggs or equivalent egg substitute 

1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 

3/4 cup chopped portobello mushrooms 

1/2 cup finely chopped scallions with some green tops

1/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasonings

1 pinch Salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together all ingredients until well mixed. Spray a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray and fill with the spinach mixture.
3. Bake for 30 minutes, or until browned and set. Let cool for 20 minutes, cut in wedges and serve.

PERSONAL NOTES:

The Monterey Jack cheese is my addition to the recipe.  And I also used Egg Beaters to lower calories and cholesterol. 

This is so easy to make there's really no excuse not to go for this when you're looking for a good (and low-cal per slice) meal.

At 6 servings, each slice is only about 230 calories! Whooh!

Game Day Snacks

First of all, WAY TO GO GIANTS!!!

So even though it was just me and my husband watching the Superbowl yesterday, I still wanted to try making some small snacks for us.  I made the following two recipes.  The first I thought looked like fun and the second one I knew would be killer since I'd had it on several occasions before. 

Oh, and I would have had pictures of my culinary creations as usual except that I napped until the game started.  So as the food was ready I didn't want to distract my attention from it to photograph the food.  D'oh!  You'll have to take my word for it - these two dishes looked (and of course tasted) yummy.

TORTILLA PINWHEELS

Based on the original recipe found here. 

INGREDIENTS:

8 oz sour cream
8 oz package cream cheese, softened
4 oz can diced green chilies, drained
4 oz can chopped black olives, drained
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c. chopped green onions
Garlic powder, to taste
Seasoned Salt, to taste
5-10" flour tortillas

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix all filling ingredients together, except tortillas. Divide filling and spread evenly over tortillas; roll up tortillas.

2. Roll each tortilla up in plastic wrap, twisting the ends. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.

3. Unwrap; cut into slices. Lay pinwheels flat on glass serving plate.

Makes 50 Pinwheels


GAME DAY DIP

This recipe comes to me courtesy of my cousin Donna.  This is something she always used to make when I would visit her in Boston (too bad about those Patriots).  We would scrape the whole dish completely clean, practically licking it - although we didn't because that's just poor manners. 

It's great to serve when you have guests, but you have to be careful not to eat it all the time or your waistline will complain.  It's not forgiving on the calories!  But for a Superbowl event like yesterday, it's well worth cracking it out.

INGREDIENTS:

1 8oz package of shredded cheddar cheese (or cheddar-Jack blend)
1 15.5oz jar of salsa (I like Tostitos HOT)
1 8oz package of cream cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Using either a 9" glass pie plate or 8x8" glass dish, spread the cream cheese evenly on the bottom. 

Pour the salsa on top of the cream cheese.

Empty the package of shredded cheese to cover the salsa.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the cheese bubbles. Be careful - it will be LAVA hot!


PERSONAL NOTES:

I used reduced fat items wherever I could. It still tasted ridiculously rich and decadent.  Perfect for watching the game - or anything for that matter. (And it goes pretty nice with a good glass of red wine :')

Blueberry Muffins (with Streusel)

Another Saturday morning I had the luxury of spending with my husband, rather than running off to teach a yoga class.  Since neither of us had the drive to trudge up the street for freshly made bagels, I volunteered to make blueberry muffins.  I made them 3 different ways; sans blueberries, with blueberries and blueberries with a cinnamon-sugar streusel topping.

The recipe is based on this one from food.com

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS (with some STREUSEL thrown in)

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup butter or ½ cup margarine , at room temp

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup milk

2 ½ cups fresh blueberries or 2 ½ cups frozen blueberries

DIRECTIONS:
 

Heat oven to 375°.

Grease 18 regular-size muffin cups (or 12 large size muffins) 

In bowl, mix butter until creamy. Add sugar and beat until pale and fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time, beating after each.

Beat in vanilla, baking powder and salt

With spoon, fold in half of flour then half of milk into batter; repeat.

Fold in blueberries.

Spoon into muffin cups.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and springy to touch.

Makes 18 muffins.

PERSONAL NOTES:

The original recipe called for granulated sugar and nutmeg as a topping.  I decided to go for a streusel-type topping.  While it tastes good, it looks far from perfect.  I think I put too much butter in it so it made the cinnamon-sugar mix melt quite a bit. 

My topping mix: 1 cup brown sugar, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tbl butter

That ought to do it in terms of the amount of butter.

(as you can see in this picture, LOTS of butter! Probably too much...)

Game Day Pretzels

I used to have a pretzel recipe that my mom gave me but of course I can't locate it.  She used to make these killer pretzels with her food processor.  Since I thought pretzels would be a good thing to snack on for Sunday's Superbowl, I once again trolled online to find a suitable recipe.  And I found it.  Unfortunately, they didn't come out so pretty, but I'm just really out of practice.  It's gotta be about 12 years since I made them last.  Regardless of how they look, they are super tasty!

Recipe is once again courtesy of allrecipes.com and can be found here. 

GAME DAY PRETZELS

(I made a couple of them as pretzel twists.  YUMMY!)

INGREDIENTS:

4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 teaspoon white sugar

1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

5 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 cup baking soda

4 cups hot water

1/4 cup kosher salt, for topping

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.
4. When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape. Once all of the dough is all shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution and place on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, until browned.

 (These guys were shaped properly, but I didn't anticipate they'd rise so much while baking.  D'oh! But they still taste wonderful!!!)

PERSONAL NOTES:

One BIG note I have to mention is to add LESS flour!  Yes, the directions say to make a well with the dry ingredients and add the yeast/oil to it.  However... you will probably want to withhold about ONE CUP of flour and then slowly add it in as you're mixing.  When I did it, I ended up having to add several tablespoons of water which I think is just more complicated.  Withhold some flour and move forward from there.

Right as they came out of the oven I brushed melted butter on them.  Then I very lightly sprinkled the kosher salt to taste.  These are ridiculoulsy easy to make!

Just one more thing to remember: when rolling out each piece into the pretzel shape, be sure to allow for it to rise!  You may want to roll out at least 18" pieces.

Zucchini Souffle with Monterey Jack Cheese

As some of you may already know, I've been on a quiche-souffle-frittata kick lately.  So that's where this next recipe comes from; my desire to continue with some really tasty dishes.  Obviously, I like working with what I know is good, but changing it up here and there to experiment with different flavors and textures.  I have a spinach/mushroom/mascarpone frittata-quiche I'm looking to make later this week too.  YUM.

Anyway, this recipe, the Zucchini Souffle with Monterey Jack Cheese isn't exactly a true souffle.  I have a small issue with that.  Why do people call a dish a souffle when it's so obviously a quiche?  I don't get it, but regardless, this is tasty.

The original recipe can be found here on allrecipes.com


ZUCCHINI SOUFFLE WITH MONTEREY JACK CHEESE

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups shredded zucchini

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon melted butter

4 eggs

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon dried parsley

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese 

1/4 cup all-purpose biscuit baking mix 

DIRECTIONS:
Toss the zucchini and salt together and place into a colander set in the sink. Allow to drain for 1 hour, then squeeze the liquid out of the zucchini, and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Prepare a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish with the melted butter.

Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl with the pepper, garlic powder, and parsley. Stir in the zucchini, Monterey Jack cheese, and baking mix until combined. Pour into the prepared casserole dish.

Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven until set and golden brown on top, 45 minutes to 1 hour. The souffle is done when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Makes 6 servings and is approximately 130 calories :)

PERSONAL NOTES:

I made this almost exactly as the recipe stated.  The changes I made to it were adding: 1 sliced shallot and 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese (to sprinkle on top).  Also, I didn't have any Bisquick or "all-purpose biscuit baking mix" the recipe called for, so I used 1/3 cup flour and added 2 teaspoons of baking powder.  As you can see from the photos, the quiche (or souffle, if you must) came out splendidly. 

Oh, and by the way, it's really yummy.  This is a keeper.