Cheesy baked spaghetti squash

Ingredients

• 5 1/2 cups cooked spaghetti squash (from 1 small)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/8 cup minced onion
• 1/8 cup flour (use 2 tbsp corn starch for gluten free)
• 1.5 cups skim milk
• 1.5 cup vegetarian broth
• 1 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper, to taste

Recommended add ins

• 2 cups (about 4 oz) baby spinach
• Pasta sauce (to top it with once it's done baking)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

Cut the squash in half lengthwise; remove and discard seeds. Place squash on a baking sheet. Bake until tender, about 1.5 hours. Separate the strands of squash with a fork and place in a medium bowl; discard shells. Maintain the oven temperature.

Heat butter and oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook about 2 minutes. Stir in flour. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring continually 3 - 4 minutes. The flour will become lumpy.

Add broth and continue whisking, raising heat to medium and begins to thicken and smooth. Add in milk and continue whisking.  Season with salt and pepper, taste at this point to see if it needs anything else.  If you want to add the spinach now is the time to whisk that in slowly.

Once it becomes thick, remove from heat, add cheddar cheese and mix well until cheese is melted. Add cooked spaghetti squash, and mix with a spoon until well combined.  Pour into a greased baking dish. Bake until bubbly and golden 25 to 30 minutes.

Adapted from this recipe

Pancake, bacon and eggs breakfast bites

I think I've posted this recipe before but I used toast instead of pancakes. Today at the suggestion of a friend I changed it up. You will need the following:

Eggs

Frozen mini pancakes (unless you want to take the time to make some fresh ones before hand)

Precooked bacon

Salt & Pepper

Syrup

I don't list quantities because you will need one of each item for the amount of bites you want to make.  Preheat the oven to 350.  Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray.  Cook your mini pancakes in the microwave for about 35 seconds until soft.  Wrap the bacon around the inside of the pan and then press a pancake into the bottom.  Crack one egg inside the bacon on top of the egg.  Season to taste.  Bake for 13 minutes for soft runny yolk bites and 16 minutes for the yolk to set mostly.  Once the eggs are cooked to your liking remove from the oven and use a knife to go around the edges of the eggs.  They should pop right out into one perfect bite. Serve with syrup for dipping.  This is such a fast, fun weekend breakfast.  My kids really like it.  Sometimes I use a circle of bread at the bottom and add a sprinkle of shredded cheddar cheese to spruce it up.  I was in a hurry this morning so I used freezer pancakes but if you have more time you can make your own fresh pancakes to use.  This tasted and smelled just like those pancake breakfast sandwiches McDonalds sells, only it was home made with farm fresh eggs and way less preservatives.  Try it out sometime you will like it!

Meatball sammiches

1 pound ground beef

3 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic salt

2 tsp garlic powder

1 egg

1 cup italian breadcrumbs

1 jar tomato sauce

1 pound mozzarella cheese sliced

4-5 sandwich rolls

Preheat oven to 325.  Line a baking dish with foil and spray with cooking spray. Combine first six ingredients.  Roll into 1.5 inch meatballs.  Bake in oven for 8 minutes.  While they are baking heat sauce in large sauce pan.  Flip meatballs and bake for another 8 minutes.  Place meatballs in sauce and simmer for 2 minutes.  Slice bread in half without cutting all the way through.  Line bottom of bread with mozzarella cheese.  Top with 3-4 meatballs and cover with more cheese.  Place under broiler on high for about 2 minutes.  WATCH IT SO IT DOESN'T BURN.  I served it with a side of sauce for dipping.  

Enjoy trying to fit it into your mouth!

Spicy black bean quinoa

Since becoming gluten free I've found myself in love with quinoa.  I love it because you can add anything you want to it and it will absorb that flavor.  That means it can be mexican tonight, Italian tomorrow and Greek the next day.  Today I was in a huge hurry at work so I grabbed a few things out of the fridge and a pan and off I went.  Quinoa looks like it might be hard to cook, it's not.  It is idiot proof.  I promise.  

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa

1 cup water

1/2 cup peach mango salsa

1/2 cup black beans

1/4 cup chopped bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 tsp garlic powder

The basic directions for quinoa are; Bring quinoa and water to a boil.  Reduce to low, fluff with a fork and simmer for 20 minutes covered.

For this recipe you will:

Bring quinoa, onions & peppers to a boil.  Reduce heat to low & fluff with fork.  Add salsa, beans & garlic powder & mix.  Cover and simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes until the quinoa is kind of soft.  That's all.

The only thing you have to worry about with quinoa is making sure it's cooked all the way. Sometimes it takes 15 minutes.  Sometimes it takes 20.  As long as there is some liquid (stock, salsa, etc) in the pan you can continue simmering it until you get the consistency you want.  I topped mine with a little bit of hot sauce and it was delicious.  In place of water you could use vegetable stock, or chicken stock if you eat meat.  This should make two lunch size portions or three side dish portions and it's a complete protein and great fiber.  

Enjoy!

Quick, clean and fun kids snack

Today was my day to bring snack for Brandon's little league game.  I wanted to do something besides a prepackaged whatever with no thought so I came up with this.  I bought mini corn dogs and then cooked them.  Once they were cooked I put each one on a skewer.  Then I set out each cup and filled the bottom corner with a squirt of ketchup.  I packed them in a bag stacked on top of each other with trays separating them so they didn't tip.  Then I put all of the warm corn dogs in foil and pu them in the bag (it was one of those lined bags that holds temperatures).  When it was snack time I put two corn dog skewers in each cup and handed them out.   The kids and parents love them because they were easy to carry, there was no mess, they didn't have to squirt ketchup and the kids thought they were super fun.  I think you could do this at birthday parties also...turn the skewers the other way and make little boquetes for people to snack on.  I also made chocolate dipped strawberries because it was a healthier sweet treat then fruit snacks full of red 40, and it was real fruit.  It didn't cost much and I found everything, even the short length skewers at my local grocery store. 

Hope you enjoy my little snack idea.

Fiesta chicken soup

I know I usually post step by step photos on here, but since there is one step only in this recipe you only get a picture of the finished product.  My husband hates soup and he ate a giant bowl of this, and then texted me numerous times while I worked last night to tell me how much he loved it.  That is a big win coming from someone who is not a fan of soup.  This recipe is so easy my four year old could make it.

1 Can petite diced tomatoes

1 Jar mild salsa (I used Newmans Own this time)

8 Boneless skinless chicken thighs

1 Cup frozen corn

1 Can mild green chilis

1/2 Tsp cumin

1/2 Tsp chili powder

1 Tsp garlic powder

1/2 Tsp onion powder

1 Cup water

Combine all ingredients in crock pot and stir to mix well.  Cook for 4 hours on high or six hours on low.  Serve over like that or pour it over rice.  That's it, you are done.  If you cook it for the six hours peek in after a few hours to make sure it has enough water still.  My husband topped his with some hot sauce and said it was absolutely perfect.  Also this wasn't too spicy so the kids cold eat it.  I'm definitely keeping this recipe handy for nights I have to work late catering and don't have much time to throw anything together. Beans would be a nice addition to this but the hubby won't eat them so I left them out!

The easiest taco soup you'll ever make

I went to a Cinco De Mayo party this weekend and my friend Kari made this soup for me.  She made it because it is gluten free AND vegetarian (but you can't tell the meat is missing).  I inquired to the recipe because surely something this tasty would be difficult to make.  NOPE.  Here is the entire recipe, get ready to be blown away with simplicity.

1- Can pinto beans rinsed & drained

1- Can kidney beans rinsed & drained

1- Can black beans rinsed & drained

1- Large can Ro-Tel tomatoes* 

1- Can stewed tomatoes

1- Cup salsa of your choice

1/2 tsp Cumin

1/2 tsp Chili powder

1/2 white onion diced**

1- Cup frozen or fresh corn

1/2 Cup water

Cheese to top

Toss all of the beans in a strainer at once and rinse them off.  In a large pot or crock pot combine all ingredients.  Cook for 3 hours.  Eat and enjoy!

*(I bought the ones with green chilis and it was a little spicy for me, which means it will be totally normal for you)
**If you are in a real hurry you can leave the onions out

If you want you can sauté the onions before adding the other ingredients but it's not required if you are going to cook it the full three hours.  Also if you are really really hungry you can scoop out a couple bowl fulls after about 30 minutes and it will still be tasty.  But after trying it both ways 3 hours is the perfect cooking time.  I kept mine in the pot in the fridge and have just been scooping out a portion every morning to pack for lunch.  It has a thick texture so you could actually put it on top of tortilla chips if you wanted.  If you want it really soupy (not as good) add more water.  I also like to top mine with sour cream.  Also if you are a meat lover you can add shredded chicken to this to make it a chicken taco soup.

HURRY UP MAKE IT NOW!  It's soooo good I promise.  And so damn easy!