Spaghetti Squash Quinoa Veggie Bake

So I've been trying to eat healthier lately and as a result have been checking out some veggies I hadn't really tried before.

Spaghetti Squash... sounded interesting... Tawny said it was good... why not?

So I picked one up.

But what the heck am I supposed to do with it?

I started browsing recipes and found one on Artsy-Foodie.

Spaghetti Squash PLUS quinoa?! Wow! This totally fills the bill! So that was the base for this recipe.

As you can tell, I haven't really been blogging lately, so I didn't take the step by step pics I usually have. But this recipe is just way too good not to share!

Spaghetti Squash Quinoa Veggie Bake (printable recipe)

4 C cooked spaghetti squash (1 squash)
2 C cooked quinoa (cooked in veggie stock)
16 oz lowfat cottage cheese (I used Fiber One)
1/4 C chopped bell pepper
1/2 C chopped onion
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 C chopped mushrooms
1 can Rotel, drained
4 eggs, lightly beaten
4 egg whites, lightly beaten
8 oz shredded pepper jack cheese
1 TBLS herbs (I used Penzeys Fox Point)
drizzle of olive oil

Preheat oven to 375F.

Pour a drizzle of olive oil into a medium skillet and cook peppers, onions, garlic and mushrooms until tender. In a large bowl mix cooked veggies with all remaining ingredients. Pour into a greased lasagna pan. Bake 1 hour 15 minutes or until it's set and golden.

This smelled amazing while it was cooking. I really didn't know what to expect for the flavor. I figured it would be kinda frittata-like... and it was. But it was also hearty and light all at the same time. The mushrooms were savory. It had a bit of mild spice to it from the pepper jack and the Rotel. It was moist and creamy and satisfying.

Add a nice crisp salad and this is a perfect meal. And crazy healthy! When I was looking for cottage cheese, I found some by Fiber One. More fiber? Yes please!

This makes 8 hearty servings.
311 Calories
14.3g Fat
1.3g Saturated Fat
28.2g Carbs
5.8g Fiber
8.3g Sugar
20.1g Protein
8 WWPlus points

This would also make 16 or more delicious appetizer servings.

Wicked Good! Wicked Healthy! It was so good, that I sat down to post this right after dinner!

Why don't I eat like this more often??

Mexican Quinoa & Pintos Stuffed Poblanos

I LOVE poblano peppers. They're mild and delicious and I could eat them in everything!

I made Mexican Quinoa & Pintos with the intent to stuff poblanos with it... and I'm SO glad I did!!



Mexican Quinoa & Pintos Stuffed Poblanos
1 recipe Mexican Quinoa & Pintos
3 poblano peppers
1 1/2 C red enchilada sauce
3/4 C shredded colby pepperjack cheese

Cut the tops out of the poblanos and discard the seeds.
Stuff peppers with quinoa. Cover with enchilada sauce.
Cover pan loosely with foil.
Bake in oven preheated to 350F for one hour or until peppers are fork tender.
Top each pepper with 1/4 cup of shredded cheese and bake 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted.
Enjoy!

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So start by cutting out the tops of the poblanos and discarding the seeds.


Then stuff the peppers with Mexican Quinoa & Pintos


Pour enchilada sauce over stuffed poblanos.


Cover pan loosely with foil and bake at 350F for one hour or until peppers are fork tender. (you can see my little stabby fork marks)


Mmmmm... this smells so good!!

Sprinkle with shredded cheese and bake 5 more minutes or until cheese is melty.


Time to enjoy!


These were so tender and tasty! Tawny and I each had one and really liked them. I sent one across the street to Erin too and deemed it blogworthy!

So there you have it!

Mexican Quinoa with Pintos

I have been dying to try quinoa, "grain of the gods" as they call it.

Out of the blue, I finally decided it was time.

I went to Giant Eagle. Even though it seems like this is a pretty mainstream kind of ingredient, my Giant Eagle isn't the best store to find anything that could be considered even slightly exotic.

After looking every place I thought it might be, with no luck. It struck me that I should check out their teeny tiny little organic section. I found it there. Almost five bucks for a little bag. I'll have to remember to look at Trader Joe's next time I'm there. I'm pretty sure it will be cheaper!



Mexican Quinoa with Pintos
3/4 C quinoa
1 1/2 C veggie stock
1 can Mexican Rotel (with lime juice & cilantro), drained
1 15 oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
Salt

Pour quinoa and veggie stock into a sauce pan and heat until boiling.
Cover sauce pan and turn heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes until stock is absorbed and quinoa is translucent.
Fluff with fork.
Stir in drained Mexican Rotel and drained & rinse pintos.
Enjoy!

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So first you need quinoa.


This smells so good! Kinda earthy and nutty.

And some veggie stock.


That's also very expensive at Giant Eagle. I really need to stock up next time I'm at Trader Joe's.

So quinoa and veggie stock into a sauce pan.


Heat until boiling, then cover pan and turn heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes, until stock is absorbed and quinoa is translucent.



Stir in some drained Mexican Rotel.


And some pintos.


I could have drained my Rotal a little more. A couple minutes over the heat will dry this up a bit more.

Now you have a perfect side!


Bob was totally not interested in trying this and Tawny and Jon seemed to like it. I thought it was great! I love quinoa and can't wait to try more recipes with it!