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??

Elote Asado (Grilled Corn with Chile & Lime)

Holy crap this is wicked good!!!!

I don't have step by step pics, because I was wicked busy and distracted, but this is too good not to share!

I found this in the Better Homes & Gardens Mexican magazine... ya know... those cooking magazines at the checkstand at the grocery store? One of those!

I'm SO glad I picked it up!!

Elote Asado
6 large ears of corn, husks and silks removed (I used 8)
1/2 C snipped fresh cilantro
1 TBLS ground ancho chile pepper
2 tsp finely shredded lime peel
1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 C butter, melted
2 TBLS mayo (I used reduced fat)
2 TBLS Mexican crema or sour cream (I used reduced fat sour cream)
2 TBLS lime juice
Salt

Cut each ear of corn in half. Place corn pieces in a large pot and cover with water. Let soak for 10 minutes.

In a small bowl stir together cilantro, ground ancho chile pepper, lime peel, and cayenne pepper; set aside. This stuff smells amazing!!!!

In an extra-large bowl whisk together melted butter, mayo, sour cream (or crema), and lime juice and set aside. Drain corn. Brush corn with butter mixture and place on a grill directly over medium-high heat. Cover and grill for 15 to 20 minutes or until corn is tender, turning every 5 minutes and brushing with butter mixture several times during the last 5 minutes of grilling.

Place grilled corn in the remaining butter mixture in the bowl and toss to coat. Sprinkle cilantro mixture over corn and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt.

I had a piece as soon as I took them off the grill because they smelled so good... then I had another! They were great! The sweet corn with the tangy sour cream & lime juice, the savory chile powder, the spicy cayenne, more tangy lime, herby cilanto... so so so yummy!!!! My husband HATES cilantro... but he LOVES this corn!!

Then I let everyone else know they were ready!

Enjoy!!!

Chipotle Mashed Sweet Potatoes

There's a Lean Cuisine I like called Ranchero Braised Beef with Chipotle Sweet Potatoes. Admittedly, lots of Lean Cuisines aren't very good. But this one doesn't totally suck. The meat isn't great... but I love the sauce mixed with the mashed chipotle sweet potatoes. So I decided to make the Sweet Spicy Mashies myself.



Alton Brown's Chipotle Smashed Sweet Potatoes
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped
1 teaspoon adobo sauce from can of peppers
1/2 teaspoon salt

Put cubed potatoes into steamer basket and place steamer into a large pot of simmering water that is no closer than 2 inches from the bottom of basket. Allow to steam for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Add butter to potatoes and mash with potato masher. Add peppers, sauce, and salt and continue mashing to combine. Serve immediately.

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I have 4 sweet potatoes, because mine were pretty small.


Peel 'em.


Cut them into cubes and steam them for 20 minutes or until they're fork tender.


While they're steaming, you can chop your chipotle pepper.

I like to buy the San Marcos brand, because it's a really small can and I usually only use one pepper at a time.


Mmmm... spicy & smokey!


Even with one chipotle, these potatoes have a nice spicy kick.


All steamed and tender, butter added...


Mash them up!


Add the pepper & sauce.


Mix until the pepper and sauce are well combined with the sweet potatoes.


Now they're ready to serve.

They were perfect with some grilled chicken, sugar snap peas and baked beans.


The color is bright and gorgeous! They were creamy, sweet and spicy! Totally delicious! And a gazillion times better than a Lean Cuisine!

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!

Mashed Potato Tacos

This recipe showed up in my inbox from Allrecipes.com.

I didn't really follow the recipe... so I guess just the idea came from Allrecipes.

Anyway... this is perfect for leftover mashed potatoes.

There are no exact measurements.



Mashed Potato Tacos
Mashed Potatoes
Green chiles, diced
Grilled corn
Pepperjack cheese, shredded
Corn tortillas or taco shells
Taco sauce

I made creamy yukon gold mashed potatoes. Then stirred in diced green chiles, grilled corn kernels, and lots of shredded pepperjack cheese.

Then into tortillas if you like them soft or taco shells if you like them crunchy.

I made pretty much almost every kind.

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Stir corn kernels & green chiles into your hot mashed potatoes...
And you stir whatever you like into your mashies... other leftover veggies, meat, whatever...



Add some shredded pepperjack cheese, or whatever cheese you like.


Mix well.


Now into your favorite taco shell.

If you put some wadded up foil inside your taco shells when you heat them, they don't close up.


A pair of crunchy


The soft and crunchy combo


Oops... Bob doesn't care for mashed potatoes... so he had Spaghetti Tacos


But my FAVORITE way to have these was Mashed Potato Rolled Tacos!




Into some oil heated to 350F.


Turn.


Drain.


Top with more cheese and DEVOUR!


All the versions were tasty... but I could eat my weight in Mashed Potato Rolled Tacos!

So next time you have leftover mashies, make tacos! Don't even wait for leftovers, just make some and make tacos! And I'll bet mashed sweet potatoes would be just as good... or any mashed veggies! Oooohhhhhhh.... mashed celery root & parsnip tacos?? I think I'm gonna add those to the list of things to make!!

Seriously! Make tacos!