browned butter spaghetti squash

Yum. This was fantastic and with low carbs, who can complain. The only semi-unhealthy thing in this dish is the butter. The rest is just veggies.

It looks long and difficult, but really the hardest thing is cutting the squash. Then besides dicing up a few vegetables and sautéing them, the oven does all the work. There's nothing better than curling up with a good book, knowing dinner will be done soon without me having to slave away. I plan to try this recipe again, but placing it in the oven so that it forms a crust--maybe even adding some parmesan cheese.

{ingredients}

• 1/2 stick butter
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 orange bell pepper (or red or green or yellow)
• 1/2 red onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 Roma tomatoes
• salt and pepper
• 1 5 lb. spaghetti squash

Cut the spaghetti squash in half (carefully. it may help to cut off a small section on one side so that it sits flat). Chop off the ends. Remove the seeds. Cover in olive oil. Add salt and pepper.

Place on a foil-covered cookie sheet, cut side down. Roast in 400 degree F oven for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven. Flip over over the squash, cover with foil (to stop it from burning). Cook for another 15 minutes or until very tender.

While that's cooking, dice the vegetables into small pieces. I removed the insides from the tomato because I didn't want the sauce to be to liquidy (I know that isn't a word). Mince the garlic.

When the squash has about five minutes left, place the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat and let it brown. Wait until it begins to smell nutty and little flecks of brown appear. Toss in the onions and bell pepper. Let it soften slightly. Add the garlic and let it cook until fragrant (30-45 seconds). Add the tomato and let the vegetables soften and cook into the butter over low heat while you prepare the squash.

Remove the squash and using a fork, scrape out the "spaghetti" strands into a large bowl. Once all the squash is removed, add all the strands to the large sauté pan. Stir. Let the flavors blend together. Plate and serve. It really is amazingly delightful and almost guilt free (you know, without the butter).

cucumber tomato sandwich

This recipe is a revamp of my previous cucumber sandwich which I felt needed to taste fresher.

These taste like spring.

{ingredients}

• 4 pieces whole wheat bread
• 1/2 pkg cream cheese (low-fat), room temperature
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• kosher salt, to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnishing
• 1 Roma tomato, sliced
• 1 English cucumber, sliced

{directions}

Combine the cream cheese, garlic, salt, pepper, and parsley. Mix it well until the cream cheese becomes a delicious paste.

Smear the cream cheese on the bread. Add tomato and cucumber slices. Top with a little extra salt, pepper, and parsley, if desired. Add a second slice of bread and enjoy!

eat like giada and look like her too

{image}

2 Thin Chefs

Staying at my in-laws to house sit is always a relaxing time, especially because we get a nice comfortable bed and I can watch all the Food Network I want (I don't have cable at my apartment).

As mentioned before, I adore Giada's food, her style, her everything. As I was watching her show this morning I marveled at how thin she is with all the cheese, pasta, chocolate, and sugar she devours. I started doing some research and this is what I found. Read the article. It is fascinating. I would love to not be on a diet, but to live in such a way that I didn't need one.

I plan to change my eating habits. I'm not going to give details just yet because who knows if I'll be successful or not and I think that giving all the details right away will actually delay my progress. Suffice it to say I will be following some of Giada's methods. I found it fascinating. I think food is to be enjoyed, but just in smaller portions.

I know I just said I wouldn't give away the details until I was doing it for a little while, but I will say this one thing: I want to become a food snob. In the last page of the article above, the columnist marvels at how instead of picking up those dry donuts from the vending machine, just wait until you get home to have a satisfying, delicious Giada recipe (in a small portion, of course).

I'm excited to reveal the results.

I'll let you know, so stay posted.

One quote from Giada (from Shape magazine): Food is not the enemy!” De Laurentiis says. “It’s not food; it’s how much you eat. I eat pasta, but a small portion, not a giant one, and I eat more greens than carbs.” Though she watches portions, she doesn’t bother with exact measurements. “A good gauge is to think in terms of an appetizer-sized plate rather than dinner-sized. Then tell yourself that you’ll savor every bite.”

“Morning workouts, every day, are the best thing for me. I do yoga, which I got into while I was pregnant, or a half hour on the elliptical and 20 minutes on the treadmill. Getting up and getting my blood going gives me energy for the whole day.”

fried rice and orange zucchini

I am obsessed with Panda Express's orange chicken, but I rarely get to eat there because it's a half hour away. Jeff loves it, but due to his recent vegetarian ways, he hasn't been able to eat there either. We found the perfect substitute. I told you about this awesome Panda Express product sold at most grocery stores. I love it. I know it's processed and probably not the healthiest, but it's quick, easy, and so delicious I think I could drink it from the bottle.

One of our new favorite meals is fried rice and orange zucchini. Here's how you do it:

Fried Rice

(adapted from here)

{ingredients}

• 3 cups cooked rice
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 3/4 cups diced carrots--very small so they cook faster
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 eggs
• olive oil
• cayenne, to taste
• thyme, 1/2 teaspoon
• Fresh cracked pepper
• 4 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1/4 cup water

{directions}

Warm up 1 Tbsp olive oil on a skillet. Add the onions and carrots. Sautee until the onions begin to soften. Add the garlic. Sautee until fragrant. Add 2 Tbsp soy sauce. Mix and let it cook for 4-5 minutes. If the carrots haven't softened up much yet, continue cooking until they do. Unless, of course, you don't mind a little crunch. My husband likes them very soft.

Next, move the vegetables to one side of the skillet. Crack two eggs and cook them on the other side of the pan. Scramble them slightly and let them cook until almost cooked through (2-3 minutes).

Mix the vegetables in with the scrambled eggs and then move to one side of the skillet.

Add the rice with 1 Tbsp soy sauce and 1 Tbsp olive oil. Flatten out the rice and let it fry. If it looks a little dry, add a little more soy sauce or olive oil, or both.

After three minutes, add the spices (pepper, cayenne, thyme). Turn the rice and vegetables occasionally to keep from burning. Add water if it becomes too dry.

Combine the rice and vegetables. Add the peas and 1/4 cup of water and a little more soy sauce if desired. Continue cooking until the water is absorbed.

It's so good!

Orange Zucchini

{ingredients}

• 2 zucchini, cut into thin strips
• 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 Tbsp Panda Express orange sauce

{directions}

While the fried rice is cooking, throw the above ingredients into a sautee pan. Let it cook down. It will take between ten and twelve minutes for the zucchini to become really soft and soak in the orange sauce. At first it seems like it won't. Just be patient because it takes time.

If you can't help yourself (I usually can't), add a little more orange sauce. I always have to remind myself that I can add more on top when the dish is finished cooking (I always do).

Finished

When both dishes are completed, you have a couple options.

1. Divide it on your plate and eat separately. (I don't recommend this, but to each his or her own.)
2. Pile the orange zucchini on top of the fried rice, add more orange sauce, and devour. (I highly recommend this option.)

tangy blt

I suppose the best acronym is a BST--Bacon Spinach and Tomato-- but it all depends on what you have. That's what's so great about this recipe. Easy and it's always a winner even when the pantry is running a bit low. The recipe below is for one person, but it can easily be multiplied.

{ingredients}

• 2 strips of precooked bacon
• 2 slices of Roma tomato
• 1 handful of baby spinach
• Pepperjack cheese
• Onion and chive cream cheese (mayo/miracle whip works too)
• 1 spoonful of white wine vinegar
• 2 slices whole wheat bread
• Dijon mustard to taste
• A few sprinkles of kosher salt (it has half the sodium of table salt! Did you know that? I just found that out and as a girl who is obsessed with salt--was thrilled!)
• A couple cracks from your pepper grinder

{directions}

Rip the precooked bacon in half and toss it in a pan to heat up. You may also use your microwave, but I like the way the bacon crisps on the stove.

Toast your bread. The best way for this is to use a toaster oven (Jeff and I opted for that instead of a toaster when we got married and haven't regretted it yet). When the bread is close to golden brown, place one slice of pepper jack cheese on top to melt it.

When the bread is toasted and the cheese melted, top the cheese with the strips of bacon. Add the handful of baby spinach--here's the essential, mouthwatering part: Pour a little bit of your vinegar in a small spoon and sprinkle it over the baby spinach. Let it sit for a moment to soak into the spinach.

Top the spinach with your tomato slices. Spread some onion and chive cream cheese on the other piece of toast (or mayo if you don't have that). Squirt some dijon mustard and top of that, and then press that piece on top of the baby spinach-covered toast. Smash it slightly so that your sandwich doesn't fall apart. Cut diagonally and enjoy.

Enjoy the white wine vinegar and the dijon and onion and chives and the tomato and bacon and pepper jack cheese.

This sandwich really wakes up your taste buds and makes them sing.

Literally.

Don't believe me?

Give it a try.