Recipes of the Week–September 30, 2015

Baked Spaghetti Squash with Grilled Chicken and Fresh Pesto http://www.adorefoods.com/baked-spaghetti-squash-grilled-chicken-fresh-pesto/

   1 spaghetti squash, halved and de-seeded

    2 cloves of garlic, diced

    2 tablespoon olive oil

    1 chicken breast

Spinach Pesto (use chard instead !)

    2 cups fresh baby spinach

    1tbsp pine nuts

    juice from ½ lemon

    lemon zest

    parmesan cheese

 

Cut your squash in half and scoop seeds out with spoon. Toss olive oil and garlic inside the halves spreading the mixture all over the flesh. Place them on a baking sheet, upside down and bake them at 350F/ 180 C for about 1 hour or until soft. When soft, remove the tray from the oven and set aside allowing them to cool.

Meanwhile heat a grill pan on medium high heat. Lightly oil the grill pan. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and grill it until cooked through, about 4-5 minutes per side.

Combine the spinach, pine nuts, lemon juice, and lemon peel in a processor. Lightly pulse. With the machine running, gradually add ⅓ cup of the oil, blending until the mixture is creamy. Add salt and pulse.

Shred the squash halves with a fork to get that spaghetti texture, add the thinly sliced grilled chicken, sprinkle some pesto and parmesan cheese on top and serve! Enjoy!

 

Mexican Sweet Corn Cake http://boardsandknives.com/mexican-sweet-corn-cake/

Use two standard, 4.5" rammekins inside a pyrex casserole dish water bath.

    4 tablespoons vegan butter

    ¼ cup corn masa

    ¾ cup corn kernels, roughly chopped, some kernels left whole

    2 tablespoons cornmeal

    2 tablespoons raw sugar

    1 teaspoon agave nectar

    ¼ cup non-dairy milk

    ¼ teaspoon baking powder

     pinch of salt

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, mix vegan butter, sugar, and agave until smooth.

In a separate bowl, mix masa, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.

Pour the butter/sugar mixture into the dry and add the milk.

Mix to incorporate, mixture will be very thick.

Dispense mixture evenly into each ramekin - just over 1 cup each.

Place ramekins in a large casserole dish, then pour water into the casserole dish until the water level reaches half-way up the ramekins. Cover the entire dish in foil and bake for one hour.

Let the ramekins sit for at least 10 minutes to set further, then use an ice cream scoop to serve.

Potato/Leek Flatbread http://www.thesamlivecast.com/portfolio/potatoleek-flatbread

Makes one 7″x12″ flatbread

Flatbread pretty much just means very thin crust pizza – and this is a delicious one. Many supermarkets now sell balls of raw pizza dough – or you can make your own. Either way you’ll like this.

    1 large leek

    Olive oil

    Salt & Pepper

    1/2 ball store bought pizza dough

     Soft garlic & herb cheese, like Alouette

    3 or 4 small red potatoes, thinly sliced

    2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

 

Preheat oven to 425

Cut off root end and bright green tops of leek

Slice what’s left (the white & light green middle) in half lengthwise, rinse under cold water to remove any dirt and dry

Slice each half lengthwise into thin match sticks and saute in a non stick pan with a little olive, salt & pepper until softened (about 3 minutes), remove from heat

Lightly oil baking sheet and spread out dough into about a 7×12 oval

Spread with garlic & herb cheese, potato slices, sauteed leeks and finally the Parmesan

Bake until crispy & golden brown, 10-12 minutes

 

Spaghetti Squash and Chard Gratin

http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2009/10/recipe-for-spaghetti-squash-and-chard.html
 1 large spaghetti squash (mine was 2.5 lbs)

1 T + 1 T olive oil

2 tsp. Rosemary Garlic Rub, or any all purpose seasoning that's good on vegetables

1 large onion, diced small

1/2 tsp. Spike seasoning (optional but good)

1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves

fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 T minced garlic (or less)

12-16 oz. chopped chard leaves (about 5-6 cups chopped chard, you could also use other greens like spinach, collards, or kale. The cooking times might be longer for some greens.)

2 T finely chopped fresh chives or sliced green onion

1/2 cup low fat sour cream (don't use fat free)

3/4 cup low fat cottage cheese curds (put the cottage cheese in a fine strainer and rinse with cold water to get the cheese curds)

1/2 cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese plus about 1/4 cup more for topping the gratin

1 egg, beaten

 

Preheat oven to 400F/200C. Wash the outside of the spaghetti squash if needed, then cut off the stem and blossom end, stand squash upright, and using a large chef's knife, carefully cut in half lengthwise. Use a sharp spoon to scrape out seeds and the slimy material that surrounds them, and discard. Rub cut sides of squash with about 1/2 T olive oil for each half, then sprinkle each with 1 tsp. Rosemary Garlic Rub or other seasoning of your choice. Spray the roasting pan with non-stick spray, Put squash on baking sheet and pour 1/4 cup water around bottom of squash. Roast squash about 45-50 minutes, or until it separates easy into strands when pulled with a fork. Let squash cool for a few minutes, then shred into spaghetti-like strands.

 

While squash cooks, wash chard leaves if needed and spin dry or dry with paper towel. In two batches, stack up chard leaves on top of each other and slice into thin ribbons, then turn the cutting the board the other way and slice again into small pieces. Chop onion.

 

Heat 1 T olive oil in heavy frying pan, add chopped onions, season with Spike seasoning, dried thyme, and black pepper, and saute until onion is softened, about 2-3 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook about 1 minute more, then add chopped chard all at once. Cook chard about 1-2 minutes, turning a few times. until it's wilted to about half the size it was. (The chard shouldn't be completely cooked, since it will cook more in the gratin.) Turn off heat.

 

Put 3/4 cup low fat cottage cheese in a fine strainer and rinse with cold water until only the cheese curds remain, then let drain. Spray a glass or crockery gratin dish with non-stick spray or olive oil.

 

Using a large fork, gently mix the chopped chives or green onion and shredded spaghetti squash into the onion/chard mixture. Combine the sour cream, drained cottage cheese curds, Parmesan cheese, and beaten egg and mix into the chard/spaghetti squash mixture. Then put the combined ingredients into the gratin dish, and press down so it's evenly distributed in the dish. Sprinkle top with about 1/4 cup more Parmesan cheese.

 

Bake about 30-35 minutes, or until the mixture is bubbling and cheese is browned on top. Serve hot.