Curried Spaghetti Squash with Mushrooms and Feta

Ah, Spaghetti Squash. The current superstar of the craze for no-carb, pro-squash maddness, this little (actually, quite big) squash has been making the rounds in recipes for years. I remember discovering it two years ago when I had my first blog, and having no idea what to think of it. On the one hand, I'm a huge fan of foods that get people to try new things and to rethink what they are eating. On the other hand, anything that is touted as a "cure" for anything or a "superfood" (yeah, guys, those don't exist as far as scientific R.D. data is concerned-- sorry!) makes me cautious. Is Spaghetti Squash the answer to all your problems? No. Should you still try it, and enjoy the slightly sweet nuttiness and smooth texture that it provides? Yes.

Spaghetti Squash recipes featured on this blog are not encouraging a low-carb or no-carb lifestyle. Carbohydrates are necessary for things like, oh, breathing and oxygen use. So having an intake of carbs every day is important and smart. But I do like to use Spaghetti Squash because it adds subtle undertones of walnut into any dish and acts very well as a canvas to paint other flavors on. This recipe is one of my favorites, actually, because it brings in mushrooms (which I adore) and green curry paste. If you've never had GCP before, it has citrus notes and a slight spice that pairs wonderfully with the sweetness of spaghetti squash. (I'm also a feta addict, so adding that in here was a no-brainer for me.)

This can honestly be a main or a side. It has a low calorie count, which makes me want to put it as a side, but it is also a substantial amount of food. I would say that if you serve it as a main, add some grilled vegetables on the side and maybe a protein of some sort on top (tofu, tempeh, etc). As a side, it is good to go!

Curried Spaghetti Squash with Mushrooms and Feta

Serves 4 

Ingredients:

• 4c. sliced white button mushrooms
• 2tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4c. cooked "forked" spaghetti squash
• 3/4 to 1tbl green curry paste (depends on how strong you want it-- I always use 1tbl)
• 1/4c. water
• 1/2c. reduced fat crumbled feta cheese

Instructions:

1. Coat a medium pan with oil, and heat over medium-low heat. Add in the mushrooms and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Combine the green curry paste and water, mixing until a smooth and relatively thin sauce forms. Pour the sauce over the spaghetti squash, tossing to coat.
3. Place 1c. of the spaghetti squash into each of four bowls; top each with 1/4 of the mushrooms and 2tbl feta.

Nutrition Information:
Sodium: 370mg
Total Fat: 5g
      Saturated: 2g
      Trans: 0g
Sugar: 6g
Protein: 8g
Calories: 119

Smoky Vegan Sweet Potato-Avocado Veggie Burgers

Back from camping!

My dad and I went for a two-day hike up in Sierra Nevada range, near a place called Lake Sylvia. Did you know that the entire range is granite? We passed by a ton of it, and it's a geographical feature that I have very rarely seen before this point (I came from Arizona, where our mountains were covered with both pine trees and cacti-- we didn't have the plants that are here in CA, and most of our landscape consisted of pine needles on dirt or maybe some red rocks, if you happened to be down in Sedona). There were also a ton of marmots and birds, and we saw two snakes that were just gorgeous. There were some bumps: it was wicked cold that night and the trail was pretty much all uphill, but I had an amazing time nonetheless. Being on the trail makes it easy to leave your worries about anything behind.

Isn't that just beautiful? It's amazing how a drive and about five miles of hiking can bring you to such beautiful places. That's something that I really love about nature, as I feel like it provides these moments of zen that really are a break from the chaos of my busy schedule. The only places I have ever felt truly spiritual, as if my soul is being touched by something, are in nature and when looking at art. There is nowhere else I would rather be than in nature and the mountains, and no other person who I could cherish it with more than my father. (I know, I'm a sappy person who waxes poetic in an obnoxiously stereotypical way. Stick with me, the food part is coming soon).




Naturally, after camping food (which wasn't even that bad: I had lasagna the first night and then quinoa-apple oats the next morning, not to mention a dark chocolate cheesecake mousse for dessert that night), I couldn't stop thinking about all the food we had at home. We had a few other foods (trail mix, Luna bars, some chocolate covered espresso beans, even dried apples which were awesome), but it's not the kind of things that I'm really used to eating, exactly. I was really craving warm things, which I feel was understandable considering the fact that I spent about six hours that night shivering and wondering if my toes were going to be OK. One recipe kept popping up into my head, particularly during the freezing cold night that I spent outside the tent on the trip (I had to see the stars!): Veggie burgers.



Recently my dad has been big into grilling because we got a new, fancy grill about a month ago (I swear, this guy is pleased by the easiest things! I think he is happier about the grill than the new car he bought a few weeks ago... still love him!). At the same time, I've been big into Avocados (who hasn't?? This is such a great time for them, particular being in CA at the moment with a farmer's market across the street from where I work). Add in some spice and smoky-sweetness with a vegan patty that combines hearty black beans, smooth sweet potato, peppers, and onions, and you've got an awesome combo.They hold together very well and have the added benefit of oats (instead of breadcrumbs!) and a ton of healthy fats and vitamins.

These don't have to be spicy (you can use bell peppers or leave out the chipotle peppers), but I am originally from the Southwest, so a little kick makes everything better to me! The avocado really helps cool down the spice, too; also, I just now thought that maybe adding ranch would be good? I'll have to make them again and try it out. Regardless, these veggie burgers are quite healthy and obnoxiously delicious, so much so that I think we have made the recipe three (four? five?) times by now? It's an addiction. 

Smoky Sweet Potato-Avocado Veggie Burgers (Vegan!)

Serves 6      Serving Size: 1 burger with avocado

Ingredients:

• 6 canned adobo chipotle peppers (7.5 oz can with no sauce) (If you are not a fan of heat, I would cut this in half or skip them entirely)
• 5 ¼ Oz pepper (bell or poblano- 1 lrg) roughly chopped
• 6 Oz shallots (2 large) roughly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, cut in half
• 6 Oz cooked sweet potato, no skin, lightly mashed with a fork
• 1 (15 oz) can reduced sodium black beans, drained
• 1/4t salt
• 6 oz oat bran (aprox 1 3/4 c.)
• Cooking spray
• 1 large avocado
• 6 whole wheat burger buns, toasted*

Optional other toppings: tomato, mustard, sautéed mushrooms, arugula, lettuce

Instructions: 

1. Preheat your grill to 450F (high heat).
2. In a food processor, finely dice both peppers, shallots, and garlic. Add sweet potato and black beans, along with salt, and pulse until the mixture is relatively smooth and most beans are pulverized. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl and stir a few times to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed.
3. Stir in oat bran in two batches. Your end result should be slightly moist, but easy to manipulate into the shape of a burger. It should hold its shape together when placed onto aluminum foil or a plate. Form the mixture into six burgers
4. Spray with cooking spray, and transfer to the grill (bottom rack, main heat). Cook for approximately 8 minutes per side. 
5. Thinly slice avocado, and divide it evenly among the six burgers. Put on buns, and build whatever combination of burger ingredients you so please! My personal favorite is adding tomato, arugula, and humus.

*Nutrition information does not include bun, because it is so variable. I used buns that are about 150 calories each; my recommendation is to find smaller buns if you are watching your calories.

Nutrition Information

Sodium: 257mg

Total Fat: 6g

         Saturated: 1g

         Mono: 3g
         Trans: 0g

Sugar: 4g

Protein: 10g

Calories: 212

Coconut Vegetable Curry

Do you ever find yourself feeling sentimental?

 

I was talking to a friend of mine and she mentioned how she is really starting to feel sentimental about high school and our high school teachers. It was weird to me to think about, because I hated high school, but I also did really like a few of the teachers I had. The math department, in particular, was fantastic. But after our talk, I realized that I couldn't really recall very many moments where I have truly felt sentimental. That could partly be because I am young-- not a lot of experience in sentimentality yet. But I also think that I tend to focus so much on the task at hand that I sometimes ignore the better parts of my past. Yeah, high school had its awful moments, but my experience there helped me into Colorado State University. I find that I miss my college professors (particularly my SOC teacher, who I will have next semester again-- yay!!) much more, maybe because they teach the topics that contribute to my current and future life goals. 

Speaking of sentimentality: this is a recipe that appeared on my old blog, but that I remember fondly. I'm kind of in love with eggplant at the moment, so when I was looking for what to make I saw this recipe and flipped. It's super simple to make, but there are a plethora of flavors in this guy. Eggplant is cooked in a rich coconut red curry sauce until tender, then mixed in with hearty bella mushrooms, bright lemongrass, and sweet bell pepper. There are some hints of ginger, sesame, and curry powder, and an added health bonus of serving it over brown rice.

I hope everyone has a good week. I'm off to a two-day hike up in the granite hills of CA, and I'm so excited! All my gear is packed and we are about to take off (I'm going with my father, since I only have a few weeks left with him here in CA. Then I'm off to school again! So excited!). Pictures to come, eventually! 

Coconut Red Curry with Vegetables

Serves 4             Serving Size: 1/2c. rice plus 1/4 of curry mixture

Ingredients:

• 1tbl olive oil
• 1 medium eggplant, cut into 1" cubes
• 8 oz slices bella mushrooms
• 1 yellow (not bell) pepper, minced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 2c. light coconut milk
• 2tbl red curry paste
• 1 stick lemongrass, cut into 4 pieces
• 1/4tsp curry powder
• 1/4tsp ground ginger
• 2tbl toasted sesame seed
• 1/4tsp salt
• 1/4tsp pepper
• 2c. cooked brown rice

Instructions:

1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the eggplant to the pan; cook for 5 minutes on medium. Add the mushrooms, peppers, coconut milk, curry paste, and lemongrass to the pan. Bring to a simmer, then turn to low and cook for 20 minutes, or until eggplant and mushrooms are tender. 
2. Take the lemongrass out of the pan; add the curry powder, ginger, sesame seed, salt, and pepper.
3. To serve, ladle 1/2c. rice into each of four bowls. Divide curry evenly among the dishes.

Nutrition Information:
Sodium: 356mg
Total Fat: 12g
     Saturated: 7g
     Monounsaturated: 3g
     Trans: 0g
Sugar: 7g
Protein: 8g
Calories: 299

Peach and Thyme Bran Muffins

Vegan recipe today, guys! (And no one who I gave them to even had a clue!)

I am so freaking excited to be sharing this recipe with you. There is a really fun story behind the inspiration for this. In Colorado, I am a weekly volunteer at the Larimer County Food Bank, which has a huge impact on the local community. They gathered and distributed 8.7 million pounds (I know, right?!) of donated food via their their main programs:  Food Share, Food Link and Child Nutrition/Kids Cafe. All three are awesome. I'm a volunteer in the Food Share program, and I usually work on Fridays during the school year.

Aaaanyways. So I started in March, and because I am incredibly obsessive I always leave campus about an hour earlier than I need to (I am absolutely anal about being on time. If I am one minute late, I freak out. Issues). But when you have an extra hour, what do you do? For me, I explored some local coffee places. My favorite one turned out to be Little Bird, which is this adorable little cafe right in the heart of our downtown square. They have a farm-to-table approach and source locally, which I love. Also, their pastries and coffee are the bomb. In April, about a month into my volunteering, I had finally started to realize that about halfway through my volunteer shift I would always get hungry and that I therefore needed to actually bring something to eat (duh!). And as you can guess, I started getting their Peach and Thyme Muffins. They were so good! The peach and thyme were both so subtle, nuzzled into this sweet batter that had hints of floral notes, and I gobbled them up the way normal people drink water. Naturally, I decided to create my own so I wouldn't spend $500 every week on muffins (since I already spend about that much on coffee-- eep!).

I really think that this recipe is spot on. A lot of people are afraid of bran muffins because they think that they will be dry-- these muffins are far from it! They have the perfect texture, and the bran adds both some complexity and a nice nutty flavor to the batter. The thyme adds beautiful fresh undertones, and I used a mixture of yellow and white peaches so that the sweetness and tartness would intermingle. They get a little caramelized on top which is fantastic, because who doesn't like natural sugars? They look beautiful, as well. This is also an accidentally-on-purpose vegan recipe, in the fact that I could have added an egg but I didn't, and I am so glad for it! If you aren't vegan, don't be afraid. Bake these and don't add any dairy, and it will totally revolutionize the way you think about vegan food.

It's Monday. Have some Muffins. (Muffin Monday should totally be a thing).

Peach and Thyme Bran Muffins
Serves 12

Ingredients:

• 1c soy (or almond) milk
• 1T lime juice
• 3/4c (3/4oz) oat bran
• 3/4c (1 and 5/8oz) wheat bran
• 1/2c packed (3 and 1/4oz) brown sugar
• 1 and 1/2c (8oz) whole wheat flour
• 2t baking powder
• 1t baking soda
• 1/4t salt
• 1c unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2T almond extract (if you do not have, use vanilla)
• 2T fresh thyme leaves, minced
• 1 medium white peach, skin removed, diced, and patted dry with a towel (will total about 1/3c. diced)
• Cooking Spray
• 1 large yellow peach, sliced into 24 segments

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, combine soy milk and lime juice. (We are creating homemade "buttermilk".) Let sit for ten minutes. Mixture may look slightly curdled, do not worry.
2. Preheat the oven to 400F.
3. In a large bowl, sift together oat bran through salt. Make a small well in the middle of the mixture, and pour the soy milk mixture, applesauce, extract, and thyme into it. Stir the wet and dry together until about half-mixed, then add the white peach cubes. Stir only until everything is just moist (over-stirring can create toughness in the end result).
4. Spray a 12-count muffin pan with cooking spray. Evenly divide batter into the pan (I used about two ice cream scoops for each muffin: don't be afraid to pile that batter into there). Top each muffin with two yellow peach slices, sticking the slice in at an angle so it is about halfway buried into the batter. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool.

Nutrition Information
Sodium: 62mg
Total Fat: 1g
      Saturated: 0g
      Trans: 0g
Sugar: 14g
Protein: 5g
Calories: 135
Dietary Fiber: 5g

Lemon Cannellini Bean Salad

My garden is growing!

Despite the sweltering weather, Sacramento is treating my vegetable garden really well. I had an incident with a wilted plant the other day, but some water and less sunshine fixed it right up. My tomatoes have sprouted like crazy, nearly as tall as I am now, and my pepper plants are starting to bud out. Basil is taller, but I have no clue how to tell when basil is at it's peak growth period. All I know is that everything looks, and smells, awesome! Anyone else gardening now? What are you growing?

Gardening is something that I always associate with summer, because I have various family members who always garden. There are other things that I think of for summer, too, like frozen yogurt and anything bright. Both in color (hello blue flowered shorts) and flavor. Citrus, in particular, is a huge thing for me during summer. I've been making a ton of lemon water and squeezing limes on everything. I had some leftover lemons and I figured I should do something fun with them. My eating has been kinda wacky the last few weeks so I decided to make a salad...  without the greens.

I love bean-based or grain-based salads, in particular because they offer some variety and remind me that not everything that's healthy has to have dark greens. Don't get me wrong-- I love taking kale and arugula, maybe some mustard greens, and letting them take the stage for my dinner salad. But sometimes it's nice to just have a break from the norm. This salad combines hearty cannellini beans with celery for some crunch, and then some lemon and paprika jazz up the flavor even more.

As you can see in the photos, I use celery leaves. People really underestimate how much of the celery they can use and often only stick to the middle section, and it bothers me to no end to see how most people waste the slightly sweet, mild flavor of the celery tops. Don't throw those away, guys! They add the perfect amount of complexity to this dish. Which, by the way, is obnoxiously easy to make.

(Oooh, also! One serving of this gives you 59% of your iron, which is the most common nutritional deficiency anemia in the world.)

Lemon Cannellini Bean Salad
Serves 2         Serving Size: 0.75 cup

Ingredients:

• 1c. unsalted cannellini beans (rinsed and drained, if from can)
• 1/2c. celery tips/leaves, chopped
• Juice of 1/2 large lemon
• 1T olive oil
• 1/4t paprika
• 1/4t pepper

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Toss to coat.

Nutrition Information:
Sodium: 81mg
Total Fat: 7g
         Saturated: 1g
         Mono: 5g
         Trans: 0g
Sugar: 2g
Protein: 8g
Calories: 186
Iron: 59%