Spaghetti Squash Pizza Pie

Oh my word, my dog just swiped her paws across my keyboard and erased this whole post.

So, here goes again:

I have lost so many of my new creations because I forget to blog them.  Blaming it on the start of the school year and a busy summer before that.  We are mostly vegetarian now so I've had to get creative in a lot of ways.  Anyhoo...

1 medium spaghetti squash, cooked however you like(I roasted mine) and cool enough to handle
1 smaller(maybe 12-14 oz?) jar of roasted red peppers, drained
3 large eggs
various Italian seasonings to taste, including fennel, garlic & onion powders, and Italian seasoning blend, salt, and pepper.
1 smaller container full-fat cottage cheese(I like the large curd)
1/4 cup gluten free baking mix(or flour, I just happened to have the gf stuff)
1 scant cup shredded mozzarella(big, giant handful, close enough)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, or parmesan cheese

Combine peppers, seasonings, and eggs in an old, quart-sized, Mason jar or pitcher of a blender and blend thoroughly.  My blender happens to fit Mason jars and I love using them to blend up smaller batches of things.  Shred the spaghetti squash into a large mixing bowl, add the pepper mixture and the cheeses and mix well.  Pour into an oiled casserole dish, 9x13, 8x12, doesn't matter I don't think, and bake for as long as it takes to cook it.  I cook in a toaster/convection oven and that is way different from a regular oven.  I'm guessing 30-35 minutes.

We are veggie-tarians so I didn't add meat, plus it is 7pm and we're hungry, so the ingredients are quite simple.  Adding veggie crumbles(ground meat type) or chopped up pepperonis or bacon or ham, or whatever meats you want, black olives, etc., would be awesome in this!  Now, I have not tested this but wanted to get it written down before a dog destroys it again, or I forget.  I will add an edit to let yall know how it goes.

EDIT:  I baked it about 45 minutes to get it to set and there is a TON of it!!  This is so very tasty, will definitely be in the monthly rotation.  It is good comfort food and would probably be better with the additions I suggested or even shrimp, spinach, or some other greens veggie(broccoli might be too strong though).  I actually made this for us to take to school for lunch, I imagine it will be even better reheated!

Vegan Stuffed Peppers(cheater style)

These are so easy and vegan unless you use dairy cheese to finish the top(we did).

5 largish red bell peppers, split vertically, and seeded
1 pkg Trader Joe's vegetable fried rice
2/3 cup salsa
1 cup frozen corn
2 cups Morning Star "beef" crumbles
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
(last 5 ingredient amounts are approximate)

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine the filling ingredients and heat in a few spoonfuls of oil until hot and well-mixed.  You may need to add 1/4 cup water if it starts to stick like mine did(because I had the heat too high).  Oil a pan and fill peppers generously with the mix, you will have leftovers for a few soft tacos or a salad!

Cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the peppers are as tender as you'd like.  Another recipe I read said 30-40 min covered, and another 10 uncovered.  Mine are topped with grated white cheddar cheese, so not vegan for us.  I cook in a toaster/convection oven at around 400, watched closely.

Vegetarian Chili

Easy peasy and delish!  This was my second bowl!!!!

1 32-oz box veggie broth(or chicken)
1 can petit diced tomatoes with juice
2 cans of water
1 medium onion, diced
garlic and onion powder, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, chili powder, cumin, and parsley(about 1 teaspoon of most, 3tsp of the chili powder though)
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
3 tablespoons lemon juice, or up to 1/4 cup

salt to taste

2/3 cup lentils
2/3 cup quinoa
1 pkg Quorn grounds(resembles ground beef)

Combine everything in a 2-3 quart crock cooker, stir well and cook on high for about 8 hours, or until the lentils are done.

Serve over crushed corn chips with cheese and yogurt or sour cream, or with cornbread.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

This one is easy!

1 large head of cauliflower, in pieces and roasted in a bit of olive oil until softened.
Add to a soup pot with 32 ounces veggie(or beef or chicken) broth and spices to suit you.  I used cumin, curry powder, garlic and onion powder, and a bit of smoked paprika.  Cook, covered, until the cauliflower is very tender, maybe 15-20 minutes.  Uncover and let cool for a bit.  Blend with an immersion blender or in a regular blender til smooth.  Add 2 cups flax milk(or whatever kind you like) and a spoonful of cream cheese and/or greek yogurt, some salt and pepper and reheat on low until hot.  Serve!

Beluga Lentil-Quorn Chili Stew....

 Because I had no idea what we were going to eat tonight...

All measurements are approximate.

1.5 cups dry black(beluga) lentils
32 oz vegetable broth(or water)
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, smashed and minced
1/2 teaspoon(or to taste) each, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika
1 teaspoon each, chili powder, oregano, and cumin
Optional, add 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar.

Cook the lentils and onion in the spiced broth for about 10 minutes.

Add: 
1 cup dry quinoa
1 cup frozen greens(I used broccoli rabe but mustard, kale, spinach, or collards would be fine, its mostly for color)
1 can petit diced tomatoes with juice
1/4 cup salsa
1/2 pkg Quorn chikn tenders(or a cooked chicken breast or two)

Cook, covered on med-low, about 30 minutes, adding up to 2 cups water a little at a time to keep it from thickening too much.  Serve over corn chips with extra sharp cheddar cheese.  I think this cheese works best because it brightens the flavor a bit.

I'm putting this recipe in our rotation, it was that good!  Next time we'll take it mobile and go eat at our favorite picnic area down the road at Crabtree Falls on the Blue Ridge Parkway!

Asian Eggplant Stew

So I saw this /http://vegetariangastronomy.com/2013/05/thai-basil-eggplant-vegan-contains-gluten/ delish-looking dish on pinterest and wanted to duplicate it.  We all know how that can turn out!  Mine, however different, is sooooo awesomely creamy and satisfying!

3 medium purple and white eggplants(or your choice, maybe 6-8 cups, cubed)
1 large onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped(mine were small and from a garden so they kind of melted away)
4 garlic cloves, smashed and finely diced
1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and finely diced

2 cups dry quinoa, cooked in 4 cups of water(I don't add salt or oil), according to directions on pkg if you have them.

Cook all the veggies in a few tablespoons of oil until they are sort of tender.

Mix the following:

1/3 cup bragg's aminos(or soy sauce)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/8 cup sugar or more to taste
garlic and onion powder and red pepper flakes to taste
(adjust amounts to suit your tastebuds, we like tangy so the acv is right for us but might be too much for others)

Add to veggies, cover, and cook til mostly tender.

Add a cup to 1.5 cups of water(or broth) and arrowroot, cornstarch, or rice powder, following the directions for the thickener you choose.  I use a rice powder that just needs a few shakes over the food and to cook about 5 minutes.

Serve over the quinoa and enjoy the goodness!  Dobro sure thought he wanted a plateful!!!

Good things from leftovers...

I had leftover spaghetti squash from making a fake mac & cheese dish(real cheese, fake mac).   There were maybe 2 cups of the mixture in the fridge and I was pretty sure it'd get tossed because reheated fake mac & cheese, bluck.  So, I thought about fritters or making it into pizza crust or something.  Then it hit me, PANCAKES!!!  Like zucchini pancakes only with spaghetti squash!  YESSSSS!!!

So, here goes my best guestimates:

2 cups spaghetti squash
1 cup coconut milk(from a box)
1 cup gluten free baking mix(Betty Crocker is what I used)
2 eggs

I hope that's all I used, I've slept since then!  Mix well and cook one on a hot griddle to see how it does.  Adjust liquids or powders to get the right consistency if you need to and make some more!  I cooked mine on a 10-inch cast iron skillet on a hot plate thingy.  It made a LOT, at least 15, 4-inch pancakes!  I ate mine with sriracha ketchup and livermush, everyone else had butter and syrup.

 

And these quinoa-navy bean enchiladas with sour cream green sauce....

About 1.5 cups cooked quinoa
1 can navy beans, drained but not rinsed
2-3 tablespoons salsa verde
cumin, onion and garlic powder, oregano, salt, to taste

Mix well.  This will fill 10-12 small tortillas(I used corn and only had 8 but I have leftover filling)  I sprinkled a tiny bit of cheese in each too.

Put these in an oiled casserole dish.  Mix about 3/4 cup sour cream with 1/4 cup coconut milk(unsweet, boxed) and a few tablespoons of salsa verde and maybe some nutritional yeast flakes if you have them, and pour over the enchiladas.  Top with a handful of cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes, until bubbly.  I cooked mine in a toaster oven at 400 and the bottoms got a little tough so next time I'll lower the temp.

Banana Pancakes

2 very ripe(black) medium bananas
3/4-1 cup gluten free baking mix(Betty Crocker rice blend)
2/3-1 cup So Delicious coconut milk(the 45 calorie/cup kind)
3 eggs
dash of vanilla and grind of salt

Put it all in a quart-size Mason jar, put it on the blender and fire it up!  Preheat a 10-inch cast iron skillet, or the pancake griddle of your choice.  Pour into 3-inch rounds and flip when the bubbles appear and they look a little dry.  This made 22 bitty pancakes(1 WW point each) but you can make them big as you want.  I ate mine with a little butter and raspberry jam. 

Stir fried veggies and mac and cheese...

4-5 medium zucchini, quartered and sliced 1/2 inch thick
about 3/4 pound small mushrooms, quartered
about 1.5 cups diced quorn chicken tenders
 part of a bell pepper
1/2 a bag of frozen broccoli rabe(Whole Foods)

Cook in coconut oil til crisp-tender. 
Add several dashes bragg's liquid aminos, garlic and onion powder, a swig of dark sesame oil, and some Asian or Indian spice of your choice. 
 Cook til softish. 
Serve over quinoa(2 cups, cooked in 4 cups water) seasoned with lemon juice, butter, and salt.

Adapted from this:  Monterrey Bay Spice Company's Herbed Macaroni and Cheese

I left out the herbs and almost doubled the cheese sauce.  My noodles are the giant elbows.  This was amazing!!!

Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti

 This reminds me of chicken spaghetti like my mom didn't make but I had at friends houses.

1 pkg spaghetti, broken in half

Cook the noodles al dente and meanwhile:

1 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened and cubed
1-2 ounces blue cheese, Gorgonzola or Roquefort(optional), crumbled
2 cans petit diced tomatoes(or regular dice or whole, chopped up- whatever), undrained
1/2 tsp garlic and onion powders
2 tbsp-1/4 cup Frank's hot sauce for wings(or to taste, start light)
1.5 cups frozen spinach, thawed under hot water and drained a bit(doesn't have to be squeezed dry)

Combine everything but the noodles in a microwaveable bowl and heat for 2 minutes, or heat on the stove, stirring until the cheese is mostly melted.

Add:
1 pound COOKED chicken breast, cubed or 1 12-ounce pkg THAWED Quorn chik 'n tenders
2-3 tbsp sliced Kalamata olives.

In large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.  Pour into an oiled 9x13 or 12-inch round baking dish or pan.  Cover with foil and bake for about 20 minutes.  Enjoy!