Category: Cooking and Baking

If I shared one of my all-time favorite recipes yesterday, I must say that today’s recipe is #1 on the chart.

Simple and healthy yet delicious, this dish always receives rave reviews.  I must also credit this recipe with making huge spaghetti squash fans of my children.  I love looking outside at our spaghetti squash in the garden, knowing how many times I can make this in coming months.


The dish consists of a creamy tomato sauce with chicken in it, served over spaghetti squash.  Delicious.

Ingedients:

1 spaghetti squash 2 Tb. olive oil, divided 1/2 to 1 lb. chicken 1 medium onion 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 (15 oz) can petite diced tomatoes {diced stewed tomatoes work also} 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce 1/2 tsp. sugar 1/2 tsp. oregano 1/2 tsp. basil 1/4 tsp. marjoram 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper 4 Tb. heavy cream 1/4 cup chopped parsley Preparation:

To cook the spaghetti squash, you have two options.  First, you can poke a few holes in it and bake it, whole, in the oven (350 degrees).  This is a great way to cook it but you must start early; depending on the size of your squash it will take over an hour to become tender and sometimes much longer than that.  The second option is to halve the squash lengthwise.  Remove seeds.  Place cut side down on a microwave safe place.  Again, depending on the size of your squash you may need to cook each half separately.  Cook on high power for 5 minutes, check for tenderness.  Cook for another 3-5 minutes.  (Mine usually take 10 minutes for each half.)  The squash is done when the meat scrapes out easily in long spaghetti-like strings.  Scrape squash into serving dish, add 1 Tb. butter (if desired) and salt and pepper to taste.  Toss and cover to keep warm.

If you are baking the squash you must start it well before the rest of the dish; if using the microwave you can cook the squash while you cook the sauce.

In a skillet, heat 1 Tb. oil.  Add chicken and one clove minced garlic.  Cook until chicken is done but do not dry out!  Remove chicken from pan and set aside.  Add the second tablespoon of oil to the skillet.  Add onion and second clove of garlic.  Cook until onion is softened.  While onion is cooking, cut chicken into small pieces  (I usually cut it in 1/2 inch cubes.)   When onion is tender, add tomatoes, tomato sauce, sugar, oregano, basil, marjoram, salt and pepper.  Simmer for 10 minutes.  Add diced chicken.  Stir in heavy whipping cream and heat through, about 2 minutes.  Reserve 2 Tb. chopped parsley and add the rest to the tomato sauce.

To serve, place spaghetti squash on plate, top with tomato sauce.  Garnish with parsley.  Enjoy!


Hopeful Homemaker

This is one of my all-time favorite recipes.  It is so inexpensive, so healthy, but so tasty that I can’t get enough of it.   In fact, I love it so much that I always save myself a bowl of the filling to eat while the enchiladas cook in the oven.  It’s fabulous, I tell you.


Here goes…

Zesty Vegetable Enchiladas Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups dry lentils 4 cups water 1 Tb. vegetable oil 2 cups thinly sliced carrots 2 tsp. chili powder 2 tsp. ground cumin salt and pepper to taste 4 cups quartered, thinly sliced zucchini 2 cups chopped fresh tomato 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese  (I like to use a blend) 14-16 corn tortillas 1  can green enchilada sauce or try my homemade green enchilada sauce recipe In a small saucepan, add water to lentils.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20-25 minutes or until tender.  Drain, rinse in cold water.

Heat vegetable oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add carrots, chili powder and cumin.  Cook, stirring constantly, for 3-5 minutes.  Add zucchini and continue to cook and stir until veggies are crisp-tender.  Remove from heat.  Stir in lentils, tomato, and 1 cup cheese.   Add salt and pepper to taste.

Heat corn tortillas.  Spoon veggie mixture down center of each tortilla, roll up and place in 9×13 inch pan.  Pour enchilada sauce over enchiladas and cover with aluminum foil.  Bake at 350 for 10 minutes, remove foil and sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake another 10-15 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.  Serve with sour cream and salsa, if desired.  And, like I said, it’s amazing in a bowl all by itself!


Hopeful Homemaker