Garlic Basil Spaghetti Squash

With the super-bugs going around and infecting people with flu/cold and coughs that linger for weeks, we thought it was high-time to bring in some garlic. Other than the folklore surrounding its ability to keep vampires at bay, did you know that garlic has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-parasitic properties? This vegetable from the lily family has a well-deserved space on our plates this season.

Ingredients

1 medium spaghetti squash
25oz jar of tomato sauce
1 bulb garlic, peeled and minced
6oz white button mushrooms, sliced
5oz shredded green cabbage
1oz fresh basil, chopped
1/2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

Carefully cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and place cut side down on baking sheet into pre-heated oven (400 degrees) and cook for 45-50 minutes.

Prep all other ingredients with knife and cutting board. Put garlic and mushrooms in large pan over low-medium heat for about 5 minutes, then add cabbage, tomato sauce, and fresh basil and simmer until done.

After spaghetti squash has cooled a bit, use oven mitt to hold while scraping out ‘spaghetti’ with a fork. Top with tomato sauce mixture and enjoy!

DIY Pizza Party!

It has been a very long time since our last pizza. Years of sad, cardboard-y gluten-free pizza crusts turned our focus to other dinner entrées. However, a recent shopping trip to Trader Joe’s brought us back to our inner Italian, who gave us a kiss on each cheek. There are two pizza crusts in a single package; you’ll likely want to use them both and set up an impromptu decorate-your-own-pizza gathering where many hands can get involved in making a fantastic dinner. Gluten intolerants and celiacs – finally, a pizza without repercussions! This recipe is for 2 pizzas and about hungry 4 people.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 11 minutes

Ingredients

1 bulb of garlic (yes, bulb, not clove)
1 package of gluten-free pizza crusts (we got ours from TJoe’s)
1/2 cup canned or jarred artichokes
1/2 cup organic cheese, shredded (we used cheddar and Parmesan)
1/4 cup olives, sliced
2-3 ounces of mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup arugula
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/8 cup diced jalapeño

Instructions

Remove frozen pizza crusts from fridge and let thaw about 15 minutes while preparing the olives, mushrooms, and cheese. Roast garlic in oven at 400 degrees for about 20-30 minutes or until done. Pull pizza crusts out of package and spread tomato sauce over each. Then layer on arugula followed by mushrooms, cheese, olives, artichokes, jalapeño, and then the roasted garlic (removed from skin). You can either put pizza directly on rack or use a pizza stone. Buon appetito!

Cashew & Chickpea Korma

Our favorite Indian food delivery service stopped. Rather than languish, cry, and starve, we  put on our big kid pants and decided to channel our inner Indian cooking guru. The result? Almost unbelievable but it’s way better than what has been arriving at our door steps.

This is a quick prep but slow cook meal (the longer you can wait, the better!). If you don’t know us by now, let us explain that we are pretty experimental in the kitchen, rarely is anything measured before we add it, but we’ll recount the end result in the recipe below. May your autumnal evenings grow warmer and your taste buds do a dance of joy!

Prep time: 20 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 cup cashews
1 can chickpeas
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 jar tomato sauce (we used fire-roasted tomato sauce)
1 red bell pepper
1 carrot
1 baby bok choy
1 onion, chopped

Herbs & Spices
1″ ginger
1″ tumeric
1/3 bunch of cilantro
1 tsp coriander
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp harissa
1 tbsp garam masala

Instructions

Heat cashews and chickpeas in a pan with olive oil for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Prep other vegetables – chop carrot, red pepper, cilantro, and bok choy. Transfer chickpeas and cashews to a pot to rest and now heat the vegetables in the pan with jar of tomato sauce for 10 minutes. Add vegetable mix to pot with the nuts and chickpeas along with spices and 1/2 liter of water. Simmer for as long as you can stand or about 45-60 minutes. Serve with blend of wild rice if desired.

Recipe: Turkey Chili & Arugula

Winter = slow cooker; at least for us. There is nothing better than loading up up the ceramic bowl with a variety of greens, protein, and vegetables, and letting the ‘kitchen servant’ work its magic while we perform ours in the nutrition world. Coming home to a cooked dinner is a relief and a joy – even better when shared with loved ones!

We are huge fans of cooking once and eating twice. You’ll notice that the caramelized parsnips and turkey, made in advance, provide the benefit of 1. using leftovers wisely and 2. making preparation so much easier.

Prep time: 15 minutes (we made the caramelized parsnips and turkey sausage patties earlier; otherwise this recipe extends to about 40 minutes)
Cook time: 6-8 hours in the slow cooker

Ingredients:
1/2 lb ground turkey (or use 3 leftover turkey sausage patties from this recipe!)
1 lb parsnips, caramelized
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 bunch dandelion greens, chopped
1 jar (25oz) tomato sauce
1 jar salsa
1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup arugula, rinsed

Instructions:
If you haven’t already caramelized the parsnips or made the turkey patties, start them. Once turkey is cooked, add to bottom of slow cooker, layer with chopped green bell pepper and red pepper flakes. Saute onion and set aside. Pour jar of tomato sauce and salsa on top of turkey mixture in slow cooker and greens. Then add caramelized parsnips and the sauteed onion. Set crockpot timer for 4-6 hours.
Serve turkey chili over fresh arugula. Enjoy!

Recipe: Spicy Indian Dal

Cold winter nights seem to conjure up the strangest, most delicious craving for warm and spicy Indian food. We’ve been to most restaurants in the city and have decided to make our own Dal. The result? You’d gladly pay for this meal at a restaurant, but now you don’t have to. 

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup red lentils
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 onion, diced/chopped
8 cloves garlic (we can never have too much)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon red chili powder
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 cup tomato sauce
salt to taste
1 cup water, or enough to make it the consistency you desire

Instructions
Cook the lentils separately. While lentils are cooking, chop 1 onion and garlic. Heat 2 tablespoons oil and cumin seeds in a medium stockpot. Saute onion, garlic, turmeric powder, chili powder, and sprinkle cayenne if you like spice.  Reduce to simmer, chop tomato and add to pot – cook until soft. Add tomato sauce (we used our own home-made version), cooked lentils and water; bring to a boil for a few minutes, and salt to taste.