Spaghetti Squash with Roasted Beet Sauce

Are you ready for this weekend? You know what's coming right? Yup, another arctic blast. -30 degree temperatures, windchill warnings and local news forecasters warning of dangerously cold conditions. "Don't go outside , your face will freeze off"

Oh yeah, and Valentine Day.

What are your thoughts on the V day? The mr and I, well we could kind of care less, but at the same time, we like the excuse to spend the day together, traditionally going for a hike with the pup (not this year... we would die) and just spending the day together being sweet (pretty much the same way we spend any days off together) We don't get fancy with dinner dates or overly large stuffed animals. No boxes of chocolate, bottles of champagne or fancy undies.  We keep it caj, maybe a sweet hand made card covered in glitter (never a store bought.) a stop for a good cup of coffee and an afternoon trip to the plant store to by a new pretty house plant (1. I really hate red roses and 2. I would much rather get a house plant then flowers that will die) But honesty, we just use V day as an excuse to not work and spend the day together, being left alone, eating whatever we want and doing whatever fun stuff we want.

This dish was kinda inspired by being so pretty bright pink, but also it was just what I wanted to eat for dinner. Spaghetti squash doesn't get as much play as it should. Sure it's not the most sweet and nutty of the squashes, but it has a really nice subtle flavor that makes it a fantastic base for pretty much anything. And the beet sauce. Again, it's such a pretty color, but beside that, I can't get enough of them. I love me some roasted beets (way better then any chocolate or sweet treat)

I could lie to you and say that this is the dish that I will be making for me and the mr on Valentines day, but no,this dish already happened this week and the mr got into it, but would rather eat his favorite meal (pizza) for dinner.  And I will be eating the left over beet sauce with carrot sticks (this beet sauce id for real.. topped with a little yellow mustard... I could eat it for life)  then make a hugmongo batch of popcorn covered in peanut butter. We wiil sit on he couch and watch a lot of Netflix (still working my way through the fresh prince) and maybe a cute Wes Anderson movie. I will be in bed by 9.

But don't mind us old folks here. Go for it. Do up the Valentines Day. Make a pretty dish of food for your sweetheart, or if alone, make it for yourself, especiallyif you are hanging by your lonesome. Valentinesday is about being happy and this dish will make you happy, whether or not you plan on sharing it.

The stuff. One spaghetti squash big enough for at least 2 people (I love left overs so maybe big enough for 4), 2 largish beets, a a small onion. Also grab a clove of garlic of 4, a lemon, the salt and pepper, and some olive oil. Optional, but a very nice addition is a handful of tasted walnuts.

Quick and crank up the oven (make sure you take out the cast iron you left in there from last night), then stick the squash, beets and onion into the hot oven to roast. I stuck them all on a baking sheet and left them completely whole, but if you want, you could chop the beet and onion into chunks and drizzle with oil or you could wrap the beets in foil and bake them that way but really, why go through all that when you can just not? And don't bother peeling them.(unless you think you must.. but you really really don't need too)

And same for the squash. You could cut in half and roast it that way, but again, why when you don't need to.

So anyway, roast the beets and onion until fork tender. And the squash as well (check by stabbing with a fork) All my stuff roasted up pretty much perfectly at the exact same time, but it really depends on the size of your stuff. So check after 40ish minutes.

And once you pull that roasted stuff from the oven, let it cool just enough where you can handle it. Chop the onion into a couple chunks, the beets into smaller chunks and slice the squash in half length wise and set aside.

Grab a blender and toss in the onion, beets the juice of the lemon (start with half) apinch of salt, a few pinches of pepper, and a clove or 2 of garlic (ok, I love raw garlic and used a lot. If you do not like the taste of raw garlic, just toss it with a little oil and stick into the oven with the beets for about 10 minutes. Or you could omit the garlic entirely)

Once all the stuff is in the blender, turn it on. Drizzle in about a tablespoon or two of olive oil and blend until a nice smooth sauce has formed. Taste, season with more salt and pepper if needed. Add the other half of lemon if you think it needs it. You can also add a bit of water to thin it out more.. if you want

So now the squash should be cool enough to handle. Scoop out the seeds and with a fork, scrape up into spaghetti!

Heaps of squash go into bowls then topped with a generous mound of beet sauce. Topped with some roughly chopped toasted walnuts, a sprinkle of pepper and some bits of green stuff (I just diced up some kale)

Look at that. So pretty, so pink and all ready to go. Dinner for 2 with a good bit of left overs for later!

Happy weekend! And Happy Valentines Day if you do it, or if you don't!

-C

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Spaghetti Squash with Roasted Beet Sauce

makes 3-4 servings

• 1 medium sized spaghetti squash
• 2 large beets
• 1 small onion
• 1 lemon
• 2-4 cloves garlic
• handful of toasted walnuts (optional)
• olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Note. You might want to thin out sauce out a bit without the use of a ton of oil. Go ahead and add a little water. Also, I used raw garlic in mine, but some people might not like it raw. Just toss a few cloves of garlic in a bit of oil and stick into the oven for 10-15 minutes with the other stuff to give it a little roast. OR just omit.

Preheat oven to 425.

Stick the onion, beets and squash onto a baking sheet, drzzle the beet and onion with a tiny bit of oil and stick the sheet into the oven. Roast everything until fork tender which should take around 45-50 minutes. (depending on the size of your produce, some thing might take longer or shorter, so just check after 40ish minutes)

Once everything is roasted, let the beets and onion cool just enough to handle and cut into chunks and toss into a blender. Add in the garlic, the juice of the lemon, a few drizzles of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Now turn blender on and blend until smooth.

And the squash. Cut the thing in half and remove the seeds.  Then with a fork, scrap the squash from the skin into spaghetti like strands.

Place squash into bowls, sprinkle with salt and pepper, add a drizzle of oil if you want and top with a good hearty heap of beet sauce. Top with more cracked pepper and a few chopped walnuts and maybe add a little something green, you know, to make it pretty.

Serve warm with love and a fork.. your lips might turn pink with beet love.

Cumin Lime Waffle Iron Tofu with Squash and Avocado on Toast

I have been meaning to share the magic of crispy waffle iron tofu for a while, but somehow kind of forgot. Yesterday when talking to my (not quite) mother in law she mentioned the bean waffles I made a while ago and suddenly I had a very real need to go home and bust out the waffle iron and make some tofu. And some of you may be thinking that this sounds weird, but its not. Waffle irons are not just for waffles, you can cook just about anything in them. I compare then to a George Foreman grill (remember those) or even a griddler. . Works the same way, just makes everything waffles shaped.

As for the rest of this open face toast situation, it just makes so much sense.  Crispy cumin lime tofu, avocado, mashed up squash.... A heap of things that are so freaking good.  I actually made the sandwich for the mr and was a little bit worried he was not going to like it, but worry I need not. He got down with it too. You could even ditch the bread and eat waffled tofu slathered in the squash and tofu alone, or maybe swap out bread for greens (that's what I did) Whatever you do, it will be good and your tofu will be so nice and crispy (without having to deep fry) that you may never cook tofu anther way again.

The stuff. Tofu, some roasted squash (any squash or sweet potato works), and half an avocado. Going to need a lime, some cumin and a pinch of chili powder, salt and pepper and little olive oil. And some type of bread that is good for toasting.

The cumin and chili powder go into a bowl with lime juice, a little oil ans a pinch of salt ans pepper. Give it a good whisk and set aside.

And now tend to the tofu. You want to get as much water removed from the tofu as you can.  I do this by pressing the sliced pieces between a clean tea towel a bunch of times until the tofu is as dry I can get it without falling apart.

While you are doing this, preheat your waffle iron.

Once the tofu is a dried as you can get it, dredge each piece of tofu, front and back, through the cumin lime mixture.

And place it on your preheated, lightly oiled waffle iron.

Close iron and let the tofu iron itself cripsy.

And in about 7-10 minutes, you got yourself some super fantastic crispy, oh so tasty tofu.

Now to put it all together.  Bread is toasted and topped with mashed up squash.

Next goes the tofu then top that with the avocado. Finish with a squeeze of lime and a pinch of salt.

And sriracha if you like it..

Not deep fried, but super crispy tofu! And squash! and avocado! and toast!

It's amazing.

-C

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Cumin Lime Waffle Iron Tofu with Squash and Avocado on toast

Make 2 pieces of toast

For the tofu

• 1/2 a block of extra firm tofu cut about an inch thick slices
• Juice of half a lime
• 1 heaping teaspoon cumin
• pinch of chili powder
• salt and pepper
• 3 teaspoons oil plus more to brush onto iron

And for the rest of the sandwich

• a piece 4-5 inch piece of baguette or 2 slices of thick bread (use gluten free bread if you want)
• About a 1/3 cup of cooked or roasted squash or sweet potato
• sriracha (if you are into it)
• 1/2 an avocado
• the other half of lime

In a shallow bowl, mix together the juice of 1/2 the lime,the cumin and chill powder, a pinch of salt and pepper and 3 teaspoons of oil. Set aside

Preheat waffle iron to either the on setting or if it has variable setting, high.

Take your tofu and remove as much of the liquid as you can by pressing it between two clean kitchen towels. When you get as much of the liquid out as you can, take the tofu and place into the cumin mixture and coat both sides.  Ready the iron by brushing each side with a little more oil just to make sure it doesn't stick and place the tofu on the iron, close it up, and let it do it's thing for about 8-10 minutes. (check after 6-7 to see whats what and if is as crispy crunchy as you like, remove. If you think it could use another minute or two, well close it back up and keep ironing it.

And when the tofu is done, it's time tot make compile it all together.

Toast you bread you are going to use. Once toasted mash a good amount of squash onto toast. Place tofu on top of that and thinly sliced avocado on top of that. Finish with a sprinkle of salt, a squeeze of lime juice and if you are feeling a bit more spicy, a few drizzle drops of sriracha.

Eat right away. Do not share...they can make their own.

Beet- Sweet Potato And Lentil Casserole

Once in a while I make a dinner that the mr does not want to eat, like anything with too much corn or things made with lots of vinegar... not his taste. Don't get me wrong, most of the time, he will eat what I make (casue he loves me) but he clearly doesn't really like it. And that's when pup usually gets left over for dinner. (He always likes everything that I cook)

One of those things that I know the mr doesn't like are beets. Sure, he will eat things that has a few beets in it, but once he found out that this casserole starred beets, his eyes widened and he looked worried, like "oh great, but please don't make me eat this". Not to worry. He was getting pasta for dinner because this casserole was not for him. It was for me. It has everything that I love in the word (food wise ) tossed together and baked into a pretty skillet, just for me. Plus the beets, sweet potato and kale were the last from the farm share.  So it was my good by farm food, casserole of greatness. And I didn't want to share.

So yeah, if you are not a fan of beets, or any of the other stuff in this casserole for that matter, then don't make it. But if you are awesome and know the greatness of the beet, especially paired with lentils and sweet potato, well I suggest you go and make this right away. And bonus... it's super healthy and hardy which make for a great dinner on a cold night and after all the holiday food last week. 

The stuff. A large sweet potato, a couple of big beets and some dried lentils.  Gonna want some veggies, like an onion, carrots, cabbage and kale. Also want garlic, some salt and pepper, water and tiny bit of olive oil.

First thing first, get the beets and the sweet potato in a pot to boil* Just dice then up and toss into a pot with enough water to submerge the roots. Sprinkle in a bit of water ad bring to a boil, stick a lid on pot, and turn hat to medium. 

*Note. I boiled my beets and sweet potato in one pot because well, I just didn't want to have one more pot to wash. But if you do this, your sweet potato will turn slightly pink, whichI think is really pretty. If you want your sweet potato puree to look orange, gonna have to dirty another pot and boil the beets separately.

And chop up our veggies and mince the garlic. Drizzle a tiny amount of oil into a skillet or pot, toss in veggies (minus the kale) and cook on medium heat just until they start to soften a tiny bit. Once the veggies are cooked, remove them from heat, add in chopped kale, and set aside.

And make your lentils. (i used the pot I just cooked the veggies in. The less dishes the better!) Water and lentils into pot with a pinch of salt, bring to boil, cover and place on low until lentils are tender.

Cooked and ready to go!

When the beets and sweet potato are fork tender, drain water into a jar and separate the beets from the potato (if you boiled them together). Blend the beets then the sweet potato until it’s the consistency that you would enjoy eating it (I like a little bit of chunk, not completely smooth) Use the drained water to thin out as much as you need/want.

All the stuff ready to compile.

Grab the cooked veggies and toss them into a oven safe skillet or casserole dish and mix together with the lentils. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Now evenly spread the beet puree on top of the veggies

Then ever so gently, spread the sweet potato on top of that.

Give the top a good pinch of salt and pepper and stick the thing into the oven.

Remove from oven when the sweet potato has browned andis slightly crispy.

And scoop a big old scoop into a bowl, grab a fork, and stuff your face!

Happy today day!

-C

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Remove from oven, let cook for a few minutes then eat it with a fork, a spoon, or your fingers.

Beet Sweet Potato and Lentil Casserole

Make 3-4 servings (or one serving for me!)

• 1 large sweet potato
• 2 medium beets
• 1 cup cried lentils
• 2 cups water
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• a medium yellow onion
• 2 carrots
• ¼ head of cabbage
• a few kale leaves
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

Note.. I did not add extra seasoning to this because I love the taste just as it is. But if you are feeling like it needs some seasoning, just add some in.

Start by chopping the beets and sweet potato into medium sized chunks and boiling them until they are fork tender. You can do this either in two separate pots or in one large pot. (if in one pot, the sweet potato will turn a little pink)

Once those are boiling, chop up all the veggies (not the kale yet) and the garlic and toss into a pot or skillet with a drizzle of olive oil and cook on medium heat until the veggies are slightly tender. Remove from heat, add in chopped kale and set aside.

And make the lentils ( I cooked the veggies in the pot, removed them ans used the pot to make the lentils... less dishes). Dump the 2 cups water, a pinch of salt, and the lentils into a pot.  Bring to boil, cover, then turn heat to low. Cook for about 20 minutes until the lentil are tender.

Preheat oven to 400

Once everything is cooked and ready to go, dump the lentils and the veggies into oven safe skillet or casserole dish and mix around. Take beet puree and spread evenly over the mixture. Then do the same with the sweet potato puree.  Sprinkle the top with salt and pepper and stick the casserole into the oven to bake until the top is all browned and slightly crunchy (about 30 minutes)

Remove from the oven, let it cool for a few minutes, then eat it. Fork, spoon, or your fingers work.

Maple Mustard Brussels Sprouts with Walnuts

You know how some people are brussels sprouts people and some are not. I am a for sure a spouts person. 

I can even remember my first introduction to the cabbage like veggie.  It was about 15 years ago and honestly, up to that point in my life, I had never even seen, let alone eaten brussels sprouts  (Growing up, my family pretty much ate only peas, beans, and corn). So one night at my friends and the mr's house (this was before we were dating) I stayed for dinner and there was as big bowl of steamed brussels sprouts on the table. First thing I noticed was that they kinds smelled like fart, but I wan't exactly sure if the sprouts were the culprit (they were) Second thing I noticed was that everyone at dinner seemed to be really excited, or at least not offended by the sprouts. It was kind of weird because I had a preconceived notion that brussels sprouts were nasty and nobody actually enjoys wearing them. But up close and personal with the things, they didn't seem so bad.  So not wanting to seem rude, plus I was pretty curious,(and hungry) I grab a few. And then I ate them (minus the mayo that everyone was dipping them in)  And then I knew. I was hooked.  Brussels sprouts for life!

Now here is the thing. Those first sprouts that I had, they came from a bag in the frozen food section a the grocery store. (I know cause my friend had made them) And not that I don’t like me some frozen veggies (I eat frozen veggies on the reg) but there is nothing like a fresh stock of brussles sprouts. Slightly sweet, leafy, tender and crisp… They don't even need to be cooked, which, if you are not a fan of the slight aroma that comes from cooked sprouts (kinda like fart) is great cause they don't really smell! Fresh sprouts are were it's at.

So if you are one of the cool ones (a brussels sprouts person) this salad is for you. And if you think you don't like them, well my suggestion is.. Try them again cause you probably will. And watch. They will probably turn into the new green superfood, so you are going to have to like them eventually anyway so you might as well get used to them now!

The stuff. Brussel Sprouts, toasted walnuts and an onion. Also have some brown mustard, maple syrup, red wine vinegar, and some salt and pepper.

Take those lovely sprouts and slice them all as thin as you can.. and do the same to the onion. Then stick it all into a bowl, sprinkle with salt and give it a toss. Set aside.

Grab a big skillet and dump in the maple, mustard and vinegar. Stick it on the stove on medium high heat, constantly mixing.

Keep mixing, and after a few minutes, the stuff has started to thicken and brown a bit… and smells so good!

Now grab the bowl of chopped sprouts and dump the contents into the skillet. Add in a splash of water just to loosen up the sauce. Give it all a good mix, making sure that everything is evenly coated. Now let skillet sit on the heat for just another minutes or two.

After a few minutes hanging in the hot skillet, remove from heat and dump the sprouts into a big bowl.

Top with the toasted walnuts, and garb yourself a fork. OR stick it in the fridge and save it for later (taste Fantasitc freshly made.. even better after a few hours.. so eat whenever. Your call)

To all the brussels spouts people out there.. WE ARE AWESOME!

TGIF!!

-C

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Maple Mustard Brussel Sprouts with Walnuts 

Makes enough for 2 people as a side, or a nice lovely salad for 1

•  1 1/2 -2 lbs  fresh brussels sprouts(removed from the stalk)
• 1 small onion (red or white works)
• handful of toasted walnuts (if not toasted.. sticking a dry skillet, high heat for a few minutes to toast)
• 1/4 cup brown mustard
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2-3 tablespoon red white vinegar
• salt and pepper
• splash of water

Rinse sprouts and remove any of the gross leaves then slice them as thinly as you can. Grab the onion and slice that as thinly as you can too. Toss into a bowl, sprinkle with a little salt, and toss everything together. 

In a large skillet, mix together the maple, mustard, and vinegar. Place on medium high heat and stir constantly until the mixture starts to thicken and brown a bit. Grab bowl of sprouts and toss them into the skillet, mixing everything together until the sprouts are all coated. Give the skillet a little splash of water. and let cook for another minutes or two, just so the sprouts are not completely raw (you can cook them longer if you like) Remove from heat and dump back into bowl. Toss on the walnuts and give it all a good stir. Serve immediately , or let it sit and serve later (tastes even better after a few hours!)

Roasted Eggplant Red Pepper and Chickpea Pitas with Za'atar and Tahini sauce

I don't know guys… today already kind of feels like a blah day. It's way to warm out (I want crispy cool, not upper 70's), I have a butt load of paperwork to do, laundry up the butt, and a huge mess in the basement. And I just don't feel like doing anything, except maybe think about, make, and eat food. 

Food. My ultimate form of procrastination Whenever I don't want to do something, I find myself cooking or baking instead. Oh me… what to do. 

Anyway. This was dinner a few nights ago, and an awesome dinner it was. I mean, anything za'atar or tahaini is, and together on roasted veggies… mouth watering!  So good in fact that I was thinking (already thinking) of making it again tonight. Maybe while I am sitting with the bills and the dirty laundry. Don't worry, it's cool, I am a fantatic multi-tasker. Doing laundry, the bills and  making food.. No problem. I thing it's really just  the damn warm weather that's getting to me, and there is nothing I can do about that except bitch a little. So consider me bitched.  

And dinner. Maybe if I make this again, today won't feel so blah. 

The stuff… Eggplant, red peppers, onion, and some chick peas (in liquid).  Tahini, a lemon, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. And of course we need some pitas, some greens and lots and lots of za'atar.

Dice up the eggplants, the red pepper and the onion into chunks that will fit in your mouth.

Toss that all together into a slightly oiled roasting skillet with the chickpeas (liquid drained but saved), salt and pepper, and a big ass dowse of za'atar. 

Stick into the oven to roast.

While the veggies are roasting, mince the garlic and add to the tahini. Mix in the juice of the lemon, a little salt and pepper, a drip or tow of oil, and the liquid from the chick peas. And no, it's not gross, its fantastic and makes the sauce all nice and creamy. But if you happen to have no chick pea liquid, just add in enough water to thin out the sauce.

After a good bout in the oven, the veggies and chickpeas are all nice and roasted . 

Get ready to compile. 

And all together now. Roasted veggies on greens, smothered in tahini sauce, and tossed with another good pinch or two of za'atar.

Food is so good. I am glad we have to war every day!

Happy Tuesday!

-C

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Roasted eggplant red pepper and chickpea Pitas with za'atar and tahini sauce 

Make about 4 pitas 

• 2 small or 1 large eggplant
• 2  red peppers
• 1 medium onion
• 1 1/2 cups (give or take) cooked chickpeas  drained but save the liquid (about 1/4 cup of liquid)
• 2 heaping tablespoons Za'atar* for roasting plus as much more as you like to garnish (I like a lot..like tablespoons worth)
• 1/3  cup tahini
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• 1 lemon
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
•  pitas (  4 of any kind you like)
• a few handfuls of greens (any kind)

Note. Za'atar is a fantastic, tangy and nutty spice blend made up of primarily sumac, toasted sesame seeds, and thyme. I make my own by combining equal amounts of the the three, usually adding fresh oregano if I have it,  and crush together. You can make your own too, or buy it pre blended. 

Turn oven to 425

Small chop the eggplant, red peppers, and onion and toss into a large oiled oven safe skillet or roasting pan. Add in  the drained chickpeas and toss with the za'atar, salt and pepper. Place in oven to roast.

For the sauce, mince garlic and mix into the tahini with the juice of the lemon, and the bean water, a little drizzle of olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk together with a fork. 

After about 35 minutes or so, the veggies should be all nice and roasted… so take them out of the oven.

Ready you pitas. (warm them up if you like) A hand full of greens, a big helping of roasted veggies, a good scoop of two of tahini sauce, and a another pinch or two of za'atar

Now all you have to do is eat. No utensils required!