Stuffed Acorn Squash

(source)

Iowa Girl Eats posted a similar recipe last October and 'tis the season for sausage and winter squash! I wanted to make a healthier version and was more than satisfied at the outcome considering we use sunflower seed sprouted wheat bread.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

6 slices of bread

2 acorn squash

1 pound chicken Italian sausage

1 small apple

3 stalks celery

1/2 onion

1 t no salt seasoning*

1/2 t celery seed*

1 c. hot chicken broth

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Cube bread, place on baking sheet, spray with canola oil spray and bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

3. Cut acorn squash in half, place on baking sheet cut side up, spray heavily with canola oil spray and bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until soft.

4. Squeeze the sausage out of the casing and into a pan. Cook meat and break into small pieces. While the sausage is cooking, diced the apple, celery and onion. When the meat is cooked, spoon onto paper towels to drain fat. Pour the majority of the fat out of the pan, leaving the pan "wet" but not full of sausage fat. Then place apple, celery, onion and spices into the pan and cook until tender. Add a little bit of EVOO to the pan if needed.

5. Break the bread chunks with your hands or place in food processor and pulse. Add meat and veggie mixture. Pour in 1 cup of hot chicken broth into the stuffing and stir. Add additional broth as needed until the stuffing is as wet as you prefer.

6. Now you have two different choices:

- If the squash is still in the oven, pull it out, spoon stuffing into squash and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Make sure the squash is cooked before you take it out to serve.

- Pour the stuffing into a greased pan and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes and then serve it on top of the squash.

Notes:

*I would recommend 1 teaspoon dried sage, 1/2 t teaspoon dried rosemary & 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme. I, however, was out of all three.

Tomatillo Guacamole

Tonight we had quesedillas for dinner (pinto beans, pepper jack cheese, roasted red pepper, caramelized red onions and sauteed bell peppers) and I wanted to put something avacado-y on top but I also wanted to use the leftover tomatillo salsa...

Tomatillo Guacamole

The recipe is adapted from Good Life Eats.

1 large avocados

1/4 c tomatillo salsa

2 T red onion, minced

2 T cilantro, chopped

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Mash avadaco and mix in the remaining ingredients.

However, if you do not have leftover tomatillo salsa on hand, here is one of my favorite guacamole variations:

Guacamole Cream

The recipe is adapted from Cinnamon Girl. I do not recommend her black bean burgers.

1 Avocado, mashed

2 tablespoons Sour Cream

1/4 cup red onion, minced

2 tablespoons Fresh Cilantro, chopped

Lime juice, a big squeeze or two, to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine avocado, sour cream, red onion and cilantro in a small bowl. Season to taste with lime juice, salt and pepper.

Tomatillo Salsa

Tomatillo Salsa

2 pound tomatillos

1 cup roughly chopped onion

1-2 cloves of garlic

2 jalapeno (or serrano chile) peppers, chopped

4 tablespoons (or half a bunch) chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (or dried)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt & pepper to taste, optional

Directions

1. Remove the husk from the tomatillos, rinse under water and place into a pot of water. Roughly chop the onion, garlic and jalapeno pepper and add to the pot of water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the tomatillos are soft, 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Remove the tomatillos, onion, garlic and jalapeno from the pot with a slotted spoon and place into a blender. Add the cilantro, oregano and cumin to the blender. Cover the top of the blender (or liquid hole) with a paper towel to allow the heat to escape when blending. Blend the salsa until smooth.

Notes:

This will make about 48 ounces of salsa. I usually put half (after it has cooled) into an old spaghetti sauce jar and freeze for next time. When I want to use the salsa, I let the jar thaw in the sink while I am at work or overnight.

Spinach & Cottage Cheese Enchiladas

This recipe was inspired by a post from Iowa Girl Eats - the first food blogger I started reading. The photo is from her post where she used corn tortillas:

Spinach & Cottage Cheese Enchiladas

1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1 can green chilies

2 cups cottage cheese

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup sour cream

1 t cumin

1/2 t chili powder

8 flour tortillas

1 jar of enchilada sauce (about 2 cups)

1 1/2 - 2 cups shredded pepper Jack cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Remove liquid from spinach, green chilies and cottage cheese by using too many paper towels (objective is to remove the majority of the liquid, you do not have to be OCD). As you dry each ingredient, add to large mixing bowl. Mince garlic and add to bowl. Add sour cream, cumin and chili powder to bowl. Mix all ingredients well.

3. Cover the tortillas with a damp paper towel and place in the microwave for ~30 seconds to warm them up. Lay out the tortillas on the counter and divide all of the cottage/spinach mixture between them. I usually use the 1/3 measuring cup as a scoop. Roll up, and place seam side down in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour enchilada sauce over the top, and sprinkle with pepper Jack cheese.

4. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until sauce is bubbling and cheese is lightly browned at the edges.

Notes:

One thing I love about this recipe is that you can change so many things: tortilla types, salsa/sauces, spices or the type of cheese.

Tomorrow, I will share my tomatillo salsa recipe which is what I use instead of enchilada sauce.

Quinoa Tomato Salad

I love cold quick salads on summer days. Here is a simple recipe we had on the weekend:

Quinoa Tomato Salad

2 servings

2 cups cooked quinoa*

20 grape tomatoes, diced

20 basil leaves, chopped

2 ounces crumbled feta cheese

1 T olive oil

1 T balsamic vinegar

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions: Dice tomatoes, chop basil, crumble feta and mix in a bowl with cooked quinoa. Shake (or whisk) oil and vinegar and stir into the salad. Add black pepper to taste and mix the salad.

*How to cook qunioa perfectly (not quickly).

Sloppy Joe's & Coleslaw

Dinner tonight was sloppy joe's from Ms. Rachel Ray. I skipped the oil, substituted the red pepper for a jarred roasted one (Trader Joe's) and replaced the tomato sauce with crushed tomatoes. Sometimes, I add smoked paprika (Costco) for a stronger smokey flavor.

Tonight we tried blue's buns from Dave's Killer Bread - they were good, hearty, 6g fiber and 9g protein. The buns were a little expensive at Whole Foods but I will pick up some frozen buns next time I am near the Healthy Bread Store in Milwaukie.

The "coleslaw" was a pre-chopped veggies mix from Trader Joe's mixed with homemade coleslaw dressing that was leftover from last week. Here is my recipe:

Coleslaw Dressing

1/2 c mayo

3 T sugar

2 T vinegar

2 T milk

2 t ground celery seed

Directions: Whisk together in a bowl!

Notes:

I prefer apple cider vinegar for coleslaw, but you can do what want!

Dessert was a cookies and cream ice cream sandwich :)