spaghetti squash and "meat"balls

i can't tell you how surprised i was that ALL of my kids loved this so much that they actually said they wouldn't mind if this is how we always did spaghetti and meatballs! super fast, super healthy. i used beyond meat, but obviously you could easily use regular ground beef. serve with your favorite pasta sauce or you can whip up a quick one with fresh tomatoes, some olive oil and balsamic vinegar as suggested on shape.com which is where i got the recipe.

doubling the recipe was just right for my family of seven, but since i was using beyond meat, i found that i needed to actually either triple the amount of crackers, or only use one egg.

ingredients

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

12 brown rice crackers, smashed into breadcrumb texture

8 ounces lean ground beef

1/4 cup fresh parsley

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 small spaghetti squash

directions

1. Preheat broiler. Mix egg, milk, and cracker "bread" crumbs together and let sit for a few minutes.
2. Add ground beef, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper to egg mixture and mix until well combined.
3. Form meat mixture into 10 small meatballs, place on baking sheet, and broil for about 20 minutes, until meatballs are 160°F.
4. Cut squash in half, remove seeds, and place in microwave-safe dish, cut side down, with 1 inch of water. Microwave for 12 minutes until tender. Drag fork over squash flesh to get spaghetti-like strands.

low country skillet

another dish i could eat every day. a few simple ingredients, but big flavor and easy to make. from woman's day.

ingredients
about 12 small red-skinned new potatoes
2 T olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
salt and pepper
4 oz kielbasa, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 t coriander
1/2 t ground mustard
1/4 t cayenne pepper
3/4 lb large peeled and deveined shrimp
1 C corn
1 bunch spinach, coarsely chopped

directions
*microwave potatoes and either slice or cut in half, depending on size.
*meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. add onion and 1/2 t each of salt and pepper and cook til tender, about 5 minutes. add potatoes and cook until browned, about 4 minutes. push to the side of the pan.
*add kielbasa to the other side of pan and brown, about 4 minutes. add garlic, coriander, mustard, cayenne pepper and toss
*add shrimp, corn and spinach, cover and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until shrimp is opaque, about 2 minutes.

pan-roasted swordfish steaks

all fish is just yummy. from epicurious.com

ingredients
1/4 C butter
2 t chopped fresh parsley
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 t mixed ground peppercorns
1/2 t grated lemon peel
1 T olive oil
4 1-inch-thick swordfish fillets (about 6oz each)

directions
*preheat oven to 400. mash butter, parsley, garlic, pepper and lemon peel in a small bowl. season to taste with salt.
*heat oil in heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium-high. sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. add fish to skillet and brown, about 3 minutes. turn fish over and transfer to oven and roast until just cooked, about 10 minutes. add seasoned butter to the same skillet and cook over medium-high, scraping in browned pieces. once bubbly, pour sauce over fish and serve.

truffled gnocchi with peas and chanterelles

this was such a rich, delicious, earthy-tasting dish.  chanterelles are in season right now so it's the best time of year to try this out.  it feels like a fancy comfort food. 
 
i didn't fuss with making the gnocchi from scratch--it can be found at world market.  instead of boiling, i cut mine in halves or fourths and browned them over medium high heat before mixing them in right at the end.

i found it at saveur.com

ingredients

2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

10 oz. mushrooms, preferably chanterelles, roughly chopped

2 cups heavy cream

³⁄₄ cup peas, fresh or frozen

2 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 tbsp. finely chopped chives

 

directions

Heat oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until light brown, about 5 minutes. Raise heat to high; add cream, peas, and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until cream reduces by half. Season mushroom sauce with salt and pepper and remove skillet from heat. Boil gnocchi in the salted water until they float, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer gnocchi to mushroom sauce, add chives, and toss to combine.

 

carbonara

many of my old recipes are in a bulky recipe box so i am in the middle of reorganizing them into a more space-efficient format.  i thought that while i was at it, i may as well add some of my favorites to the site.

the recipe probably won't blow your mind, but it's a great thing to do with leftover ham or on a day when you're pressed for time--done in under 30 minutes!  someday when i'm on the ball, i'd love to make this with fresh spaghetti.

ingredients

1 T butter
3 eggs, beaten
6-7 medium mushrooms
5-7 oz cooked ham, cubed
1/2 C grated parmesan
1/2 lb spaghetti

directions

cook spaghetti.  meanwhile, sauté ham and mushrooms in butter.  drain spaghetti and return it to the hot pot.  pour ham and mushrooms over it, plus the eggs and cheese.  mix vigorously to allow the eggs to cook without letting them get too hot and scramble.