BLT Spaghetti Squash

If you have never tried spaghetti squash, I highly suggest you do. The stuff is amazing! It's super easy to cook, is extremely healthy, and can be prepared in about a million different ways! That being said, the following recipe would work equally as well with regular old pasta if your not into that whole spaghetti squash thing. Serve this up with a salad and some fresh bread and I promise you'll love it!

BLT Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients:

1 3-4 pound spaghetti squash

1 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes

2 cups baby spinach

5 slices of bacon

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1/4 cup red onion, chopped

1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

1 TBS olive oil

Parmesan or Romano cheese to grate on top

Handful of fresh basil leaves

Salt and Pepper, to taste

1.  First I start by cooking the spaghetti squash... You can do this a number of ways; bake it, microwave it, boil it. For the sake of saving time, I microwaved mine. I cut it in half, lengthwise, then scooped out all of the seeds. After that was done, I placed both halves, open side down, in a glass 9x13 baking dish. Then I added about a half inch of water to the pan, covered it with Saran Wrap, and microwaved it for 15 minutes.

2.  While the squash is cooking, you will want to fry your bacon in a large skillet. When the bacon is done, remove it from the pan, leaving the bacon fat in the pan. To the bacon fat, add the TBS olive oil, add the cherry tomatoes, and reduce the heat to low/medium. Cover. Stir occasionally. After a few minutes, the tomatoes will start to burst. When this happens, very carefully (they splatter and it's hot!), mash them with a potato masher.

3.  Add red pepper flakes, garlic, and red onion, as well as S&P, to taste. Let cook, covered, until onions start to become translucent. Add spinach and cook until wilted.

4.  Using 2 forks, scrape spaghetti squash into a large bowl.

5.  Crumble bacon and chop basil.

6.  On top of spaghetti squash in bowl, add the tomato mixture.

7.  Top with bacon, basil, and grated cheese.

8.  Enjoy!

Happy Weekend to All!

I really cannot believe it is already August!!! Seriously, where did July go? To kick off the first weekend of the month, I thought I'd share the recipe for a very summery adult beverage my husband and I tested out!

Strawberry Basil Mojito

1 pint of strawberries, hulled and sliced in half, reserve a few for garnish
Bunch of Basil
1 lemon
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
Lemon-lime seltzer water
White rum

To make strawberry syrup:
Add strawberries, the juice of 1 lemon, the sugar and water in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and mash with a potato masher. Allow to simmer until liquid reduces and a syrup begins to form.
*** if you do not want seeds, you can pour syrup through a mesh strainer
To make the Mojito:
Place some chopped basil in the bottom of a glass. Use the handle of a wooden spoon to muddle the basil. Fill glass with ice.  Add 1.5-2 ounces of rum, 2 ounces of strawberry syrup, then top with seltzer water. Garnish with strawberry, sip, and enjoy!

Carrot Ginger Coconut Soup... And a Recipe for Baby Too!

I've been on a bit of a soup kick lately.  I'm not sure if it's this time of year, or the fact that I love how satisfying it is to smell a pot of soup simmering on the stovetop, all the while knowing that I will be happily eating the leftovers for days to come.  I decided to take a more exotic route with the soup I made yesterday, and man did it pay off!  This carrot ginger coconut soup is just so delicious and easy to make, that I had to share.  Personally, I think it is enjoyed best with a nice big glass of prosecco... cheers!

Ingredients:

6 carrots, peeled and diced
1 small onion, diced
1 tbs curry powder
1 tbs minced fresh ginger
1, 14 ounce can coconut milk
3 cups vegetable stock
2 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper

Over medium heat, in a large pot, saute onions, carrots, and ginger  in olive oil until onions become translucent.  Then add vegetable stock and curry powder, as well as salt and pepper to taste.  Allow to simmer about 20-25 minutes, or until carrots are tender.  Turn off heat, and let cool a bit.  Add can of coconut milk, then puree in food processor, blender, or with immersion blender.  Enjoy!

And... because Max needs to eat too, and I like to use what we have on hand, I whipped him up a batch of strawberry banana basil baby food.  Here is the recipe for that.

Ingredients:

1 pint of strawberries, hulled and sliced

2 bananas sliced

2-3 fresh basil leaves

Now, I have a Beaba baby food maker, but this recipe could just as easily be made on the stove top and with a blender or food processor.  Basically, you just want to steam the ingredients until they are soft, then puree them to the desired consistency for baby!  I got 7 large servings out of this.