Spaghetti Squash {Two Ways}

Tangy Balsamic Spaghetti Squash:

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash (cut down the center long ways and seeds discarded)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

1 TBL coconut oil
1red pepper (sliced)
4 oz. mushrooms
1/2 onion
1 clove garlic minced (1tsp)
2-4 TBL balsamic vinegar






Process:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the halves on the baking sheet - bowl side up and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for an hour, checking at 30 and 45 mins to make sure that it's not cooking too fast. The squash is done when you can stick a fork in and pull across the flesh and it shreds to look like angel hair pasta. When the squash is nearly done, saute pepper, mushrooms, onion, and garlic in the coconut oil. Just before removing from heat glaze with balsamic vinegar.

Remove from oven and fork the squash until removed from skin. Top each squash half with pepper, mushroom, balsamic mixture.

Serve along side a fresh salad or steamed kale.


Latin Chimichurri Spaghetti Squash:


Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash (cut down the center long ways and seeds discarded)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper


1 TBL coconut oil
1/2 yellow onion
1 clove garlic
1 cup  black beans

1 bunch cilantro removed from stem
2 TBL white wine vinegar
2 TBL olive oil
1 tbl lemon juice
salt and pepper
dash crushed red pepper
1 avocado


Process:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the halves on the baking sheet - bowl side up and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for an hour, checking at 30 and 45 mins to make sure that it's not cooking too fast. The squash is done when you can stick a fork in and pull across the flesh and it shreds to look like angel hair pasta. While the squash is cooking, saute onion and garlic in coconut oil. When tender, add the beans and cook until warm. In a blender or food processor, add cilantro, vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Blend until smooth.

Remove from oven and fork the squash until removed from skin. Top each half with beans, chimichurri, and 1/2 diced avocado.



Serve along side a fresh spinach salad.

 ♥ E

Vegan, Gluten Free, Spicy Cilantro Avocado Pizza

I seriously want to take a bath in cilantro... Is that wrong? Then I don't want to be right. 

Spicy Cilantro Avocado Pizza

Ingredients:

BASE SOCCA:
1 1/2 cups garbanzo (chickpea) bean flour
1 1/2 cups water
1 T olive oil
1/2  tsp salt

TOPPINGS:

1 onion (diced)

1 clove (1tsp) garlic minced

1 cup kale (chopped)

2 bell peppers (cut into strips)

8 oz mushrooms 

SAUCE:

2 bunches cilantro

1/4 serrano pepper seeded

1/4 cup olive oil

2 TBL lemon or lime juice

salt and pepper to taste 

AVOCADO CREAM:

1 ripe avocado 

2 Tbl non dairy milk (coconut, almond, rice)

1 Tbl lemon or lime juice

2 Tbl cilantro 

salt and pepper to taste 

Process: Mix all the socca ingredients in a container that can be covered or has a lid. Let the mixture sit for one hour to overnight (if sitting over night put in fridge). Heat the oven to 500 degrees. Drop a tsp of coconut oil in a 9x13 inch glass baking dish and put the dish in the oven while it heats. When the oven is all warmed up to 500 degrees, pull out the dish and move it around so that the oil gets all over the bottom. Pour socca batter into the dish. It should sizzle. Bake for 6-8 minutes. The top of the socca should start to crack. If not golden and cracked, bake for up to more 4 minutes.  Remove. While the crust is baking, saute the onion, garlic, pepper, mushrooms, and kale until soft. For the sauce, place all ingredients into a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth. Spread sauce over socca crust. Top with sauteed toppings. Place pizza back in the oven for 5-8 minutes. This allows the sauce to soak into the socca and the toppings to get extra crunchy. While pizza is in the oven, throw all of the ingredients for the avocado cream into the food processor or blender (don't bother cleaning it after the sauce- the cilantro will just add more flavor to the avocado cream).  Blend until smooth. Place in a plastic baggie and snip the very tip off of the corner of the baggie to create a piping bag. Once pizza is done. Remove and plate. Top with avocado cream just before serving. I served mine with a side of steamed kale. 

Serves 4-6 people. 

♥ E

Mexican Red Lentil Soup

If I had to choose one thing to eat for the rest of my life.. It'd probably be this soup. 'Nough said.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup red lentils (rinsed)
1 Tbl coconut oil
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 stalks celery (chopped)
1 medium sized yellow onion (chopped)
1 red pepper (chopped)
1 can diced tomatoes
3 cups vegetable broth
2 Tbl Chili powder
1 tsp chipotle powder
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 lemons worth or about 1/3 cup lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Toppings:
Chopped cilantro (the more the better....)
Sliced avocado
Cashew sour cream (recipe below)


Process:
Rinse lentils and put them in a small pot. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and leave pot covered. Set aside. in a large pot, heat oil. Saute onion, garlic, celery, and red pepper until all are softened. Add in spices and tomatoes. Dump in the lentils and vegetable broth. Let simmer for 15 mins. Just before serving, stir in the lemon juice. Serve topped with cilantro, avocado, and coarse salt and pepper. Cashew sour cream is a great, tangy addition.



CASHEW SOUR CREAM:

Ingredients:
1 cup raw cashews (soaked in water for 1 hr.)
almond or coconut milk to help blend
lemon juice to taste (around 2 Tbl)

Process:
Discard water and place cashews in a blender. Add just enough milk to get the cashews to blend smoothly. Add lemon juice to taste.


♥ E

Green Goddess Bowl

Here's another one that I have had three times in the last week... A good sign that I am definitely obsessed. This bad boy is super fast and easy, but is so filling and creamy. YUM

Main Dish:
1/2 tsp coconut oil
1 small onion (diced)
1 zucchini (ends removed and shaved with a vegetable peeler-- you'll end up with a chunk in the middle at the end that you can't shave. Just chop it into fine pieces.)
2 big hand fulls kale (stems removed and chopped)
3/4 cup garbanzo beans

Sauce:
1 ripe avocado (seeded and removed from skin)
1 clove or 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 - 1/3 cup coconut milk (other non-dairy milk will work)
Fresh Basil or dried spices of choice
salt and pepper to taste

Process: Heat coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion. Let them soften for about 2 minutes. Add the shaved zucchini. Let cook for 2 more minutes. Add the kale and cook until kale is wilted and the zucchini is soft and starting to get golden from the pan. Add the garbanzo beans and turn off the heat. Leave pan covered.
Take all ingredients for the sauce and place in blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. Dish up veggies and top with creamy sauce. Mix and enjoy!! :)

** Makes 2 good sized servings... Or one if you reallllyyyy reallllyyyy like it. (Guilty...)

P.s. this meal can be saved. Just add a little more lemon juice to the avocado sauce and put it in a baggie and refrigerate. Just heat up the left over veggies and top with the sauce.

Additional add in ideas:
--Mushrooms
--Spinach
--Quinoa

 ♥ E