Southwestern Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Ahh Pinterest, you've inspired me again. I was so set on making this, that I went to three different stores to find spaghetti squash. Even at the third store the only ones I found were pretty tiny, so I used two small ones. I hope this doesn't mean that it's done for the season! Winter squash may be one of the only good things about the cold weather. I deviated from the original recipe by eliminating cheese and using what I had on hand, so the ingredients are pretty flexible. 

Southwestern Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Serves 2 as an entree, or 4 as a side

The cooked squash.

• 2 small spaghetti squash (or 1 large one, but only if you're making an entree for two people)
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloved, minced
• Loose handful of fresh spinach
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 Tbsp. ground cumin
• 1 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 15 oz. can of black beans
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
• 1/2 cup of cilantro.
• Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400º.
2. Roast the squash: Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds. Place cut side down on a baking sheet. Cook until easily pierced with a fork, 30 minutes for small squash and up to an hour for large squash.
3. In a skillet, saute the onion and garlic in oil.
4. Throw in the spinach, and saute until the leaves begin to wilt. 
5. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the cilantro and cook until everything is warm, about 15 minutes.
6. Add the cilantro and cook for another 5 minutes.
7. When the spaghetti squash is cool enough to handle, scrape out about half the flesh with a fork to create "spaghetti". 
8. Add the scraped spaghetti to the skillet, and mix with the rest of the ingredients.
9. Spoon the contents of the skillet into the cavities in the squash.
10. Serve immediately. 

Crock Pot Chili

This recipe is one of my favorites for several reasons. First, it's a filling, hearty, vegan meal. The ingredients are very basic and the prepping is minimal. It makes so many leftovers that I usually end up freezing a Pyrex container full to thaw when I'm sick and have no interest in cooking. Best of all, it's made in the crock pot. I love having the sense that dinner is "done" when it's not even noon yet.

I made the chili this weekend when Andrew and I had friends over. The kitchen turned into a disaster area pretty quickly. Andrew was brewing two batches of beer and I was teaching Yvonne how to make blue moon orange cupcakes. After an hour or so it was hard to believe there was countertops and a table underneath all the mess, so I was especially relieved that dinner was already made and the crock pot was already cooking.

The ingredients of this chili change every time I make it. It's a versatile recipe, so I basically use what I have available. This particular batch came out great, probably the best it's ever been, so I better write this down before I forget. Andrew agrees, he said this was the most "amazing" it's ever tasted. Derek said it tasted just like the one he makes, which has meat, and Yvonne said she didn't even notice that meat was missing. I guess this is a good recipe to make for meat lovers and animal lovers alike.

Crock Pot Chili

Serves at least 8

• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
• 2 medium sized yellow onions, diced
• 4 garlic cloves
• 10 oz. frozen spinach
• 1 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15 oz can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15 oz can of chick peas, drained and rinsed
• 2 yellow squash, diced
• 30 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 2 6 oz. cans of tomato paste
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 6 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 Tbsp. ground cumin
• 1 Tbsp. oregano
• 1 Tbsp. parsley
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper

1. Saute the oil, peppers, onions and garlic in a pan until the peppers start to soften, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the spinach and saute until mostly thawed, just another 2 or 3 minutes.
3. Add to the crock pot along with the rest of the ingredients. 
4. Cook on a low setting for a minimum of 4 to 5 hours.

If you plan on serving this to kids who don't like or can't handle "spicy", mix everything in the crock pot except the chili powder and cumin. Transfer some to a pot and cook slowly on the stove top. Add the chili powder and cumin to the crock pot and continue cooking. This isn't very spicy to begin with, but my toddler cried for about an hour after he ate it the first time he tried it. I felt so terrible!

Sticking with a southwestern theme for the day, I also made guacamole. I came to love the stuff in college when my mom always sent me back to school with a batch after coming home for the weekend. In a college dorm it was pretty hard to come by fresh tomatoes, garlic, onions, peppers, etc.. so I improvised and used salsa. Some people, especially you die hard guac fans, would think this is cheating, but it works. It's my go-to recipe for a quick easy snack or for last minute company. 

Easy Peasy Quacamole

Serves 4

• 2 avocados
• Juice from 1 lime
• 2 Tbsp. salsa

1. Cut the avocado in half and remove the seed. 
2. Scrape out the flesh into a bowl.
3. Add the lime juice and mash to the desired consistency using a potato masher or a fork.
4. Stir in the salsa.
5. Serve with tortilla chips.

Spicy Black Bean Dip

I originally thought this recipe was a disaster. It was watery and tasted bleh. I found it somewhere online while I was looking for a vegan dip for the Super Bowl. Originally the recipe called for a chipotle chili and adobo sauce, which I skipped and subbed with salsa. I didn't want to make it too spicy so Logan could at least try it. I made it late at night the day before the game. The blender kept waking Logan up, so I stopped trying to make it work and gave up. The dish was covered and put in the fridge. For some reason I decided to put it out the next day anyways, and was glad I did! Chilling it in the fridge thickened it up to more of a dip consistency, and the flavors had time to blend together and enhance themselves. The dip was smooth, spicy, even a little smoky. All around pleasing to the palate. 

Spicy Black Bean Dip

• 1 15oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 of a small shallot
• 2 Tbsp. salsa
• Juice from 1/2 a lemon
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Transfer to a bowl with a lid and chill in the fridge.
3. Serve with carrot sticks, celery or chips.

Herbed Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash

This is another Elyssa original. The cupboard is pretty bare, so I had to get creative. Andrew wanted squash and quinoa salad. I didn't have quinoa, so I planned to substitute brown rice. Then I remembered what a pain peeling and cubing the acorn squash was, so I decided to just stuff it. It seemed too plain, so I spiced up the rice by adding dried herbs. You can add just about whatever suites you. I used oregano, basil and parsley, and threw in some garlic and onion powder. Feel free to use fresh herbs if you're feeling ambitious (as I clearly wasn't), it'll probably taste better anyways. Andrew topped his with honey lime sauce, and I ate mine with a mustard vinaigrette (I'll post the recipe below) I had left over from another dish. Both tasted great!

Herbed Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash

Serves 3

• 3 acorn squash
• Brown rice (2 servings)
• 3/4 tsp. dried parsley
• 3/4 tsp. dried oregano
• 3/4 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder.
• 1/2 of a 15 oz. can of black beans, rinsed and drained.

1. Prepare the squash. Cut the little nib off the bottom to make a flat surface for the squash to sit on. Cut off a small piece of the top. With a knife, carve a hole in the top of the squash to expose the inner cavity with the seeds. Scrape out the seeds. 
2. Place the squash upside down in a baking tray with about 1/2 and inch of water. Bake in a 400º oven for 40 minutes, or until the squash is easily pierced with a fork.
3. Make the brown rice according to the package directions. Once the water boils, add the herbs and onion and garlic powders. 
4. Once the rice is cooked, stir in the black beans.
5. Stuff the rice mixture inside the squash.
6. Top with a sauce like honey lime sauce or mustard vinaigrette. 
7. Enjoy warm.

The squash with the bottom cut off upside down in a baking tray

The squash should look like the one to the right before going in the oven. The center squash still needs a hole in the top and its seeds removed.

Mustard Tarragon Vinaigrette 

• 3 Tbsp. minced shallots
• 3 Tbsp. dijon mustard
• 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 1 Tbsp. safflower oil
• 1 tsp. dried tarragon

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

I got this recipe from the food section of Huffington Post. I'm addicted to that site. If you see me glued to my iPhone I'm most likely scanning through articles. I get a lot of recipe inspiration that way! This vinaigrette has somewhat of a bite (must be the shallots), so use sparingly.

Curried Quinoa Veggie Burgers

I plucked a recipe for sweet potato black bean burgers from Big Girls Small Kitchen. I was excited to try this one since I love veggie burgers. A couple vegan recipes I've tried from their website have all worked out great, but this one was a disaster. The mixture was extremely mushy and did not hold together at all. I thought I was going to have to scrap the whole thing. Since I was home alone with my rambunctious toddler, making a whole other meal was out of the question. Thankfully I was able to doctor the original recipe up a bit, and by "a bit" I mean A LOT. After I made this I read the reviews (which I should have done first) and I saw that I'm not the only one to have mushy burgers, so I know it wasn't just me.

I made quinoa for a side dish, but decided to add it to the veggie burger mix, along with a 1/4 cup of flour to thicken it up. The taste was a little bland also. I skipped the coriander since I didn't have any, and added curry powder in its place, which also abated my craving for Indian food. This seemed to do the trick. The mixture was still mushy, but it did form together into loose patties. They held together well once they hit the frying pan, but not so much when they were on the bun. It was more like eating a sloppy joe, and I needed a fork.

I used the leftover mixture to make burgers the next day for lunch. They held together much better since the mixture was cold. Next time I make these I'll chill the mixture in the fridge before making into patties. If you decide to make them I would suggest adding more spices. I made them on the mild tasting side since I don't think that Logan would appreciate the kick of curry powder like I do.

Curried Quinoa Veggie Burgers

Makes 6 small burgers

• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 Tbsp. safflower oil (olive oil would work too)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 cup black beans
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. whole wheat flour

1. Simmer the quinoa and water in a pot until cooked. About 10 minutes.
2. Boil the potato cubes in a pot of water until soft. About 10 minutes.
3. Saute the onions and oil in a skillet until the onions begin to soften.
4. Add the spices and beans to the onions, and cook for a few more minutes.
5. In a blender, combine the potatoes and quinoa.
6. Add 2/3 of the bean mixture and blend until just combined.
7. Transfer to a bowl and add the rest of the bean mixture.
8. Chill in the fridge for one hour.
9. Form mixture into patties and fry in the skillet used for the bean mixture. 
10. Enjoy between home made buns and serve with home made ketchup.

Quinoa Salad with Honey Lime Sauce

I just made the tastiest dish. It was my own creation, so I better write it down before I forget. This might be the first dish I ever created using just my imagination and the ingredients already in the kitchen.

Quinoa Salad with Honey Lime Sauce

Serves about 4

Quinoa Salad:

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 acorn squash; seeded, skin removed, and diced
• 1 cup of quinoa
• 1 1/4 cup water
• 1 15 oz. can of black beans; drained and rinsed

Honey Lime Sauce

• 1/4 cup honey*
• Zest from 1 lime
• Juice from 1/2 a lime
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• Pinch of salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400º.
2. Combine oil and squash in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
3. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes.
4. Combine the quinoa with the water in a covered pot and cook for about 18 minutes.
5. When the squash and quinoa are done, combine in a bowl with the black beans.
6. Make the sauce by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl.
7. Serve the salad and drizzle with the sauce.

This recipe for the sauce only makes a small amount, but a little goes a long way. You can always double the recipe if you don't think you have enough. I hope you enjoy my creation!

*There is some debate over whether honey should be considered vegan. I agree that technically it is an animal product. The honey I use comes from a neighbor, who I know treats her bees very humanely and harvests the honey sustainably. So yes it is an animal product, but I don't feel bad using it. Especially since it works wonders on my allergies!