Spaghetti Squash Marinara

I have been dying to try baked spaghetti squash used as spaghetti noodles. I have heard so many times how it is a delicious, healthy substitute you can use for any type of pasta, in any dish. This, my friends, is a winner. A friend of mine has made spaghetti squash lasagna and spaghetti squash casserole several times, and every time I get a picture of it my mouth would water. Finally, my taste buds are satisfied of their curiosity.

It was a very simple night with a very simple dinner. Here is what happened in the Experimental Eatery I call my kitchen... :)

Squash:
Pre heat oven to 400 Fahrenheit
Cut one large spaghetti squash in half length-wise
Remove the seeds and inards
Lightly coat open face with olive oil and salt/pepper to taste
Place face down on a pan and bake for about 40 minutes

Sauce:
Bring a pan to medium heat and put in 2 tbsp pine nuts
Stir pine nuts until browned slightly
Add 1/2 tbsp coconut oil and 1/4 medium white onion
Sautee
Add 1/2 can of plain tomato sauce and bring to a simmer (I used Muir Glen Organic)
Add 2 tbsp Yummy Vegan Pesto Classico, or other pesto if desired
Add 1/4 cup ground beef (already cooked), preferably Chuck, or omit for vegan option
Cover and let simmer for a few minutes.

Scrape out your spaghetti squash noodles with a fork, combing lengthwise and add them to the sauce

Mix together and let simmer a couple more minutes
Serve hot

I served this delicious Italian-inspired meal with a slice of the Life Changing Loaf by My New Roots, and a glass of red wine.

:)

Buon appetite!

xoxo

Simple Baked Eggs from the Minimalist Baker

I have decided that being in school uses the academic side of my brain, and the creative side desperately needs an outlet. One of my favorite ways to express it? Through healthy cookin' :) It has been nice to have some time to be creative and try some new recipes in the transition back into class-mode. And the best part is that the ending is usually rewarding!

What do you do with your passions? Are there more than one? Do you get the chance to express all of them in your career field? Any of them?

I am having the greatest time seeing what some of my favorite bloggers have been coming up with, and the combinations of food they use. I want to start trying and recognizing more of the foods that go well together, compliment each other, etc.

Another thing that strikes me: what a fun way to recognize God's creation. Looking at all the brilliant colors of the food, and the way they combine to give us fuel, complete proteins, energy. How many food bloggers do you know? CLEARLY there is something that we are drawn to in the creativity and beauty of food.

Not to mention it's a complete feast of the senses. Touch, taste, smell, sight, and sound. Kneading a mound of bread dough between your loving fingers, taking that first bite of steaming apple pancakes, walking in and smelling that chili you've had in the crockpot all day, trying to capture the rainbow of vegetables stir fried on your plate, hearing the pop and sizzle of fresh cut onions as they hit the hot pan. Mental illustrations.

But, down to business: this recipe. A savory breakfast was calling my name this morning. It was a quick and easy way to start my morning, in spite of being a bit rushed (due to my cold floor glaring menacingly at me burrowed under my comforter.)

This breakfast bowl was steaming hot, delicious, and made waking up early quite a pleasure after all. I followed the Minimalist Baker's recipe, and cut it in half since it was just for me. The only exception was instead of using one whole egg I used two egg whites.

The crispy Life Changing Loaf made an exceptional toast-vessel for this recipe, and I highly recommend them together. A hearty bread with this tomato-saucy recipe? Muah! I used some fresh sage, thyme and parsley for garnish on the top. The combination of those flavors works well here (and almost everywhere?). I also added black pepper to the sauce and only a pinch of salt. I'm admittedly a Proclaimed Pepper Person, and trying to grow my spicy tolerance.

Here's the recipe: http://minimalistbaker.com/simple-baked-eggs/

Enjoy this chilly winter, wherever you may be!

xoxo

Repost: The Life Changing Loaf from My New Roots

Although I am not the social media queen by any means, I do like Instagram in many cases. One of those many is that there are some sensational food bloggers that post delicious looking pictures of their latest creations. The colors (Mama always says fill your plate with many colors!) always catch my eye, and then my stomach. 

I started following George Eats recently, and saw a delicious, hearty-looking bread in several posts. After going to his blog- which I totally recommend, what an artist!- I found the link to its origin. This bread loaf is chalk-full of seeds and nuts, but holds together in a bread-like consistency. I am a huge fan of nuts and seeds, so I decided to give it a go.

This recipe is easy to make, super filling, and makes an incredible piece of toast/snack/supplement to any meal.

Check out http://www.mynewroots.org/site/2013/02/the-life-changing-loaf-of-bread/#comment-269452 for the recipe! I followed it exactly, but used a regular silicone bread pan. I let the mix sit overnight, and covered it with plastic wrap while it sat.

Enjoy and Happy January!

Grain-Free Pressed Herb Biscuits (from the Free People blog)

Again, I am loving the Free People blog! Such fun, healthy, wacky recipes to try, and they have all been a hit thus far. I'll send you to their blog for the recipe on this one! http://blog.freepeople.com/2014/09/grainfree-pressed-herb-biscuits/

The only tweak I make is that instead of coconut flour I used almond flour, which I had to triple (to 1 1/2 cups, or more) to get the doughy texture.

Also, like the Fig, Apple, Pear Cake (another post on Doughremisha!), the coconut oil gives this bread-like recipe a very coconutty flavor. It's delicious, but there is a distinct flavor in these two recipes that I have never tasted before.

I used Thyme, Sage, and Rosemary as my herbs in this as well. I think Rosemary was my fave. :)

We (being me and the other people that tasted this recipe with me) tried it sweet and savory, and it's good both ways! I tried toasting it a little bit with cinnamon, dipping it in hummus, and- my personal favorite- dipping it and crumbling it in tomato soup. Mmm.

Food = creativity. It is such a fun outlet for my soul. I totally encourage anybody who loves nutrition/cooking/baking/creativity to lean into it. It really does make your (my) soul sing. I know God gifts us all differently, and gives us all different passions, but how energy-giving is it to find things that make you come alive inside?

If you're a food/nutrition/health person like I am (or trying to be), I found an awesome blog called Nutritionist in the Kitch that I'm sure I will be mentioning on here plenty! -I'm actually trying one of her recipes in the morning! Sleep tight, world.

Nutritionist in the Kitch: http://www.nutritionistinthekitch.com/

Fig, Pear & Apple Cake (Sugar Free, Grain Free, and Dairy Free)

This recipe was delish! It is based off of the recipe for Blueberry Apple Muffins off the Free People blog (which is awesome!) http://blog.freepeople.com/2014/09/fall-mornings-blueberry-apple-muffins-free-sugar-grains-dairy/ .

I baked this for a group of ladies at a friends house, and neither I nor my friend had a muffin tin (woops! - time to invest?). Thus, the "muffin" recipe became a "cake" recipe - although it could very easily be called a delectable bread.

Baking (slash cooking) for people is one of the joys of life (I know, I say this way to often, but....). Gathering your people to eat is a spiritual experience that makes your insides (and your belly) warm and fuzzy- just a place to commune and rest. Where ever two or more gather in His name, He is there. :) And He IS! I'm feeling gushy right now- God is our very present help in times of trouble, but even in not-trouble, he is there to talk to about even the little things. PTL for the L.

SO, on to the recipe!

What you'll need:

• 1 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
• 6 eggs
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup*
• 2 tablespoons raw honey*
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup chopped apples
• 1/3 cup chopped figs
• 1/3 cup chopped pears

*Agave nectar may be subbed for either or both maple syrup and honey.

How to:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine coconut flour, baking soda, and cinnamon in a bowl, mix well.

In a separate bowl, combine coconut oil, eggs, maple syrup, honey, almond milk, and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth.

Combine your wet ingredients and your dry ingredients, and mix thoroughly. Then mix in the apples, figs, and pears.

Put into an 8 in round baking tin, or whatever you happen to have on hand (like we did!). This will also make about 8 muffins if you have a muffin tin. :)

Bake for about 50 minutes if in a cake baking dish, or for 20-25 if in a muffin tin.

Enjoy the cooler weather, and let it warm your heart! 

Overnight Breakfast Puddin'

This is such a simple-but-great, make-ahead breakfast. First of all, it's in a Mason Jar. Second of all, it's STILL good even if it's not in a Mason Jar. Side-note: Mason Jars come with measuring lines on the side- how handy! To make the puddin', all you do is:

Mix 3/4 cup coconut milk with 3-4 tablespoons of chia seeds. Stir it, seal it, and stick it in the fridge while you sleep. Wake up and... BREAKFAST!

I have put 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of rolled oats in the same over night recipe, and it was tasty that was as well.

I mixed Trader Joe's coconut and dried cranberries into the "puddin'" in the morning, and it was fabulous. Although it's made with coconut milk, there is not an overwhelming coconut flavor. The texture of the pieces of coconut and the puddin' go very well together.

I have also tried it with honey, dried fruit, and pecans or almonds.

As you can see in the picture above, this makes for a perfect early morning breakfast to look forward to when you have to wake up extra early- it's still dark outside!

Homemade Honey Fig Granola

There is something so versatile about granola! A snack, breakfast cereal, yogurt topping, chia pudding topping, fruit crumble topping, the list goes on. AND there are so many different add-ins you can use to make it your personal fave.

It's been a wonderful college-girl food for me, because it's an easy fix-ahead breakfast for mornings that come super early.

This one is a great basic granola recipe that I based off of Anthropologie's blog-  http://blog.anthropologie.com/post/96713945259

Ingredients:

• 4 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1 1/2 cups almonds
• 1/4 cup pecans (because that was all I had left in my kitchen, but feel free to sub some of the almonds for pecans!)
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/2 cup + 1 tsp of honey
• 1 Tbsp vanilla
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1 cup dried, chopped figs (or any combination of dried fruits- I used figs, prunes, cranberries, and raisins)
• 3 Tbsp chia seeds (or flax seeds)

How to Make It:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix all the ingredients but dried fruit and chia seeds in a bowl. Spread the mixture evenly on a cookie sheet. Bake for 25 minutes, stirring half way through. Take it out and let it cool 10-15 minutes. Stir in dried fruit and chia seeds, and enjoy!!

Happy Thursday, all.    :)