Herbed Spaghetti Squash

This was my first time to try spaghetti squash and it was AMAZING!!!

After researching how to cook a spaghetti squash, I found you can either cut it in half before you cook it (which is super hard to do), or you can cook it whole, but it will just take longer.

I opted to stab my squash all over with a fork and bake it whole for 1 hour. I let it cool about 30 minutes and then easily cut it right in half! I let it cool a little while longer, then scraped out the middle part. Then I got a fork and just shredded it right up. It's crazy how it comes off in those spaghetti-like pieces! It's a ton too! I followed the directions here for baking a spaghetti squash.

I found this recipe from Emeril (Food Network) and it is so good! Once you've baked and shredded your squash, you're pretty much good to go and you just have to combine everything below in a large pan.

1 spaghetti squash, about 2 1/4 pounds
2 1/2 tbsp butter (I used I Can't Believe It's Not Butter)
2 1/2 tbsp finely chopped mixed soft herbs (I used basil, parsley, and chives)
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Let butter melt in pan over medium heat, add spaghetti squash, and all your herbs and spices. I let it cook/heat for 5-10 minutes.

Cheesy Chicken Rotini in the Crock-Pot!

Believe it or not, I found this recipe through Weight Watchers recipes! Always awesome. I guess this isn't a REAL crock-pot meal because you do have to cook the pasta before. It also doesn't cook long... only 2-3 hours. This makes for excellent leftovers as well.

1 lb Velveeta (made with 2% milk)
2 chicken breasts, cooked & cubed (or 12 1/2 oz canned chicken, drained & flaked)
1 can red-fat cream of chicken soup
1 can red-fat cream of mushroom soup
1 can of Rotel
4 oz canned mushrooms, stems and pieces, drained
3/4 cup water
1 small onion, diced
1 medium green pepper, diced
1/2 tsp table salt/pepper, each
1 box Ronzoni Smart Taste Rotini, cooked

Combine soups, Rotel, chicken, and stir. Add mushrooms, water, onion, green pepper, salt, and pepper. Stir well. Cut Velveeta into small cubes, about 1 inch. Stir into mixture. Last, add your cooked noodles and stir well. Cover and cook on Low 2-3 hours. Mmmmmm!

Original recipe found here.

Crunchy Black Bean Tacos/Quesadillas

This is one of those recipes that's pretty simply, not a big deal, but it is just so delicious I feel like I must share. We were both surprised at how tasty these were. Crispy and cheesy... pretty much like a quesadilla I guess.

The original recipe calls for smaller corn tortillas, but I only had whole wheat 100 cal tortillas (8 inch) so I used those. This made 4 large tacos for us, but if you use smaller corn tortillas it should make 8. They are really filling too. The recipe posted below is how I made this for Meatless Monday!

1 can low-sodium black beans
½ c red onion, minced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
4-6 ounces pepper jack cheese, grated
olive oil spray
salt/pepper
4 whole wheat tortillas (or 8 corn tortillas)
Valentina Mexican hot sauce (or another kind, but this kind is awesome)
Optional for serving: sliced avocado, sour cream (or plain, nonfat Greek yogurt!), and salsa

In a medium bowl, add beans along with red onion, cilantro, and spices. Add a pinch of salt and lightly mash all of the ingredients together. Grate your cheese and have it ready as well.

Heat a large, non-stick skillet or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, and spray with olive oil spray. Add one tortilla at a time and let each get hot for a few seconds. Then add about a 1/2 cup of the bean filling to one half of the tortilla. Top with a sprinkle of grated cheese, and then drizzle hot sauce over it! Use as much or as little as you like.

Using a spatula, carefully fold the tortilla over so it forms a shell. Press down lightly on the tortilla so it holds its shape. As the first tortilla cooks, move it to the side and do a second one. Make sure to spray more olive oil spray. Depending on the size of your pan, you should be able to get 2 or 3 tacos at once. If you have a griddle you can do even more at once.

Cook each taco for about 3 minutes per side until they are nicely browned and crispy. When flipping the taco to cook on the other side, use a spatula and flip the taco toward the fold so the filling doesn’t fall out. Serve tacos with toppings like salsa, avocados, and sour cream if you like!

Original recipe found here.

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

Oh these were awesome! These meatballs were so juicy, and who wouldn't love ooey-gooey mozzarella inside?! I found this recipe for "Incredible" meatballs on Pinterest. I used that recipe, but just put a chunk of mozzarella in the middle.

I had wanted to serve this over spaghetti squash. I have never tried it and bought one... I was going to make it for the first time. Turns out... I accidentally bought a butternut squash.. duh. So, instead of low-carb spaghetti squash, I just used linguine. We put my mom's homemade tomato sauce on the linguine and some of the meatballs, but really the meatballs are amazing on their own! Also had roasted okra... and yes, I had double the amount this time!

1 lb lean ground beef
2 eggs, beaten with 1/2 cup non-fat milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 small onion, minced or grated (About 1/2 c)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 c minced fresh basil
block of mozzarella cheese (part-skim), cut into chunks (About 1 inch by 1 inch) 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine everything except mozzarella in a large bowl. With clean hands, mix it all together. Grab a handful of the meat mixture, kind of flatten it out a little, and then roll it around the cheese. But you can also make these smaller than I did if you'd like. Spray a glass baking dish with olive oil spray, and place meatballs into the dish. Spray meatballs quickly with olive oil spray. Bake for about 30 minutes. Mmm, mmm, good!

Original recipe found here.

Light and Spicy Chicken Enchiladas

I love trying out new enchilada recipes! Here are a few I've tried in the past:

Bubble-Up Enchiladas - These aren't actually enchiladas... you use biscuits, ground turkey, and enchilada sauce, among other things. It's absolutely delicious!
Slow-Cooker Black Bean & Corn Enchiladas - These were awesome! I liked that they were meatless too. I'd like to try them in the oven this summer, while I have time!
"Skinny" Chicken Enchiladas - This recipe is actually really similar to this one! The sauce is a bit different, and these are less spicy. Yummy!
Spicy Avocado Chicken Enchiladas - We absolutely loved these!!!! Spicy and delish.

So, today's recipe is also "skinny" enchiladas! Like I said, it's similar to the above "skinny" chicken enchilada recipe... but for some reason I am blown away by this one, and honestly I can't remember the one I made in the past too well! So I think I will call these Light & Spicy Chicken Enchiladas.

** One last thing - I boiled my chicken breasts and then shredded them in my mixer! Check it out here if you haven't seen this yet. It worked like a charm!

Sauce:

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tbsp chipotle chilis in adobo sauce

1-1/2 cups tomato sauce

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

3/4 cup fat-free chicken broth

Salt and fresh pepper to taste

Chicken:
cooking spray

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 cup diced onion

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp chili powder

1/3 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup tomato sauce

8 (6-inch) reduced carb flour tortillas (or whatever kind!)

1 cup shredded low-fat Mexican cheese

Nonstick cooking spray

In a medium saucepan, spray oil and saute garlic.  Add chipotle chilis in adobo sauce, tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, chicken broth, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5-10 minutes.  Set aside until ready to use, and preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Spray a medium skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat.  Saute onions and garlic on low until soft, about 2 minutes.  Add chicken, salt, cilantro, cumin, oregano, chili powder, tomato sauce, chicken broth, and cook 4 to 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Spray a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish with non-stick spray.  Put 1/3 cup chicken mixture into each tortilla and roll it.  Place in baking dish seam side down.  Top with sauce and cheese.  Cover with foil and bake in the oven on the middle rack for 25 minutes. Top with green onions! I served with Mexican rice.

Original recipe found here.