Spaghetti Squash Cakes

My new favorite TV show is The Chew, on ABC. It's a lot of work keeping up with a daily TV show, but I enjoy a good food- related challenge! :)  This is a tweaked (read: healthier) version of  Michael Symon's Spaghetti Squash Fritters, I just can't deep fry! I followed his recipe, except I made "cakes" and pan fried them instead of dropping them in oil. Probably not as much fun to eat, but equally tasty.  I also cut back the blue cheese, it was a little too over-powering for me.

Ingredients:
1 Medium Spaghetti Squash (cooked and shredded)
1 1/2 Tablespoons chopped fresh sage plus whole leaves for garnish
2 garlic cloves minces or grated
2 oz blue cheese crumbles
3T all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp Nutmeg
1 scallion (greens and whites) thinly sliced on the bias
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
zest of one orange, reserving 1 tsp (optional- I skipped this),
1 large egg
Canola oil

To prepare the squash, cut it in half and remove the seeds. Roast cut side up in a large glass pan or baking sheet for 45 minutes at 400 degrees. Let cool before shredding with a fork. Then, place squash in a dish towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

Mix all the ingredients (except the oil,whole sage leaves and reserved orange zest) in a medium bowl.

Using scant 1/4c portions, form squash mix into patties.

Heat small amounts of oil (1T or less) in a large pan and cook patties until outside is crispy and brown (about 5 minutes per side). Cook in batches. Fry sage leaves, carefully, as they will pop!

Place cooked patties on a plate and garnish with salt, fried Sage leaves and reserved zest!


Spaghetti Squash Cakes




Old Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings



Chicken & Dumplings

As Fall starts moving in, I'm craving comfort food. This dish was the perfect healthy way to solve the problem! I borrowed a recipe from Eating Well, and turned it into my own.

1 lb chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces

2T all-purpose flour

1T canola oil

1/2 c chopped carrots

1/2 c chopped celery

1/2 c sliced mushrooms

1/2 large onion, finely diced

1/2T poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1/2 cup water
1 cup frozen peas (green beans also work, or any veggie mix you like)

Dumplings
1/2 c whole-wheat bread flour
1/4 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp baking soda
dash of salt
1/2 c milk

1. Toss chicken with flour in a medium bowl until coated. Heat oil in a large pot over med-high heat. Reserving the leftover flour, add the chicken to the pot, stirring occassionally, until chicken in lightly browned. About 5 minutes.  Transfer chicken to clean plate.

2. Reduce heat to medium, add a little more oil if neccessary. Stir in carrots, celery, mushrooms,onion, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper.  Cook about 8-10 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Sprinkle reserved flour over the veggies, and stir-in. Add broth, water, peas, and reserved chicken. Brin

g to a simmer, stirring often.

3. While veggies are cooking, prepare the dumplings, by mixing all of the ingredients in a small bowl.

4. Drop the dough in Tablespoon sizes into the simmering broth. DO NOT STIR THE BROTH.  Let simmer about 15 minutes until the dumplings are puffed. When dumplings are cooked it is safe to stir the stew!

Serve in bowls, with spoons, and enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice Latte

I've been so busy lately, that I haven't been posting much ( I've been cooking, teaching, and coaching a ton!)... but this pumpkin spice latte inspired me! What a great start to my first down day in quite some time. You may see many posts with todays date! While this isn't crazy healthy, I can guarantee it's lower cal than anything at your coffee shop!

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Ingredients:

2 cups milk
1 cup strong brewed coffee (I doubled the normal amount of grounds)

1/4c Pumpkin Pie filling*

1T vanilla

1T sugar

Cinnamon sticks for fun!

Over a medium-low heat, warm the milk (I added a cinnamon stick). When milk is warm (NOT BOILING), whisk in the Pie filling, vanilla, sugar and coffee. Let it melt together for about 5 minutes, and serve!

This makes  2-3 cups. I'm excited to see what it tastes like reheated tomorrow.

* I used pumpkin pie filling because it was leftover from another recipe. You could use plain pumpkin, and 2 teaspoons of pumpkin spice, and an extra tablespoon of sugar and vanilla. Play around with it, but I think that would be about right.

October Dinner Special: Apple Stuffed Chicken.

Dandy Life's new In-Home Cooking Service is called Healthy Plates (of course, named after this blog). Each month I will offer a home-cooked meal in your kitchen for a special low price. These monthly specials will feature seasonal favorites, and be served family style, or packaged for reheating later.

Currently these recipes are only available, when you order the dinner!

This months special features Apple stuffed chicken with apricot sauce, roasted sweet potatoes and green beans. A dinner for 4 is $30.  See the Dandy Life website for details!

October Special

Roasted Broccoli Salad

I love roasting vegetables, and I think it might be my favorite part of the Fall-- when you can finally turn the oven back on without heating up the whole house. Broccoli gets a great nutty flavor when you roast it, and paired with the walnuts- fantastic!



Broccoli Walnut Salad



Ingredients:

1 cup fresh chopped broccoli

2 Tablespoons chopped Walnuts

1 grated garlic clove

1 Tablespoon Olive oil- plus more to drizzle

1/2 cup dry whole grain pasta shells

1 Tablespoon grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 425. On a baking sheet combine broccoli, walnuts, and garlic. Pour 1T olive oil over the broccoli and mix well with your hands, spreading evenly on the tray. Roast veggie and nuts until the broccoli is brown on the edges, careful not to burn the nuts. About 20 minutes, stirring once along the way.

While broccoli is roasting, cook pasta per package instructions, drain and return to pot.

Add roasted veggie mix to pasta drizzle with olive oil, and mix together. Season with salt and pepper, and top with grated parmesan. Serve.

Makes one large side, or a small portion for lunch!

*eliminate the pasta, and go carb free!