Spaghetti Squash with Chicken Meatballs

There is nothing better than a big bowl of spaghetti and meatballs... but this comes close. It's a great substitute if you want to eat a yummy meal with less carbs and fat. As you can see, I'm a little obsessed with spaghetti squash - it works so well with almost any meal. The trick is to bake it the exact right amount, any longer and it will be a little mushy when prepared. It is hard to know the right amount of time, since all ovens vary in heat. I would just test it out every 10 min after 30 min to make sure it isn't getting overdone. Let me know how it goes!


Homemade Chicken Meatballs
Ground Chicken or Turkey
Bread crumbs
Egg
Italian seasoning
Pre heat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Roll into bite sized balls and lay out on baking sheet. Bake in the oven on 350 until they are cooked through.

Homemade Tomato Sauce
Onions
Fresh Garlic
Bacon
Can of chopped tomatoes
Can of tomato paste
Carrots or other cut up veggies
Italian Seasoning
Saute onions and garlic in pan until browned. Mix in chopped up bacon (or any other veggies) and saute until cooked through. The bacon is Nathan's idea for extra flavour - leave out if you want to save the calories, but it does taste damn good :) Add in can of chopped tomatoes and tomato paste until desired consistency. Add in Italian Seasoning mix or fresh herbs. Add in meatballs and simmer until the rest of the meal is ready.

Flip over so they are face down when baking

Spaghetti Squash
Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and cut off both ends and then cut in half lengthwise. Remove all seeds and extra squash from middle. Place on baking tray face down for another 20-40 minutes depending on size of squash. Remove and test a piece with fork. Squash should easily peel off like spaghetti (hence the name!!!).

Coconut Cauliflower (Fake) Rice

We have been experimenting with different vegetables that can be substituted for rice, pasta, etc. Last night we decided to have curry for dinner but wanted to try something other than rice. I came across a few recipes and decided to adjust them slightly and it worked out really well. Since we were having Thai Curry, I added coconut to the pan about halfway though and in worked out perfectly since the coconut lightly toasted  as it was cooking. 

The original recipe called for the cauliflower to be cut up in a food processor. Since we don't have one of these, Nathan did it by hand and it worked just fine. If you are making this as a meal and not a side dish, you could add any chopped up veggies that you like. I might try one with carrots, zucchini, garlic, chili, etc.... I'll let you know if that happens.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, diced

1 head cauliflower, chopped finely

1/4 cup coconut

salt/pepper to taste

1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat

2. Saute onion over medium heat for 10 minutes, until lightly browned 

3. Add cauliflower to skillet, stirring often to prevent burning

4. Add coconut if desired after about 10 minutes

5. Add salt/pepper to taste

Original recipe can be found here:  http://www.elanaspantry.com/cauliflower-rice/ 

Chicken Pad Thai made with Spaghetti Squash

This is our first post in what is hopefully going to be one post a week for a year. We wanted to capture some of the dishes we are creating so our family and friends could have the recipes. Our hope is to make dishes that are unique, delicious and somewhat healthy.

The first dish is something that I found when I Googled "chicken" and "spaghetti squash". I absolutely love Pad Thai and this really seemed like something that could be amazing. The result was delicious.

Ingredients:
1 large spaghetti squash

1 cup bok choy (diced)

1 cup carrots (thinly sliced)

2 cooked chicken breast, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup chicken broth

2 tbsp peanut butter

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce

1 red chili pepper

Garnishes:

2 tbsp dry roasted peanuts, chopped

green onions (chopped)

cilantro

lime wedges

Directions:

Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. If you are having difficulty cutting it, try microwaving for a minute or two, whole. Scrape away the seeds. Place on foil covered cookie sheet and season with salt and pepper. Roast on 350 degrees for 40-60 minutes. Remove, let sit 5 minutes and then "shred" the squash with a fork.

In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, sauté garlic for 1 minute. Add the bok choy and carrots and sauté over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Remove to a plate. Add chicken broth, peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar and red chili pepper to skillet. Heat until smooth. Return veggies to the pan, as well as the spaghetti squash. Add in chicken, and heat over medium heat for 5 minutes or until sauce has coated all.

Divide among 2 plates/bowls and top with peanuts, cilantro, green onion, and lime wedge.

Enjoy!

Check out my latest recipe:  Sweet Potato Tacos with Orange/Ginger Slaw

LIST OF OTHER RIDICULOUSLY DELICIOUS RECIPES FROM ME! :)

Wants to see another awesome Spaghetti Squash recipe? http://stuffweate.blogspot.ca/2012/03/spaghetti-squash-with-chicken-meatballs.html