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!!!).

Orange & Rosemary Roast Chicken

I decided to try my first roast chicken this week. I knew that you could just pop a chicken in the oven with some salt and pepper and it would turn out pretty well. But what's the fun in that! I found this recipe on my Epicurious iPhone App and thought it sounded amazing. I changed it up a little bit and the final product was sooo tasty. Definitely going to make this one again!

Ingredients:
5 green onions
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, room temperature (or less if you want to save on calories)
4 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1 7-pound whole roasting chicken
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled, chopped
2 medium sweet potatoes
2 medium potatoes
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups canned low-salt chicken broth

1. Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 400°F. Mince 1 shallot; mix with butter, rosemary and peel in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Pat chicken dry. Using fingers, loosen skin from chicken breasts, legs and thighs. Spread half of rosemary-orange butter under chicken skin. Tie chicken legs together to hold shape. Spread remaining butter over chicken. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.
3. Place rack in large roasting pan. Add the onion, carrots and potatoes. Chop 2 green onions; add to pan. Place chicken, breast side up, on rack in pan. Roast chicken until meat thermometer inserted into innermost part of thigh registers 180°F., stirring vegetables in pan occasionally, about 1 hour 40 minutes. 
4. Transfer chicken to platter. Tent with foil while making sauce (do not clean pan).
5. Place same roasting pan over medium-high heat. Add wine to pan; simmer until most of wine evaporates, scraping up any browned bits, about 5 minutes. Add broth. Simmer until sauce is reduced to 1 1/2 cups, stirring often, about 6 minutes. Strain into 2-cup glass measuring cup; discard solids. Spoon fat from top of sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve chicken with pan sauce and an orange slice to garnish.


Original recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Roast-Chicken-with-Rosemary-Orange-Butter-100978

Sweet Potato Mash and a Jerk

Tonight we made Jamaican Jerk chicken with sweet potato mash and grilled brussels sprouts. I had this sweet potato mash for Thanksgiving this year and absolutely loved it. And since we get a very mild winter in Vancouver, it is easy to use the barbecue all year round. The spicy chicken and winter vegetables made for a great January meal.

My brother Steve, who is a great cook, taught me how to make these brussel sprouts a few years ago. Since then, I make them all the time. With that added quick sear, it is delicious!

Chicken Marinade:
1/2 cup Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Lime Juice
1 Tbsp Honey
1 Clove of Garlic
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
Hot Sauce to taste
Jamaican Jerk Spice
Marinade the chicken for 1-2 hours with the above ingredients. Grill on the barbecue while coating with leftover marinade a few times. Add more Jamaican Jerk Spice directly on chicken while on barbecue.

Ingredients for Sweet Potato Mash:
2-3 Sweet Potatoes
2 Tbsp Honey
2 Tbsp Lime Juice
1 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp 1% Milk
Salt/Pepper to taste
Peel potatoes and cut into bite sized chunks. Microwave in water for about 5-7 minutes. Drizzle with lime and honey and bake on cookie sheet in the oven on 350 for about 30 minutes or until soft. Place soft potatoes in a sauce pan and add remaining ingredients. Heat on low until smooth.

Ingredients for Brussels Sprouts:

10-20 Brussels Sprouts
Olive Oil
Salt/Pepper to taste
Boil Brussels Sprouts in a pot for 5-7 min until mostly cooked through. Strain and let cool for 5 min. Slice in half all the sprouts in half. Heat pan on med and drizzle with olive oil. When pan is hot, add sprouts (flat side down) to pan to sear. Let each one sear for approx 2 min or until golden brown. Remove and place on plate. Add salt and pepper to taste.

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