Posts tagged with mushrooms

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April 18, 2012

Spaghetti Squash Pomodoro

Sometimes come supper I feel like I could eat myself out of house and home. Regardless of how much I ate that day, the odd evening I am so friggin ravenous I want nothing more than to just sit down to a big huge meal!

This dish is a perfect one to quash that kind of hanger. It makes an enormous pile of food, but is really just veggies, mixed with veggie sauce, served atop veggies. I love it, because it tastes amazing, is bursting with flavour and feels like a massive pig out. It’s not! Spaghetti squash is super low-cal and serves as an amazing foundation for whatever sauce, veggies, protein you want to fancy it up with.

If you’ve never had spaghetti squash before, I urge you to spend the $2 at the grocery store and try it. It doesn’t taste like any other squash, really. To be honest, it doesn’t have a ton of flavour on its own, but with spices and sauces it is wonderful. It’s super easy to prepare, too. I often make mine in the microwave because I have zero patience for baking them for 45+ minutes in the oven (it’s a great method, if you have the time).  But I cut mine in half, length-wise, and put one half ( which is about one big fat serving) cut side down in a microwave-safe dish with an inch or two of water. Microwave on high for about 10 minutes. When it’s done, you should be able to pierce through the rounded side’s skin pretty easily. Take it out of the microwave carefully! Turn over the squash, dry it out a bit inside, and scrape the flesh out with a fork. It should get all stringy and spaghetti-like! Success! It will weep a bit of water at first, I usually just take some paper towel and dab it off. No prob. Then it’s ready to be topped, or tossed with sauce!

Spaghetti Squash Pomodoro

Yield: 1

Ingredients

  • 1/2 medium spaghetti squash, cooked and scraped out
  • 1 cup tomato pasta sauce, I used store-bought, PC brand
  • 1 cup crimini mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 1 tbsp italian spice mix
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tbsp parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Cut spaghetti squash in half. Put on half, cut-side down, in a shallow microwave/oven safe dish, and put about 1-2 inches of water in. I microwave mine for about 10 minutes (oven will be about 45) , or until you can pierce the rounded side\'s flesh with a fork. Remove from oven/microwave, and pay dry, as much as possible. Be sure to try and get as much water out of it as you can, watch your hands, it will be hot! Season it with salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar.

Sautee chopped veggies in a frying pan until tender-crisp, about 5 mins. Add pasta sauce and spice mix, until simmering. Pour it over your seasoned spaghetti squash and top with cheese or nutritional yeast. Enjoy a big-ass dinner with zero guilt!

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March 20, 2012

Many Mushrooms Quinoa Pilaf

 

 

Growing up in a family with four kids and young parents at the helm, I learned pretty early on that I had to earn a buck if I wanted to spend a buck. My first job entailed me dragging my scrawny 11-year-old arse out of bed at 6am to pick strawberries in the dewy fields of rural PEI, all to save some dough for my list of summer must-haves.  I needed a new bike, and definitely wanted a new pair of softball cleats. 20 cents a box of berries meant early mornings alongside friends in adjacent rows who had varying levels of berry-picking discipline; some kids were all business, others probably ate enough berries in the run of a morning to almost put the farm out of it.

My paycheques started rolling in and I had my eye on a new ride; a glittery mountain bike in the Zellers flyer….ohhh baby. It was on sale, and I was stoked. I put some serious miles on that bad boy! Back and forth to friend’s places and on the back-country trails, and Irene, if you’re reading this, you know that bike may very well have outrun a killer beaver or two.

So here I am, a good 15 years later, and I still get all tingly inside when I see a clearance sign. I have a super hard time paying full price for anything, which is probably why my wardrobe is completely schizophrenic and I have an email inbox full of pending groupons. End of season sales and onling gimmicks aside, there ain’t no sale sticker like a grocery store sale sticker, folks. I can spot one of those pink 50% off labels from a mile away, and often show up at the checkout with a basket with nothing but half-off items. It makes me look like a stingy lunatic but honestly, I have discovered some of my favourite foodie finds by taking the plunge on something I would never have tried full price.

My most recent shopping basket from the superstore had a whole lotta pink stickers going on. I picked up some old bananas (pretty much the only kind I buy, they’re the best in oatmeal!), some interesting PC chocolate ginger sauce that caught my eye,  Vitasoy  soy milk, and a bag of shiitake mushrooms. I’ve never used them before…which is so dumb. I love all mushrooms, in everything. I picked em up, a big bag for $2, and went home to start brainstorming what to do with them!

I have been on a big quinoa kick lately, it makes a great lunch that keeps me full for hours. I picked up some button mushrooms at the Farmer’s market on Saturday and my mind wandered to a place of mushroom-on-mushroom action. Mushrooms and quinoa. With butter. And thyme. And a splash of balsamic. Done. Like dinner. And lunch for tomorrow.

Many Mushrooms Quinoa Pilaf

Serving Size: 2

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp butter or olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic (optional, I love garlic)
  • 1 shallot, diced
  • 2-3 cups assorted mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup quinoa
  • 1 cup broth or water
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1.5 tbsp dried thyme
  • salt and pepper to taste

Prepare quinoa as directed with broth or water, set aside.

In frying pan, add butter and shallot on medium heat and let it sweat a little. Add mushrooms, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook until softened and glistening, about 5-7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium/low and add cooked quinoa and balsamic vinegar, mix together and allow the flavours to mix a little, making sure not to burn. This would be fantastic served alongside any meatatarian entree, grilled fish, or served up with some smokey, marinated tofu.