Spaghetti Squash with Meat Sauce

During my Weight Watcher's plight, I cam across a wonderful website with tons of yummy recipes. I made this one for dinner last night...

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:
1 large spaghetti squash
Salt and pepper
1 lb 95% lean beef (I used ground turkey)
1 tsp butter
1 tsp olive oil
(4 oz) 1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes (I prefer Tuttorosso)
1/4 cup white wine
1 bay leaf
Salt and fresh pepper
**I also added some fresh mushrooms to the sauce**

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400º. Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds and membrane. Season with salt and bake 1 hour on a baking sheet, cut side up.
2. In a large deep sauté pan, melt butter and add oil. Add onions, celery and carrots and sauté on medium-low for about 2-3 minutes, until soft. Add meat and season with salt. Brown meat and break down into smaller pieces with your spoon. When meat is cooked through, add tomatoes and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Add wine and cook until it reduces a bit, then add bay leaf and cover, reducing heat to low. Simmer at least an hour, stirring occasionally.
3. When spaghetti squash is cooked, let it cool for about 10 minutes. When cool, use a fork to remove flesh, which will come out in spaghetti looking strands. Keep covered and set aside keeping warm until sauce is ready. Serve topped with meat sauce and grated cheese.

For more amazing recipes go check out Gina's website - http://www.skinnytaste.com/

AJ Bump's Carrot Casserole

I first had this recipe when I was a small child (I don't remember it!). The next time was when my mother in law made it. It is SO good. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Serves 8

A. J. BUMP'S CARROT CASSEROLE
12 carrots
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 large egg, beaten
salt and pepper (to taste)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups crushed Ritz crackers
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray an 8-by-8-inch Pyrex dish with nonstick spray.
2. Clean and cut carrots into large pieces. Cook them in boiling water until soft. Drain well and mash.
3. Saute onion over medium-high heat in the 1 tablespoon butter or margarine until very soft.
4. In a large bowl, combine carrots, onions, 1/2 cup butter or margarine, egg, salt, pepper and garlic. Mix well. Place carrot mixture in prepared baking dish and top with crackers and cheese.
5. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes.

Servings: 9
Source: A. J. Bump's Restaurant, Freeport, CA
From: the Sacramento Bee; July, 1997

Pasta Bake

This dish is the first thing I ever cooked. My Mom got the recipe from a co-worker and tried it. It was delish, and she knew it would be a good thing for me to make on my own, so she passed the recipe along. It's another one of those meals that I've tweaked to make it my own over the years. Enjoy!

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. ground meat (I use turkey for the healthy factor, but beef is fine!)
1 package of pasta (any variety)
1 jar of store bought pasta sauce (any red variety)
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
8 oz. of fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 cups of mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup of white wine
Water
Seasonings to taste (I use garlic powder, salt, pepper and a little bit of red pepper flakes)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375*
2. Brown meat with garlic, onion, and seasonings.
3. Mix meat, mushrooms, uncooked pasta, 1 cup of the cheese, and jar of sauce in a large casserole dish.
4. Fill the empty pasta sauce jar halfway with wine and the rest of the way with water. Pour over mixture.
5. Bake covered for 1 hours.
6. After 1 hour, pull dish from oven. Sprinkle remaining cheese over top and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Cheesy Pasta

This recipe was kind of an accident/experiment. Last weekend, we were grilling chicken and needed a side dish. A cheese pasta with a kick sounded good, and this is what came of it!!

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:
1 package of spiral pasta (I use whole wheat)
5 ounces of Gorgonzola cheese (if this variety of cheese isn't your fav, something like Gouda would be good!)
5 ounces of Parmesans cheese
1 cup of cream
1/4 cup of cooking sherry
2 tbsp butter (I use smart balance)
1 shallot, diced
1 tbsp of red pepper flakes
1 tbsp of dried mustard
1 tbsp of nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste (I like A LOT of pepper!)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions
2. Meanwhile, cook diced shallots in butter until soft. Add sherry and stir.
3. Add cream and stir. Let mixture simmer for about 5 minutes.
4. Add cheeses and stir. Stir in spices. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes
5. Drain cooked pasta and place in bowl or back into cooking pot. Pour cheese sauce over pasta and serve immediately.

Roasted Vegetables

This is a Racheal Ray recipe. She uses broccoli as her vegetable, and while that is delicious, I've also tried this with squash, mushrooms, cauliflower and bell peppers. Every type of veggie I've done this with has been good!!

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
5-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon grill seasoning blend (such as Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick brand Grill Mates)
1 large head broccoli, cut into thin, long spears

DIRECTIONS:
1. Pre-heat oven to 425°F.
2. Place olive oil, garlic, chili powder and grill seasoning in the bottom of a large bowl and add the broccoli spears. Toss to coat broccoli evenly then transfer to a large nonstick baking sheet
3. Roast the broccoli until ends are crisp and brown and stalks are tender, 17-20 minutes.

Chicken Spaghetti

I LOVE Ree Drummond (aka Pioneer Woman). And her recipes are awesome. One has quickly become a staple in our house and that is her chicken spaghetti. Here is the link to her recipe:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/chicken_spaghet/

Serves 6

I altered a couple of things to make this recipe more figure friendly. Here's what I do:
1. Whole wheat pasta
2. Healthy variety of cream of mushroom soup
3. Low fat cheddar cheese
4. Add a package of mushrooms
5. I'm also not a huge pimento fan, so I leave those out

Artichoke and Spinach Au Gratin

This is my take on a Weight Watchers recipe that I recently tried. If you like artichoke spinach dip, you'll love this!

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups of artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
1 package of frozen spinach, thawed and drained
2 cups of Swiss cheese, shredded
1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, grated
Desired seasoning (I used salt, pepper, garlic powder and a little paprika)

DIRECTIONS:
1.Combine spinach and artichoke hearts in casserole dish
2. Sprinkle Swiss over top
3. Broil on low for about 15 minutes
4. Add Parmesan and broil for an additional 3-5 minutes

Crock Pot Pulled Pork

I love my crock pot. I probably use it at least every other week, and I therefore have lots of things that I make in it. Here's the first of many I'll be sharing...

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound boneless pork roast
1 bottle barbecue sauce
24 ounces of beer
1/4 coup of soy sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp of ketchup
1 medium onion, diced
1 package of buns or rolls

DIRECTIONS:
1. Place pork into crock pot.
2. Cover with onions.
3. In a bowl, mix soy sauce, brown sugar, and ketchup. Pour over pork and onions.
4. Pour the beer into the crock pot.
5. Cook on low for 7 hours.
6. After cook time is up, remove pork from crock pot and place into a large casserole dish. With two forks or a fork and knife, shred the pork. Scoop out as much or as little of the sauce and onions and you like and add to pork.
7. Mix bottle of barbecue sauce into pork. Serve on buns or rolls.