Archives for spaghetti

Quinoa and Zoodle Dinner

March 20, 2013 by Zucchini Runner in Food, Main Dish | 4 Comments

This is the coolest kitchen tool I’ve purchased in 2013. I love it! Dan and I frequent the local vegan restaurants and they’ve all started using this tool when creating their dishes. I knew I needed to find a way to get one too! Thank you Amazon. 🙂

2013-03-20_18-43-26_498

This dish was pretty quick and easy to make and its packed with protein and veggies too!

You’ll need:

Quinoa
3/4 c. rinsed quinoa
1 1/2 c. water
1 clove of pressed garlic
1/2 c. chopped kale, spinach or other greens
1/2 c. canned butternut squash purée
salt

Sauce
1 tsp. olive oil
1/4 c. of chopped onions
1 clove of pressed garlic
1/4 to 1/2 c. of water
1 – 6 oz. can of tomato paste
2 diced and seeded tomatoes
few dashes of salt
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano

4 small green zucchini (you could also just use spaghetti squash, or pasta)

Start cooking rinsed quinoa, with water and garlic in a saucepan on medium heat. Cover and cook for about 14 minutes once it starts to simmer, turning heat to low if needed. While the quinoa cooks, you can start the sauce!

In a shallow saucepan, heat olive oil with chopped onions and pressed garlic. Once the onions are translucent, add ~ 1/4 to 1/2 c. of water (depending on how thick you like your sauce). Add tomato paste, and tomatoes. Stir to combine. Add a few dashes of salt, and dried herbs. Keep heat on low and stir occasionally. Add more water for a thinner sauce.

By now the quinoa should be done cooking. Scoop out a 1/2 c. of the sauce with a measuring cup and pour it over the cooked quinoa. Also add the butternut squash and greens at this time. Mix well. Salt to taste if desired and mix again.

Using a cookie scoop or small ice cream scoop, measure out the quinoa balls onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. I was able to make 20 balls with this recipe. Bake at 350°F to 10-15 minutes, or until crispy on the outside and golden brown.

This is a perfect time to make your zucchini noodles! Once they are all cut into noodles, place in a saucepan and spray with a little olive oil and sprinkle a few dashes of salt. Cover and let cook on med-low heat for roughly 5-10 minutes, depending on desired  tenderness. I prepared ours al dente!

Plate the zucchini first, topping with tomato sauce and 5-6 quinoa balls.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Lentil Balls with Spaghetti Squash

January 3, 2013 by Zucchini Runner in Food, Main Dish | 4 Comments

I’ve made this recipe a couple of times now; each time I make improvements and modify it slightly! Every time it is delish so have fun with the spices, you can’t really go wrong. It is also very filling and PLENTY for 3 adults. As a bonus, its a whole meal so you can focus on just one dish prep. If you are serving 4-6 you could make a nice salad to accompany this and each person could still get 3-4 lentil balls. We’ve also successfully had this as leftovers for lunch.

1 small spaghetti squash
2 large slices of onion, chopped and kept in separate piles
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 cup dry lentils, rinsed and sorted
3.5-4 cups water
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp almond meal
Pinch salt
Pinch pepper
1 jar of spaghetti sauce (store bought or homemade ~ 20 oz)

Preheat oven to 375°

Cut spaghetti squash in half and scrape out seeds. Fill a baking pan with 1/4 inch water, place spaghetti squash cut side down over water. Bake in oven uncovered at 375° for 30-40 minutes or until a fork easily pokes through the outer skin.

In a medium saucepan, combine water, lentils, parsley, 1 ring chopped onion and pressed garlic. On your stove top cook over medium-high heat for approximately 20 minutes stirring occasionally, leaving the lid partially vented to allow evaporation of water.

Remove lentils from heat and let sit uncovered for an additional 5 minutes or until water is gone. Add cumin, oregano, almond meal, salt and pepper; stir. You want a porridge-like consistency.  With an immersion blender or potato masher, puree or smash the lentils. Set aside.

Once the squash is done, remove from oven and scrape out squash insides using a fork. You will need to hold the squash with an oven mit as it will be HOT HOT HOT. At this time, you can season the squash with a bit of salt and pepper if you’d like.

Use the same baking pan for the lentil balls and sauce. (I’m all about reducing the amount of dirty dishes!) Add your spaghetti sauce and other ring of chopped onions to the pan and stir. Scoop the lentil mixture straight out of the saucepan onto the spaghetti sauce, forming lentil balls. I use one of those mini ice cream scoopers/cookie scoop which holds about 2-3 tbsp. (See slideshow below for step-by-step pics.)

Bake uncovered in the oven at 400° for 15 minutes or until a crust starts to form on the balls and the sauce is bubbling in the pan.

Use a spatula to carefully remove lentil balls with a layer of sauce and place atop the prepared spaghetti squash.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.