Make It Tonight - Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash is in season during the fall, so it has a really tasty, fresh flavour right now. It's super easy to prepare and is a great alternative to pasta. At only 66 calories for 8oz (1 cup), it's a great meal option if you are trying to obtain a healthy weight. Spaghetti squash is also a perfect alternative for all those with Celiac Disease, Gluten Intolerance or wheat allergy/intolerance.

Spaghetti Squash with homemade tomato sauce and Yves "chicken breast"

Step 1: Cut the spaghetti squash lengthwise. This can be challenging, so check out the one minute video below to see just how to do it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-HIQATTAQw

Step 2: Scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Place the squash on a baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees celsius for 45 minutes. This will create an "al dente" squash noodle. Cook longer if you'd like a softer noodle.

 

Step 3: Place a fork at the edge of the hollow part of the squash and pull the fork through the squash. It may take you a few tries, but eventually you will get pasta-style long threads of squash.

Keep pulling threads of squash until the skin is left. You should get around 3 to 5 cups of squash spaghetti.

Place 1 to 1 1/2 cups of squash spaghetti noodles in your pasta bowl and top with your favourite sauce, veggies, beans, tempeh, etc.

We made a homemade sauce with preserved tomatoes, fresh garlic, portabello mushrooms, and red pepper. I usually use 1/2 of a hot banana pepper, oregano, parsley, thyme and ground pepper to flavour my sauce.

Product Review: Ives Veggie "Chicken" Arrabbiata 

I've written about the Ives Vindaloo "chicken breast" previously, which is delicious. This Ives product however, I would not recommend. There is not much flavour to it and it tastes quite "fake". I know this is technically fake meat, but I do not enjoy when products actually taste that way. The texture is meaty, but the product just tastes too processed. 

For the spaghetti squash meal, I would stick to adding cheese, tempeh, soy beans or white beans to your favourite sauce to add some protein to the meal. 

Pick up a spaghetti squash tonight from a local farm or farm store. You will enjoy this new and tasty addition to your everyday menu.

Much love & good eating,

Stephanie

Product Review - Yves "Veggie Chicken Vindaloo"

Fast, easy meal idea - Veggie Vindaloo with rice &

veggies

It's great to have a few quick, vegetarian meal ideas for when you've had a long day and cooking seems like a chore. If you're trying to eat less meat, thinking about quick & easy recipes every night of the week can also be a challenge. Although, it's not ideal to rely on these pre-prepared foods everyday, having things like veggie burgers, or other veggie protein products a couple days of the week is fine. Try to complete the meal with whole foods like vegetables, fruit and a starch (rice, pasta, potatoes, or bread).

There are some really interesting veggie products out there, so we decided to try a couple and see what they are like. This product, Yves "Veggie Chicken Vindaloo" was surprisingly tasty and not too bad nutritionally. The salt content was a little high, but this is mostly the case when purchasing pre-packaged products. We stir-fryed up some spinach, potatoes and green beans, peppers or zucchini would also be great. We also served the veggie vindaloo with some brown rice.

If you like middle Eastern flavours, I would definitely recommend trying this product. The texture was pretty good, close to the texture of chicken and there was just enough sauce for our rice. Place the closed plastic package in boiling water for a couple minutes, then cut open and squeeze all the sauce onto your plate. A yummy alternative to chicken.

Much love & good eating,

Stephanie

Quinoa Burgers

I purchased this product at my new favourite little vegetarian shop/restaurant in Burlington, ON - KindFood, however you should be able to find it in health or organic food stores. Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah) is a food that has been getting more attention in the past year. It is an ancient grain that has been consumed for thousands of years. Nutritionally it is wheat-free and gluten-free, perfect if you are trying to reduce your wheat intake or for those allergic or intolerant to gluten. It is also a complete protein, a great substitute for meat and is high in fibre. Quinoa can be used in stirfrys, salads, side dishes or like this product, your main course. To learn more visit my favourite site for mostly accurate information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa.

The directions were pretty clear. Add some water. Mix it around. Form patties. I added more water - you'll need 1/2 to 3/4 cup of water to make the dry, crumby mixture stick. Once I formed the 6 patties, I tapped water on the edges so that they didn't crack. Then, I heated canola oil (2 Tbsp) in a frying pan on medium heat and fried the patties for about 5 minutes on each side, until golden. I made them a little thicker so we could put them in a pita, falafel-style. We added yogurt mixed with dill and lemon, with lettuce, avocado and Feta cheese in the pita. We also served a salad of tomato, cucumber, and red onion. It was a great meal, I highly suggest trying this product. If you made them a little flatter, they would be excellent as a burger substitute, as the box suggests.

Just a note for all those health nuts out there: the ingredient line was pretty good. Many packaged products you get list crazy amounts of preservatives and things you can't pronounce. Usually not a good choice, especially if you are looking to eat more whole foods (a good decision). I feel comfortable with this boxed food as the ingredients were all food products and spices. A healthy, wholesome and delicious choice!

Much love & good eating,

Stephanie