Pasta Amore: "Spaghetti and Meatballs"

Spaghetti Squash Pasta Marinara with Mushroom Lentil Meatballs

When I'm drawing blanks for meal ideas I like to turn to my hungry friends who are never lacking in cravings. I asked my friend Matt what nostalgic childhood meals included for him. One of the first things that came to mind was spaghetti and meatballs. I get so excited when I get the chance to take on such a classic meal and give it my own healthy and vegetarian spin on it. I wanted to make sure my "meat"-balls had lots of flavor and heartiness to them so I made sure to make a recipe that was high in protein without the grease factor of most traditional meatballs. For the pasta, I decided to use spaghetti squash because this delicious winter squash is cheap, hearty, low fat and super low calorie (weighing in at only 40 calories a cup!) Well I'm hungry now...

Cook the squash according to general directions. I cut it in half, lay it cut side down on a plate, put a 1/4 cup or so of water on the plate and cover it with another plate. Microwave for around 10-12 min or until soft enough to fork out squash. 

Toss with your favorite sauce recipe! I cook it a little further in the sauce pan with the sauce to get the "noodles" nice and soft! For my sauce, in addition to dried italian herbs, garlic, onion, salt and pepper, I like to add a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg to add a subtle essence of warm holiday flavor that compliments the veggie meatballs fabulously!

Veggie Meatballs:

-1/4 cup crushed nuts (I had cashews on hand but walnuts or pecans would be really delicious too!)

-3/4 cup to 1 cup of parmesan cheese

-1/2 cup of chopped onions

-Garlic seasoning, salt and pepper, Cajun seasoning (or paprika or cayenne...use what you got!) to taste

-Dried Italian herbs, pinch of nutmeg, pinch of cinnamon

-One can of low-fat lentil soup. About a cups worth of lentils. Ladle just lentils...

-2 tbsp of bread crumbs or Panko

-1 egg

For Prep:

-1 egg for coating

-Sprinkle a plate with bread crumbs or Panko for outer coating of meatball

-Sauté onions til translucent and season while cooking. Add chopped mushrooms and cook down with about a 1/4 cup of water or veggie stock. Continue to season as you incorporate each ingredient. Add in lentils and drain excess liquid from pan. If you have any fresh parsley on hand, a little chopped parsley adds a nice fresh layer to the meatballs. Mix in an egg and pour over after all other ingredients are added except panko! Add in panko after egg is incorporated evenly and lightly mix together by hand.

With a light touch roll about 2 inch diameter sized balls and lightly dip in egg then panko. Place on a greased cooking sheet. Spritz with cooking spray once on baking sheet and bake for 25-30 min on 375 degrees until golden and lightly crisped on outside. 

Serve pasta and meatballs with your favorite roasted veggie side or mixed green salad for a well rounded delicious meal! Bon Appetit! 

Healthy Tailgating

Cauliflower "Buffalo Wings" and Portabello Mushroom Fries

With Horseradish Dill Dip and Homemade Ranch Dip

Ahhh, the coveted tailgating tradition. Who doesn't love to cheer on a beloved team with good friends and good food? Shoot, if the food is good enough I might not even care who I'm with or what team is playing! It's been 7 years since I became a pescatarian but to this day the smell of buffalo wings makes me salivate. I stumbled upon an idea the other day to make cauliflower "hot wings" and I couldn't resist the chance to try this out myself. I then decided to make a whole spread of healthy alternatives to some classic finger foods we commonly enjoy. To my delight (and the delight of my friends) I discovered that baked cauliflower makes a brilliant alternative to their greasy inspiration! You definitely won't regret giving these bad boys a try....

Cauliflower "Buffalo Wings" ~360 calories total

serves 3-4 people

Ingredients:

-About 1.5 lbs of cauliflower pieces (24 oz.)

-1/2 cup of flour

-1/2 cup of water

-A couple dashes of your favorite hot sauce

-A pinch of salt

-About a cup or so of your favorite buffalo sauce (or make your own if your up for it!)

Prep:

-Mix together the first 5 ingredients to make a paste-like batter. Dip and coat the cauliflower pieces (I found the smaller pieces cooked better and had a better texture as an end result)

-Place coated pieces into a baking dish (I used a casserole dish) and bake on 450 degrees for about 15 min. or until the batter hardens. 

-Remove from oven and coat with your desired amount of buffalo sauce

-Place back in oven and bake for an additional 5-8 min.

-Serve with fresh veggies and homemade ranch dipping sauce. Recipe below.

Portobello Mushroom "Fries" ~480 calories total

serves 2-3 people

Ingredients:

-2 large portobello mushrooms (whole)

-Plain panko breadcrumbs (The ones in a bag in the ethnic foods section are usually cheaper than the boxed ones)

-1 large egg and 2 egg whites

-About a cup of flour (enough to coat the mushrooms in lightly)

-Balsamic vinegar (optional)

-Salt and pepper and garlic powder (optional)

Prep:

-Wash and clean out the dark underside of the mushrooms

-Cut off stem and slice into medium thickness (about an inch thick) strips

-Marinate the mushrooms in a drizzle of balsamic vinegar

-Set up a batter station with a plate of flour, a bowl of whisked eggs, and a plate of breadcrumbs. (I like to season the panko with some salt, pepper, and garlic powder!)

-Lightly coat the mushrooms in flour, dip into egg batter, then evenly coat in panko. They don't have to be thoroughly covered in breadcrumbs (they CAN get too crunchy with too many crumbs!)

-Place on a baking sheet, give them a quick spray of cooking spray (or even better use a "misto" so there's no added chemicals in the spray!)

-Bake at 425 degrees for about 10 min. or until lightly golden and crispy on outside.

 -Serve immediately with fresh dill horseradish dipping sauce. Recipe below.

Fresh Dill and Horseradish Dipping Sauce ~200 calories total

Ingredients:

-1 cup of non-fat plain yogurt  (or greek yogurt for a tangier dip with extra protein!)

-2 tbsp. of pure fresh ground horseradish

-1tbsp of chopped fresh dill

-1 tsp of garlic powder

-1 tsp of onion powder

-juice of 1/2 a lemon 

-1 tsp of lemon zest (optional)

-2 tbsp of neufchatel OR light cream cheese OR laughing cow cheese

-salt to taste

Prep:

-Blend, process, or hand mix all the above ingredients except the dill until smooth. Add in the chopped dill and salt to taste. Feel free to put more or less of the other seasonings based on preference. 

-This makes a good amount of dip, you could easily cut this recipe in half for the amount of fries made in the above recipe!

Homemade Ranch Dipping Sauce ~100 calories total

Ingredients:

-About 1 cup of non-fat yogurt (or greek yogurt)

-1 tbsp of fresh parsley (add in little by little to test for potency of flavor)

-1/2 tbsp of fresh dill

-1/2 tbsp of dried chives (or fresh)

-1 tsp of garlic powder

-1 tsp of onion powder

-Juice of a 1/2 of a lemon (lemon juice acts as a replacement for buttermilk! When milk is mixed with lemon juice, or white vinegar, it simulates buttermilk.)

-A dash or 2 of hot sauce

-Salt and pepper to taste

Prep:

-Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix evenly. Make sure to incorporate the fresh parsley last and a little at a time to taste for potency.

-Serve with fresh veggies! Great to dip the buffalo cauliflower in too!

Happy Tailgating...