This is one of my favorite recipes… no chopping required! Serves 8.
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I have a new love… spaghetti squash. This nutrient-rich vegetable can replace pasta in any of your favorite recipes. It adds a little color, a slight crunch, and will leave you feeling light and energized.
Here’s a quick and easy way to cook it in the microwave:
Allow it to cool, and then use a fork or spoon to tease out the spaghetti-like strands.Every Sunday, I take time to prepare 1-2 dishes to last me throughout the week. It’s a great strategy for busy people who still want to eat nutritious meals. Here’s what I’m cooking today.
1. Capellini with Shrimp and Creamy Tomato Sauce
This top rated recipe from Epicurious is delicious. I used evaporated skim milk mixed with a little cornstarch in place of the heavy cream. Regular, low-fat milk probably would have worked too. I also threw in 2 cups of baby spinach to add some extra color and emulate the seafood pasta at my favorite Sacramento Italian restaurant, Lucca.
Another gem from Epicurious. For this one I did use 1% milk mixed with a little cornstarch in place of the heavy cream. Next time, I plan to throw in a little garlic for some extra flavor. Yum!
Every Sunday, I take time to prepare 2 dishes to last me throughout the week. It’s a great strategy for busy people to eat healthfully. Here’s what I’m cooking today (click the links to get the recipe):
This recipe turned out great. I love finding highly rated recipes on Allrecipes.com. I substituted olive oil for the butter and evaporated skim milk for the heavy cream to make this recipe healthier. I also threw in some spices like garlic, basil and poultry seasoning to jazz it up.
This dish also turned out delightful. I used chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs, doubled the spice recommendations and threw in some diced zucchini and a can of diced tomatoes to add some color and nutrients.
Here’s how my revised preparation steps looked:
Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; sauté for 3 minutes or until tender. Dice chicken into 1-inch cubes and add to onions. Add ginger and next 6 ingredients (through garlic); sauté until chicken is lightly browned, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a simmer. Add chicken, chickpeas, apricots, zucchini and tomatoes. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 40 minutes or until chicken is tender. Serve with whole wheat couscous or quinoa. (Note: Quinoa is a whole grain that is also a complete protein! It cooks just like rice and tastes delicious.)
Posted in Healthy Recipes
Tagged french spring soup, Healthy Recipes, moroccan chicken
Today you’re in for a special treat… my favorite recipe of all time! This has been a favorite of mine since I was 13 years old, and I have yet grow tired of it. This recipe has more ingredients and steps than my other recipes, so I usually make it in large quantities. Frequently, I’ll make a huge batch of this on Sunday and eat it all week long!
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Directions:
Bon appétit!
Craving more? Click here for more of Nicole’s Healthy Recipes!
I love Nature’s Path Pumpkin Seed Granola, but at $3-4 per box, it was starting to get a little expensive. So, I decided to make my own granola, and it is delish! Here is the recipe:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped almonds or walnuts Directions:
The result? A delicious and crunchy granola, good enough to give away as a holiday gift!
I like to enjoy my granola on top of plain, fat-free yogurt, with a drizzle of honey and a chopped Fuyu persimmon. Heaven!
Craving more? Click here for more of Nicole’s Healthy Recipes!
I never thought roasted winter vegetables could make my mouth water. But, as I continue to experiment with new recipes, I continue to find new passions for foods I thought I disliked. Take beets, for example. The unwelcome canned beets I occasionally found on my salad at restaurants led me to believe I disliked all beets. But fresh, oven-roasted beets, with their mildly sweet flavor and crimson crunch, I love. You, too, might find you like them if you’re willing to give them a try.
Roasting vegetables is very simple, and practically fail-proof. Here is the recipe I used today:
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Three years ago, I never would have messed around trying to make a dish with squash. But then, I tasted a butternut squash ravioli so delicious, it inspired me to tackle this laborious vegetable. Today, I have found a simple trick that makes preparing squash a piece of cake:
Cook the whole squash in the oven for at least an hour before even attempting to mutilate it!
Afterwards, the squash cuts like butter, and you can scoop out the insides and use them how you like. Today, I used it to make a delicious butternut squash soup. The apples, walnuts and coconut were added as an afterthought, but it gave the soup so much more flavor and depth. Here’s how I did it:
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Directions:
Posted in Healthy Recipes
Tagged butternut squash soup recipe, Healthy Recipes, how to cook squash
My mom is a unique chef, one that takes an “Everything But the Kitchen Sink” approach to cooking. Like after Thanksgiving, when all of the leftovers end up in a giant batch off soup. Somehow, she always seems to pull it off! I look forward to that soup more than Thanksgiving dinner itself.
This salad is my version of one of her recipes. The key is not to skimp on any of the toppings! That way, it is so flavorful that it really doesn’t need dressing.
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Directions:
Toss all ingredients in a large bowl. Enjoy!
About a year ago, I started eating oatmeal for breakfast. And I haven’t stopped! Oatmeal tastes great and gives you sustained energy throughout the morning. I stick to the same basic recipe, but switch up the fruit to add variety. Here’s what was in my bowl this morning:
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Next month, I may start enjoying my Fall Morning Oatmeal recipe again…
Nicole Geurin, MPH, RD 