<strong>Southwestern Stuffed Acorn Squash</strong>

Southwestern Stuffed Acorn Squash

Adapted from eating well because it was no meat Monday.

Cumin and chili powder season a filling of turkey sausage, tomatoes, black beans and Swiss cheese for creamy acorn squash. Serve this stuffed squash with warmed corn tortillas for wrapping up bites of all the tasty ingredients.

Steve Note: I used Farro instead of sausages but you could use ground beef, chicken, turkey or wild or other wise rice.

Ingredients

  • 3 acorn squash, (3/4-1 pound each) Steve Note: you could use Butternut, Delicata Squash, Zucchini etc. I like these because the skin is edible .
  • 5 ounces bulk turkey sausage Steve Note: I substituted about 3/4 cup of cooked farro 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1/2 medium red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 cups chopped cherry tomatoes
  • 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed (see Tip)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Several dashes hot red pepper sauce, to taste
  • 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese Steve Note: I used Cheddar

Directions

Step 1 Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

Step 2 Cut squash in half horizontally. Scoop out and discard seeds. Place the squash cut-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until tender, about 45 minutes.

Step 3 Meanwhile, lightly coat a large skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Add sausage and cook, stirring and breaking up with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Add onion and bell pepper; cook, stirring often, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, chili powder and cumin; cook for 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, beans, salt and hot sauce, scraping up any browned bits. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until the tomatoes are broken down, 10 to 12 minutes.

Step 4 When the squash are tender, reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees . Fill the squash halves with the turkey mixture. Top with cheese. Place on the baking sheet and bake until the filling is heated through and the cheese is melted, 8 to 10 minutes.

Tips

Tip: While we love the convenience of canned beans, they tend to be high in sodium. Give them a good rinse before adding to a recipe to rid them of some of their sodium (up to 35 percent) or opt for low-sodium or no-salt-added varieties. (Our recipes are analyzed with rinsed, regular canned beans.) Or, if you have the time, cook your own beans from scratch.

Tips

Easy cleanup: Recipes that require cooking spray can leave behind a sticky residue that can be hard to clean. To save time and keep your baking sheet looking fresh, line it with a layer of foil before you apply the cooking spray.

Meatball Ragu

Meatball Ragu

This was a cook from the gut meal, I had three large meatball in freezer, some of Lyn’s leftover pasta sauce and some green pepper and sweet onion. I rough/fine chopped the meatballs.

Saluted the onions add to sauce with the sliced green pepper then heated until the green peppers were slightly tender.

Orange, White Balsamic, Cardamom, Ginger Vinaigrette

We liked this so much that I made a larger dressing dispenser full basically 4X the recipe

Ingredients

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar

1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

How

Combine all ingredients and whisk thoroughly, you can also use a blender

Frisee, Orange, and Toasted Hazelnut Salad

Lyn showed me this recipe, I think it was planned because she bought a head of Frisee when we went shopping. She also had Maria grab a few oranges while she was out, Then left the recipe out. It was very good in fact with the left over she added some Anise, and Red Grapefruit chunks instead of the orange. Both were good.

The hazelnuts add crunch to this citrusy salad.

Servings: 4 Martha Stewart

Frisee, Orange, and Toasted Hazelnut Salad

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 seedless oranges, pith and peel removed
  • 1 medium head frisee
  • 1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Directions

Instructions Checklist

  • Step 1In a medium bowl, whisk together orange juice, vinegar, zest, cardamom, ginger, mustard seeds, salt, and pepper. Slowly whisk in olive oil until combined, and set aside.
  • Step 2Slice oranges thinly, crosswise, and arrange slices on 4 salad plates; set aside. Place frisee in a large bowl, and toss with the dressing. Divide frisee among 4 salad plates, and sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts. Serve immediately.

Cook’s Notes

To remove the pith and peel from an orange, first slice off the stem and flower end. Place the orange cut-side down,

<strong>Lemon & Panko-Crusted Salmon</strong>

Lemon & Panko-Crusted Salmon

Another thing that Lyn wanted to try and I’m glad she did.

Mayonnaise helps the dill-infused panko crust stick to salmon fillets in this ultra-quick recipe. A squeeze of lemon along with the mayo adds tanginess to the crispy crust.

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

  • ⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs, preferably whole-wheat
  • Zest of 1 lemon, plus lemon wedges for serving
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped dill
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 ¼ pounds center-cut salmon fillet, cut into 4 portions
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
  • 4 teaspoons mayonnaise

Directions

Instructions Checklist

  • Step 1 Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
  • Step 2 Combine panko, lemon zest, dill, oil and garlic powder in a small bowl. Place salmon on the prepared baking sheet; sprinkle with salt and pepper, then spread each portion with 1 teaspoon mayonnaise. Divide the panko mixture among the portions, pressing it into the mayonnaise.
  • Step 3 Bake until the fish is opaque in the center, 8 to 12 minutes, depending on thickness. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 4 oz. salmon

Per Serving: 290 calories; protein 29g; carbohydrates 5g; dietary fiber 1g; fat 16g; saturated fat 2g; mono fat 7g; poly fat 6g; cholesterol 80mg; vitamin a iu 73IU; vitamin b3 niacin 11mg; vitamin b12 5mcg; vitamin c 4mg; vitamin e iu 1IU; folate 36mg; vitamin k 8mg; sodium 245mg; calcium 23mg; iron 1mg; magnesium 42mg; phosphorus 286mg; potassium 706mg; zinc 1mg; omega 3 fatty acid 3g; omega 6 fatty acid 3g; niacin equivalents 16mg; selenium 52mcg.

© Copyright 2022 EatingWell.

Garlic Chicken Thighs with Olives & Potatoes

Garlic Chicken Thighs with Olives & Potatoes

From Eating Well

Lyn and Maria wanted to go on a Anti-Inflammatory so they threw a book and different websites in front of me as a hint and ideas. It looks like much like Mediterranean diet so grazing through the web site Lyn gave me I saw this and it looked good. I had to make a few substitutions because I did not have some items which I’ll note below. We loved the nice red pepper flake heat in this recipe.

Bright-green Castelvetrano olives hail from Sicily and have a buttery flavor and meaty texture that pair perfectly with the Italian seasoning and salty capers in this one-skillet chicken dinner. Look for them on your supermarket olive bar or in jars with Italian ingredients.

Active: 25 mins

Total: 45 mins

Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • ¾ teaspoon salt, divided Steve Note: into 1/4 TSP
  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 4 bone-in chicken thighs (about 2 pounds), skin removed Steve Note: only had 3
  • 1 pound yellow potatoes, diced
  • 4 medium carrots, diced Steve Note: only used 2
  • 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved Steve Note: only had about a cup
  • ½ cup dry white wine Steve Note: We finished our last bottle of white wine the other day so I used white cooking wine.
  • ¼ cup Castelvetrano olives, quartered Steve Note: used half a small can of sliced black olives
  • 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
  • Chopped fresh parsley for garnish Steve Note: whoops forgot to grab some from the deck but it’s only for garnish

How

  • Step 1 Mash garlic with 1/4 teaspoon salt with a fork to form a paste. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon oil, Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper.
  • Step 2 Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned on both sides, 6 to 8 minutes total. Transfer the chicken to a plate and top with the garlic mixture.
  • Step 3 Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in the pan over medium heat. Add potatoes and carrots and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to brown and stick to the pan, 6 to 8 minutes. Add tomatoes, wine, olives and capers; cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, for 1 minute. Nestle the chicken into the pan, cover and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part without touching the bone registers 165 degrees F, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve garnished with parsley, if desired.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 

1 chicken thigh & 1 cup vegetables

Per Serving:

511 calories; protein 29.8g; carbohydrates 35g; dietary fiber 4.9g; sugars 4.9g; fat 27g; saturated fat 4.8g; cholesterol 92.1mg; vitamin a iu 10852IU; vitamin c 20mg; folate 35.7mcg; calcium 67.7mg; iron 3mg; magnesium 59.5mg; potassium 900.8mg; sodium 689.8mg.

Exchanges: 

3 1/2 fat, 3 1/2 lean protein, 2 1/2 vegetable, 1 1/2 starch

Blueberry Walnut Energy Balls

Blueberry Walnut Energy Balls

Lyn likes these and I like Lyn so I gladly make them when requested. It always takes me for ever to fine the recipe, in fact she had to find it again so I decided to put on the site. This really takes no time at all. The original is from Eating Well magazine.

Ingredients

3/4 cup walnuts

1/2 cup pitted dates

1/4 cup dried blueberries

3/4 cup old fashion oats

2 TBS pure maple syrup

1 Teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 Teaspoon lemon Juice

How

Add walnuts, dates and blueberries to a food processor and process until chopped and combined – 7-10 seconds or pulses

Add Oats, maple syrup and lemon juice. Continue processing until a smooth, thick past forms 20-630 seconds.

Transfer the past to a small bowl: add lemon zest and mix to combine.

With your hands , form and roll the mixture into 18 small balls.

Will keep in airtight container in frig u[ to 2 weeks.