Twice Baked Butternut Squash

YUM-O! I made this as a side dish for our anniversary. I actually made DH a steak! This was so good and I plan on making it again.

1 butternut squash cut lengh wise

2 TBS. sour cream

1 TBS. butter

Salt

Pepper

Breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Scoop seeds out of squash (I used my melon baller). Sprinkle squash with some salt and pepper and put a dollup of butter on each slice.

Cook in oven for about 45 minutes. Let squash cool for 15 minutes and reduce heat on oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix sour cream, butter, salt, and pepper. Scoop inside of squash out into bowl, reserving the skins, and mix (I used my hand mixer to get it whipped). Scoop mixture back into skins, sprinkle top with breadcrumbs, and cook in oven an additional 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Spinach and Pasta Bake

I got this idea from another blog. You can find it here:

sotastysoyummy.blogspot.com

Anyway, I made some changes to it to meet my dietary requirements.

It was really good, but I think missing something (besides the meat). I added a small amount of milk to my bowl and it helped make it creamier. I think I'll add some to the entire batch next time I make this.

16 oz cooked pasta (I used rotini)

10 oz chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained

14.5 oz diced tomatoes

8 oz onion and chive cream cheese

1 tsp basil

1 tsp Italian seasonings

1 tsp crushed red pepper

salt/pepper

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided

2 or 3 cloves crushed garlic


After pasta is cooked and drained, mix with all ingredients (only use 1 cup of the cheese). When it is mixed well, top with remainding cheese. If you like, you can sprinkle a small amount of bread crumbs to the top.

As for pan size, you can use one large pan or two smaller pans and freeze one of them. Bake, covered, at 375 degrees. Uncover and cook a little bit longer (until cheese is melted and dish is a little bubbly).

YUM!

Butter Bean Burgers

I'm trying my best to make more food from scratch. When I saw this recipe, I didn't think it would be that great, but I thought it was worth a shot. What I like most about it is you can add whatever you want. I have posted the original recipe (from allrecipes.com) and noted the changes that I made.

1 (15 ounce) can butter beans, drained

1 small onion, chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno pepper (I didn't have this, so I add red pepper flakes instead)

6 saltine crackers, crushed (I added bread crumbs instead)

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (I didn't measure this out, just added it until I thought it was good enough)

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used olive oil instead)

I also added a couple cloves of garlic. I have a garlic obsession!



1.In a medium bowl, mash butter beans. Mix in onion, jalapeno pepper, crushed crackers, egg, cheese, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Divide into 4 equal parts, and shape into patties.

2.Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; use more or less oil to reach 1/4 inch in depth. Fry patties until golden, about 5 minutes on each side.



When I made these, it helped if I added a little more bread crumbs to each side of the patty. So I put the patties in the pan, sprinkled them with more bread crumbs. When I flipped them over, I added more crumbs to the other side.

When they are done, top them with whatever you would top a regular burger. Even my husband enjoyed these!

Nutella Wontons

These were really good and easy to make. I first saw this recipe here http://cooklikeachampion.blogspot.com/2008/10/nutella-ravioli.html.

When I made these, I only made six, so I didn't need to put them in the oven. I just fried them all up in a pan, placed them on a plate covered with a paper towel, sprinkled a bit of powdered sugar on them, and that was it! It took about 10 minutes total to make.


16 wonton wrappers

1 egg, beaten to blend

1 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (recommended: Nutella)

Vegetable oil, for frying

Powdered sugar, for dusting

Directions:
-Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap.
-Place 1 wonton wrapper on the work surface.
-Brush the edges of the wrapper lightly with egg.
-Spoon 1 tablespoon of chocolate-hazelnut spread into the center of the wrapper.
-Fold the wrapper diagonally in half over the filling and press the edges of the wrapper to seal.
-Place the ravioli on the prepared baking sheet.
-Repeat with the remaining wonton wrappers, egg, and chocolate-hazelnut spread.
-Preheat the oven to 200° F.
-Add enough oil to a heavy large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches.
-Heat the oil over medium heat to 350° F.
-Working in batches, carefully add the ravioli to the hot oil and cook until they are golden brown, about 45 seconds per side.
-Using a slotted spoon, transfer the ravioli to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
-Then, transfer the cooked ravioli to another baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven while frying the remaining ravioli. (The fried ravioli can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool them completely, then cover and refrigerate. Before serving, place them on a baking sheet and rewarm in a preheated 375 degrees F oven just until they are heated through, about 7 minutes.)
-Dust the ravioli with powdered sugar.

Broccoli Casserole

This recipe really looks odd, but trust me, it was good! I got it from all recipes.com

I did change some things, but I'll post the regular recipe and note my changes

1 cup uncooked white rice

5 tablespoons margarine (didn't measure this out)

1 cup chopped onions

1 cup chopped celery

1 (10 ounce) package chopped frozen broccoli, thawed and drained (I zapped mine in the microwave for a while to speed up the thawing process and to make sure the broccoli would be cooked through)

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup (I used cream of celery because I hate mushrooms)

1 (8 ounce) jar processed cheese spread with jalapeno (my can was 9 ounces)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a saucepan bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Melt margarine in a medium skillet over medium heat. Saute onions and celery until tender.

In a 2 quart casserole dish combine onions, celery, cooked rice, broccoli, mushroom soup and processed cheese spread; mix well.

Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes (I cooked it less than this because my broccoli was already warm)

Enjoy~

Taco Soup

1 lb. ground beef (again, use 1 package of Morning Star Farms recipe crumbles for a vegetarian meal)

1/2 cup chopped onion

28-oz can whole tomatoes with juice

14-oz can kidney beans with juice

17-oz canned corn with juice

8-oz can tomato sauce

1 pkg. dry taco seasoning

1 to 2 cups of water

salt and pepper to taste

cheddar cheese

hard taco shells or corn chips

Disclaimer: I, of course, make this vegetarian. I also bought all low sodium items.

Brown beef and onions in skillet. Drain (when you use the vegetarian meat, there is no draining).

Combine all ingredients (except cheese and chips) in a slow cooker (although I made mine in a large stockpot).

Cover-cook on low for 4-6 hours (cooking it in a pot took about 20 minutes-I had the heat on high).

Ladle into bowls. Top with cheese and chips.

Spinach and Feta Pasta

1 (8 ounce) package penne pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 jar (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes

2 cups spinach leaves, packed (I just used frozen and it worked fine)

salt and pepper to taste

1 pinch red pepper flakes

feta cheese, crumbled

While boiling your pasta, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add onion and garlic, and cook until golden brown. Mix in tomatoes and spinach. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook 2 minutes more, until tomatoes are heated through and spinach is wilted.

Prepare your plate and top with feta cheese. You can use as little or as much as you want.

It was sooooooooo good!!!