Recipe - Jalapeño Pesto Spaghetti Squash...Whole30 Approved

Jalapeño Pesto Spaghetti Squash...

Last night I served this spaghetti squash with pan seared organic chicken thigh, one of my favorite proteins to cook and eat because it pretty inexpensive, yet has so much flavor (if cooked correctly) and is densely nutritious and satiety.

Anyhow, you can make this spaghetti squash with anything...meatballs, lamb, pork, steak, fish, shrimp, scallops. mushrooms, even a veggie medley...

The spaghetti squash I made, I actually picked from my garden...it was the first time I grew spaghetti squash successfully:-)

Ingredients

- 1 ripe Spaghetti Squash, cut in half & seeded

- Seasoning: salt, pepper, granulated garlic, granulated onion, chile powder, smoke paprika, ground ginger, cayenne, cinnamon 

- Coconut Oil Spray

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Prepare the spaghetti squash... I think this is most challenging part of cooking this amazing vegetable which is one of the reasons I think many people stay away from it...

a. Cut the spaghetti in half, cutting off the stem, standing it stem side down and cutting it in half.

b. Seed the squash, using a spoon and reserving the seeds if you want to toast them.

c. Ensure insides are completely seeded.

3. In a container or bowl, mix all the spices together. 

So, the reason I didn't give you measurement of how much to of each to spice to is because I don't measure. I did however, give you the spices in order from most to least. I personally over the bottom of my container/bowl with salt, then add each spice on top of the salt, decreasing the amount of each little by little as I go. Then I mix it together and taste...if that is something I would season a steak with then I use it, if I taste too much of a spice I don't like I adjust...I just think measuring seasoning is a waste of time...

4. Spray squash with coconut oil spray and sprinkle with seasoning. Place in a cookie tray, halfway filled with water.

5. Place in oven for 40-50 minutes, until squash is al dente, so the strand of the squash pull apart like spaghetti, not like mush...Using a form, pull the squash away from the skin and place in a big bowl.

6. Break apart using hands if needed. 

7. Pour the pesto over the squash and mix to combine. See below for pesto recipe.

8. If reserving seeds, pull the seeds away from the flesh by squeezing or pulling them with your fingers. 

9. Rinse and dry them, patting them down with a towel.

10. Season them with the same seasoning place them in a cookie tray and bake with the squash, for 10-15 minutes. Use them as a garnish or eat them plain...delish:-)

Jalapeño Pesto Sauce

So this sauce is a little different than one I made last week...First I used just basil, no parsley, basil is expensive so when I can get a deal on it, I stock up and make pesto...Second, I used almonds, not macadamia nuts...Third I didn't use any pablanos...This one was just as delicious as the other one...use either one and you'd be good to go...But either way, make enough of both so you have leftovers...

Ingredients

- 4 packs Basil

- 1/2 cup Slivered Almonds

- 6 Cloves of Garlic

- 1/2 TSP Fresh Ginger, grated

- 1 Jalapeño, seeded if you don't want it too hot

- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar

- 1 Lemon, juiced

- 1 Lime, juiced

- Olive oil

- Salt & Peper to Taste

Instructions

1. Roughly stem the basil. Place in the food processor and pulse.

2. Add nuts, garlic, jalapeño, ginger and pulse. On high, drizzle in the vinegar, lemon & lime juice. Then gradually drizzle in the oil until to the consistency you like. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Refrigerate the rest, good for at least 7 days. If you have a lot left over, freeze.

Perfectly cooked chicken thighs recipe next week...easy weeknight dinner that is soooooooo deliciously nutritious.....

One Pot Wonders - Garam Masala Brisket

Sunday is my Fun-day in my kitchen and in order for me to prepare everything I need for the week, I start off preparing a 'One Pot Wonder' to either eat that night or the next, the key is to make enough so you have leftovers and to be creative with your leftovers so your not just eating the same thing meal after meal...Re-Create 'One Pot Wonders' into something unique and different...restaurants do this all the time, why do you think they have daily 'Specials'...

Make this Garam Masala Brisket and Re-Create into steak & eggs or brisket wrapped asparagus or brisket egg muffins or brisket taquitos (not Whole30 approved) or serve it with an egg top (which will totally change the entire dish - In my opinion, anything served with a fired egg on-top 'usually' elevates a dish to another level)...

Garam Masala Brisket

Ingredients

- 3 lbs Brisket (grass-fed & finished, if available)

- Garam Masala Brine: water, salt, peppercorns, turmeric, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom pods, cumin seeds, sugar

- 1/4 cup Ground Garam Masala Seasoning

- Salt & Pepper

- Coconut Oil or Ghee

- 1 Yellow Onion, chopped

- 5 cloves garlic

- 2 Jalapeños, chopped (seeded if don't like too much heat)

- 4 Carrots, chopped

- 2 Sweet Potatoes, chopped

- 1 Bunch Celery, chopped

Instructions

1. Brine the brisket overnight. Brisket is a very muscular piece and brining helps make the tougher pieces juicers. That said, soak the meat overnight in the above mentioned Garam Masala spices and completely cover with water.

2. After brining, discard the water and spices, pat down the meat until completely dry.

3. Pre-heat oven to 275 degrees.

4. Season the meat. I personally like salting the meat first to ensure it gets salts correctly. Then I pepper the meat. Then I cover the meat in seasoning, in this case Garam Masala seasoning which is a mixture of turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, and cumin.

5. Heat the coconut oil or ghee in a skillet or dutch oven and sear both sides. This step is very important because it helps lock in the flavors and juices of the meat.

6. Remove the meat and sauté vegetables. If you are using different pans, make sure and deglaze (add some vinegar and whisk the fond, the brown pieces, at the bottom) the pan you seared the meat and add those juices to the veggies.

7. Add the meat to the veggies and add water or homemade stock to the pot. You want to add enough liquid so the meat is covered about halfway.

8. Bring to a boil and place in the over to braise for 4-5 hours. Take out of oven and let sit on counter for another hour with lid on.

9. Remove the meat and slice to your thickness preference. Note I only slice the meat I want to eat at the meal because when I re-create meals I usually want the meat sliced differently.

Quick & Easy Breakfast

Try a bowl of this to start you day...DELISH...

Ingredients

- 2 hard boil eggs

- chopped tomatoes

- chopped kalamata olives

- chopped tomatillos

- chopped cucumbers

- dollop of my Tomatillo Jalapeño Avocado Aioli 

The hardest part making hard boiled eggs is peeling them...if you don't cook and crack them right it's miserable...blog post tomorrow on how to make peel hard boil eggs perfectly...

Don't those look beautiful...

If you are craving carbs - Make Sweet Potato Fries...They are sweet & easy...

On heavy lifting workout days, like today, I needed some extra carbs especially in the mist of a  Whole30 challenge...

My go-to low-carb, carb are sweet potatoes and when I'm craving something crunchy and 'semi'-fried (more like baked) I reach for sweet potatoes...Truth be known, I used to hate sweet potatoes, I thought they were too sweet, but a couple of years ago my mind changed and I started cooking them...

Here's my go-to easy recipe...

Ingredients:

- 2 lbs Sweet Potatoes, cut into fries with skin on optional 

(Personally I like Yams or Garnets - they have the most moisture & flavor)

(If you buy more then you'll have awesome leftovers you can mix with eggs or mash or make into sweet potato cakes - I'm a fan of leftovers, but many people aren't)

- 1 cup Coconut Oil, melted

- Salt & Pepper

- Curry Powder

- Garlic Powder

- Smoke Paprika

- If I wasn't on the Whole30 I would sprinkle a little brown sugar

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees

2. Place the cut sweet potatoes in a big bowl and pour the melted coconut oil over them. Toss to coat thoroughly.

3. In a small bowl, mix all the seasonings together.

Note: I didn't give you measurements for the seasoning because I don't measure them. I just pour seasonings in a bowl, taste before I add it to the sweet potatoes and adjust if needed. You will know if it is needed (i.e. too salty, too sweet, too spicy...) You might not need the all the seasoning you mix at once so save what you don't need for another dish (i.e. chicken, steaks, fish, portabellas)

4. Using a small strainer, cover the sweet potatoes with seasoning and toss to coat.

Note: I like to use a strainer to help me season because it evenly distributes the seasonings, so when you take a bite into the fry it's not completely covered with seasoning or is completely bland because it has no seasoning.

5. Spread evenly on a baking sheet, see image above.

6. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until soft inside and crunchy outside. You might want to flip them 20-25 minutes into cooking so they don't get overcook on one side and not the other, that is bad french fry cooking...

6. Take them out of oven and wait at least 5 minutes for them to cool down (you don't want to burn your tongue) and drip them awesome sweet potatoes fries in my Tomatillo - Jalapeño - Avocado Aioli...

OMG!!! I made it through another day on the Whole30:-)))))