Fideo - Mexican Spaghetti
INSTRUCTIONS
1.
Begin by preparing all of the ingredients: peel and finely dice the
carrots, finely dice the yellow & green onions, mince the garlic,
and open the can of diced tomatoes. Measure out all the seasonings into a
bowl: the chicken bouillon, cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, and 3/4
teaspoon cracked pepper (hold off on the salt for now).
Dice the cilantro and juice the lime. Now we're ready to start!
2.
Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large pot that has a lid. Place over
medium heat. Add the carrot and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add in both onions
and garlic and cook until the veggies are fork tender. Next, add in all
of the spices. Toast the spices for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Stir
constantly (or reduce heat as needed) to not burn the spices. Remove
the veggie/spice mixture back to that bowl you measured your spices in
and set aside.
3.
Add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to pot. Reduce heat to medium
low. Break the angel hair pasta exactly in half and add to pot. Cook the
dry noodles while constantly stirring for 3-5 minutes. I use tongs to
flip/stir the noodles since they're still quite large. Cook until the
noodles have turned golden brown and are slightly blistered. Turn off
the heat. Add in the entire can of diced tomatoes (don't drain),
cilantro, lime juice, set-aside veggies and spices from step 1, and 6
cups of chicken broth. Stir. Turn heat on to medium high and bring the
mixture to a boil. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to a rapid simmer.
Cook until the noodles are soft and have soaked up most of the broth.
Remove from the heat. Stir in the remaining 2 cups of chicken broth and
it's ready to serve!
4.
While the noodles are cooking, prepare the toppings. Finely shred
monterey and cheddar cheese. Set out tortilla strips and sour cream.
Chop some cherry tomatoes OR make a quick pico. Set out additional lime
wedges and/or cilantro. Prepare the steak or chicken topping - see the
last two paragraphs in the post for directions.
5.
Assemble by serving up the pasta and broth into large bowls. Add your
favorites in this order: monterey and cheddar first, steak or chicken
next, sour cream, tomatoes/pico, cilantro, lots of tortilla strips,
cotija, and a few squeezes of fresh lime. Enjoy!
Cheesy Garlic Parmesan Spinach Spaghetti Squash
Instructions
1.
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
2.
Slice your spaghetti squash in half
lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.
3.
For easy cutting, feel free to stick
your squash in the microwave to soften it up just a tad. Pierce it a few times
with a knife (to help vent so it doesn't burst) and cook for for 3-5 minutes.
The knife slides through way easier this way! Smaller squash will need about 3
minutes while larger ones will be good to go at 4-5 min.
4.
Next grab a lipped baking sheet or a
rimmed baking dish.
5.
Rub the cut side of the squash with a
teeny bit of olive oil and place on your baking dish/sheet cut side down. Roast
for about 40 minutes, or until tender and easily pierced with a fork. Cooking
time will vary a bit depending on the size of your squash, and larger squash
will need to roast a bit longer to tenderize. Once ready, the once rock-hard
exterior of the squash will be visibly softened with a tender interior.
6.
The squash can be roasted and stored in
the fridge for a few days if you'd like to meal prep and plan ahead for a
speedier dinner.
7.
While the squash roasts, start on the
sauce.
8.
In a medium pot or skillet, bring a
drizzle of olive oil to medium-high heat and sauté garlic until fragrant.
9.
Next add the spinach and stir until
wilted. Add your cream, cream cheese (totally optional but totally tasty) and
parmesan cheese and stir well.
10. Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove from heat.
11.
Once squash is done roasting, allow to
cool until easily handled or pop on an oven mit and use a fork to separate and
fluff the strands of spaghetti squash.
12. Pour your sauce over each squash boat, stir to mix, and top with a little
mozzarella cheese and additional parm cheese, if desired.
13. Bake at 350 degrees F for around 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
14. For a golden cheesy topping, flip your oven to broil on high for just a
minute or two until lightly browned. Dive in while it's HOT!
Parmesan Pesto Spaghetti Squash with Shrimp
Instructions
1.
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
2.
Slice your spaghetti squash in half
lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. For easy cutting, you can microwave your
squash for 4 minutes to soften it up just a tad. The knife slides through way
easier this way!
3.
Rub the cut side of the squash with 1/2
tsp olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Roast face-down for about 40
minutes, or until tender and easily pierced with a fork. Cooking time will vary
a bit depending on the size of your squash, and larger squash will need to
roast a bit longer to tenderize. Once ready, the once rock-hard exterior of the
squash will be visibly softened with a tender interior.
4.
While the squash roasts, measure out
your seasoning, clean your shrimp, and defrost if needed. Lately I've been
buying frozen, deveined, easy peel shrimp. All I have to do is defrost, peel
(I'll typically leave the tail on for extra flavor while cooking - totally
optional!) and cook! I avoid pre-cooked shrimp at all costs because the texture
doesn't work for me.
5.
Once squash is roasted, allow to cool
slightly until easily handled.
6.
While it cools, pat your shrimp dry and
season with paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper - plus any salt and
pepper to taste.
7.
Heat a stainless steel skillet to
medium-high heat with 1 tsp of oil and sauté your shrimp. Cook on each
side for about 2 minutes until shrimp curl and become opaque. The saute time
will depend on the heat setting you choose and the size of your shrimp, but
regardless they’ll be perfectly cooked in a matter of minutes!
8.
Back to the squash! Use a fork to
separate and fluff the strands of spaghetti squash and remove strands.
While the squash is still warm, toss together with spinach, pesto, and
parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. The warm strands will wilt your
spinach until bright green and glossy. If needed, you can toss the boats back
in the oven to warm them up.
9.
Stuff the tasty strands back into
your squash boat (load 'em up!) and top with your shrimp.
10. Dive in while it's hot!
Spaghetti Squash with Asparagus, Ricotta, Lemon, and Thyme
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Arrange
a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 375°F.
2. Cut
the squash in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Brush the cut sides
with 1/2 tablespoon of the oil. Place cut-side down on one half of a rimmed
baking sheet. Roast for 35 minutes. Meanwhile, trim the woody ends of the
asparagus and cut the stalks on a diagonal into 2-inch pieces.
3. Remove
the baking sheet with the squash, add the asparagus to the other side, and toss
with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil. Place a garlic clove beneath each squash
half. Return the baking sheet to the oven and roast until the asparagus is
tender and starting to char, and the squash is easily pierced with a fork,
about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, place the ricotta, lemon juice, zest, thyme, salt,
and pepper in a large bowl, and stir to combine.
4. Remove
the baking sheet from the oven and carefully remove the garlic cloves from
beneath the squash. Add to the ricotta and mix well. Add the asparagus to the
bowl.
5. When
the squash is cool enough to handle but still warm, run a fork through the
flesh to separate and remove the strands from the shell. Add to the ricotta
mixture and stir to combine. Divide between plates or transfer to a serving
platter and top with the pine nuts.
