Indulge In {Spaghetti Squash}

One of my New Year's Resolutions this year was to eat more vegetables. It's not that I don't like them, it's just that I typically avoid the produce section in the grocery store and really don't have any interesting way to use them in a meal. To solve this problem, I started making a weekly trip to the Farmer's Market, buying what's fresh, and forcing my self to use it in whatever way possible. Well, this week I happened to pick up a spaghetti squash. Having failed attempts with it in the past, I took to Pinterest to find the perfect recipe. That's where I stumbled upon this from White On Rice Couple. It's a spaghetti squash with sausage and herbs garnished with a sprinkle of cheese. Talk about major delish and primarily vegetable! Here's the recipe...

:: Ingredients ::

1 Spaghetti Squash

1 Package Raw Sausage of Choosing (I use hot pork sausage.)

1 Small Onion Diced

3 Cloves Garlic Minced

Herbs of Your Choosing (I use oregano) 

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Pecorino Romano Cheese for Garnishing

:: Directions ::

1. Pre heat oven to 375. Cut spaghetti squash in half length wise and clean the seeds out of the middle. Bake rind side up for 40 minutes.

2. Roll sausage into small size balls. Cook in a pan with olive oil until cooked throughly. Set aside.

3. Drain off the majority of the grease but leave enough in the pan to sautee the onion and garlic. Cook until onion is translucent.

4. When spaghetti squash is done, use a fork to pull the squash. 

5. Add squash and sausage to the pan with onion and garlic. Mix in herbs, salt and pepper. 

6. Serve and garnish with Pecorino.

Enjoy!!

Dining Uncorked {Spinach and Pea Risotto}

Yum, yum, yum. I love risotto! Creamy, rich, delicious, and if you ask me, not really that bad for you. I know you are thinking I'm crazy right now because I just told you that it was creamy, rich, delicious and good for you all in one sentence. Well here's the thing. There is no cream or heavy use of cheese in my version of risotto (I'm severely allergic to cow's milk if you don't remember.) Basically it's just risotto rice, chicken broth, onion, garlic, and whatever veggies you want to add. Or maybe a protein too. I skipped the protein this time because we didn't have any and I was too lazy to go to the store and buy some. Here's my recipe...

Ingredients:

1 small onion (chopped)

2 cloves of garlic (minced)

1 box of risotto rice (you can find it with all the other rice, in a box that says risotto on the front)

1 package frozen chopped spinach

1/2 bag frozen green peas

2 boxes of chicken broth

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

{Step 1} Saute your chopped onions in the olive oil. 

{Step 2} When the onions are almost clear, add in the garlic and continue to cook until fragrant

{Step 3} Add in the risotto. Stir frequently for approximately 1 minute.

{Step 4} Pour in a bit of chicken broth. Stir until almost absorbed. Continue to wet with chicken broth until the risotto is cooked.

{Step 5} Add in the spinach and the peas.

{Step 6} Serve immediately, and garnish with a bit of the Peccorino Romano.

{Step 7} Enjoy!

Shredded Peccorino Romano cheese (It's sheep's milk, so we are totally in the clear.)