Spaghetti Squash…The New Pasta

With a wedding and a marathon on the docket for this year, I’m going to have to start eating a little healthier. Those of you that know me know that I’m not one to go on health food kicks or really watch what I eat, but I figured I could take baby steps.

I had initially heard about Spaghetti Squash from my old co-worker Hilary, who would scour the Union Square Farmer’s Market when our office was right across the street looking for this magical vegetable. However, it took months before I actually had the urge to try it.

Well, I tried it last night, and it. was. amazing.

It’s pretty crazy that the spaghetti squash strands cook at the perfect consistency so they aren’t too soft, but still have some crunch.

I also did a little research and found that Spaghetti Squash offers 3 three percent of the daily requirement of vitamin A, iron and calcium; 8 percent of the amount of vitamin B-6 you should have; and 9 percent of the recommended dose of vitamin C. A serving even contains a gram of protein. That said, it’s an awesome substitute to pasta since it has minimal carbs, calories and natural sugars.

If you haven’t tried it yet, do… and let me know what you think!

How to Cook Spaghetti Squash
What You’ll Need
1 spaghetti squash
A little butter
A little salt
Whatever else you like to put on your pasta

Directions

1. Cut spaghetti squash lengthwise.

2. Remove all of the seeds and membrane (it’s the part that’s a darker yellow)


3. Pour 1/4 cup of water in a microwave-safe container

4. Place squash cut side up in the container

5. Cover with plastic wrap and cut a small slit so a little bit of heat can escape

6. Cook in microwave on high for 10 minutes

7. Take out of microwave (carefully) and let sit, covered, for 3-5 minutes

8. Use a fork to ‘scrape’ the squash and see all of the strands come loose!

9. Serve squash with a bit of butter, salt or sauce – just like pasta! I ended up serving with mozzarella-stuffed meatballs (recipe to come soon!)

10. Enjoy!

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Mini BBQ Cheddar Meatloaf

I’ve always been picky about meatloaf. Sometimes it’s too dry, sometimes it’s bland and sometimes it’s just downright scary looking because there’s so much ‘stuff’ in it.

Enter: Iowa Girl Eats‘ Mini BBQ Cheddar Meatloaf.

It’s juicy, filled with flavor and downright amazing. I didn’t think I was going to finish a whole piece, but oh… I did. I cleaned my plate.

Enough of the talk, and onto the recipe. You won’t regret it.

Mini BBQ Cheddar Meatloaf
Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

Ingredients
1 large sweet onion (if you don’t love onions, only use about half of the onion)
1 Tablespoon butter
salt
1lb ground beef (I used 90% lean)
1 egg, whisked
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons BBQ sauce, divided
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
pepper
1/4 cup of cheddar cheese; half cut into tiny cubes half shredded

Directions
1. Cut onion in half then half into thin slices. Melt the Tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat then add onion and some salt. Stir every couple of minutes, so the onions don’t burn and until onions are golden brown and caramelized. It will smell heavenly. Turn heat down if onions start to burn. Set aside to cool.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

3. In a large bowl combine ground beef, whisked egg, Worcestershire sauce, 2 Tablespoons BBQ sauce, panko bread crumbs, dash of pepper, cheese cubes, and caramelized onions, then mix with your hands until just combined. Not going to lie, this part is not so pleasant.

 

 

 

 

 

4. Divide mixture into 4 equal-sized portions then form into loaves (about the size of your hand). I went crazy and added a bunch of shredded cheese in the center of the loaves (I guess you can say I won’t turn down an opportunity to add cheese to something) and then folded the meat so that all the cheese was covered. Then place loaves on a foil-lined, sprayed, baking sheet.


5. Spread about 1 Tablespoon BBQ sauce over each loaf.

6. Bake for 20 minutes, or until no longer pink in the center. I put my oven on 425 and chose the convection roast option.

7. Enjoy… and Clean. Yo. Plate.

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…And We’re Back

Yup… We’re just going to pretend like the last few months when I didn’t post a single recipe never happened. Kind of like when you’re in the middle of 6 gchats at work and gmail crashes.

The summer was AMAZING and definitely one to remember (6 weddings – including my best friend’s – along with all of the festivities, work trips, and oh yeah… I got engaged!) but it was most certainly not the best one for churning out delicious food from my kitchen.

I recently received a bunch of texts, tweets and calls about recipes people have seen on the blog. How. Awesome. It kind of lit my fire to get back on the bandwagon, and I’m glad (and my boyfriend ok, ok, fiancé is too) I’m able to share some more delicious goodness!

Remember, if you have any awesome and easy recipes you want to share, send them to cluelesskitchen (at) gmail (dot) com.

Cheers!!!

 

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Open-Faced Tacos

So last night we had a bit of a party at our apartment. We took advantage of the fact that the rain decided to hold off for a bit and a bunch of my co-workers and friends joined us for some drinks and treats on our roof.

love our view

Since I only had about an hour to get all of the food prepped before people started showing up, I wanted to keep our food offerings filling, yet super quick and easy to make – especially since I was going to be juggling a few items at once.

I came across these “mini tacos” (after making them, I’ve decided to rename them to “Open-Faced Tacos” since that is literally what they are) a few times and decided that they would be the perfect addition to our line-up.

I had one of my co-workers, Laura act as my sous chef (pictured below) and she helped me create these insanely easy to make treats.

Best part of these guys? They are a lot more fun to eat than a regular taco, and you can make them in less than 20 minutes! Cook the meat. Add the seasoning. Place meat in wonton shell. Cook.

Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef (I try and get the leaner meat)
1 package wonton wrappers (you might need to ask for them at the grocery store)
1 packet taco seasoning
Shredded cheese for topping
Salsa for topping
Sour Cream (optional)
Guacamole (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
Press wonton wrappers into mini-muffin cups


Cook beef in skillet until browned. Drain off fat. Stir in taco seasoning mix

Spoon beef into wonton cups

thanks, sous chef, Laura!

Bake about 8 minutes or until wontons are golden brown

Serve immediately with your favorite taco toppings (cheese, salsa, guacamole, sour cream)

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Clueless Guest Post: Chicken + Apples = Delicious

“Does this pork smell rotten?”

And with that, the grand plans to cook my self-proclaimed world-famous “Apple Pork Tenderloin” for Ms. Clueless Kitchen ended faster than a NY Jets fourth quarter drive. On the plus side, this has upped my rotten food identification skills – thanks Google!).

Unwilling to let this minor setback derail the entire evening, it was time to step up to the plate. In true MacGyver fashion,  we made a last minute substitution. A quick run to the grocery store and one 4 pound roasting chicken later, we were back in business!

What you’ll need:

  • · 1 to 1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin
  • 4 pound roasting chicken
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
  • 4 cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced
  • 3 tablespoons dried cranberries (Craisins work)
  • 1 cup cheap red wine

How to cook it:

Preheat the oven to 375°. Remove the giblets and other weird stuff they put in the chicken. Place the chicken in a roasting pan or casserole dish. Mix the cornstarch, cinnamon, brown sugar, chopped apples and cranberries in a bowl and stir. Spoon the apple mixture around the chicken and stuff a healthy amount into the bird. Drizzle some cheap red wine over the chicken to keep everything moist.

Cook for ~1.5 with one layer of aluminum foil over the roasting pan. Remove the foil and cook for another 20 minutes (this gets the skin nice and crispy).

Serves 4

In case you want to make the pork tenderloin version, check out the About.com recipe (a less cool version of this recipe).

Step-by-Step:

Mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch

Mix 2 teaspoons of cinnamon

Mix 2 tablespoons of packed brown sugar

Chop up the apples

Mix them all together in a bowl.

Place the chicken in a roasting pan or casserole dish. Stuff the chicken with the mixture and spread the excess on and around the bird. Drizzle some cheap red wine over the chicken to help keep everything juicy.

Stick it in the oven, covered in foil, for an hour and a half. Remove the foil and cook for another 20 minutes (you gotta get the skin crispy).

That’s it! It tastes great with something simple like rice pilaf or couscous.

In true Clueless Kitchen fashion, we had it all: chaos, clutch performances, an easy recipe and of course, delicious food.

-Clueless Guest (aka Dan)

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Cherry Chicken Sausage Baked Apples

I love apples. Unfortunately for me, I can’t eat them raw (I’m allergic), but I’ll take any chance I can get to eat them.

Until recently, I thought one of the only ways I could fulfill my apple craving was with apple pie (I’m certainly not upset about it), but I was wrong. For example, our friend, Dan came over a few weeks ago and made an amazing dinner: Chicken, baked apples, cinnamon, brown sugar and I don’t even remember what else because those were the most savory parts of the meal (Dan – if you’re reading this, I’m still waiting for you to post that recipe :) )…

Now, I have my own, creative, baked apples recipe.

Yeah, they kind of remind me of Thanksgiving and months where they is snow on the ground, but I wore a down vest the other day, so I’m going to say it’s cold enough to make these little guys.

Although these baked apples look like they might be hard to make, they are very easy. The hardest part is probably scooping out the apples and trying not to accidentally slice them open.

Note: In case apples aren’t your thing, the sausage, rice, pepper, onion, spinach stuffing mixture is amazing by itself.

Cherry Chicken Sausage Baked Apples
Adapted from Real Girl’s Kitchen

Ingredients
Apples (I used Fuji)
1 roll of chicken sausage
1 cup of cooked rice (use whatever rice you want – I used Uncle Ben’s ready rice pilaf because I didn’t want to wait to cook the rice)
1 chopped red pepper
3 cloves of minced garlic
Half of a chopped yellow onion
A handful of dried cherries (soften them in microwave with a splash of apple cider vinegar, 10 seconds)
2 cups of Spinach (chopped)
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 tsp of black pepper
Fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350.

Cut the top off the apples, scoop out the seeds and core. Keep about a 1/4 of an inch of the apple wall. Brush with butter and bake for 20 minutes.

While apples are baking, in a skillet, saute sausage till browned. Add the red pepper, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Saute till soft, add spinach. Remove from skillet and add to rice. Mix well. (If dry, you can add a splash of chicken stock)

Using a spoon and your fingers, gently stuff the apples.

Sprinkle Parmesan across the top and place in the oven for a few minutes until the cheese is melted on top.

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“Penne a la Betsy”

Happy Friday, all! As you might have figured out from previous posts, I’m a big fan of pasta. Easy to make, and filling = the perfect meal.

I pinned this “Penne a la Betsy” recipe a few months ago after seeing the rave reviews from other pinners and my friend, Jess, and I finally got around to making it.

It’s incredibly easy to put together (and I suggest drinking some white wine while you’re making it since you have to open a bottle for the recipe anyway :) ), and the sauce is a perfect mix between vodka sauce (my favorite) and a regular red sauce. Plus, the bite-sized pieces of shrimp and subtle garlic add a surprise in every bite. I also served with hot, buttery garlic bread.

Note: Try and eat everything you make when it’s nice and fresh out of the pan. It doesn’t taste quite as good when you heat it up.

“Penne a la Betsy” (Penne, Shrimp and Tomato Cream Sauce)
From The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients
3/4 pounds Penne Pasta ( I used whole wheat)
1 pound Shrimp
3 Tablespoons Butter
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 whole Onion (small)
2 cloves Garlic
1/2 cup White Wine, (or Chicken Broth)
1 can Tomato Sauce (8 Oz)
1 cup Heavy Cream
Fresh Parsley, to taste
Fresh Basil – To Taste
Salt To Taste
Pepper To Taste

Directions
Boil water to cook pasta.

While waiting for water to boil, peel, de-vein and rinse (under cool water) 1 pound of extra large shrimp.

Heat about 1 tbsp. butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add the shrimp and cook for a couple minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.

Start to cook the penne pasta.

Now, put the cooked shrimp on the cutting board and pull off the tails. Chop the shrimp into bite –sized pieces and set aside.

Finely dice one small onion. Mince two cloves of garlic.

In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and sauté, stirring occasionally so the onions don’t burn.

After the garlic and onions have cooked a bit add white wine (1/2 cup of chicken broth can be substituted if necessary). Let the wine evaporate for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add an 8-ounce can of plain tomato sauce. Stir well until combined.

Add 1 cup of heavy cream. Continue stirring. Turn heat down to low and let simmer.

Now chop your herbs, about a tablespoon of chopped parsley and about the same amount of chopped basil.

Now add your chopped shrimp back into the tomato cream sauce.

Give it a stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Throw in your herbs and stir until combined.

Add cooked pasta to sauce, stir and serve!

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How To: Know How Long Food Lasts

Living in the city, I feel like food goes bad so quickly. Or, I use half of something and then it immediately goes to waste. It’s very frustrating.

I came across this gem of an infographic (yes – I work in PR, and infographics are one of the most talked about things in our office almost every day) and thought it would be a great reference. Now, when you’re wondering how long something will stay, just check this guy out (via All You):

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Happy Cinco De Mayo!!!

Cinco de Mayo is one of my favorite days to celebrate. I love Mexican food, and who doesn’t love a delicious margarita…and a shot of tequila?!

To help celebrate the day right, my very good friend Ashleigh sent over a recipe for Enchiladas that she had made for her office yesterday. Although I’m jealous I haven’t tried these yet, she’s half Mexican, so I’m going to trust her (and her company’s tweet) that these are delicious.

Chicken Enchiladas
Recipe submitted by Ashleigh

Ingredients: (made easy for those of you who are visual people)
Tortillas (I prefer Corn over Flour)
Las Palmas Green Chile Enchilada Sauce (you can also mix this with sour cream and cheese to make a delicious dip)
Cheese (Chihuahua is the best stuff but it can get Pricey so I did Jewel Brand “Mexican”)
Frontera/Rick Bayless Skillet sauce ( a lot of great flavors)
Chicken
Onion

Directions:

Boil chicken for about 30 minutes until it shreds, then cook it in the skillet with the rick bayless/frontera sauce

Warm the tortillas in a small skillet with some Olive oil (makes it easier to fold the tortillas)

Fill whatever you want (cheese, onion, chicken, etc.) and add some of that tasty enchilada sauce and fold them up

Stack the tortillas in an oven safe container

Cover with even more enchilada sauce and cheese

Bake in oven, I did 300 degrees for about 20 minutes

These treats are best enjoyed with:

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