Easy Italian Seafood with Squash Spaghetti

I fell in love with spaghetti squash "noodles", and I keep looking for more ways to use these noodles to create new dishes. One Italian pasta dish called "pasta pescadores" came to my mind today. Another reason I like this Italian dish is that the topping for this dish is "gremolata", which contains a combination of garlic, parsley and lemon peels. Most Italian recipes use lots of cheese. However, this dish is plain and tomato sauce is the basic sauce used to create it.  Find the best seafood that is affordable; otherwise, use cooked frozen seafood. I like to create this dish as a healthy "pasta" dish. I use spaghetti squash "noodles" instead of pasta. Feel free to use pasta because the sauce is wonderful, and the frozen cooked seafood is good too. I am not a professional cook, but I love to cook, and I cook every day. It does not mean that I like to spend all my time in my kitchen; as a matter of fact, I like to spend as little time as possible but still the results all my recipes must fit my budget and there nutrition must provide for my family’s choice of healthy choice of eating This dish is made at a fraction of the cost at a five star restaurant.
Ingredients:
Sauce ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 small onion chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
3 cups puree tomato sauce
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup shrimp or fish stock
1 lb. cooked seafood

Salt, pepper and chili flakes to taste
Gremolata topping ingredients:
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
Zest of one lemon
3 garlic cloves, minced
Spaghetti squash* or pasta
Directions:
In a saucepan, heat oil. Stir in onions. Cook for 3 minutes and then add garlic and parsley. Add wine;

Cook until the wine evaporates. Stir in tomato sauce and fish stock. Season with salt, black pepper, and chili flakes.

Stir and scrape well to mix. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Because I use cooked seafood. I add seafood just before I am ready to serve.

To make the gremolata topping:
In a bowl, combine all the gremolata topping ingredients and mix well.
To make pasta as the directions of the pasta suggestion. If using spaghetti squash, look at my blog post of how make these noodles under the title “Vietnamese Spaghetti Squash Salad"
To serve:
Place noodles on the serving plate ladle the sauce and seafood; Top with gremolata.

 

Quick Seafood Gumbo

I have posted a few recipes for gumbo with instructions on how to prepare the roux. Roux is and important part of making a good gumbo. Today, I will introduce another gumbo with seafood. It is a budget friendly recipe, which anyone can afford considering the cost of living rising without end. Who said that we can not feed a family a healthy meal on a tight budget? This recipe will demonstrate how easy it is to prepare a five star restaurant meal in a flash without breaking the bank.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup roux*
1 lb. frozen cooked seafood

One 4 oz. Tilapia fillet, cut into cubes
For the vegetables:
1 cup onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
2 cups frozen okra
1 cup red and green sweet bell peppers, diced
1/2 cup celery
3 cups chicken stock or fish stock
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Salt, pepper to taste
1 jalapeno (optional)

Directions:
For the roux, look at my instruction posted on my blog for preparing chicken gumbo posted on 11/04/2015
Place chicken broth or fish stock into a pot and bring to simmer.
In another saucepan, add roux, onions, garlic, celery, and bell peppers.

Stir and cook. Add Cajun seasoning, bay leaf. Cook until the vegetables are softened. Add boiling broth into the roux mixture and bring to boil.

 Add okra and simmer for 10 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper. Add fish. Simmer for 5 minutes and add the rest of the cooked seafood. Heat it thoroughly.

Serve with rice.

Butternut Winter and Japanese Squash with Carrots Soup

Outside the weather is still cold, and the thought of having a cup of warm squash soup is inviting. The texture of the soup, whether thin or thick, complex or simple, is good to me. I prefer to choose to make simple soup with healthy ingredients that are on hand or in season.  Soup can be made and frozen well.  Soup also can be served as a first course or as a meal with salad. Today, I will prepare a simple soup with a few ingredients. The combination of these ingredients makes a hearty, healthy soup.

Ingredients:
1 lb. total combination of:
Butternut and Japanese squash, carrots, peeled, seeded, and chopped
2 shallots, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped white onions
4 cups kale broth
1 cup Almond milk
Spice ingredients:
1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
1 tsp honey
Salt and black pepper to taste

 Garnish with green onions and cilantro

Directions:
Heat 1 tbs oil in a pot over medium heat.  Add the combination of squash and vegetables and sauté until golden brown.

 Add the shallots, garlic, and onions. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in all spice ingredients and mix well. Add broth and bring to boil. Cover the pot and simmer for 15 minutes or until the squash mixture is tender.

Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth. Add Almond milk; Adjust the seasoning with more honey or salt, if needed.

 Simmer for 5 minutes more. Ladle soup into a serving bowl and garnish with green onions and cilantro. Serve hot.

French Salade Nicoise

Salade Nicoise or the term à la nicoise refers to dishes typical to the style of Nice, located on the beautiful seaside of France. This is the area surrounded with potatoes, tomatoes,, capers, olives, and, of course, fish. I adapted the method of making this recipe from salade Nicoise because I like the hard-boiled egg, the potato, and anchovies in this recipe. The salad itself is a meal with all the good protein contained in the dish. I do not use tuna for my salad because I like to grill fish and serve it on the side. There are many recipes available to create this dish. The salad prepared varies in both the ingredients chosen as well as the dressing depending on personal taste. I prepare this salad for my own taste and the ingredients available in my kitchen.

Ingredients:
2 hard-boiled eggs, shelled and quartered
4 red potatoes, washed
1/2 cup green beans
1 tomato, quartered
1/4 cup black olives, sliced
1 tsp capers
4 anchovies
2 cups lettuce
Vinaigrette dressing ingredients:
1 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbs white wine vinegar
1 tsp lime juice
1/2 cup good olive oil

Directions:
Cook potatoes in salted water for 15 to 20 minutes or until fork tender. Cut cooked potatoes into bite size uses.
Cook green beans in salted water and some murderous in cold water to keep the bright green color
To make the dressing:
Combine all the dressing ingredients in a jar with lid. Shake well.
To serve salade:
Place lettuce on the bottom of the serving plate. Scatter the potatoes, tomatoes, black olives, green beans, and capers over the plate and decorate with hard-boiled eggs and anchovies. Drizzle the dressing over the top and serve some salade dressing on the side.

 

 

 

 

Easy Moist Honey Chocolate Cake

This is a easy to prepare moist cake. Use parchment paper to remove the cake from the cake pan. Enjoy this cake warm or served with a scoop of your favorite ice cream. This is a hastily created cake, but it is simple and delicious.

Ingredients:
Dry ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cups chocolate chips
Wet ingredients:
1 egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup apple sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup brewed coffee, cooled
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbs apple cider vinegar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°.
Line the bottom of a 8 square in. cake pan with parchment paper. Lightly oil the paper bottom and the sides.

In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients and whisk well.

 

Combine the wet ingredients in a Vitamix blender container. Secure the blender’s lid. Select variable 1 to begin and then slowly turn to variable 10 and blend for 15 more seconds.

Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir to thoroughly combine.

 

Spread the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Serve warm.