Mexican Roasted Corn and Quinoa Stuffed Squash

The truth of this recipe is: I was given (unidentifiable) squash from a friends garden and decided to use them as my Fall decor. Well, so long Fall. We jumped from 60 degrees this morning, to a blistery 35 degrees tonight. And so my mindset has switch to the holidays: time to decorate for Christmas! Aka time to say goodbye to the (unidentifiable) squash decorating the home, and hello to delicious meal.

I am a sucker for Mexican food, so when I found this recipe from Pinch of Yum's blog, I knew it was a must try! And lucky for me, with a few modifications, it is one of the best squash dishes I have ever had. It only took me an hour to prepare and have on the table (win! for a work night!). Plus, it's sweet and savory combination of flavors melting in my mouth had me wanting seconds. Give it a try, you won't regret it.


MEXICAN ROASTED CORN and QUINOA STUFFED SQUASH
yield: 4 servings

ingredients
2 medium winter squash
1/2 cup organic quinoa, uncooked
3-1/2 cups water
2 tsp. olive oil
1 can (15.5 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 small white onion, chopped
1 jalapeño, chopped
1 tsp. garlic, minced
3/4 cup corn
1 tsp. chilli powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
5 oz. queso fresco, crumbled
Sour cream
Cliantro
instructions

1. FOR THE SQUASH: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Place face down on a cookie sheet. Pour about 2 cups of water (or enough to cover cookie sheet) around the squash. Place in oven and bake for 35 minutes, or until squash is tender.
2. FOR THE FILLING: Meanwhile, add the quinoa and 1-1/2 cups of water to medium sauce pan. Bring to a rapid boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until quinoa is tender and white spiral-like threads appear around each grain. Once cooked, add chili powder, cumin, and salt. 
3. In a sauce pan, add olive oil and onion. Sauté until translucent. Add jalapeño and garlic. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes. Add the black beans and stir for another 4-5 minutes over high heat.
4. Place the corn in a dry skillet over high heat and let the corn cook without stirring for 3-4 minutes. Stir once and repeat until the corn is browned and roasty.
5. Once the corn is browned, add quinoa spice mixture and beans. Remove from heat and stir in ¼ cup of queso fresco.
6. ASSEMBLING THE SQUASH: Turn on the oven to broil. Divide the filling evenly among the four cooked squash halves. Top each with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese and bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Top each squash piece with crumbled queso fresco, sour cream, and cilantro.
7. Enjoy!

Note: for the (unidentifiable) squash, you can use acorn squash, which is easily found in your local grocery store. Or, my best guess is that the squash used for this recipe was kabocha squash. 

Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Frosting

The day October 1 arrives, my brain immediately goes into fall baking mode: pumpkins, apples, squash, and all the corresponding spices! Yum.

Every year, I am asked to make Pumpkin Whoopie Pies. This year, I decided get in front of the asks, and kick-off October by making these delicious treats. 

There's truly no better smell than having the aroma of pumpkin pie spice in the air. Try out this fool-proof recipe and I guarantee you'll be the talk of your next dinner party. 

PUMPKIN SPICE WHOOPIE PIES with CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
yield: 24 pies

whoopie pie ingredients
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1-1/2 cups pumpkin puree
2 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1-1/2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 Tbsp. ground ginger
1/2 Tbsp. ground cloves

cream cheese frosting ingredients
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover baking sheets with a Silpat (If you don't have a silicon baking mat, I highly encourage you to invest in one.). 
2. In a large bowl, beat together the oil and brown sugar. Mix in the pumpkin and eggs, beating well. Add the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Mix well.
3. Drop dough by heaping teaspoons onto baking sheets lined with a Silpat. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Let cookies cool.
4. While cookies cool, make the filling. In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese with butter, until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar.
5. Make sandwiches from two cookies filled with cream cheese frosting.

Healthy Protein Blondie Brownies

When Lauren Conrad came out with a healthy version of cookie dough, high in protein, I had to try it! Who doesn't love to eat cookie dough? Unfortunately, upon making the cookie dough I bumped up against one issue: the chickpea base made for a texture that didn't help me crave my sweet craving. 

And that's how this recipe came about! Much to my surprise, by adding a few key ingredients to the already made cookie dough, I found a new blondie brownie that's high in fiber and protein. Plus it doesn't use flour or butter, while still tasting great! Win. Win!

HEALTHY PROTEIN BLONDIE BROWNIES
yield: 12 squares


ingredients
1 can (15 oz.) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 Tbsp. agave nectar
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/3 cup rolled oats 
sea salt, for sprinkling

instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Spray 8x8 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Combine all ingredients except for the chocolate chips into a food processor until batter is smooth. 
4. Fold in chocolate chips and oats. 
5. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle sea salt on top.
6. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Note: the batter make look underdone, but you don't want to over cook because it will dry out. 
7. Enjoy!

To make the blondies your own: try changing up the peanut butter and using almond butter. Or adding nuts or using a different type of chocolate.

Egg Noodle Pizza Bake

Growing up, mom always used egg noodles to make the best chicken noodle soup. Savory, from scratch, and perfectly hits the spot on a cool fall day. Mmm!

But, my egg noodles have now sat in the cupboard for a little too long and chicken noodle soup just wasn't it. When I went to Pinterest, I stumbled across this Taste of Home recipe. Made it on a Monday night. And let me tell you, I may have found a perfect weeknight meal with leftovers to serve throughout the week!

EGG NODDLE PIZZA BAKE
yield: 8 servings 

ingredients
10 oz. egg noodles, uncooked
1 lb. ground turkey or beef
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. parsley
1 jar (14 oz.) pizza sauce
1 can (4 oz.) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
8 oz. fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
1 package (3-1/2 oz.) sliced pepperoni 
crushed red pepper flakes, to taste 

instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add noodles and cook. 
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the beef over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Drain.
3. Add onion, green pepper, garlic, oregano, and parsley. Sauté.
4. Add pizza sauce and mushrooms. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 2-3 minutes or until heated through. 
5. Drain noodles. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
6. In a greased 13 x 9-in. baking dish, layer half of the noodles, beef mixture, and cheeses. Repeat layers. Top with pepperoni. 
7. Cover and bake for 15-20 minutes or until heated through.
8. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Green Peppers

I am a big fan of Philly Cheesesteaks, which means I randomly have a craving for them. But, the summer time also has me bikini body conscious. With this recipe I forget the bread and used a green pepper instead—quite possibly one of the most tasty substitutions I've made in a long time!

Here's a shopping tip I learned long ago from grandma: when shopping for your green peppers look for a pepper with 3 bumps on the bottom (rather than 4 bumps). These peppers tend to be sweeter and are better for eating.

PHILLY CHEESESTEAK STUFFED GREEN PEPPER
yield: 6 pepper halves

ingredients
3 green peppers
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, sliced
4 oz. baby bella mushrooms, sliced 
2 Tbsp. garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. butter
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup shredded mozzarella and provolone cheese blend
3/4 lb. thinly sliced roast beef
6 slices provolone cheese 

instructions

1. Slice peppers in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and ribs.
2. In a large sauté pan, add oil and warm over low-medium heat. Sauté onions until just translucent, about 4 minutes. Add mushrooms, garlic, butter, and salt and pepper. Sauté another 3 minutes, or until the mixture is caramelized. 
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
4. Add thinly sliced roast beef to onion/mushroom mixture. Allow to cook on low heat for about 4 minutes.
5. Add shredded cheese. Cook until melted. 
6. Generously fill each pepper with mixture. Top with provolone slices.  
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese on top is golden brown.
8. Remove from oven. 
9. Serve warm (these also make excellent leftovers reheated in the microwave). 

A shoutout to Peace, Love, and Low Carb for the inspiration for this recipe.

Hot Fudge Sauce

Warmer days can only mean one thing: homemade ice cream season is just around the corner! And that's why it's time to stock up on hot fudge sauce.

I love this recipe for a few reasons: It super easy to make. And the sauce can be frozen, so when you have one of those spontaneous summer evening meals with friends, you'll look like quite the host by serving ice cream with this sauce!

HOT FUDGE SAUCE
yield: 3 cups

ingredients
1 stick margarine
1 cup chocolate chips
2 cups powered sugar
1-1/2 cups evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla

instructions

1. Combine all ingredients except the vanilla in a medium sauce pan. Cook on low, gradually bringing to a boil. Stir constantly when boiling. Boil for 1 minute.
2. If mixture is too thin, add more chocolate chips or powered sugar.
3. Add vanilla.
4. Let cool completely to thicken. 
5. Serve over ice cream.