Summer Squash Pasta Salad

I love pasta salad.

So so much.

Like, if I wasn't already married, and I loved food more than men, I'd marry Pasta Salad. For serious.

While this isn't my favorite pasta salad recipe-- I'll post that one in the weeks to come-- the simplicity of this Summer Squash Pasta Salad makes it a close second. Fresh herbs, veggies, and a homemade dressing give this dish a cleaner taste. Plus it's frickin' beautiful:

To turn this salad into a light summer meal, I boiled and shredded a few chicken breasts... or were they boneless thighs?........Whatever. Shred some chicken and add it in.

Mmmmm.... and it's even better leftover.

I wish I could take credit for the roll-ups too... but I cheated and got them from Jewel. Take advantage of this recipe if you grow fresh herbs in your garden - Bon appetite!

Summer Squash Pasta Salad

1 box farfalle 

1 yellow squash - cut into small chunks

1 zucchini - cut into small chunks

1 small jar of sun-dried tomatoes in oil or water - diced

1/2 cup packed flat leaf parsley - chopped

1 cup packed fresh basil leaves - chopped

2 chicken breasts - cooked and shredded

1 Tbsp Olive oil

freshly ground pepper to taste

Cook pasta al dente as directed. Toss in olive oil and pepper.

Dressing

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 garlic cloves, crushed lightly and quartered

1 tsp stone ground mustard

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 cup olive oil

For the dressing, add the vinegar to a blender and replace lid. Turn on blender and add one at a time thru the feed opening: garlic, mustard, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Leaving the blender running, add olive oil in a slow thin stream.

Toss together pasta, yellow squash, chicken, zucchini, tomatoes, basil, and parsley with enough dressing to coat..... okay, that's what the recipe says, but what does it know?! Use all the dressing-- take a risk!

Cheesy Veggie "Pasta" Bake

I'm going to be straight with you: this is a casserole.

However, the term "casserole" has an archaic, dated, I-refuse-to-turn-into-my-mother feel to it, so Foodies have started calling them "bakes." 

Please note: they're the same thing.

I'm hoping that in a few years, casseroles will make like the Crockpot and become "retro" so we can all be straightforward again.

Anyway, while wasting time researching recipes on Pinterest, I came across this gluten-free Cheesy Veggie "Pasta" Bake by Jenny Sugar and knew it was destiny.

Can you tell I use my stoneware dish a TON?!

Casserole-Bakes have gotten a bad rep because they're usually full of starchy pasta swimming in a sea of sodium rich, preservative laden condensed soup. Another reason why I heart this delightful dish made from simple ingredients and substitutes spaghetti squash for spaghetti.

Take heed, it's work chopping/dicing/shredding everything, but the result is worth the time. If you have a hand chopper like this one I use from Pampered Chef or are a whiz with a food processor-- I own one but I'm afraid of it-- the Cheesy Veggie Bake is a good time to utilize such tools.

From the fridge-- it tastes even better leftover!

In typical "Chef Jamie Style," I wrote "tomato" on my shopping list, even said the word "tomato" out loud in the produce section of the grocery store, yet somehow never actually bought a tomato.

Not to worry, I just added a can of petite diced tomatoes and halved the tomato sauce to balance out the liquid. In addition, I had a third of a large mozzarella block leftover from another recipe, so I diced that sucker up and mixed the small chunks in with the veggies, only using half the bag of shredded mozzarella.

The lack of spices in the ingredients list made me nervous, so I sprinkled a bunch of oregano and basil over the veggies.

Best.Idea.Ever.  24 hours later my apartment still smelled like an Italian restaurant.  

Speaking of veggies, I doubled the zucchini and chopped the carrots because I absolutely can't stand shredding them. It all worked out fine. Short on time, I totally tried cooking the spaghetti squash in the microwave even though I scoffed at Jenny Sugar's claim that it would actually cook in 8-12 minutes. It really did cook! Seriously, I will be making way more spaghetti squash now that I know I can just microwave that sucker.

It's incredible and a great way to get kids to eat their veggies. It makes a great meal or side dish; next time I'm throwing in a pound of ground turkey/beef/pork (whatever's on sale) and an onion to really make this a main dish.

All in all-- you should make this. Normally the word "should" is considered bossy, but I'm bossing you around and commanding you to try this.

*Please note, the recipe below reflects my alterations, but you can find the original via the link at the top of the blog post.

Gluten-Free Cheesy Veggie "Pasta" Bake

Ingredients

1 whole spaghetti squash

2 tbsp olive oil

2 zucchini, diced

1 carrot, chopped 

1 red pepper, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp dried oregano (to taste)

1 1/2 tsp dried basil (to taste)

12oz can petite diced tomatoes, drained 

8oz can tomato sauce

1/4 to 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

12oz bag shredded mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Pierce spaghetti squash all over with a sharp knife, place in a microwave safe dish, and cook for 8-12 minutes until soft. If you don't have a microwave, you can bake the pierced squash for 45-60 minutes at 375 degrees. 

When cooked, slice squash in half length-wise, scoop out seeds, and use a fork to flake off the flesh from the peel so it resembles spaghetti. It should come off easily. Place flesh in ungreased 9x13 baking dish.

While the squash cooks, heat olive oil, carrots, zucchini, garlic, and red pepper in a skillet over medium heat. Cook until soft, about 10 minutes, then add vegetables to the squash. Toss in the tomatoes, sauce, spices, and half the cheese and mix well. Sprinkle the remainder of the cheese over the top.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Let stand for 5 once finished baking. Enjoy!

Substitutions and Add-ons

To make this a heartier main dish, add a pound of ground meat of your choice and toss in a 1 medium yellow onion for flavor. If you decide to do this, here are the instructions: 

• Brown the meat, onion, and garlic together in a large skillet. Drain fat. Add the tomato sauce and spices to the meat mixture and simmer for 3 minutes. Place in 9x13 dish. Wipe the skillet clean and reuse for the rest of the veggies.

If you want added protein but don't want to use meat, add 2 cups of cooked quinoa.

For a creamier, cheesier casserole, mix in 1/2 to 1 cup ricotta cheese instead of the mozzarella. I'd increase the spices too if you do this.

Substitute yellow or Mexican squash for the zucchini.

Substitute 1 tomato, diced for the can of diced tomatoes. If you do this, you'll need 16oz of tomato sauce.

To make this even easier, skip the onion, garlic, tomato sauce, and spices and substitute with 16oz of your favorite marinara sauce.

You can use any color pepper you want.

If you'd like to see more of the recipes I love on Pinterest, follow me here.

Minestrone Soup

Even though the weather is warming up in SoCal-- 80's all week, what happened to Spring?!-- most of the country is slowly defrosting from ridiculous amounts of snow.

So why not heat things up with a Paleo friendly Minestrone Soup? 

That's a rhetorical question.

It's jammed packed with veggies and a pound of super lean ground beef. Vegetarians, feel free to add quinoa or tempeh or soy something or other instead. 

I adapted this from my mom's recipe which includes bacon and pasta, but Michael's system doesn't handle greasy food well and I hate  dislike cooking bacon (I'm a wuss when it comes to grease splatter). And I left out the beans because they don't agree with my system, yet strangely I do just fine with Peeps and Cadbury Creme Eggs (omg I love Easter candy!). To add a little starch, I substituted chopped carrots instead.

Soup is so great because you can just throw sh*t in a pot and it'll turn out pretty good.

Yum.

Minestrone Soup

1# ground beef

2 large onions (or 4 medium), diced

2 cups celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

16-20oz. fresh spinach

3-4 carrots, chopped

8 cups water

12oz. can tomato paste

1 cup fresh parsley, chopped

2 tsp thyme leaves

2 tsp salt

1 tsp oregano

4 large zucchini, diced (I used Mexican squash)

In large soup pot, brown ground beef with onions, celery, carrots, and garlic. Drain any fat. Add water, tomato paste, parsley, thyme, salt, and oregano. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add spinach and zucchini. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. 

Serve with grated parmesan.

Substitutions/Add-ons

If you love bacon-- and most men people do-- add 4oz diced bacon. Fry the bacon first then add in the beef & veggies.

If you love carbs-- and most people do-- add 1 cup elbow macaroni, cooked al dente when the soup is finished.

Substitute 15oz kidney beans for the carrots (or add them in as well), add when you add the spinach & zucchini.

Substitute 8 cups beef broth instead of water for a heartier flavor.

Even though I used sirloin ground beef for a lean soup, if you don't like red meat, substitute 1# ground pork or turkey.

Primal Fudge and Accidental Banana Bites

It would be easy to go all "dramatic" on ya and say fudge is "the best thing ever," but let's be serious: there are plenty of things better than fudge. Love, Disney, a Burberry bag, sex. All better than fudge. 

However, fudge makes the things that are better... better. Does that make sense? Probably not so let's look at the numbers.

Love + Fudge = better

Disney + Fudge = better

Burberry + Fudge = better

Sex + Fudge = XXX

See what I mean? Math makes the world go round. Only... real, sugar packed fudge hurts my teeth and my waistline. Fortunately, I found this super easy Primal Fudge recipe just chillin' out on Pinterest and thought I'd give it a try since I had the ingredients.

I used natural peanut butter instead of almond maybe because I had 3 different open jars of it in the apartment.... don't judge.

Beautiful, isn't it?

Let it be known this was my second attempt at making the fudge. The first time I got a bit... arrogant and thought I wouldn't need muffin papers and scooped the soft chocolate into my mini-muffin tin to make baby primal fudge "cups." Not only did they all fall apart, but the tin was also a pain in the ass to clean.  I'm talking 10 minutes standing over a sink full of dark brown water. Ew.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: learn from me.

The second time around I used an 8x8 pan lined with wax paper. I spread the chocolate evenly, froze it for 10 minutes then cut a bunch of uneven rectangular pieces. I think the next time I make this (and there will be a million more "next times"), I'll precut pieces by using a knife in the soft fudge. 

During my first attempt, I had a bunch of leftover soft chocolate. Feeling creative-- and a little sassy-- I cut 2 bananas into big chunks and used a toothpick to coat them in the fudge. Then I covered them in shredded coconut I'd bought on one of my more whimsical days and created frozen peanut butter chocolate coconut banana bites. (Ideas for a shorter name are welcome)

If you love the unbeatable combo of peanut butter, chocolate, and banana make a double batch of the fudge, pick up a bunch of bananas, and go crazy. If you use almond, cashew, or especially hazelnut butter, might I suggest trying it out on strawberries?

This is such a versatile, superbly easy little fudge recipe that even if you're not doing the Paleo thing, I promise you and your kids will love love love it. The best part? There's no "cooking" required. Now go satisfy your chocolate craving!

Primal Fudge

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup smooth nut butter 

1/4 raw honey or high quality maple syrup (I used Archer Farms Grade A)

1/2 tsp vanilla (I used organic)

Melt the coconut oil. Blend all ingredients together in a food processor or blender. Pour into paper-lined muffin tin cups, silicon muffin cups, or spread in a paper-lined 8x8 pan. If using muffin tins, fill each cup 1/2-inch full. If using a pan, trace squares in the chocolate for easier cutting. 

Chill for 30 minutes or freeze for 10 minutes. When firm, remove and cut if necessary. Store in air tight container in the fridge or freezer.

For the Banana Chunks

After making the fudge, cut bananas* into 1 inch pieces. Using a toothpick (or fork if you don't have any), roll each chunk in chocolate mixture until coated. Then cover each piece with shredded coconut** and place on a baking pan or dish lined with wax paper.

Once all the pieces are finished, place in freeze for 10-20 minutes until hardened. Store in an air tight container in the freezer ONLY. 

* I used 2 bananas for about half the batch, so for a whole batch you'll need 4-6.

**If you don't like or have an allergy to coconut, you can leave the banana pieces plain OR add a chopped nut of your choice for a little crunch. The frozen bananas at fairs have peanuts.

Thanks to Practical Paleo for sharing this recipe! For more amazing whole food recipes and how to shop Paleo at commercial grocers, check out her blog here.

Mustard Glazed Chicken Thighs and Sweet & Savory Potatoes

For the safety of myself, my husband, the cats, and all of Los Angeles, it's best if I keep cooking as simple as possible. Not only will I not accidentally blow us up, there's also a good chance I won't have an(other) emotional breakdown about being a culinary failure.

I have Perfectionist issues.

Fortunately, Practical Paleo takes into account that even though some of us want to be healthy, some of us should also spend as little time in the kitchen as possible.  And since I'm a Chicken Whisperer, these mustard glazed chicken thighs just. made. sense.

Since I apparently shop in The Twilight Zone, the grocer didn't have bone-in/skin-on thighs so I settled for meat only chicken thighs. If you also shop in another dimension, shorten the cooking time and keep an eye (maybe two) on the meat.

Living dangerously, I decided to cook sweet & savory potatoes as a side dish:

It's a good thing these are delicious since I ate them for the next 3 days.

The mustard glaze would also go great on white fish, pork, and a whole roasting chicken, plus you can experiment with various mustards to change the flavor while the sweet potatoes-- since they require cinnamon-- would be great with breakfast or dinner. Diversity is key, my friends.

Seriously, one of the best dishes I've made.

Mustard Glazed Chicken Thighs

12 bone in/skin on chicken thighs*

1/4 cup melted butter or coconut oil

2 Tbsp gluten-free mustard (or reg if you don't have a preference)

Black pepper to taste

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp dried sage

Preheat ove to 425 degrees.

In a small mixing bowl, combine melted butter, mustard, black pepper, sage, and salt. Place thighs on a baking sheet or oven safe dish, and brush the mixture evenly over each one. 

Bake for 45 minutes or until a thermometer reads 165 degrees when inserted into the center of the chicken thighs.

*You can also use bone-in/skin-on chicken breasts

Sweet & Savory Potatoes

2 large sweet potatoes

1 tsp duck or bacon fat, melted, or coconut oil (I used coconut oil)

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Peel the sweet potatoes and chop them into 1 inch pieces. In a medium sized mixing bowl, toss the sweet potato pieces with your fat of choice, coating them evenly.

In a small mixing bowl, combine spices. Add spice blend to the sweet potatoes and toss again to spread spices evenly. Place potatoes evenly on baking sheet and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.

Cumin Spiced Pork Tenderloin with Veggies

I never know what to do with coriander-- it's not a common spice in every day cooking (for me, anyway). When I tried an Indian recipe several months ago, I had to purchase a bottle of it, so ever since then I keep my eyes open for more ways to use it.

By chance, I opened my paleo cookbook simply to find a pork tenderloin baking time and stumbled upon this recipe. Weirdly, I had all the ingredients excluding the parsnips for which I substituted another root vegetable: carrots. Isn't it colorful?!

While this is technically a paleo recipe, it's just good no matter what health regime you follow (provided you eat meat). And even with chopping the veggies, it's pretty quick to throw together.

Cumin Spiced Pork Tenderloin with Veggies

2 onions, sliced

4 carrots, cut into sticks

1/4 cup pomegranate seeds

1 large orange, peeled & segmented

2 garlic cloves, smashed

2 pork tenderloins

2 Tbsp bacon fat (or other cooking fat-- I used butter)

1 Tbsp cumin

1 Tbsp coriander

1 Tbsp garlic powder

1 tsp sea salt
Black Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a small mixing bowl combine cumin, coriander, garlic power, salt, and pepper. Using paper towels, pat down the tenderloins 'til dry and apply spice blend generously to create a crust. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and sear pork on all sides for about 2 minutes per side.

Place vegetables and fruit on the bottom of a large roasting dish, topped with the tenderloins. Roast for 30-40 minutes or until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 145 degrees. If you need to continue to roast the produce until they are soft, remove the pork and roast for another 10-15 minutes until soft.

Slice on the bias and serve over the veggies.

Buttery Lemon Rosemary Salmon

According to a lot of people with far more extensive knowledge about these things than myself, seafood is good for you. White fish is fine, but the really nutritious kinds are the big ones like swordfish, tuna, and salmon. The catch-22 in a nation of mass produced goods is that the frozen bulk bags and even some of what's found in the "fresh" seafood case at large grocery stores (excluding Whole Foods, of course) are fish from FARMS. 

That's bad.

Besides being raised and "living" in an unnatural environment from normal fish development, the colorful ones, salmon especially, are DYED pink because the improper growth has greyed their meat. And the FDA says that's okay. Gross. 

So when buying fish-- and I know it's not cheap-- go for wild caught.  

 

Our little local grocer had a nice shipment of salmon a couple weeks ago. They had already cut filets OR you could get salmon (and sturgeon) steaks cut to your preferred size.

That's right: there was a giant salmon body in the case ready for "steaking."  How awesome is that?!  They also have beef feet and sheeps heads-- it's trippy.  So for 10 bucks I got the 2 beautiful filets you see above (did I mention buying local is a heck of a lot cheaper?!).

The recipe comes from Practical Paleo-- a must have for anyone looking into this lifestyle-- and so far everything from that book has been phenomenal.

The original recipe calls for broiling on a low broil setting, but since I can't use my broiler (gotta love luxury apartment living!!!) I baked the salmon at 500 degrees for 10-12 minutes.... or cook it to your liking.... do whatever you want, okay! See if I care! 

I also used grass-fed butter (Kerry Gold brand) but you can use regular as well. No pressure. I paired my delightful meal with a loose leaf Yunnan Golden Pu-reh black tea from Teavana. Black tea is great for circulation, your blood, and heart. It was heavenly.

A side of fresh salad and strawberries completed the meal.  Needless to say, it was completely filling, Michael was a happy camper, and it was one of the easiest meals to put together.  Next time you decide to splurge on seafood, try the salmon.

Buttery Lemon Rosemary Salmon

Ingredients

1 lb wild salmon, either whole or in however many portions you need

2 Tbsp butter, ghee, or coconut oil

1 lemon, 1/2 is for juice and the other half is thinly sliced

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp rosemary

Preheat oven to 500 degrees OR low broil setting

In a small bowl, combine rosemary and sea salt. Set aside. Place thinly sliced pats of butter in a baking dish, or spread ghee or coconut oil over the bottom of the dish. Place salmon in the dish and squeeze fresh lemon juice over the filets. Sprinkle with rosemary-salt mixture. Add more pats of butter to the salmon and top with thin slices of lemon.

Bake or broil for 10-12 minutes until prepared to your liking.

Chili Dip (not poop)

Chili Dip is fantastic. 

These pictures make it look like orange diarrhea, but I assure you, the taste is far better. Not that I know what diarrhea tastes like....... you know what I mean.

The best part? It couldn't be easier or less healthy for you!!! So save Chili Dip for a special treat, holiday party, or when you have "The Munchies."

Chili Dip

1 block of regular cream cheese

1 can Hormel Chili (NO BEANS), beef or turkey is fine

Bag of Corn Chips

Toss the cream cheese and the chili into a pot. Heat over medium heat and stir until well blended. Serve with corn chips.

Some Tips--

Cut the cream cheese into chunks before tossing into the pot-- it melts faster.

While the "third less fat" cream cheese may sound like a good idea, read the ingredients. There are more hard-to-pronounce chemicals in that kind than the regular cream cheese, but I've used it and it works just as well.

"Chili" and "Chili Beans" are NOT the same thing. Trust me.

Make sure you remember where you put the extra can of turkey chili so you don't have to run out a THIRD TIME for more................

Homemade Whipped Cream

Honestly, I can't believe how many years and how much money I wasted on crappy  mediocre Cool Whip or Redi-Whip. I mean, making whipped cream is SO DARN EASY!

The consistency has the thickness of Cool Whip, but it does tend to lose it's form quickly. Of course, you just need to pull out the old mixer again, otherwise make just enough of what you need that day and use it up.

Isn't it beautiful?

Because many of us are used to the chemically sweetened kind, this whipped cream recipe won't taste as sweet, but you could always toss in extra powdered sugar.

I never realized the many uses of whipped cream: toss it on pies, cakes, cupcakes, cocoa, cider, and even coffee! Plus, you can add a 1/2 tsp of bourbon or liqueur per cup of whipping cream used to make your own special flavor. Next time I want to try sweetening it with agave nectar.

Seriously, make fresh whipped cream-- you're putting less crap into your system, you'll feel an amazing sense of accomplishment, and your guests will think you're Martha Stewart! (unless one of your guests is Martha Stewart...)

Homemade Whipped Cream

1 cup whipping cream or heavy cream 

2 Tbsp Confectioner's (powdered) sugar 

Chill a metal or glass bowl and mixer attachments. Once chilled, add cold whipping and sugar to the bowl. Beat on medium speed (I used Level 3 on my cheap-o hand mixer) until the cream forms peaks.... then beat a little more to make sure it holds. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Some Tips--

Do NOT get anything low fat, you need a high fat content so the cream will solidify.

Granulated sugar won't work as it won't dissolve. If you don't have powdered sugar or all the stores in your area are out for some reason, you could make a simple syrup-- one part sugar, one part water, boil until sugar is dissolved (5 min) and chill for a few hours-- and add 1/2 to 1 tsp, maybe 2. The same measurement should work for agave nectar, but I haven't tested it yet. 

If you decide to use a liquid sweetener, no matter what kind it is, use less than what's needed for the powdered sugar, otherwise your whipped cream won't solidify.

You could add cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice for added flavor.

**This recipe comes from Food Network Magazine. Consider it TESTED and APPROVED!**

Peanut Butter Chocolate Squares

Every time I use the oven in our apartment it's as if I've called upon the heating power of the Sun. Now that it's averaging 85 outside, me making dishes like Mexican stuffed shells, Southwest Egg Rolls, and Hot Ham and Cheese buns is akin to baking myself with the food. And forget about cookies.

Dessert is a real issue because I have a ridiculous sweet tooth, strongly dislike store bought cookies and pastries, and certainly can't bake anything at the moment. What's a gal to do? Then I came across this Kraft recipe and heard the Hallelujah chorus singing the praises of a no-bake treat incorporating peanut butter and chocolate. So I had to try them.

Not only do these babies not use an oven, but you don't even need to use the stove! Just pop everything that needs melting (aka butter and chocolate) into the microwave. To make these SORT OF healthier, I used natural peanut butter consisting of peanuts and salt rather than a brand like Skippy, Kraft, or JIF filled with preservatives and sugar. If you keep yours in the fridge like I do, just microwave it for 10-15 seconds to soften.

One thing the recipe mentions is "precutting" or outlining squares in the melted chocolate before refrigerating. Me being an expert at cooking, I thought that was totally unnecessary and didn't follow directions so when it came time to cut them, the hardened chocolate caused a bunch of random breaks. Lesson learned.

How do they look?

Are you drooling yet? 

Yes, they taste as good as they look.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Squares

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
2 cups powdered sugar
1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup all-natural peanut butter
1-1/2 pkgs semi-sweet baking squares (12 squares total)

Line a 9x13 dish with foil, folding it over the sides.

Melt the butter in a large microwave safe bowl on HIGH for 45 seconds. If there are still chunks, continue melting at 10-20 second intervals.

Add powdered sugar, graham cracker crumbs, and peanut butter. Mix well. Use your hands if you need to... I did ;) Lay out and press down in the dish then let chill for a several minutes while you prepare the chocolate.

Unwrap and break all the squares in half. Put them all in another microwave safe bowl and cook on HIGH for 2-3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Spread over peanut butter then precut squares in the soft chocolate. Refrigerate 1 hour then serve.

Sombrero Pasta Salad

In food terms, Summertime signifies fruit salad, grilling burgers, picnics, and most of all... pasta salad. I love pasta salads because they don't require an oven, are easy to time manage (chop all the veggies while the pasta boils), and the recipes are always crowd-size.

This excellent and flavorful pasta salad comes from Taste of Home, though I found the recipe on Pinterest. However, I know this carb-filled dish doesn't scream "HEALTHY!!!" but there are plenty of ways to improve the recipe.  Look for tips underneath recipe.

So, if you need to bring a side dish to this weekend's Cinco de Mayo celebration or want a main dish that's different from the usual tacos and quesadillas, the Sombrero Pasta Salad is a great option. Not mention attractive:

SOMBRERO PASTA SALAD

1 pound spiral pasta, cooked as directed

1 pound ground beef

3/4 cup water

1 packet taco seasoning 

16oz bottle Catalina or Western salad dressing

1 large green pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium tomato, chopped

2 - 15oz cans sliced black olives, drained

8oz (2 cups) shredded cheddar cheese

Make pasta according to package directions. Heat a large skillet and crumble & cook meat until browned. Drain. Add water and taco seasoning, simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Once pasta and meat are cooked, toss in a bowl with all the other ingredients, add dressing and mix well. Serve immediately... or let flavors marinate over night-- your choice :)

Cooking Tips:

1. To lower fat content, buy sirloin/ super lean ground beef OR ground turkey. I used 90% lean, 7% fat ground beef.

2. Organic whole wheat pasta is a great choice when wanting to avoid overly processed carbs, as well as fiber to your diet. Plus it's much more filling.  Look for store (generic) brand option and make sure it's the full 16oz, not 12 or 14 (companies are tricky like that).

3. Use low sodium dressing and canned olive options.

4. To really drop sodium, sugars, and preservatives, I made homemade Catalina Dressing from ingredients I already had around the house. As a way to boost this recipe, try using organic ketchup and a more natural sweetener than sugar. I've replaced the sugar in our house with unrefined Zulka Azucar Morena-- crystallized cane juice.

5. Another sodium/chemical decreaser (new word!) is making homemade taco seasoning. This recipe makes extra so be sure to put the rest in a sealed container like these great Pampered Chef Prep Bowls. Use 2 Tbsp.

6. The recipe has you add raw onion but I sautéed mine because I didn't want to taste onion for the rest of the day. You might also consider substituting a bunch of green onions. Same with the tomato-- you could definitely substitute a half to a whole container of cherry tomatoes.

7. The cheese seems optional in my opinion-- next time I make the salad I'll omit the cheese and see if it makes a difference. Or you could use shredded Manchenga or crumbled Queso Fresco for a more Mexican flavor.

8. And finally... for added flavor, toss in half a bunch of chopped cilantro!!! You were waiting for my cilantro reference, weren't you?

Happy Cooking and Eat Well.

Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash and Quinoa

Pinterest once again helped put another delicious, healthy meal on my table.  After pinning this gorgeous photo:

the colorful stew called to me and so, I decided to try the recipe.

AMAZING!  One of the reasons I've mentioned about why I don't cook with quinoa is the lack of flavor so many of the recipes have. Although plenty of health nuts would claim the grain doesn't need added spices because it has a rich, nutty flavor, they would be wrong. Quinoa isn't bad by itself but it certainly doesn't offer much in the taste department.  But for the stew, this is not the case.  It's just good. Here's mine:

I also love that it looks just like the well-lit stew in the professional photo-- plenty of colorful veggies accented with creamy quinoa.

Hearty Chicken, Butternut Squash, and Quinoa Stew

• 1 1/2 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded & chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 1/2 cups chicken broth**
• 1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 can (14 oz) petite diced tomatoes
• 2/3 cup uncooked quinoa
• 3/4 cup pitted and quartered kalamata olives
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

1. Steam the butternut squash until barely tender, about 10 minutes. Remove half of the squash pieces and set aside.
2. Steam the remaining squash until very tender, an additional 4 to 6 minutes. Mash this squash with the back of a fork. Set aside.
3. In a large saucepan set over medium-high heat, bring the chicken broth to a simmer.
4. Add chicken thighs, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
5. Transfer the chicken thighs to a plate and allow to cool. Pour broth into a medium-sized bowl.
6. Return the saucepan to the stovetop and lower heat to medium. Add olive oil.
7. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is starting to turn brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
8. Add minced garlic and oregano. Cook, stirring, for 1 additional minute.
9. To the saucepan, add tomatoes, butternut squash pieces, mashed butternut squash. Stir to combine.
10. Stir in reserved chicken broth and quinoa. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the quinoa turns translucent, about 15 minutes.
11. Shred the chicken with your fingers or a fork.
12. Stir the chicken, olives and pepper into the stew and simmer, uncovered, to heat, about 5 minutes.
13. Stir in parsley and serve.

**One thing I did differently to save money and sodium is that I made homemade broth using bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs.  Put thighs in a pot, cover with 4 cups of water instead of 3 1/2 cups broth,  then boil the chicken for 15 to 20 minutes. Once cooked, skim broth if you need to, peel and shred chicken, then continue the recipe. It adds more time but it's easier on the wallet and your arteries. Also, be generous with the parsley-- it's good.

I'm pretty sure you can omit the chicken, switch to veggie broth, and BOOM! Vegan stew.