Spaghetti with "Meat" Sauce and Spinach Cheese Muffins!

If there is one food I know my son will eat all of without a fight, it's spaghetti, and there is no easier way to get that boy to eat veggies than to puree them into a sauce to go on the spaghetti! Most tomato sauce recipes call for sugar to cut the acidity of the sauce, but I use carrots instead! It gives us a nutrient boost while sweetening the sauce! If you like a chunky sauce, you can skip the puree step, but I prefer a smooth one. You can add any veggies you want, I sometimes like to add zucchini, mushrooms and spinach or kale, if I have them on hand, but this is my base recipe. Cauliflower and broccoli even go well pureed in this sauce! We aren't eating meat anymore, so I used vegetarian soy crumbles, but you can use ground beef, turkey, or chicken if you're a meat eater! I typically like to cook 1/4 cup bulgur in the sauce after I've pureed it, before adding the crumbles, adding an additional 2 cups chicken stock. However, my commissary doesn't carry it, so, unless I've gone to the closest grocery store in town, which I typically don't just because of the inconvenience, it's not always in my sauce. It adds more fiber and has a meaty texture, we really like it. This makes 8 cups of sauce! You can cut the recipe in half, if you want, or do what I did and freeze the remainder in ziplock bags in one cup portions for easy lunches later!

The way the spinach muffins were made in the recipe I used made them just okay, they weren't anything too terribly fantastic. However, when I ate the leftovers the next day, I reheated them in the microwave and drizzled with balsamic vinegar and let it soak in for a couple of minutes while I made my salad. SO much better with the basalmic, so don't skip that step!

Here is how I made the sauce:

1 large onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1/2 cup chicken stock or white wine (I really like it with red, too, but my husband doesn't)

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, with juices

1 1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1, 12 oz package soy crumbles

In a large pot over medium heat, add onion and garlic and cook until beginning to soften, a couple of minutes. Add in the rest of the veggies and saute until tender, about 5-10 minutes. Add in stock or wine and cook until exavorated. Stir in tomatoes, and seasonings, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes to an hour, stirring often (Cover it if you want to let this simmer longer. The longer you simmer, the more the flavors will blend). Transfer to a food processor and pulse a few times to break up large pieces, then let whirl around on low speed until pureed to your liking. Return the sauce back to the pan, add in the soy crumbles, and simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes. If you're going to add bulgur, add it with the extra water when you add the crumbles, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until tender, about 15 minutes.

This recipe makes roughly 6-8 cups

For the Spinach Muffins:

1, 14 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained, or 12 oz fresh spinach

4 egg whites, lightly beaten

1/2 cup part skim ricotta cheese

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

If using frozen spinach, squeeze dry (I let mine thaw in the fridge overnight instead of in the microwave so I don't have to wait for it to cool). If using fresh, pulse in the food processor until finely chopped.

Add spinach to a bowl and stir in remaining ingredients, except for vinegar. Use your hands, it's easier to combine! Divide the mixture between 8 muffin cups and bake until set, about 20 minutes. Drizzle with balsamic and let stand for 5 minutes to let them finish setting up and absorb the vinegar (Seriously, don't skip the vinegar, it really takes these from okay to awesome!). Run a thin silicone spatula around the edges and gently lift out and sprinkle with extra Parm! Enjoy!

This recipe makes 4 servings, two muffins each!

~Mirriah

Moussaka with Rice Pilaf - WCW!?

    Part of this blog will now be dedicated to cooking!

   With WHAT'S COOKING WEDNESDAYS!?

 

      My husband and I decided to go vegetarian for the entire month of January (And probably onward, because we are really enjoying the changes in the way we have been feeling)! I will not lie, the first two weeks were rough, because we went through a week long detox period followed by a week of serious bacon and hamburger cravings, but now that all that has passed, we have been feeling phenomenal! This is the first meal that I've made where I've tried to imitate the flavor of a meat dish by substituting the beef found in a traditional moussaka with soy crumbles. My husband took one bite and got on to me for using meat, it was that convincing for him! The texture of the crumbles resembled slowly braised beef, it was tender and delicious. Honestly, I like this better with the soy crumbles than I do with meat! The man was so impressed with it that he actually asked that I make this a common dish on our dinner table! Yay!! :)
     Traditionally, moussaka is made with eggplant. My husband loathes eggplant more than he despises people eating babies, so I used zucchini instead, which has the added bonus of being one of my son's top five favorite vegetables! Yeah, I have a kid who digs veggies, I'll wait a moment while you glare at the screen with envy. ;)
     If you wanted to make this vegan, you could make the bechamel with unsweetened soy or rice milk. I wouldn't do almond or coconut, because I think their flavors are too strong, but play around and find what works for you. I have never cooked with milk alternatives, but will make sure I make an attempt at that soon, just to share what I feel works and doesn't. Don't use vanilla soy milk. I did that when making mac and cheese once. That was awful. Don't do it. You could also sub out the parmesan for nutritional yeast, and use veggie stock in the pilaf. 

 Here is how I made the moussaka:
1, 12 oz package soy crumbles (I used Morningstar Farms)
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1, 8 oz can low sodium tomato sauce
1/4 cup dry red wine (I used Menage A Trois California Red Wine. Pinot Noir would rock in this, as well!)
2 Tbsp coursely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper (About 2 turns of the knob)
2 large zucchini or 1 large eggplant, sliced into 1/2" slices
1 1/2 cups skim milk
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan (If you use the kind in the can, punch yourself in the face for me!)
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup panko (whole wheat if you can find it, I couldn't, but it exists) or  dry whole wheat breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp crushed Italian herb blend (Or use 1/4 tsp basil, 1/8 tsp oregano, and 1/8 tsp parsley)

     In a large pan lightly sprayed with olive oil, saute soy crumbles, onion, and garlic over medium high heat until crumbles have warmed and onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce, wine, and seasonings, bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
     Meanwhile, broil zucchini or eggplant for 3 to 4 minutes until tender. Remove from oven, and set to 350 degrees.
     Multitasking further, while the zucchini broils, whisk together milk and corn starch in an unheated pot until starch is dissolved. Turn the burner to medium high and cook, stirring often, until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in parmesan and nutmeg. Remove from heat.
     Lightly grease an 8x8 pan and layer half of the zucchini on the bottom. Top with the "meat" filling, the rest of the zucchini, and all of the bechamel. Sprinkle the panko over top, spritz with a little olive oil (to help the panko brown), and bake for 35 minutes until bubbly and delicious!

This recipe serves 4 very hungry people or 6 with a normal appetite!
This is how the pilaf came into existance:
olive oil cooking spray
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 cup brown rice
1 bay leaf
2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup broken whole wheat spaghetti
(Unless you want an epic mess, break them up into a large bowl, or they will fly
EVERYWHERE! Take my word on this one!)
1 Tbsp freshly chopped parsley (Why don't you see it in the picture? I forgot to add it lol!)

     In a small saucepan, saute rice and onion until rice is lightly toasted. Add in bay leaf and stock, boil, then simmer until water is hald absorbed, about 15 minutes.
     Meanwhile, toast spaghetti in a small pan. After rice has partially cooked, add pasta, adding a little more water if necessary, return to a boil, and simmer 15 more minutes until water is absorbed.
     Let stand for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork and stir in parsley.

     Now that I've told you how I made the pilaf for this meal, I'll tell you how I will make it in the future! Next time, I will use 3/4 cup brown rice with 1/4 cup wild rice, just to give it a variation in texture and more color. My husband also suggested I toss a few peas in next time, just for added color and texture, as well, so I might give that a try!

This recipe makes 6, 2/3 cup servings!

- MIRRIAH