Alison & Anna's Stuffed Squash

• Ingredients 

  • 1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp curry powder
  • 1/2 tomato
  • 2 zucchinis (or summer squash)
  • 1 onion
  • cheese
  • pepper
  • bacon, ground meat, or chopped sausage (optional)

• Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 400 (200C).
  2. Wash zucchini/summer squash
  3. Slice them in half length-ways.
  4. Spoon out the guts - (leave about 1/2 an inch in) until you end up with boat like shells. Save the pulp.
  5. Chop a small onion and 1/2 tomato
  6. Sautee the onions in one tbsp oil or butter.
  7. When the onions are almost done, add 1/4 tsp curry powder and cook everything for an additional 30 seconds.
  8. Cook a few slices of bacon and let them drain on a paper towel.
  9. Add 1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt, a good pinch of pepper, the zucchini pulp, the tomato and crumble the bacon in as well to the sauteed onion.
  10. Spray a baking dish and put the zucchini boats in.
  11. Grab a spoon and fill the shells with the mix. Sprinkle some aged cheese on top (or Mozzarella for an pizza-ey twist)
  12. Put them in a preheated oven, give them about 20 minutes and then turn on the broiler until the top is golden brown.
  
  You could make this more Italian by subbing Italian or pizza seasoning in for the curry powder or dress it up with some fresh basil mixed in.
  

 

And yes... we're still working on our food photography.

California Avocado Breakfast Casserole

Recipe: California Avocado Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients

• an 8 ounce pack of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
• about 10 slices cooked bacon, cut into bite sized pieces(I prefer Trader Joe's "Ends and Pieces" - so smokey and heavenly!)
• 1 cup shredded hash browns – thawed (or if you have a food processor just shred potatoes in it!)
• 1 Avocado, diced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 5 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk(lactose free in my case)
•  salt and cracked black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Lightly spray with cooking spray a 9×13 glass cake pan. Press crescent rolls on bottom and up sides of pan to form the crust.
2. Layer bacon, hash browns, California avocado, and tomatoes on top of crescent roll dough.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and milk together. Pour egg and milk mixture over the top of other ingredients in the 9×13 pan.
4. Sprinkle cheddar cheese over the top. Bake in 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and sprinkle Kosher salt and cracked black pepper over to taste. Serve and enjoy!

This recipe is great because you could really add anything you wanted as long as you include the crescent roll crust and the egg+milk combo. Make it Italian and do Italian breakfast sausage, basil, and Parmesan! Go Greek with feta, artichokes, and maybe some olives! throw in some jalapenos, sals and cilantro and you've got a Mexican breakfast casserole! I mean, it's breakfast - enjoy yourself for cryin' out loud!

Jessica's Heavenly Lentils

This is a lentil recipe from a coworker. I added some sauteed zucchini and yellow onions in when I tossed the lentils as well as some fresh garlic.
 
Ingredients: 
1 cup split lentils
1 tomato cut in quarters
¼ cup red wine
2 cups chicken broth
Olive oil
Salt/Pepper
Italian Seasoning
Optional:  zucchini, garlic, onions

Steps: 
1. Heat olive oil in a pan and toss dried lentils in enough to coat them well and toast a little (2minutes)

2. While you are preparing lentils, throw some halved tomatoes in the oven drizzled in olive oil and sea salt in a 400 degree oven

 3. Add the wine and chicken broth

 4. Bring to a boil reduce heat, simmer and cover until most of the liquid is gone and lentils are soft (15 minutes give or take)

5. Add a dash or two of Italian seasoning and freeze dried garlic ....(if you want fresh garlic you could either roast it or dice and cook briefly with the lentils and oil

6. Add the roasted tomatoes - juice and all. Stir well.

7. Salt to taste


And there you go! Looks like mud, but tastes like gold :)

Nut Cheese?

Being lactose-intolerant and a cheese-lover is a tough lot, so I'm always intrigued by recipes with "cheese substitutes." I happened upon a Pinterest post for "Cashew Cheese" and figured I'd give it a try. Grant it, it's not cheese, but if I close my eyes and dip a corn chip into this somewhat creamy concoction the experience isn't half bad... and it hopefully won't give me gas later.

Ingredients
    •    1 cup raw cashews (soaked for 1hr or more)
    •    ¼ cup filtered water
    •    ¼ cup nutritional yeast (I don't know what this is and didn't feel like leaving the house, so I omitted it)
    •    2 Tbs. lemon juice
    •    2 cloves garlic
    •    2 Tbs. white wine or use 1 Tbs. raw apple cider vinegar (I used the latter)
    •    1 Tbs. dijon mustard
    •    sea salt and pepper to taste
    •    ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (I used the jarred in oil kind)


Stick it all in a food processor and there ya go!

From nutritionstripped.com