Creamy Avocado Sauce on Spaghetti Squash

This delicious vegan dinner was a light but really filling. It's a comfort food without any of the guilt.

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS
1 large spaghetti squash
12 Campari tomatoes
3 T garlic, chopped
5 T olive oil
1 t dried thyme
1 large haus avocado
2 T lemon juice
1/4 c fresh basil or 3 T fresh pesto
water
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using a heavy knife, cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scrape out the strings and seeds using a spoon. Rub 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the inside of each half and sprinkle both halves with thyme, salt and pepper. Place halves face down on a cookie sheet.

2. Cut tomatoes into quarters and spread them evenly in a baking dish. Drizzle with 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil- just until they glisten. Sprinkle them with 2 tablespoons of garlic and light salt and pepper.

3. Put the tomatoes and the squash in the oven for 40 minutes. The squash may need up to an hour to fully cook, depending on it's size.

4. While the squash and tomatoes are roasting,

Cobb Salad

SERVES 1

INGREDIENTS

1 c romaine
1 c baby spinach
1/2 avocado
1/3 c corn
1/4 c blue cheese
2 strips crumbled bacon
1/2 c grilled chicken breast
1/3 c halved cherry tomatoes
1 sliced hard boiled egg
1/4 c chipotle barbecue ranch dressing

Chickpea Salad

Super filling, high protein, low calorie lunch. There are lots of good flavors that keep things interesting.

SERVES 2

INGREDIENTS
1 can chickpeas (Garbanzo beans)
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 c cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 c white onion, thinly diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 t dried oregano
1 T olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together. I bring half of this recipe for lunch and save the other half in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Tomato Basil Bisque From Scratch

We made our soup to eat with grown up grilled cheese sandwiches. It was so savory and fresh. Will definitely make it again.

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS
4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
4 c tomato juice
14 leaves fresh basil
1 c heavy cream
1/2 c butter
salt and pepper to taste

Simmer diced tomatoes and tomato juice in a stock pot for 30 minutes. Puree the mixture with basil leaves and return to pot.

Over medium heat, stir in cream and butter. Heat, stirring until butter is melted. Do not boil.



Pro Tip:
When using a blender and hot liquids, the pressure from the steam and heat can make the top blow off the blender. I suggest using a dish cloth and leaving a small crack for the steam to escape. If your blender has a removable center cover, its fine to just lift that up a bit instead of the entire top.

Simple Sandwich: Tomato and Avocado on Italian Bread

SERVES 2

INGREDIENTS
4 slices Italian bread, toasted
2 T mayonaise
1 avocado
cheery tomatoes
salt and pepper

Spread 1/2 tablespoon of mayonaise on each slice of bread. Mash an avocado and spread 1/4 of it on each slice. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and put them in a single layer on the sandwich. Sprinkle the tops of all 4 open-face sandwiches with a little salt and pepper.

Sticky Peppers and Sausage

This dish took almost an hour to cook but was sticky sweet and totally worth the wait. The recipe suggested serving it on a hoagie bun, but I thought it was just as good without it. Plus, it saves you about 200 calories. Having the portion makes this recipe only about 300 calories per serving.

SERVES 6 (1 1/2 cup serving size)

INGREDIENTS
2 T olive oil
1 T chopped garlic
2 yellow onions
3 bell peppers (red, yellow, or orange)
1 pt cherry tomatoes
2 t salt
12 oz pkg sweet or spicy Italian-style chicken sausage
water

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and let it simmer until browning and fragrant. Add the onions and peppers, and season with 1 tablespoon of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to brown, about 30 minutes.

Add the water and use a wooden spoon to scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Slice the sausages diagonally to make half-inch slivers, and add them with the tomatoes to the onion mixture.

Make sure the sausages make contact with the bottom of the pan. Let the onions caramelize and the sausages brown for another 15 minutes, occasionally stirring and adding more to create thin sauce over the bottom of the pan.

Serve hot, alone or on a hoagie bun. I served this with Skinny Cheesy Potatoes and steamed broccoli.

This recipe was adapted from You Can Trust a Skinny Cook by Allison Fishman

Spicy Vegetarian Chili

As far as chili goes, you can pretty much throw whatever you have in the pot. In this recipe I used all sorts of stuff to make a huge batch.

Butter, garlic, carrots, onions, and green peppers go in first. I added chili powder and cayenne here so the veggies would be spicy. Let them cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Then half a jar of hot salsa, a can of corn, and 2 cans of diced tomatoes. Cook for 10 minutes. Then chili beans, kidney beans, and butter beans. Let it simmer until all of the veggies are soft- about 30 minutes.

*Extra spices that could be added: cumin, bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom, cocoa, paprika, cilantro, hot sauce or...grape jelly (which adds just a tiny bit of sweet)

*Good things that could be added: more beans- as they are a wonderful source of fiber, any kind of spicy chillies or peppers- jalapeno, serrano, habenero, chipotle or ancho, or top it with avocado

*Naughty things that could be added: pepperjack cheese, beer (like Dos Equis), or top it off with sour cream

*To make it non-vegetarian: chorizo, andouille, spiced ground turkey