Todd always wants pizza. It's nonstop really, obnoxiously so. The problem is...pizza's not really the best thing to eat day-in and day-out. In addition, vegan pizza isn't cheap and homemade pizza can be an exhaustive effort on a weeknight. Enter Pizza Quinoa with Summer Squash. This dish is pizza-esque but healthier than it's predecessor, cheaper and quicker too!
So, how did it hold up with the Pizza Monster? He loved it! Try it on your "Pizza Monster" and see what he thinks.
Quinoa with red tomato sauce, melted mozzarella cheese, sauteed summer squash and wilted spinach all topped with parmesan cheese, fresh basil and crushed red pepper flakes. It's a pizza-esque quinoa dish that's sure to satisfy any monster pizza craving, and all done in snap!
Rinse the quinoa. If you've had bad experience with quinoa being bitter, it's probably because it wasn't rinsed. Even if it says "pre-rinsed" on the package, rinse it anyway! Place the quinoa in a medium saucepan with the water. Pro-Tip: spray the inside of the pot first with a nonstick cooking spray. Bring to a boil then turn down to low, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a medium frying pan. Chop up the summer squash and add to the pan. Saute about 10 minutes or until it's softened. Below you'll see the chopping process through our "Bailey-Cam"....he's just quietly lurking...always waiting and watching...
Once the quinoa is done, fluff with a fork and remove from heat. Add the squash, tomato sauce, cheese and spinach. Stir well to combine.
Add salt and pepper to taste and top with red pepper flakes, parmesan and fresh basil. Mamma mia that's delizioso!
Pizza Quinoa with Summer Squash
Recipe Type: Entree
Author: Katie - Produce On Parade
Serves: 4
Quinoa with red tomato sauce, melted mozzarella cheese, sauteed summer squash and wilted spinach all topped with parmesan cheese, fresh basil and crushed red pepper flakes for a pizza-esque quinoa dish that's sure to satisfy a pizza craving.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups dry quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water
1 tsp. olive oil
1 medium summer squash, chopped
1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce
1/2 cup vegan mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup spinach
salt and pepper to taste
sprinkling of red pepper flakes, for garnish
sprinkling of parmesan cheese, for garnish
fresh basil and oregano, for garnish
Instructions
Rinse the quinoa. Place in a medium saucepan with the water. Bring to a boil then turn down to low, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.
Saute chopped squash in heated oil for about 10 minutes or until it's tender.
Once the quinoa is done, fluff with a fork. Remove from heat and add the squash, tomato sauce, cheese and spinach. Stir well to combine.
Add salt and pepper to taste and top with red pepper flakes, parmesan and fresh basil. Mamma mia that's delizioso!
Lemony Garlic Pasta with Brussel Sprouts & Crispy Polenta. What's wrong with me? Ugggh. This might be my longest dish name ever. Apparently naming dishes is not in my book of talents...or is it? I guess it depends on who you ask.
Regardless of it's name, this pasta dish was pretty bomb-diggity. Unless you don't like brussel sprouts or polenta. But who doesn't? What's almost as good as this pasta was how quick and easy it was to make, not to mention it's pretty darn healthy. Everything can be prepared and cooked while the polenta bakes in the oven and the sauce is already made thanks to Citizen Chef.
Citizen Chef is my personal sous chef. No, that's a lie. It a food company that has a line of ready-made, fresh sauces and salads. Normally I'm not really big on pre-made things like sauces, but sometimes I'm just too busy to whip one up myself. Imagine that. We can all relate, yes? Yes. Okay, so here's what you need to know about this ready-made Limone Garlic Sauce from Citizen Chef so you can hurry up already and get back to your busy life.
Limone Garlic Sauce by Citizen Chef
What: The Limone Garlic Sauce is "made from scratch with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and a fresh squeeze of lemon." It can be used in simmering, grilling, sauteing, and baking. This particular sauce is made primarily from a vegan stock, onions, olive oil, garlic and lemon. There's four servings per container with 70 calories a serving. What I really liked about this sauce in contrast to many others, is that it's not loaded with sodium. It has 250 mg per serving which is less than most I've seen.
Why: Our world is a busy one and sometimes we have to choose between healthy food and fast food. But thanks to Citizen Chef, when crunch time comes it's nice to know that you can reach for a prepared sauce and whip something up that's healthy as well as fast. All of the ingredients in the Limone Garlic Sauce are natural and there's no artificial flavors or preservatives, because seriously we don't need them.
In addition to actually cooking a meal, sometimes finding a recipe can be just as consuming. Don't worry though, Citizen Chef's got your back with recipes on their website specific to what sauce you'll be using. Whew! Their "...passion is to empower people to make healthier choices for their bodies, their families, and the planet..." So join them! It's easy when half the work is already done!
Where: Take a look at these retailers to find Citizen Chef products, including Costco and Safeway.
Recurrence: I wasn't able to find Citizen Chef at my local grocery store and the closest Costco is a little over one hour away, so I haven't made it there yet. When I do though, you can bet I'll be picking up some of these sauces for those days of the week that get a little cray cray.
So avoid eating Oreos for dinner (I never do this...) and whip up a meal as quick as it'd take you to open that cookie package. If you're not keen on lemon and/or garlic (say what?!) you're sure to find one you enjoy, like Thai Coconut, Chipotle Adobo, Hawaiian Pineapple BBQ or others. You might just see a review for a different flavor later down the road!
Lemony Garlic Pasta with Brussel Sprouts & Crispy Polenta
Inspired by myself
Serves 4
9 oz. of pre-cooked round polenta (half a tube), diced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cups brussel sprouts, ends removed and halved
3 Tbsp. of water
1 13 oz. box of your favorite pasta (I used whole wheat linguine)
1 10 oz. container of Citizen Chef's Limone Garlic Sauce
fresh lemon thyme for sprinkling (optional)
vegan parmesan cheese (I use Parmela)
Start by preheating the oven to 450 degrees. Dice up the precooked polenta into bite sized pieces and arrange on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, ensuring that they don't overlap. Once the oven has reached temperature, bake for 30 minutes or until crispy on the outside.
Wash the brussel sprouts and chop them in half. Make sure to cut the stems off at the end first and discard any leaves that fall off after being halved. Feed them to your dog. Bob loves them!
In a large frying pan heat the olive oil, then add the halved brussel sprouts. Allow them to brown slightly over medium heat. This will take about 5-10 minutes. After they've browned, add in the water and cover. Turn to low and allow them to cook for about 10 minutes or until they justbecome tender. If you prefer your elf heads on the crunchier side, feel free to only brown them.
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While the brussel sprouts steam, cook the pasta according to the package then drain it and return it to it's pot.
Once the sprouts and polenta are all finished cooking, combine them in the pasta pot including the entire container of the Limone Garlic Sauce and mix well to combine. Serve hot with a sprinkle of fresh lemon thyme and vegan parmesan cheese. Dinner's done and in record time!
Lemony Garlic Pasta with Brussel Sprouts & Crispy Polenta
Recipe Type: Entree
Author: Katie - Produce On Parade
Serves: 4
Pan-fried brussel sprouts and crispy, baked polenta mix with linguini and a ready-made lemon garlic sauce for a fast, simple and healthy dinner with help from Citizen Chef.
Ingredients
9 oz. of pre-cooked round polenta (half a tube), diced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cups brussel sprouts, ends removed and halved
3 Tbsp. of water
1 13 oz. box of your favorite pasta (I used whole wheat linguine)
1 15 oz. container of Citizen Chef's Limone Garlic Sauce
fresh lemon thyme for sprinkling (optional)
vegan parmesan cheese (I use Parmela)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Dice the precooked polenta into bite sized pieces and arrange on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Once the oven is ready, bake for 30 minutes or until crispy on the outside.
Halve the brussel sprouts. Make sure to cut the stem off at the end first and discard any leaves that fall off after being halved.
In a large frying pan heat the olive oil, then add the halved brussel sprouts. Allow them to brown slightly over medium heat. This will take about 5-10 minutes.
Next, add in the water and cover. Simmer cook for about 10 minutes or until they become just tender.
Cook the pasta according to the package then drain it and return it to it's pot.
Once the sprouts and polenta are all finished cooking, combine them in the pasta pot including the entire container of the Limone Garlic Sauce and mix well to combine.
Serve hot with a sprinkle of fresh lemon thyme and vegan parmesan cheese.
A couple weekends ago I may have eaten my weight in Oreos. Okay, maybe that's exaggerating but I feel like it was pretty darn close. The misfortune occurred during the road trip that Todd and I took to Denali, which I talked about in this post. I hate road trips. All of them, there're torture! I just loathe being stuck in a box for a zillion hours. Sure, you can get out and walk around every now and again but that just makes me feel even more like a dog trapped in a small crate that's let out a few times a day. This may be a dramatic comparison, but you get my point.
Anyway, to make this trip less miserable I brought along some candied ginger (I get carsick...yes I'm a joy when road-tripping) and we listened to podcasts the entire way up while consuming a whole bag of Oreos and a large bag of Sunchips. Needless to say, the following week my body was in dire need of a reboot, so to speak. This Spiced Mint & Parsley Lentil Salad was the perfect dish to help me feel less like a complete, gluttonous bum. I was in dire need of some real food, people.
So, it won't win any beauty awards but it's the robust combination of lentils mixed with fragrant spices and fresh herbs that make it such a revitalizing salad. It's sure to rejuvenate anyone after a long weekend of being on the funk food bandwagon. Serve it up as a side dish or as an entree, as we did.
fresh juice from 1/2 a small lemon (about 2-3 Tbsp.)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
a couple handfuls of fresh spinach (or any other greens)
paprika for garnish (optional)
Drain and rinse the dry, green lentils. However, using green lentils isn't mandatory. You can use any color you'd like. Brown lentils will take a bit longer to cook and red lentils will cook a bit faster, so make sure to be aware of that.
Place the lentils in a medium saucepan with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then cover and turn down to low. Allow them to simmer for about 30 minutes. The time will vary based on the lentils used, and of course you can always add more water if needed. You can tell when they're finished cooking as they should be tender.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium frying pan over low. Add in the garlic and the onion and stir until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. P.S. Check out my cool garlic holder! Have an adorable little egg crate but don't do eggs anymore? Repurpose it! I've also seen them used as a jewelry holder, too!
Chop the fresh herbs and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, salt, pepper and spices. Add this mixture to the garlic and onions and heat over low for a few minutes.
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Once the lentils are tender, add all the remaining ingredients to the lentil pot as well as the spinach, allowing it to wilt. Mix well to combine. Serve with a sprinkle of paprika! It can be served hot, room temperature or cooled. However you prefer!
Smile! Eating healthy has never been more tasty.
Spiced Mint & Parsley Lentil Salad
Recipe Type: Entree
Author: Katie - Produce On Parade
Serves: 2
Robust lentils mix with fragrant spices and fresh herbs for a revitalizing salad. It's sure to rejuvenate anyone, after a long weekend of being on the funk food bandwagon. Serve as a side dish or as an entree.
Ingredients
1 cup dry green lentils (or any color you'd like)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 onion, chopped small
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/3 -1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
1/3 - 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
fresh juice from 1/2 a small lemon (about 2-3 Tbsp.)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
a couple handfuls of fresh spinach (or any other greens)
paprika for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Drain and rinse lentils. Place the lentils in a medium saucepan with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then cover and turn down to low.
Allow to simmer for 30 minutes. This will vary based on the lentils used, and of course you can add more water if needed. You can tell when they're finished cooking as they should be tender.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium frying pan over low. Add in the garlic and the onion and stir until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes.
Chop the fresh herbs and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, salt, pepper and spices. Add this mixture to the garlic and onions and heat over low for a few minutes.
Once the lentils are tender, add in all the remaining ingredients to that pot as well as the spinach and allow it to wilt. Mix well to combine.
