Spaghetti Squash & Spicy Black Bean “Meat”balls

Check out the guest blog I did for the University Health Network earlier today:

Here’s a tasty, and not to mention healthy, twist on a classic Italian dish! If you’re in the mood for pasta but want to aviod eating something starchy, you can try opting for spaghetti squash instead. This lighter, low-calorie substitute amounts to approximately 42 calories per cup and contains several essential nutrients, such as vitamins A, C and B6.

Of course, spaghetti is not spaghetti unless it’s served with meatballs! Being a vegetarian, I decided to try making meat-free meatballs for the first time. I found a simple recipe online and made a few small modifications of my own. I have to admit I was a bit worried that the meatballs wouldn’t stick together well and would just end up crumbling, but this recipe worked out fantastically! The meatballs were firm on the outside and slightly soft on the inside. The added pinch of red pepper flakes gave them a bit of a kick as well.  

With a few minor modifications, this recipe can also be vegan-friendly. Regardless of your dietary preferences, this dish is sure to please your palate :) Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash & Spicy Black Bean “Meat”balls

Makes about 12 “meat”balls (each roughly the size of a golfball). Serves 2-4.

Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash, cut in half length-wise, seeds scooped out
1 can no-salt added black beans
1 egg (vegan substitute: 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water)
1/4 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce (vegan substitute: try this vegan-friendly worchestershire sauce recipe)
1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese (vegan substitute: nutritional yeast)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion power
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp black pepper
Pinch of sea salt
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Cooking spray
1.5 cups of your favourite low-sodium pasta sauce

Directions:
1. Place the squash, cut side down, in a large pot filled with a couple of inches of water. Cover and bring to a boil for about 20 minutes, or until the squash is tender. Allow the squash some time to cool, then scrape a fork across the flesh to separate the strands. Season with a bit of pepper, sea salt, or herbs such as basil and oregano.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
3. Pour the beans into a large mixing bowl and mash with a potato masher until almost smooth. Mix in the egg, breadcrumbs, worchestershire sauce, parmesan cheese, and seasonings with a fork.
4. Use a tablespoon measure or spoon to form meatball-sized portions, using your hands to roll them into ball shapes.
5. Arrange on the baking sheet, spray with a bit more cooking spray (this will help them develop a bit of a crisp on the outside), and bake for about 20 minutes.
6. Divide the spaghetti squash into bowls. Combine the “meat”balls and pasta sauce in a sauce pan and gently stir until heated through. Divide the warm “meat”balls and sauce over the spaghetti squash. Garnish with some parmesan cheese or freshly chopped basil. Dig in!

Meatless Monday: Stuffed Butternut Squash

I’ve had a mild obsession with butternut squash lately. It’s just SO GOOD, and can be used in so many different ways! I had pinned a recipe on Pinterest a while back for stuffed acorn squash and figured why not try it with a butternut squash? I didn’t really follow a specific recipe for this. I sort of made it up as I went along, throwing a bit of this and that in whenever I saw fit. Here’s the jist of the recipe:

Stuffed Butternut Squash

Ingredients:

1 bottom half of a butternut squash, seeds removed – the squash should be hollowed out like a bowl so it can be easily stuffed

1/4 cup cooked quinoa (you can also substitute any other leftover grains you may have lying around, such as brown rice or bulgur)

1/4 cup black beans, rinsed and drained

1 tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup mixed vegetables, chopped (I used peppers, onions, tomatoes and mushrooms)

1 green onion, thinly sliced

2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

2-3 tbsp feta cheese*, crumbled

1/2 tbsp Parmesan cheese*

*Feel free to omit the cheese to make this recipe vegan-friendly, or substitute with non-dairy cheese.

Directions:

1. Place the butternut squash, cut side down, on a baking tray lined with tinfoil. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until tender.

2. While the squash is roasting, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chopped vegetables and saute until softened, about 4-5 minutes. You can also add a pinch of chili flakes if you want a bit of heat.

3. Remove the frying pan from the heat. Add the quinoa, black beans, green onion, cilantro, and feta cheese to the vegetables; mix to combine.

4. Carefully turn the squash over so it looks like a bowl. Stuff the squash with the vegetable/quinoa/bean mixture; sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Place the squash back in the oven and broil for about 2 minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown.

5. Eat and enjoy!

This recipe was so tasty and very filling. I plan on making it again very soon!

Happy Meatless Monday :)

Be Well xo

Meatless Monday: Vegetarian Quinoa Chili… And Some Highlights from California

I am so very sorry for not posting over the past several weeks! I wish I could say I’ve been hard at work, but in all honesty I was actually in California with my family for a while. My parents had been thinking about going there as we had never been to the west coast. It was quite possibly one of the best family vacations we’ve ever experienced. We landed in LA and did a lot of sight seeing, including walking down Rodeo Drive, Hollywood Blvd, and even making a quick visit to see the Grammy museum. We also were fortunate enough to get tickets to a taping of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and I was able to see my favourite Friends character in person – Phoebe Buffay, otherwise known as Lisa Kudrow!

After spending a few days soaking up the sun and touring the city, we tackled the drive up the coast towards San Francisco, stopping along the way to snap some photos of the setting sun.

Then we continued on towards Carmel (FYI the most adorable town I’ve ever seen) to spend the night. The next morning we did the infamous 17-mile drive to Monterey Bay, and obviously made a pit stop at the Monterey Bay Aquarium to see the jellies!

Afterwards we continued on to our final destination on the trip – San Francisco! We did a lot of sight seeing, which was great because the grueling hikes up San Francisco’s many hills helped make me feel better about all the tasty food I had been eating on the trip. We also rode on the Napa Valley Wine Train. Yes, you read correctly. It’s a train that takes you through some of Napa Valley’s wineries. You can kick back, relax, and enjoy a gourmet meal on the train while sipping on delicious local wine. Definitely my kind of train ride! Our final tourist destination was visiting Alcatraz. I highly recommend doing the tour if you ever have the opportunity! Just make sure you purchase tickets well in advance.

Anyways, that was an extremely brief summary of my adventures in California! If you have never been to this part of the United States, I seriously recommend going there. Personally, I would consider moving there if given the opportunity. There’s so much to do and see – the things I mentioned above only begin to scratch the surface!

Moving on.. I hope this week’s Meatless Monday recipe will help you forgive my lengthy period of silence over the past several weeks. It’s yet another gem I found on Pinterest that I was inspired to make to welcome this year’s football season. I only made half of the recipe (thank goodness), but it still made a lot! I had so much leftover that I ended up freezing half of it. I must say though that I will most definitely be making this chili again. It’s hearty, delicious, vegan-friendly, packed with fibre, and gluten-free! I’ve never had quinoa in chili before, but it’s a fantastic way to add a source of complete protein to this vegetarian meal. Enjoy!!

Vegetarian Quinoa Chili

Original recipe serves 10-12. Half the recipe serves about 5-6.

Click here to see the original recipe, courtesy of Two Peas & Their Pod.

 

Meatless Monday: Garlic Roasted Summer Squash… and the Contest Winner!

A winner has been selected for the SlimKicker giveaway contest! Drum roll please………………….

CONGRATULATIONS to leslieghee! Your suggestion has been selected by the SlimKicker team and will be featured as a new challenge on the SlimKicker app:

“Alternate days of cardio and strength training for a couple of weeks. One day do 30 minutes of running, and the next day do an arms/chest workout, etc. It’s important to do both types of exercises, not just one or the other.”

Very true! Strength training is especially important for weight loss. The more lean muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn while at rest! Leslieghee, please email me at lmfujita (at) gmail.com to receive details on how to claim your prize!

Now, on to this week’s Meatless Monday recipe. Mama Earth sent us some summer squash last week – they looked so cute! My mom roasted them with a bit of garlic and olive oil. So simple, yet so delicious. I gobbled it right up :)

Garlic Roasted Summer Squash

Ingredients:

2-3 summer squashes (they were small)

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

Pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Trim the ends from the squash and cut into bite-sized pieces. Toss the squash with olive oil, garlic and pepper in a bowl. Place in a shallow baking dish.

2. Roast the squash for about 5-10 minutes, or until tender and slightly browned. Enjoy!

In other news, my boyfriend and I recently found an apartment together and I went to pick up the keys today! We will gradually be moving things in over the next week. I apologize in advance as I likely will not have much time to blog, but hopefully things will get settled rather quickly and I can get back in the swing of things!

Be Well xo

Vegan Banana-Orange Pancakes

I’ve got another tasty Sunday morning recipe for you all! Vegan pancakes. Super easy to make and incredibly delicious. For an extra special Sunday breakfast treat, you can try adding some chocolate chips to the batter as well. Of course, if you use milk chocolate chips then the recipe will no longer be vegan-friendly. My suggestion would be to look for some vegan dark chocolate. Yum!

Also, don’t forget about the SlimKicker giveaway contest that’s happening right now! Just to remind you all, SlimKicker is looking for new suggestions for healthy challenges to add to their app. Simply comment on last week’s post with your suggestion. SlimKicker will select their favourite and the winner will receive a free digital kitchen scale! You’d better hurry with your submissions, because the contest ends this Wednesday!

Vegan Banana-Orange Pancakes

Yields about 6-8 pancakes (I made 4 medium-sized pancakes and 4 smaller pancakes with chocolate chips)

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 banana, mashed

1 1/4 cups vanilla soy milk

1 tbsp sweetener (I used maple syrup. You could also use honey, stevia, sugar, etc.)

1-2 tsp orange zest

Directions:

1. Sift the flour and baking powder together in a large bowl.

2. In a small bowl, mash the banana with a fork and add 1/4 cup of the soy milk, mixing together until there are no lumps. Add the banana mixture, maple syrup, and remaining soy milk to the dry mix and stir together until just mixed.

3. Portion out about 3/4 to 1 cup of batter onto a hot non-stick pan. The pan will be hot enough when you flick a bit of water onto it and it sizzles. When the centre of the batter starts of bubble, flip the pancake over and cook the other side until golden brown. Repeat until the batter is gone! I ate my pancakes with some orange slices and a slight drizzling of maple syrup. Enjoy :)