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Parmesan Cheese

Spaghetti Squash With Garlicky Collard Greens And Parmesan Cheese (Video)

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Finding different ways to serve Spaghetti Squash is a fun job to have, that is of course, if you call spending a lot of time on something you really love but barely get paid for a job.

Maybe I should rephrase that to hobby? Or past-time?

Actually how about dream job?

Finding different ways to serve spaghetti squash is a fun dream- job to have.

I’m living the dream people and who ever said that the dream including a pay check?

Anyhow, forgive my rant, back to spaghetti squash!

I could honestly eat it everyday of the week.

It’s an-ex pasta lovers dream date.

I already told you guys about all of it’s perks here and here, so I won’t continue to try to sell you on it but if you have jumped on over to the spaghetti squash fan club you definitely want to throw this recipe into your rotation and watch this video.

And if you don’t have collared greens, no problem!  You can sub in any dark leaf green you have on hand.

Kale.

Chard.

Dandelion Greens.

They will all get the job done.

So please give this one a try and do come back and let me know what you think.  I always love to hear how you guys change things up or how you adapt a recipe to make it your own, so don’t forget to come back and chat with me down in the comments below.

Print Recipe

Spaghetti Squash With Garlicky Collard Greens

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ onion, chopped
  • 1-bunch collard greens, stemmed
  • 1-cup low sodium chicken broth
  • 5 cups COOKED spaghetti squash (I used a 3lb squash)
  • ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Slice the collard stems into ¼-inch pieces.  Roll the collard leaves and slice into thin ribbons.

Heat olive oil in a large non-stick sauté pan.  Add onion, garlic, and collard stems along with a pinch of salt.  Cook for 6-8 minutes or until your veggies are fragrant and beginning to become tender.

Add in collard ribbons, a bit more salt, black pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes along with 1 cup of chicken broth.  Cook for 10-12 minutes or until your green are nice and tender.

Toss in COOKED spaghetti squash and combine everything together.  Adjust seasonings and top with fresh Parmesan cheese.  Enjoy!

Makes 4 hearty servings.

Nutrients per ¼-of recipe: Calories: 138; Total Fat: 5.1g; Saturated Fat: 1.4g; Cholesterol: 4mg; Carbohydrate: 15.4g; Dietary Fiber: 4.2g; Sugars: 6.5g; Protein: 3.6g

Clean Eating Pesto (Video)

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I had a ton of basil in the fridge and wanted to see if I could lighten up my recipe just a little bit more.

By cutting back just a kiss on the oil, cheese, and nuts I was able to make my original recipe even lighter without sacrificing any flavor!

Pesto is full of nutritious ingredients like; basil, garlic, pine nuts and extra virgin olive oil, but when all is said and done, if I can find a way to lighten up a recipe without sacrificing flavor I’m all in!

Here’s what I did:

  • I swapped out a little more than half of the oil for chicken broth (you could easily use veggie broth if you wanted to keep it vegetarian)
  • Reduced my pine nuts from 1/4 cup to 2 tbsp
  • Cut out one tbsp of  the Parmesan cheese

Small changes… big results!

I found that by adding in the broth not only do you save yourself some excess calories, but it makes the pesto creamier (there’s no oil pooling at the top of your pesto), plus it’s easier to spread and coats pasta more evenly. And don’t worry, since you’re not eliminating the olive oil all together, the pesto still benefits from the fruity, richness that the olive oil brings.

Now the question becomes, “What shall I do with my pesto this week?”.  What do you like to make with pesto?

Print Recipe

Clean Eating Pesto

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups, packed basil leaves
  • 2 FAT cloves of garlic (if they're not fat, I'd use 3)
  • 2 tbsp of toasted pine nuts
  • 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil*
  • 1/4 cup of chicken broth
  • 3 tbsp of Parmesan cheese**
  • Big fat pinch of salt

Directions:

Pulse garlic in food processor until finely minced.  Add pine nuts and pulse again.

Add basil and pulse until finely chopped (you may want to do this in batches).

With processor running, slowly add the olive oil and chicken broth, you're looking for a nice creamy consistency.  Stir in the cheese and season with some salt...enjoy!

*Recipes tend to change just a little every time you make them.  Add oil and broth slowly... you may need a little more or a little less.

**If you plan to freeze you're pesto, hold off on adding the cheese (it doesn't do so well in the freezer).  Simply add it in whenever you are ready to use you're pesto.

Makes about a cup.

2 tbsp of Pesto: Calories: 55; Total Fat: 5.1g; Saturated Fat: 1.1g; Cholesterol: 2mg; Carbohydrate: 2.4g; Dietary Fiber: 0.7; Sugars: 0.6g; Protein: 1.4g

Spaghetti Squash With Peas & Parmesan

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Spaghetti Squash With Peas & Parmesan
Spaghetti Squash With Peas & Parmesan

What can I say… I LOVE to eat, so I tend to focus on bulking my meals up with high nutrient, low calorie choices, not only to stay healthy, but because this technique allows me to eat more food.

And as delicious as pasta is, there’s no way to get around the fact that a rather small serving of pasta packs a hefty caloric punch!

But I have discovered that there are two ways around this; you can either ‘Pump Up Your Pasta‘ OR swap your traditional pasta for Spaghetti Squash.

Spaghetti Squash has a ‘pasta like’ texture that pairs really well with just about all the same flavors you would traditionally enjoy with your pasta.  But instead of being a high-carb, energy-dense choice (like pasta), Spaghetti Squash only has about 40 calories for an entire cup and about 10 grams of carbs.

Without harping on the stats too much, let’s just say that it’s a very satisfying, much lighter choice when your in the mood for pasta.  Definitely a great way to balance things out a bit.

I usually can’t resist cooking my squash in the microwave.  It’s just to easy and too fast not to PLUS I find that unlike many other veggies, it really doesn’t change the flavor much.

This simple recipe was a hit with our family.  Even Katie couldn’t get enough!

What about you guys?  What are some of your favorite Clean and Delicious ways to make your Spaghetti Squash?  As you know… I’m always fishing for some new inspiration!

Print Recipe

Spaghetti Squash With Peas & Parmesan

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 cup of frozen peas
  • 2 cups of cooked spaghetti squash
  • ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large non stick pan and add garlic.  Saute until the garlic is fragrant (a minute or so) and then add in the peas.  Cook the peas for about 3-5 minutes before adding in the squash.

Stir everything together and cook until the squash and peas have heated through.  Top with the cheese and season with salt and pepper.  Enjoy!

Makes 4 heaping ½ cup servings.

Nutrients per 1/2-cup serving: Calories: 102; Total Fat: 5g; Saturated Fat: 1.4g; Cholesterol: 4mg; Carbohydrate: 10.5g; Dietary Fiber: 2.6g; Sugars: 3.5g; Protein: 4.3g

“Rachada” Mushroom Salad

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Mushroom Salad
Mushroom Salad – Clean & Delicious®

Who would ever think to use raw mushrooms as the main ingredient in a cold salad?

Not me, but Rachael Ray and Giada did.

I’ve been watching a lot of Food Network lately (what else is a new Mom to do while she’s feeding her baby?) and this salad seems to be rather popular right now.

First I saw Rachael Ray make a version of this salad using Portobella mushrooms and then Giada made something very similar using white mushrooms (do you think they watch the FN and then steal ideas from each other? – hmmm… I wonder who really made it first)

The salad intrigued me both times because it’s so simple, super fresh and healthy, AND I would have never thought of it myself!  Not in a million years.  But it’s one of those recipes that sounds so good and easy you just can’t help but think, “Why didn’t I think of that?!”

I didn’t write the recipes down but the basic idea was mushrooms and celery with lemon juice and olive oil and then the details varied a bit.  So this is my spin on the “Rachada (Rachael Ray and Giada [duh!]) Mushroom Salad.”  Hope you guys love it – we did!

OH!  And if you’ve got any interesting (or not so interesting) ways you like to use mushrooms, do share in the comments below – I always love to hear from you guys!

Print Recipe

"Rachada" Mushroom Salad

Yield: Serves 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 pint of white or cremini mushrooms
  • 2 stalks of celery, sliced
  • A couple of handfuls of arugula
  • The juice of one lemon (about 2 tbsp)
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • Fresh shaved Parmesan cheese (about a ¼ cup)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Wipe mushrooms down with a damp cloth to remove any dirt.  Cut off the tough end of the stem and thinly slice each mushroom.

Combine mushrooms, celery, and arugula in a large bowl and toss with the lemon juice and olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper and top the salad off with some fresh shaved Parmesan cheese.  Enjoy!

Serves 4.

Nutrients per 1/4 of recipe: Calories: 75; Total Fat: 4.8g; Saturated Fat: 1.2g; Cholesterol: 3mg; Sodium: 94mg; Carbohydrate: 5.7g; Dietary Fiber: 1.6g; Sugars: 3.2g; Protein: 4.7g