Scattered, capped, covered…

For those of you fortunate enough to call the south home, you undoubtedly spend some of your breakfast time ordering your hashbrowns in a very similar way. Covered only for Alex, capped and covered for me, while my dad prefers his scattered, covered, chunked, smothered, capped and peppered. The possibilities are endless, and they make for the perfect breakfast hashbrowns. Cure-all for illness, hangover, or hunger, Waffle House is a must for breakfast.

For me, now, as I voyage on into this healthier lifestyle, Waffle House is more of a rare treat. I refuse to ban myself from the things that I love completely, but remember, this is all about healthier decisions overall, which means if I want to indulge every once in a while, I know it’s not going to kill me or my progress. So far, though, I’m three weeks strong with no indulging, and I have to say, I’ve come up with a hash that would make even the most die-hard WaHo fans swoon.

Sweet potato hash with black beans, spinach, and mushroom! This recipe is ridiculously simple, and makes enough to serve 8 people quite generously.

Sweet Potato Hash

1 Large sweet potato, cubed and par-cooked in the microwave for about 7-8 minutes with a little bit of water in the bottom of a bowl, and a lid partially cracked to allow steam to escape.

While potato is cooking, heat a large saucepan over medium high heat. Melt down one pad of butter and cook the mushrooms until tender and cooked through. Add the spinach and cook just until wilted. Add one can of Bush’s Low Sodium Black Beans and stir until combined.

When potato finishes, either fry it up on the stove over medium high heat for an additional 3-5 minutes or until crispy, or finish in a roasting pan in the oven at 400* for 5-10 minutes. When finished stir into saucepan with over vegetables. Crumble a little queso fresco over the top and serve aside Taco burgers, as a filling for veggie quesadillas, or by itself with a couple of eggs cracked over top and cooked through.

This hash serves about 8, and contains the following per serving: 63 calories, 14g carbs, 0 grams of fat, 4 grams of protein, 112 mg of sodium, and 3 grams of fiber! SUPER healthy, and SO delicious!

Spaghetti squash with roasted vegetable ragout

Weekends mean one thing for sure in this house these days: GROCERY SHOPPING! Now that I’m focusing on incorporating so many fresh, healthy foods into my regular diet, more frequent trips are definitely required to keep my fridge fully stocked!

On Saturday we took a trip to Publix, and I went to town in the produce section. Several of the vegetables I picked up got incorporated into one of my favorite vegetarian meals for dinner tonight: Spaghetti squash with roasted vegetable ragout! My favorite part about this meal is that you can easily alter it based on what veg is in season, or what you’re in the mood for at the time. Tonight I stuck with some of my favorite staples, and added a few extra steps to really play with the flavors and kick this dish up a notch.

Spaghetti Squash with Roasted Vegetable Ragout (Serves 4)

1 small-medium spaghetti squash

1 medium zucchini, diced

1 cup diced portabello mushrooms

2 cups of broccoli florets (about 1/2 of one “head”…not sure what you call broccoli)

6 cups raw baby spinach

1 can Del Monte diced tomatoes with garlic, basil and oregano

2 teaspoons of lemon juice

2 teaspoons of hot sauce (or to taste)

4 cloves of garlic

2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese

salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to taste

Begin by piercing several holes into the outside of your spaghetti squash, and roasting in the oven at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes

While the squash is roasting, dice remaining vegetables. When squash is finished roasting, take out of oven, and set on a plate to the side. Add 2 tablespoons of EVOO to the roasting pan, and add diced vegetables, garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are just soft.

While vegetables are roasting, heat 1 pad of butter in large sauce pan over medium high heat. Add spinach, and cook until just wilted. Add one can of Del Monte diced tomatoes, and stir to combine. Add roasted vegetables, lemon juice and hot sauce and let simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes.

While ragout is simmering, slice spaghetti squash in half at the equator (not lengthwise) and remove seeds/pulp from the center (you can save the seeds for roasting later, if you’d like.) Slice each half again, this time lengthwise, and shred inside of the squash with a fork, adding the squash strings to a serving plate.

Grab a healthy portion of spaghetti squash, top with the vegetable ragout, and sprinkle generously with grated Parmesan! This meal has a lot of prep, and individual steps, but when you take a bite of this succulent, refreshing “pasta” meal, you will be thankful for every minute of the cooking time!

 

Nutritional information for squash + sauce: 246 calories, 51 g carbs, 1 g fat, 14 g protein, 486mg sodium, and 15 g fiber.

Woman’s Day Spaghetti Squash with Roasted Vegetables