Lemon Pesto Spaghetti Squash

 

• 1 medium spaghetti squash
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• 2 cups cauliflower florets
• Basil Pesto
• 2 cups baby spinach, coarsely chopped
• Juice of ½ small lemon, plus wedges for serving
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• ¼ cup chopped fresh herbs (parsley or basil)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Parmesan cheese (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Prepare and roast the spaghetti squash according to the instructions in this post. Drizzle the cauliflower with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place on the second baking sheet. Roast for about 25 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.
3. Meanwhile, make the pesto and set aside.
4. Place the baby spinach in a large bowl. Use a fork to scrape the spaghetti squash into strands. Add the lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper (you can do this right in the spaghetti squash halves). Add the spaghetti squash to the bowl and gently toss, so that the heat from the squash lightly wilts the spinach leaves.
5. Add the roasted cauliflower, pine nuts, parsley, and a dollop of the pesto.
6. Optional step: toss it all together so that the pesto coats all of the vegetables.
7. Serve with lemon wedges, extra pesto, and Parmesan, if desired.

(Source: Love & Lemons)

Shepherd's Pie

POTATO TOPPING

• 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
• ▢½ cup milk
• ▢¼ cup butter
• ▢kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Meat Filling

• ▢2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
• ▢2 celery stalk, diced
• ▢1½ pounds ground lamb or ground beef
• ▢1 teaspoon salt
• ▢¼ teaspoon pepper
• ▢1 cup chicken or beef broth
• ▢1½ tablespoons tomato paste
• ▢1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• ▢1 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
• ▢1 cup frozen peas

• Place the potatoes in a pot on the stove and cover with cold water. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Cook for 13 to 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft when pierced with a fork.
• Drain the potatoes in a colander, then return to the pot. Add the milk, butter, salt and pepper and mash until creamy.
• Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). In a large oven-safe saute pan, heat the oil on medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute for a minute. Then add the diced carrots, diced celery, and lamb. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until the meat is browned. Use your spatula to break up the meat while cooking.
• Drain the fat from the pan and add the broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. Simmer for about 5 minutes, until the sauce is slightly thickened.
• Add the frozen peas and stir together. Turn off the stove and use the back of your spatula to flatten the meat mixture into a single layer.
• Dollop the mashed potatoes on top of the meat and use a spoon or spatula to spread it flat to the edges. If desired, create texture in the potato topping with a spoon or fork.
• Bake the shepherd's pie until slightly golden, about 25 to 30 minutes. You can broil the top for 1 to 2 minutes as well.

(Source: Downshiftology)

Roasted Butternut Squash

 

• 1 large butternut squash (3 lbs) peeled, cut into 1″ cubes
• 2 tablespoons melted butter 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 tsp EACH ground cinnamon, dried thyme, dried rosemary, garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp EACH pepper, paprika
• Pinch cayenne pepper

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a jelly roll pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Add squash to prepared pan.
• Melt butter in a medium bowl in the microwave. Add all remaining ingredients and whisk to combine. Drizzle 2/3 butter mixture over squash then mix until evenly coated.
• Spread squash in a single layer so it isn’t touching.
• Roast for 15 minutes, stir and spread back into an even layer. Continue to roast an additional 10-15 minutes, or until squash is fork tender. Broil 1-2 minutes if desired. Remove from oven and toss with remaining butter mixture.

(Source: https://carlsbadcravings.com/roasted-butternut-squash/#wprm-recipe-container-34315)

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

• ▢2 pounds (~3 large) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• ▢2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢3/4 teaspoon salt
• ▢1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
• ▢1/2 teaspoon ground chili powder
• ▢1/2 teaspoon paprika
• ▢1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Peel and cube the sweet potatoes into 1/2 inch pieces. Add to your largest sheet pan and add the olive oil, salt, pepper, chili powder, paprika, cumin, and garlic powder on top. Toss to coat all the sweet potatoes and then spread out to arrange in an even layer. You don't want any potatoes overlapping or you'll end up with steamed potatoes instead of roasted potatoes. Flip every 10-15 minutes cooking for a total of 27-35 minutes. (I flip every 10 minutes and bake around 30 minutes)

(Source: https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/roasted-sweet-potatoes/)

Roasted Red Potatoes

 

• 1 1/2 pounds baby red potatoes halved

• ▢

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• ▢

• 2 teaspoons garlic minced

• ▢

• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

• ▢

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• ▢

• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

• ▢

• 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

• ▢

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• ▢

• cooking spray

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil and coat the foil with cooking spray.
• Place the potatoes in a large bowl. Add the olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese. Toss to coat.
• Spread the potatoes in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and fork tender. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

(Source: https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/roasted-red-potatoes/)

Easy Smashed Potatoes

 

• 1 1/2 pounds small potatoes (yellow or red), scrubbed and rinsed
• fine sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• optional toppings: chopped fresh herbs, flaky sea salt, and/or Parmesan cheese

1. Boil the potatoes. Add the potatoes and 1 tablespoon fine sea salt to a large stockpot.  Fill the pot with cold water so that the water line sits about 1 inch above the potatoes.  Heat over high heat until the water comes to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-high (or whatever temperature is needed to maintain the boil) and continue boiling the potatoes for about 10-15 minutes, or until a fork can be easily inserted in the center of the potatoes. (Cooking time will vary, so rely on the fork test to double-check when done.)  Transfer the potatoes to a strainer to drain completely.
2. Prepare oven and baking sheet. Heat the oven to 425°F (218°C).  Brush a large baking sheet evenly with the olive oil.
3. Smash the potatoes. Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, transfer them to the baking sheet.  Then use either the bottom of a glass, a fork or a potato masher to gently “smash” each potato down until it is around 1/2-inch thick.  Brush or drizzle the potatoes evenly with the melted butter.  Sprinkle evenly with the garlic powder and smoked paprika.*  Then sprinkle evenly with however much fine sea salt and black pepper you prefer.  
4. Bake. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the potatoes are crispy and golden around the edges.  Remove pan from the oven, sprinkle the potatoes with your desired toppings, serve hot and enjoy!

(Source: https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/smashed-potatoes/#tasty-recipes-75258)