I was home alone this afternoon and I made a vow to myself to do minimal work over the weekend because I was getting burned out. I also made a vow not to back a whole lot more until Thanksgiving because I am getting chubby. So, I decided to make something new to take for lunch this week.
Sometimes the best and/or most creative dishes occur when I have no idea what it is I am going to make. I assessed my kitchen stores and found that I had an almost finished jar of peanut butter, one lonely onion, a spaghetti squash, one lime, half a bag of broccoli florets, and a Thai Peanut Bake pouch from a Taste of Thai. At first I dismissed the idea of putting the peanut butter theme and the squash together. As I brainstormed for ideas though, I thought of pad thai... in which I did not have any noodles for. Then I thought of the spaghetti squash, and I just went for it. After all, it's spaghetti, isn't it? ha!
It is actually pretty good together! I even made my husband try it. He hates spaghetti squash, but he did not mind this. He did think it could use some curry on it, but I am a little afraid to add it. I might add the curry in one small portion sometime this week. I left it out of the recipe below, but you can always add some on your own!
Ingredients
1 large spaghetti squashed
4 chicken breasts
1 Taste of Thai spicy peanut bake package (2 pouches)
2 cups broccoli florets, cooked
1 medium onion
Pam (a few sprays)
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp peanut butter (I used creamy, but chunky could work too)
1 tsp Taste of Asia hot sauce (or any sweet and hot asian sauce)
1/2 lime
Method
Step one (Squash): Prepare the spaghetti squash by baking halves, open side down for 40 minutes at 350 degrees F. There are other ways to do this, like the microwave, too. Shred the squash once it is cooled into long spaghetti-like strands and place it in a large bowl.
Step two (Chicken): Roll the chicken breasts in the the spicy peanut bake topping. Top any leftover topping on the chicken. Bake the chicken for 20-22 minutes in a 350 degrees F oven. Once the chicken is finished baking, let it cool. Then slice it into bite size chunks. Add the chicken to the spaghetti squash bowl.
Step three (Onions and Broccoli): Dice the onion and saute it with some Pam and 1 tsp of cayenne pepper until the onion is translucent. Add the onion and cooked broccoli to the squash and chicken mixture.
Step four (Sauce): In a small bowl, mix the peanut butter and the Taste of Asia hot sauce together. Add this to the larger bowl mixture. Then squeeze the lime juice into the bowl. I relied on the water from the squash and the lime to thin out the peanut butter. You may need to add a little moisture on your own if the peanut butter is too thick.
Other ideas for serving would be to add more peanuts, curry powder as mentioned above, and Sriracha!
Last year I had a goal to try and eat more fish. I had never liked fish, but my husband loves it. It also has all of those nutritional values like Omega 3's, so I figured it was time for me to make a try. flipped through some cook books, and I found a few recipes I was willing to try. One was called Quick fish pie with peas from The Illustrated Quick Cook by DK Books. I love this book because the recipes range from classic to inventive and they are pretty quick to make!
This time Brad and I made a few substitutions to the original recipe. We chose to use red potatoes and leave the skin on them for the "crust" topping as opposed to using regular baking potatoes. I liked this better because it had a more robust flavor and was not as bland. We usually have to add a lot of salt to the potatoes, but not this time. If you would prefer russet or gold potatoes, peel and quarter the potatoes before you boil them
We can also choose the different types of fish we place in it. It calls for 11/2 pound of boneless whitefish, like haddock, cod, or pollack. This time we used half flounder and half haddock. We also added a pound of shrimp to change it up a little. It was an amazing addition!
Ingredients
2 lbs. red potatoes, scrubbed with skins on
1 tbsp butter
1 1/2 lb skinless boneless whitefish (like haddock, flounder, hake, cod, pollack)
3/4 cup milk
1 cup frozen peas
4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
salt and ground pepper to taste
For the sauce
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups milk
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (or the broiler on high). Peel and quarter the potatoes, and boil or steam in a pan of salted water for about 15 minutes, or until soft. Drain well and mash. Add the butter, and mash again. Set aside and keep warm.
2. Put the fish in a shallow frying pan. Season well with salt and pepper. Pour in just enough of the milk to cover, and poach over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Remove the fish with a slotted spoon, and transfer to a baking dish.
3. To make the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove from the heat, and stir in the flour with a wooden spoon until smooth. Return the pan to the heat, and gradually add the milk, stirring constantly. Keep cooking and stirring for 5-6 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Add more milk if needed. Stir in the mustard and season with salt and pepper. Gently stir in the peas and eggs.
4. Spoon the sauce over the fish and stir gently.Top with the mashed potatoes, swirling them so that they are not flat, but have dips and peaks. Bake or cook the pie under the broiler for about 10 minutes, or until the top is crisp and the mixture is heated through.
