Spaghetti Squash Three Ways

Hi Everyone! In case you haven't heard, I recently moved to San Diego, CA!
I am so excited becuase I've been away from home for about 6 years now (I'm originally from the OC). To be back home is like a breathe of fresh air. Although I miss my Seattle family terribly, this move to San Diego has been a new sense of awakening for me. I hope that moving back home has got me more inspired than ever to post my love for food for you all. Thanks for stopping by, and please enjoy my latest blog post! (and many more to come :))

Featured today: Yummy, healthy, and easy Spaghetti Squash! This veggie is like the hottest food right now (well, according to my Pinterest feed it is!). Its an excellent substitute for pasta and noodles. Spaghetti Squash is such a versatile ingredient; you can literally take it in any direction! Today I've decided on the Italian route. Due to my move, my pantry is limited, hence only preparing the Spaghetti Squash  in an Italian way. But I did end up doing it three ways for you, so I hope that makes up for it! I will be sure to do another blog post about all the different international way you can work with this wonderful squash.

 (From Left to Right) Spaghetti Squash Marinara, Spaghetti Squash Carbonara, Pesto Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash Three Ways

Recipe makes 1 serving per recipe

Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes * Cook Time: 30 minutes

Preparing the  Spaghetti Squash 

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Place the spaghetti squash whole on a lined baking sheet
• Bake for 45 minutes and then flip over for an additional 30 minutes (total time in oven is 1 hour 15 minutes) 
• Let squash cool for 30 minutes
• Cut off two end of squash
• Hold squash right up to slice in half length wise 
• Scoop out seeds and toss (or save to make yummy roasted seeds!)
• Scrape gently with spoon for long "spaghetti" like strands
• Set aside
• Note: 1 squash makes about 6 cups of spaghetti. I used 3 cups for this recipe, and you can save the rest for quick snack sauté or you can double the recipes :) 

Ingredients & Instructions: NOTE- I baked all three at the same time on a baking sheet

Ingredients:

For the Spaghetti Squash Marinara

• 1 cup of pre cooked Spaghetti Squash
• 1 diced carrots
• 1 cup sliced crimini mushrooms
• 1/2 cup diced red onion
• 1/2 diced bell peppers
• 1/2 cup marinara sauce
• 1/4 cup of cheese to top
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil for cooking

Instructions:

For the Spaghetti Squash Marinara

• Preheat over to 400 degrees
• Warm up pan to medium heat
• Add olive oil
• Saute all veggies for about 8 minutes
• Add spaghetti squash, saute for 1 minute
• Add in marinara sauce, and stir in thoroughly
• Add salt and pepper to taste
• Transfer mixture to a bake safe dish (like a ramekin or mini skillet!)
• Top mixture with cheese
• Bake for 15 minutes, and broil until cheese is brown and bubbly (YUMMM)

For the Pesto Spaghetti Squash 

• 1 cup of pre cooked Spaghetti Squash
• 1/8 cup of cheese
• 1/8 cup of pesto
• 1/4 cup of shallots, diced

Instructions:

For the Pesto Spaghetti Squash 

• Preheat over to 400 degrees
• Warm up pan to medium heat
• Add olive oil
• Saute shallots, 2-3 minutes
• Add spaghetti squash, saute for 1 minute
• Add in pesto in thoroughly 
• Add salt and pepper to taste
• Transfer mixture to a bake safe dish 
• Top mixture with cheese
• Bake for 15 minutes, and broil until cheese is brown and bubbly 

For the Spaghetti Squash Carbonara 

• 1 cup of pre cooked Spaghetti Squash
• 2 slices of turkey bacon, cooked and diced
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1/2 cup sliced crimini mushrooms
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup of chicken stock
• 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese

Instructions:

For the Pesto Spaghetti Squash 

• Preheat over to 400 degrees
• Warm up pan to medium heat
• Add olive oil
• Saute shallots, mushrooms
• Add turkey bacon bits
• Set mixture a side in a bowl
• Turn of heat, and set pan to the side to cool
• In a bowl, whisk together egg and add 1/8 cup of parmesan cheese
• Put mixture in pan and ad chicken stock, mix until incorporated
• Incorporate shallots, mushroom, bacon bits, and spaghetti squash in pan
• Add salt and pepper to taste
• Transfer mixture to a bake safe dish 
• Top mixture with cheese
• Bake for 15 minutes, and broil until cheese is brown and bubbly 

Seriously, who needs pasta when you got Spaghetti Squash?? 
Jk I love my carbs, but these are a great alternative :) 

Pistachio Pesto Crusted Cod with Mashed Carrots and Sweet Potato

 Pistachio Crusted Cod with Mashed Carrots and Sweet Potato

Pistachio Crusted Cod with Mashed Carrots and Sweet Potato

Recipe makes 2 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes * Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Cod

• 2 four oz. Cod Fillets
• 1/4 cup of pistachios, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon of pesto
• 1 dash of salt per fillet
• 1 dash of pepper per fillet

For the Mashed Carrots and Sweet Potato

•  2 carrots, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch
• 1/2 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 1/2 cup greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 2 tablespoons of feta
• 1 shallot, sliced and sauteed

Instructions:

For Pistachio Crusted Cod

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Pat both fillets dry
• Sprinkle fillets with salt and pepper
• Spread pesto on fillets
• Spread pistachios over cod fillets, make sure the fillets are well coated for a guaranteed crispy crust :)
• Place fillets on parchment covered baking sheet
• Bake for 20 minutes 

Super delicious, easy, and healthy meal! Enjoy!

Moroccan Naan Sliders with Peach Chutney and Pistachio Pesto

Everybody loves a good slider. Whether is juicy beef sliders or mini fried chicken sammys, everyone has a go to slider. On a whim, I decided to take the classic slider and re-make it with a twist! Hence my latest blog post. This dish is a perfect appetizer and is very easy to make. Enjoy!

Roasted Moroccan Naan Sliders with Peach Chutney and Pistachio Pesto

Moroccan Naan Sliders with Peach Chutney and Pistachio Pesto

Recipe makes 8 sliders, 4 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes * Cook Time:20 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Burger

• 1 lbs of ground beef ( I used 80/20 Traders Joe's Grass Fed Beef)
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
• 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon cumin 
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

For the Peach chutney

•  2 ripened peaches, diced
• 1/2 red onion
• 1/4 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 jalapeno, diced
• 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar
• 1/8 cup of honey
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste

For the Pistachio Pesto

• 1/2 cup of feta cheese
• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of roasted pistachios
• 2 tablespoons of freshly chopped cilantro

Packaged Naan

• This can be found at your local grocery store, I used Trader Joe's Garlic Naan, it can be found in the frozen isle

Instructions:

For Peach Chutney

• Heat up a pan over medium heat, add olive oil
• Add red onions, red peppers and peaches, saute for about 5-7 minutes until caramelized
• Add jalapenos, cook for additional 2 minutes
• Add apple cider vinegar and honey, cook until mixture is reduced
• Add salt and pepper to taste 
• Note: the chutney should taste primarily sweet
• Set mixture aside once cooked, let mixture cool

For the Pistachio Pesto

• Add all ingredients into food processor, and blend until pesto consistency
• Set aside

For Burger

• Combine all spices and cilantro into ground beef
• Divide patties into 8 and from into patty sliders
• Heat pan at medium high
• Cook burgers to your liking, I personally like mine medium well, so I cooked them for about 4 minutes on each side

Assemble the burger into little slider, and enjoy!!

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Happy Tuesday Ya'll! So I found myself fever ridden due to an infection today, and decided to leave work early. Whenever I am feeling under the weather, I crave the living daylights out of SOUP! Yummy, delicious, savory liquid goodness. Today in particular I was craving Tomato Basil Soup, hence todays blog post. Enjoy!

       Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Recipe makes 2 servings, makes 4 cups of soup

Prep Time: 40 minutes * Cook Time: 2 Hours

Ingredients:

• 6 rippend tomatoes
• 2 yellow onions, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 1/2 cup of basil, packed
• 2 cups of chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil, plus some to sauté vegetables
• 1 slab of butter
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 cup of half and half
• salt and pepper to taste
• parmesan cheese & julienned basil for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
• Wash and cute tomatoes in halves, length wise. Coat tomatoes in 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• Bake tomatoes for 40 minutes
• Once tomatoes are baked take out to cool
• In a pot, add olive oil, butter and onions. Saute for 10 minutes and then add garlic
• Sauteed until onions are caramelized (additional 5 minutes). Add chicken stock, basil, and oregano
• Let mixture simmer for 45 minutes to an hour
• Puree mixture, and add back to pot over simmering heat, slowly add half and half
• Simmer for additional 10 minutes
• Plate and eat! Garnish with fresh herbs and freshly grated cheese!

P.S. I totally paired mine with an ooey gooey grilled cheese :) 

Bim Bim Bap with Cauliflower Rice

I have great memories as a child sitting in a Korean BBQ house. The sizzling fresh meat, silky tofu soup, and crunchy assorted pickled vegetables. Can you stay nostalgia? In efforts to keep my childhood foods in my life, I have crafted a guilt free recipe for the infamous Bim Bim Bap! For those of you who are not familiar with this dish, its of Korean origin and is essentially a rice bowl. The trick it to cook the rice in a clay pot so the rice sticking to the clay turns into crispy rice (all of my asians know how coveted crunchy rice is). The rice bowl is then filled with pickled veggie like kimchi, cucumbers, bean sprouts etc. korean marinated beef, and topped with an ooey gooey sunny side up egg. Please check out my Bim Bim Bap made with cauliflower rice! :) 

Bim Bim Bap with Cauliflower Rice

Bim Bim Bap with Cauliflower Rice

Recipe makes 2 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes * Cook Time: 10-15

Ingredients:

• Trader Joe's Marinated Kalbi Beef (I cheated here and went with store marinated beef since I was pretty busy this week)
• 1/2 head of cauliflower
• 1 cup crimini mushrooms
• 1 stalk of green onion
• 1 large egg
• 1 cucumber
• 1 carrot
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/8 cup of agave nectar
• 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
• Olive oil for cooking

Instructions:

• Take cauliflower, and pulse in a food processor until it looks like little bits of rice. Once completely pulsed, set aside in a bowl
• Julienne carrots and cucumbers (I got excited and used my vegetable spiralizer so make pretty veggie curls!!)
• In a separate bowl, combine rice vinegar, agave, and sesame oil. Whisk until combined and then add julienned veggies to the bowl. Let the mixture sit in the fridge for 10 minutes. This is what we call a "quick pickle"
• Slice up mushrooms and cook over medium heat until caramelized. Set aside
• Unwrap and portion out two serving sizes of the Trader Joe's packaged beef. Julienne the beef.
• In a pan, turn heat to medium-high and add olive oil. Once oil is hot add julienned beef to pan
• Cook on high heat for about 5 minutes until beef is caramelized. Once beef is done, set pan away from heat
• In a clean pan, turn to medium heat and add olive oil. Once oil is hot ad cauliflower rice and cook for about 4 minutes
• Once cauliflower rice is cooked, put in a bowl
• In the still warm pan, add more oil and crack the egg. You can cook the egg anyway you like, I prefer mine sunny side up so the yolk can get all in my food :)
• Once all ingredients are cooked, assemble the pickled veggies, mushroom, and beef into the bowl filled with cauliflower rice. Add egg on top. Garnish with chopped green onion

Enjoy!

Chicken Satay Salad with Coconut Peanut Butter Sauce paired with Miso Soy Israeli Couscous

Hello Beautiful People!


I'm very excited to share this post with you becuase I felt like it really encourages me to be creative. I'm going to call it my "What's left in my Fridge Challenge"! I'm sure everyone recalls opening their fridge at the end of the week to find half cartons of milk, wilted veggies, and a variety of other half open half eaten products. But although your fridge may seem sparse, there is a treasure waiting to be dug up! I love watching shows like Chopped on the food network channel, and I am always so blown away by what they are able to come up with on a whim!
So today, I share with you the recipe below. Enjoy :)

Chicken Satay Salad with Coconut Peanut Butter Sauce paired with Miso Soy Israeli Couscous

Chicken Satay Salad with Coconut Peanut Butter sauce paired with Miso Soy Israeli Couscous

Recipe makes two servings

Prep Time: 25 minutes * Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Chicken Satay:

• 1 whole chicken breast. Aim for one on the larger size as you are feeding two people
• 1/2 cup greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon of soy sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon of curry
• 1/4 tablespoon of turmeric
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 tablespoon of minced garlic

For the Miso Israeli Couscous:

• 1 cup uncooked israeli couscous
• 1 cup hot chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon of miso paste
• 1/2 teaspoon of ginger powder
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 zucchini, diced

For Coconut Peanut Sauce:

• 1 cup of light coconut milk
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of lime
• 2 tablespoons of water

For Cucumber Bell Pepper Thai Relish:

• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 2 persian cucumbers
• 1 jalapeno
• 1/4 red onion
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar

Instructions:

Cucumber Bell pepper Thai relish:

• chop cucumber, bell pepper and onions into bite size
• Put vinegar in sugar in a bowl, mix well
• Pour vinegar over veggies
• Add chopped cilantro
• Let marinade for 15 minutes in fridge

Peanut Coconut Sauce:

• In a sauce pan, add all ingredients at medium heat
• Stir until smooth consistency

Miso Israeli Couscous:

• Heat up a saucepan to medium heat
• Add oil
• Add israeli couscous, sauté until lightly golden brown
• While israeli couscous is cooking, boil one cup of chick broth (or boil water and add bouillon cubes). Add miso paste and stir into broth until mixed in
• Add boiled broth/miso to the saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil, and then immediate turn it down to a simmer.
• Place a lid on sauce pan, cook couscous for 12 minutes
• While couscous is cooking, in a separate pan saute cubed onions and zucchini until golden brown.
• Add to couscous when its done cooking

Chicken Satay:

• Lay chicken breast down, place your hand on top of chicken breast. Take a serrated knife and cut chicken in half under your hand. Then slice each half of the breast into fourths. You should have a total of 8 chicken slices
• Combine all ingredients in a bowl and marinate chicken for about 15-20 minutes
• Heat up a George Forman Grill (you can place these on a grill too for a nice smoky char!)
• Spray with oil, and cook chicken until dark brown grill marks appear
• Set chicken aside for cooling (dont worry about eating it warm, its going to be in a salad)

Chicken Breast

This was seriously what I had in my fridge!!!

Thai Relish

Zucchini and Onion

Peanut Coconut sauce

End Product

Mint Mojito Cupcakes (Gluten and Dairy Free!)

Hi Guys!


Sorry it has been forever since I posted; life definitely crept up on me this past week!
In honor of Cinco de Mayo (and the adorable ferris wheel cupcake stand my cousin gifted me), I decided to make Mint Mojito cupcakes, with a healthier twist. This recipe is gluten and dairy free, and 100 % delicious.

Please see the recipe below. Enjoy!

Gluten and Dairy free Mint Mojito Cupcakes

Gluten and Dairy free Mint Mojito Cupcakes

Recipe makes a dozen normal cupcakes

Prep Time: 20 minutes * Cook Time: 25-30 minutes

Ingredients:

For the cupcake:

• 1 cup of gluten free baking mix of your choice ( I used the Betty Crocker Gluten Free Mix, and I'm sure it can be found at any local grocery store)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup Earth Balance Spread, softened (you can use any non-dairy spread/vegetable shortening)
• 1/2 cup organic granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp lime zest
• 1/4 cup rum (you can use dark or light, I chose to do light) *Note: if you dont want to buy a whole fifth of rum, you can get one of those airplane sized bottles, its exactly 1/4 a cup :) 
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce

For the frosting:

• 1 cup Earth Balance Spread, softened (you can use any non-dairy spread/vegetable shortening)
• 2 tablespoons rum (optional)
• ¼ cup lime juice
• Zest of 1 lime, finely grated
• 3 – 3½ cups powdered sugar
• Mint or Mint extract

Instructions:

Cupcake:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, line cupcake tin with cupcake cups
• In a medium mixing bowl, combine the gluten free flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside
• In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar and eggs on medium speed four about 2 minutes, when the mixture begin to look fluffy you can stop
• Next, add the egg and vanilla into the wet mixture. Beat until incorporated
• Add lemon zest and rum, and beat until combined
• Now slowly add one part dry mix and one part apple sauce mix, and alternate (I began with 1/4 cup of flour, beat it in the wet mixture until combined and then added 1/4 cup of applesauce, beat until combined and repeat)
• Mix until just combined
• Divide the batter between the muffin cups. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. It should be slightly golden brown. Remove from oven, let cool in the pan slightly then place the cupcakes onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:

• Beat butter in a bowl with an electric mixer until creamy, about 1 minute
• In batches, gradually add confectioner's sugar, and beat until well blended and the consistency is smooth and somewhat stiff, about 3 minutes
• Add lime juice and beat well to combined
• Add a touch of mint extract, just barely a drop or two(this recipe can use fresh mint but the stores ran out, so I had to improvise!)
• Spread or pipe onto cooled cupcakes. I used a flower shaped pipe.
• Garnish with some lime zest

Enjoy!

Ferris Wheel Cupcake holder!!!!

Coconut Curried Mussels with Sweet Baby Peppers

Happy Hump Day Beauties!

I am very excited to share this recipe with you. It is hands down my favorite recipe right now.
I've had curry many times and I've had mussels a ton. But when I first encountered this dish, my mind was blown! Such an explosion of flavor. You have the sweetness of the mussels paired with the slight sweetness of the coconut and then the savory tang of the red curry paste. Served with a side of crispy baguette, this dish is bursting with culture and flavor. Umm can you say YUM?
Anywhos, below is my rendition of this yummy dish. I opted for lighter options (i.e. light coconut milk) and added coconut oil for nutritional value (plus its super tasty!)

Coconut Curried Mussels served with Toasted Baguette

Coconut Curried Mussels with Sweet Baby Peppers 

Recipe serves 2 as an appetizer or one as dinner.

Prep Time: 20 minutes * Cook Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 lbs of fresh live mussels
• 1 1/2 tablespoon of red curry paste
• 1 small-medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 sweet baby peppers, sliced thinly horizontally 
• 1/2 can of light coconut milk
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 slab of butter
• 1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil
• 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
• 2 green onion stalks for garnishing
• baguette of your choice to serve with the mussels (or sub with fries if you're feeling especially devilish!)

Instructions:

• Rinse, scrub, and de-beard mussels. Let the mussels soak in a large bowl of cold water for about 20 minutes. 
• Pat and dry and set aside in the fridge until you are ready to add to the broth.
• Heat up butter, olive oil, and coconut oil together in a wok or medium sized pot over medium heat
• Once oil is hot, add diced onion, minded garlic, and sliced sweet baby peppers
• Saute for about 4-5 minutes (my mom used to tell me that once the onions and garlic were aromatic they were ready!)
• Add the red curry paste, and incorporate with sauteed veggies
• Stir in coconut milk and chicken stock
• Let the broth simmer for about 2-3 minutes
• Once broth starts bubbling add mussels, and cover with a lid
• Let mussels cook for about 5 minutes. Quick Trick: Once all of the mussels are opened up, that's an indicator that they are ready to eat
• Transfer cooked mussel and broth into a serving bowl. I would suggest a deeper bowl to hold the mussels and broth. Grab an additional bowl for the shells
• Voila you are done! I would suggest serving with a toasted baguette or french fries, it does a really great job of soaking up with broth. 

Enjoy!

Welcome to Emily's Eats!

Hello beautiful people!
 
Welcome to my blog, Emily's Eat. My goal is to share my passion for food with wonderful people like yourselves.
 
A little bit about me...
 
Growing up in California, all of my fondest memories revolved around food. Food always symbolized a feeling of togetherness and joy for me. Today, I'm a Seattle based gal working your typical 9-5. I love my job but I love food and cooking more. Now here I am in the mecca of food culture.Vegan, fried, international, risky. You name it, and Seattle has it! Armed with my Vietnamese roots and American upbringing, I am here to share my love for the nommies with a healthy twist.


Enjoy!