Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

I LOVE Spaghetti Squash, but making it the same way all the time is just kind of boring. 

My niece was here from Switzerland so we tried something different with the Squash. Here is the recipe:


1 medium Spaghetti Squash (Cut in half)
1 lb ground beef or turkey/chicken/pork whatever your preference is
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
Parsley, handfull chopped
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
Olive Oil or Butter for browning
1 large egg
1 cup grated cheese

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, sprinkle the Squash with a little bit of olive oil, set on a baking sheet and bake it until it is almost done (around 30 minutes). While the Squash is in the oven, in a large pan, add the olive oil, add the finely chopped onion, cook until translucent, then add the garlic. Let that sweat a little, but make sure it's not too hot, because you don't want to burn your garlic.

Once you smell that delicious garlic aroma, add the ground meat, season with salt, pepper and other spices to your taste. Just at the end add your chopped parsley (if you don't like it, you can leave it out).

Let that mixture cool down, then mix it with the beaten egg and the cheese. Set aside until your Squash is almost done.

Remove the Squash from the oven, and stuff the meat/egg/cheese mixture into the hollow part. Sprinkle with some more cheese and put it back in the oven for another 20 minutes or so until the cheese is melted.

Remove from the oven and serve! You can actually cut this in slices or just in quarters and serve. Makes 4 portions!

Enjoy!

Spicy Turkey Meatballs with Mushroom Gravy

This recipe is one of my favorites and everyone loves to eat this dish. You don't have to make the sauce if you don't like Mushrooms or gravy. The Meatballs by themselves are a treat as well and, they are super easy to make:

Here is what you will need:

1 1/4 lb of lean ground turkey
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (you can leave these out when cooking gluten free, you don't need them)
1 egg
1 Tabelspoon Sambal (Chili/Garlic Sauce)
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Hot Paprika
2 dashes ground Cumin
2 dashes Cayenne Pepper
Parsley , handful chopped




Mix the dry ingredients in a small bowl, so all the spices and the breadcrumbs are combined well. Then in a big mixing bowl combine the turkey, egg, sambal and the dry ingredients so they are nicely combined. Form bite size balls with your hands and set them on a plate or cutting board.

In a big frying pan heat up a generous dab of butter and some vegetable oil. Once the butter is melted and nicely combined with the oil, start setting your meatballs in the pan and fry until nicely browned (make sure they are cooked through). Do not overfill the frying pan, because that will bring down the temperature in the pan and your meatballs won't cook evenly. SO you might have to cook them in two batches. Once they are cooked set them aside in a ovenproof dish and keep warm in the pre-heated oven.

Once you've fried all your meatballs, you can start on making the gravy.
You will need the following:

2 cups white or brown mushrooms sliced
1 cup water
1 cup red wine
1 tablespoon cornstarch (Maizena)
Salt
Pepper
Sambal
Dash of Half & Half or Heavy Cream

Deglaze the frying pan with a cup of red wine and half water, stir until all the brown bits are dissolved, bring to a simmer, then add the mushrooms and let them cook until they are soft. Salt and pepper to taste and maybe add some more of the sambal if you want the gravy spicy. Once the mushrooms are cooked, mix the cornstarch in a cup with a bit of water, then add to the simmering sauce, this will thicken the gravy and you will not get any lumps.

Take the meatballs out of the oven and cover with the gravy, serve with pasta or rice and a nice side salad.