#343 Spaghetti squash portobello pizza

I saw something like this posted on Pinterest awhile back and just couldn't get it out of my mind. I adore spaghetti squash! I made it for Lynzie and I to eat at my gingerbread man decorating party while everybody else had cheese pizza. It's not very pretty to look at due to the fact that I left it in the oven for who knows how long (the timer must've gone off and we didn't notice because we were heavy into decorating cookies) and when I finally took them out of the oven, the poor things say on the counter for hours. When we finally realized that we were hungry, they got microwaved, thus completing their trip to ugly town. Despite all they had been through, my spaghetti squash portobello pizzas were tasty! Lynzie said she liked them and would eat them again. She even remembered to take one home with her. I'd call that a successful first spaghetti squash experience! Bonus picture of lynzie's incredible, award winning, gingerbread green day men (vegan of course).

#342 Mandarin Salad

This salad is missing 3 components. I kept putting off making it for one reason or another and ended up being out of scallion and red cabbage...then I forgot to put in the peanuts. Regardless, it tasted good! Chef Chloe's dressing was excellent! I can't wait to make it properly next time!!

#341 A collection of repeats...

Since you've seen all of these before, I'm posting 4 at once.

Tacos filled with beefless grounds from TJs simmered with some tomato sauce, cumin, and chili powder. Served with a side of vegetarian refried beans.

Veggie Potpie Stew with Sweet Potato Drop Biscuits from Appetite from Reduction

Chickpea Piccata over Caulipots with spinach from Appetite from Reduction

Roasted Spaghetti Squash with baked meatless meatballs, organic mushroom spaghetti sauce (both from TJs) and the world's best garlic bread from Chloe's Kitchen.

I'm having a hard time straying away from tried and true favorites. I guess it's due to the busy, holiday season.

#340 Straw and Hay Pasta

I loved the sun-dried tomatoes! They were my favorite part :)

I'm on a Chloe's Kitchen kick right now. I've been wanting to try this for a while now. I enjoyed the mix of the two pastas. It's kinda hard to tell in the picture- but there is spinach and regular linguine. The sauce came out tasty...but it did take about 20 minutes to thicken (not 5-10 as noted in the book). My only complaint is that the tahini in the sauce was very noticeable. Next time I'll cut a little out. I also didn't put the full amount of salt in it (opting for 1 tsp. instead of 1 3/4 tsp.) because there was soy sauce in it. I didn't feel it needed it.

If you make this I recommend tossing it and serving it as soon as the sauce is ready. We decided to make garlic bread last minute. I had already tossed the pasta so I covered it and put it on the stove under the lowest heat possible. When it was served, it was clear that the sauce had continued to thicken a bit more.

I loved this! Make it :)

#339 Potato (and bean) Tacos

Mia is obsessed with tacos. I don't even bother asking her what she wants for dinner anymore. I really like the crunchy shells from Trader Joe's. Once they're heated up in the oven for a few minutes, they become deliciously crunchy without the added oil (or mess) of frying. These were from awhile back so don't become concerned when I tell you that I used mashed potatoes that were leftover from Thanksgiving. We also had refried beans as a filling. I topped them with shredded romaine and mashed up avocado mixed with salsa verde. So yummy, we all wished there were more!

#338 Sweet and Sour Kebabs with Cilantro Lime Rice

I got the recipe for the rice and kebabs from Chloe's Kitchen. The sweet and sour sauce was yummy and easy to make. I "cooked" the kebabs on my stove top cast iron grill. . . they got nice grill marks but didn't cook as much as I wanted. I ended up baking the kebabs in the oven before serving them.

I served the kebabs over cilantro lime rice. The rice was my favorite. I loved the slivered almonds in them. Yum!

This was really good but next time, I'll have sean man the bbq and cook it there!

#337 Clean out the fridge plate

A few nights ago, I had no idea what I was going to make for dinner. Looking through my fridge and freezer, I used up a bunch of leftovers and ended up with a pretty awesome plate of food. While the Trader Joe's gardein chicken strips and extra green bean casserole from Thanksgiving were heating up in the oven, I chopped and steamed carrots and broccoli. I heated up leftover stuffing, gravy and rolls. It came together really quickly and I didn't have to leave the house for groceries. Awesome!