grilled acorn squash

Mi mum made this simple grilled acorn squash around Christmas time while my husband and I were visiting. It is so insanely simple and totally delicious. It is crispy on the outside with this earthy taste and sweet on the inside. Its incredible.....

All you do is slice your acorn squash, scrape out the seeds, drizzle olive oil then sprinkle basil all over it. While she was doing this I thought, "uggg basil on acorn squash?" It was phenomenal. So just because I recently remembered I had these photos I just knew I had to do a post about it. Give it a shot, especially now when squash is delicious and you can find it everywhere.

Enjoy !!!

Pistachio crusted chicken with cashew mustard sauce

Adapted from: The Vegan Foodie

If I haven't said it before I am going to say it now. I love Pistachio's and recently I have become obsessed with trying to figure out new ways to use them besides just snacking. I recently found this recipe using tofu not like the chicken I used here. After I made it I can understand why tofu was the protein of choice. This dish is just full of flavor on so many levels. I feel like if you made it with tofu you would not even realize that it was in fact tofu.

I think the hardest part about this was not being able to find already shelled pistachios. So it took a little time, but it was so worth it. Begin by setting aside about 1/2 cup of pistachios.

There is so much flavor in this dish do yourself a favor and get the no salt pistachios. You wont even miss it trust me. Plus it will be that much better for you and you cant beat that.

Then place the pistachio's in your food processor or basically anything that is going to pulverize the dickens out of the nuts!!! You could put them in a gallon ziploc and whack away at it or send a rolling pin over it a few times.

The night before you should marinade your chicken or tofu if that is your choice.

The marinade consists of:

- 3 tbs of soy sauce

- 1/2 of a lemon squeezed

- splash or two of white wine

The night you are making the dish mix up your breading for the chicken/tofu.

Your breading consists of:

- 1/2 cup of pistachios

- 1/2 cup of panko breadcrumbs

- 1/4 tsp of lemon zest

- pepper and salt

Take a marinated chicken breast out and brush both sides with Dijon mustard. Go ahead layer it on there you know you want to!! It will add so much flavor !!

Then take that Dijon soaked chicken breast and dip it in your breading. Make sure you get all the sides coated. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and spray some PAM on a baking sheet then lay our your chicken. I baked the chicken for about 25-30 minutes. Be sure to test the middle of one just to be sure they are done.

Then get your quick and easy spinach ready. I think next time I make this I will use kale. I like a little crunch to my greens. Or if you are like me and like a little crunch to your greens you could just use fresh spinach and not cook it. But for the purpose of this recipe and staying to its originality I will continue with how I actually prepared it. I literally dumped a bag of spinach in a frypan, poured a 1/2 of white wine, and a lot of garlic covered it and let it go.

Your final step is to create the cashew mustard sauce:

- 1 cup of skim milk

- 1/2 cup of pureed cashews

- 4 tbs of Dijon mustard

- 1 tbs of whole grain mustard

- 1 shallot minced

- 1 garlic clove minced

- 1 tbs of parsley

- a splash of white wine

- 1/2 tbs of lemon juice

- 1 tbs of evoo

- salt and pepper

Crush up your cashews !!

Heat up your evoo and add the garlic and shallot.

Then add everything else into the pot and mix through. It will thicken up quickly so keep an eye on it.

Now time to assemble your masterpiece. Lay a bed of about 1 cup of spinach on your plate. Then about 1/2 cup of brown rice. Lay your piece of chicken on top of that. Then drizzle some of that cashew sauce on top of the whole thing. You will love this. If you are vegetarian or someone that enjoys tofu and you make it in this manner you will be one happy little pea in a pod.

Enjoy !!!

Quinoa and Black Bean Stuffed Peppers ****** with a nutritional yeast highlight

I have always wanted to find a high fiber, healthy, packed with veggies recipe for stuffed peppers. When I came across this recipe for quinoa and black bean stuffed peppers I knew I had to try it.

You should start by heating up some oil in your frypan. Add 3 carrots diced, 1 whole onion chopped, 4 ribs of celery diced, then throw in 3-4 tbs of minced garlic for good measure.

Then you are going to add in one can of fire roasted tomatoes plus one can of rinsed black beans..

Now you don't have to do this, but I have recently discovered nutritional yeast. You can put this in about anything and it is virtually tasteless.

By adding just 2 tbs of nutritional yeast you are getting some serious protein, fiber, and huge amount of B12. Vitamin B12 can help prevent nerve damage and anemia, it aids in cell and blood formation, proper digestion, fertility and growth.

Nutritional yeast is huge in the vegetarian community as Vegetarians and immune compromised individuals are the most at risk of vitamin B12 deficiency if not watched.

I add nutritional yeast in meals where we don't have meat or where I can easily hide in like stuffed peppers.

The next thing you want to do is chop your peppers up. This recipe will fill four cups or 2 whole peppers sliced in half.

Then add in 2 cups of chopped frozen spinach and about a cup of quinoa.

This meal has so many good things in it you just wont know what to do with all the energy it will give you after!!!!

Let that simmer for about 20 minutes. It will allow the quinoa to cook and all the flavors to meld together.

Then stuffed your peppers top them with some low-fat low-cal pepper jack cheese and bake them up in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until the peppers get soft and they get a little brown on top.

Serve them up with some crispy baked tofu fingers (More on those later) like you see below and you have a nutritional packed feast !!

Enjoy !!!

Sweet Onion Curry

Adapted from: The Crepes of Wrath

I have been recently obsessed with curries because there are so many options. I found this sweet onion curry on Crepes of Wrath and knew I had to try it. It was delicious, spicy, warming, and nutritious. The added bonus of marinating the chicken overnight adds so much flavor that this recipe will be hard to resist. Sure it is great going out to eat for this stuff. Why risk spending money on something you may not like when you can create a masterpiece in your very own kitchen? I ask you this my friends. Take the time at home and master curries hell master anything you have been wanting to try for awhile. That is the fun of cooking Top Notch Eats !!!

The marinade

- juice of 1 lemon

- pepper and salt

- 1/4 tsp of ginger

- 1 tsp turmeric

- 1/2 tsp of curry powder

- 1/2 tsp garam masala

- 1 tbs evoo

Cut your chicken or tofu up in chunks. Pour them both into a gallon ziploc bag and set in the fridge overnight.

The next day chop up 2 onions (I used one yellow onion and one vidalia) and place them in the food processor.

Chop up one more onion (I used a big white onion), one green pepper, and one red pepper. Saute them up in a little olive oil. Then add in the marinated chicken. Cook through until the chicken is done.

Then add in the onion puree from before plus 3 tbs of garlic and mix through.

Then you will get this golden yellow curry that is full of delicious onion flavor and whole hell of a lot of spicy goodness.

Serve up that masterpiece over some sweet brown rice and you can do no wrong.

Enjoy !!!

Holla for Challah !!!

I do believe that Challah bread is by far my favorite sweet bread. It is addictive and by making it yourself you will gain a sincere sense of accomplishment. Plus, it looks so darn pretty when you braid it up. It is so easy and trust me if you take it step by step you can do it too. Take this to anyone's birthday, housewarming, potluck, anything and it will be a hit.

You start by dissolving 1 packet of active dry yeast, 1 cup of hot water, 3 tablespoons of honey, and a dash of saffron.

Then pour that into a larger bowl and 3 tbs of melted butter, 1 tsp salt, and 1 beaten egg.

Then add 2 3/4 cups of white bread flour. Mix it together until it becomes smooth. Then add 1/4 cup more and mix through.

Turn it out onto your countertop. Kneed it for just a few minutes and then shape into a ball. Place in a warm spot covered with a tea towel and let rise for 40 minutes. After the first 40 minutes punch it down in the bowl a little until you see it deflate. Then cover again and rise for 40 more minutes.

Then cut it into three separate parts. Roll into rope lengths. Pinch one of the ends together and then begin braiding. Take your time with this as it can be very different braiding dough then it is hair. Once you have it braided cover with a tea towel again and let rise just 20 more minutes.

Then beat up one egg and add 1 tbs of water and brush the top of the loaf with it. Sprinkle some poppy seeds on top and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes until it is golden brown all over.

Take out this beauty from the oven and enjoy !!

I brought this fancy delicious bread to a work potluck luncheon with some jam...

Enjoy !!!

peanut butter bars

I made these around Christmas for our trip down south to see our family. This morning during an especially rough morning at work I was remembering how lovely they are. Granted they are not the best for you, but I will sternly go back to my moderation comments though even if you say a word friends. There are steps that were taken in this recipe to make them slightly better for you.

Ingredients for the delicious treats you are about to eat

- 2 sticks of butter (Use the lightest healthiest butter you can find)

- 1 cup of crunchy peanut butter (Be sure to use a reduced fat/low sodium natural butter)

- 3 cups of sifted powdered sugar

- 1 2/3 cup of chocolate chips (Use dark chocolate chips)

- 1 1/2 cups of graham crackers crushed (Use reduced fat graham crackers)

Start off by processing your graham crackers.

Until they resemble fine meal like in the picture below.

Oh I almost forgot!! Get a 9x13 baking pan and line it with foil. Seal it all off and make sure you covered each and every spot of the pan, then set aside.

Then add your cup of peanut butter to the graham crackers and pulsate until it is combined. Then cut tablespoons of the softened butter into the graham crackers until it is combined.

Then melt your chocolate chips on the stove until its melted.

Then press your graham cracker mixture into the bottom of the pan.

Then spread the chocolate on top.

Refrigerate for an hour then enjoy. Then should be cut into 2x2 inch squares. One of those is the serving size. They are even better straight from the freezer. Enjoy a serving then share with friends...

Enjoy !!!

shrimp and pasta in foil

Adapted from: The Pioneer Woman

This meal is tasty and reasonably light if you do it right. It is so easy to do because you bake it up in a foil package in the oven and it comes out in one pan. Its great.

Start with lots and lots and lots of garlic. I used about 6 or 7 tablespoons of minced garlic. Add 1 tsp of olive oil to a fry pan and add all of the garlic in. Cook it up until it gets fragrant.

While that is cooking up take a good pile of uncooked shrimp and clean them up a bit. You know remove the shells, veins, etc. etc.

Then add 2 cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes.

Then pour in about 1/2 cup of white wine and some salt and pepper.

Then let the deliciousness simmer for about 10 minutes.

Then pile the sauce, some pre-cooked linguine, and the shrimp into a foil pocket that you created in a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Wrap it up just like the picture below and set it in an oven at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes.

Take it out and pierce the foil pocket with a knife to release some of the steam. Then open it up and enjoy the ridiculous smell that is about to infiltrate your house.

Stir it up a little to get the juices flowing a little more.

Then plate up and toss in some fresh parsley. Enjoy the amazing smell and healthful pasta dish you are about to enjoy.

Enjoy !!!