Recipes of the Month: October

Posted on October 11, 2017 at 1:00 PM by Iowa Weight Loss Specialists

Enjoy these hearty, simple, and healthy recipes this month as the weather starts to get cooler!

Crock Pot Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs

Yields 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 medium to large spaghetti squash, washed
1 jar of spaghetti sauce, your preferred flavor – look for no sugar added varieties (more if desired)
3 cups of frozen meatballs

Directions:

Cut the spaghetti squash in half around the middle. Use a spoon to remove the seeds and membranes. Place cut sides down in a large crock-pot.
Pour the spaghetti sauce around the sides of the squash and then place your meatballs around the sides as well.
Cook on low for 5-6 hours, or high for 3-4 hours. Test by piercing the squash with a fork, if it goes through the skin easily, it is done.
Use tongs to carefully remove the squash from the crock-pot. Use a fork to pull out all the squash, discard the shell.
Serve with the sauce and meatballs from the crock-pot. Enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of: https://www.iwashyoudry.com/super-easy-crock-pot-spaghetti-squash-meatballs/

Zucchini Lasagna

Yields 9 servings

Ingredients:

5 oz. bag of Spinach
1 –oz. container of Ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1 pound ground beef (or ground turkey if you prefer)
2 large zucchini
1 tablespoon parsley
1 tablespoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cans of spaghetti sauce
8 oz. package of mozzarella cheese
8 oz. grated Parmesan cheese
1 small onion (optional)

Directions:

1. Dice the onions.

2. Slice the zucchini lengthwise into thin slices. These will replace the noodles you normally use in lasagna.

3. Brown the ground beef and add the diced onions. Add the salt and pepper to the ground beef while it’s cooking. Cook the ground beef until completely done and no longer pink. (The onions are optional, but do add a good amount of flavor to the ground beef)

4. In a separate bowl, combine the Ricotta cheese, parsley, oregano and two eggs until it is well combined.

5. To assemble the lasagna, spread a thin layer of spaghetti sauce in the very bottom of the pan first to prevent sticking. Then add a layer of zucchini slices, spread the Ricotta mixture over the top of the zucchini slices, layer a small amount of spinach then layer with the meat and finish by adding the last layer of cheeses. Layer until you are out of ingredients, which will all depend on your pan size, usually you can do about two or three layers. Then layer with cheese on the very top.

6. Cover it with foil and bake for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

7. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes to brown the top of the dish.

8. Let this dish stand for about 5 - 10 minutes before serving. It will be extremely hot and you want it to cool down a bit so each layer will come out in a nice slice.

Note: This is a wonderful recipe to make ahead of time. You can assemble the dish and refrigerate it until you are ready to bake it. You may need to add a few more minutes to the bake time to compensate for a cold dish in the oven at first.

Recipe courtesy of: https://www.isavea2z.com/easy-zucchini-lasagna-recipe/?utm_content=buffer5695b&utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Sage Rubbed Pork Chops with Warm Apple Slaw

Yields 8 servings

Ingredients:

4 teaspoons chopped fresh sage or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried
1 large clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon salt, divided
Freshly ground black pepper
4 (3/4-inch) bone-in pork loin chops (about 8 ounces each)
1 large onion
1 large Granny Smith apple, cut in half and cored
1/2 head green cabbage, cored
3 large carrots
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth

Directions:

Combine 3 teaspoons of sage or 1 teaspoon dried, garlic, salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper. Rub this mixture on the pork chops and let them sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, thinly slice the onion, apple and cabbage, and julienne the carrots (very thin sticks).
Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a large nonstick frying pan until hot, but not smoking. Add the chops and brown on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes per side and remove.
Carefully wipe out the pan. Heat the remaining teaspoon of oil over moderate heat and add the onion, apples and remaining teaspoon fresh sage or 1/2 teaspoon dried. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is soft and golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the cabbage, carrots, vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon salt and continue cooking until the cabbage and carrots begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and return the pork chops to the pan burying them in the vegetable mixture. Cover and cook just until the pork chops are just slightly blush in the center, 5 to 7 minutes longer.
To serve, arrange the warm slaw on individual plates and top with a pork chop and pan juices.

Recipe courtesy of: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/sage-rubbed-pork-chops-with-warm-apple-slaw-recipe-1949997

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