Cheesy Garlic Parmesan Spinach Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients

• 1 medium spaghetti squash (approx. 2-3lbs)
• 2.5 TBSP minced garlic
• 1 tsp avocado oil or olive oil
• 5 oz fresh spinach chopped
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 TBSP cream cheese (optional but delicious!)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheeseplus extra for topping
• salt and pepper to taste
• grated or sliced mozzarella for toppingto taste

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Slice your spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.
3. For easy cutting, feel free to stick your squash in the microwave to soften it up just a tad. Pierce it a few times with a knife (to help vent so it doesn't burst) and cook for for 3-5 minutes. The knife slides through way easier this way! Smaller squash will need about 3 minutes while larger ones will be good to go at 4-5 min.
4. Next grab a lipped baking sheet or a rimmed baking dish.
5. Rub the cut side of the squash with a teeny bit of olive oil and place on your baking dish/sheet cut side down. Roast for about 40 minutes, or until tender and easily pierced with a fork. Cooking time will vary a bit depending on the size of your squash, and larger squash will need to roast a bit longer to tenderize. Once ready, the once rock-hard exterior of the squash will be visibly softened with a tender interior.
6. The squash can be roasted and stored in the fridge for a few days if you'd like to meal prep and plan ahead for a speedier dinner.
7. While the squash roasts, start on the sauce.
8. In a medium pot or skillet, bring a drizzle of olive oil to medium-high heat and sauté garlic until fragrant.
9. Next add the spinach and stir until wilted. Add your cream, cream cheese (totally optional but totally tasty) and parmesan cheese and stir well.
10. Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove from heat.
11. Once squash is done roasting, allow to cool until easily handled or pop on an oven mit and use a fork to separate and fluff the strands of spaghetti squash.
12. Pour your sauce over each squash boat, stir to mix, and top with a little mozzarella cheese and additional parm cheese, if desired.
13. Bake at 350 degrees F for around 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
14. For a golden cheesy topping, flip your oven to broil on high for just a minute or two until lightly browned. Dive in while it's HOT!

Recipe Notes

T-REX CHEFS: Feel free to add chicken if you'd like! Stir it in with the sauce and veggie noodles or serve it up on the side. Grilled, roasted, baked, poached, rotisserie... anything goes! 

White Chicken Chili with Beans

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ½ lb. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
• 1 Tbsp. ghee or avocado oil (for stovetop and Instant Pot versions only)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 medium bell pepper, any color; diced
• 1 small jalapeno, seeds and membranes removed and finely diced
• 6 cloves garlic. minced
• 2 ½ tsp. ground cumin (add more to taste)
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 2 tsp. chili powder (add more to taste)
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• ¼ tsp. black pepper
• 2 cups organic chicken broth (or homemade bone broth)
• 1 14-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
• Juice of ½ lime
• ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• Fresh cilantro and lime wedges for garnish, optional

INSTRUCTIONS

Slow Cooker Directions

1. Add onion, peppers, garlic, and spices (cumin through black pepper) to the bottom of a slow cooker. Arrange chicken on top of vegetables in a single layer.
2. Add broth and place lid on slow cooker.
3. Set heat to LOW and cook 7-8 hours or until chicken is done and vegetables are tender.
4. Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred with two forks. Return chicken to slow cooker.
5. Turn heat to HIGH. Add coconut milk, stir and replace lid. Continue heating an additional 10-15 minutes or until soup is heated through.
6. Stir in lime juice and cilantro. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Serve in bowls garnished with chopped cilantro and lime wedges, if desired.

Stovetop Directions

1. Place a large saucepan with lid (or Dutch oven) over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp. ghee or coconut oil and allow to melt. When ghee just starts to shimmer, add onions and peppers. Saute 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion and peppers start to soften.
2. Add garlic, cumin, oregano, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Continue to cook an additional 30-60 seconds or until fragrant.
3. Lay chicken in the pan over the onion and pepper mixture. Add 1 cup broth and bring just to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Shred chicken in the pan using two forks.
4. Add remaining 1 cups of broth and coconut milk and return to a simmer. Cover pan and allow chili to simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice and cilantro. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Serve in bowls garnished with chopped parsley and lime wedges, if desired.

Instant Pot Directions

1. Select ‘Saute’ function on Instant Pot
2. Add oil. When the oil is melted, add onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno.
3. Saute 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion and peppers start to soften.
4. Add garlic and spices and cook an additional 30 seconds or until fragrant.
5. Press ‘Cancel’. Add chicken breasts and 2 cups of broth.
6. Lock lid into place. Turn the vent valve to ‘Sealing’ position.
7. Select ‘Manual’ setting and set cook time to 20 minutes.
8. When cooking time is up, allow pressure to naturally release 5-10 minutes then release remaining pressure using the quick-release method (i.e. flip the vent valve to ‘Venting’ position)
9. Add coconut milk, lime juice, and fresh cilantro. Stir to combine. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as desired.

Creamy Chicken Noodle

Ingredients:

4-5 Boneless skinless chicken breasts frozen. Or you can pull apart a Rotisserie chicken and put it in towards the end of the cooking process along with the egg noodles. I love it with the Rotisserie chicken like the pictures in the post. 

-4 carrot sticks graded chopped or use about a half a bag or carrot chips. 

-4 celery sticks rinsed and chopped

-1 32 oz. carton of chicken stock 

-1/2 bag or a little more of egg noodles (I eye ball it)

-1 1/2 cans of cream of chicken soup

-1/2 c. of water

-1 c. of milk

– A couple shakes of salt, pepper

-1 1/2 tbsp of onion flake,

-1 tbsp dry basil

-1 tsp of thyme

-1 tsp of celery salt

-1 tbsp garlic salt

 

(to be honest I didn’t measure the ingred. I just eyeballed them and shook away, taste and season more if needed.) Place your 5-6 boneless skinless chicken tenderloins or 4-5  boneless skinless chicken breasts in the crock pot. Place all the wet ingredients including the cream of chicken and seasonings in the crock pot, whisk them together. (TIP: I mix my milk and cream of chicken together first.) Place the frozen chicken breasts in the crock pot. Cook low 4-6 hrs. During that last hour of cooking add in your veggies, close and cook. During the last 15-18 minutes of cooking, pull out your chicken breasts out and shred with two forks or in your kitchen aid mixer. Then add the chicken back in. This is also when you can opt out for the pulled apart rotisserie chicken. Throw in your egg noodles too, and let them both cook during those 15-20 minutes. Now its time to serve it up… or should I say slurp it up. 

White Chicken Chili

Ingredients

• 1lb chicken breasts
• 15oz can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 4oz can chopped green chiles
• 1 - 2 jalapenos, minced (using 1 made for a mild chili)
• 1 shallot or 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-1/2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• big pinch dried oregano
• 2 cups gluten-free chicken broth
• juice of 1/2 small lime
• 1/4 cup milk unsweetened almond or cow's milk
• 1 Tablespoon gluten-free flour (any kind, I used brown rice flour)
• Toppings: green Tabasco sauce, verde sauce, lime wedges, tortilla chips, shredded cheese, chopped cilantro

1. Combine all ingredients except gluten-free flour and milk into a 6-quart crock pot then stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. Remove chicken then shred and place in the refrigerator. Whisk together flour and milk in a small dish then drizzle into chili and stir to combine. Cover then cook on high for 30 minutes, stir shredded chicken back into chili, and serve with toppings.

Lemon Butter Salmon

Ingredients

• 4 (6 oz) skinless salmon fillets (about 1-inch thick)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves , minced
• 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 3 Tbsp + 1 tsp unsalted butter , diced into 1 Tbsp pieces
• 1/2 tsp honey
• 2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
• Lemon slices for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Remove salmon fillets from refrigerator and allow to rest at room temperature 10 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile prepared garlic lemon butter sauce. In a small saucepan melt 1 tsp butter over medium heat. 
3. Add garlic and saute until lightly golden brown, about 1 - 2 minutes. Pour in chicken broth and lemon juice. 
4. Let sauce simmer until it has reduced by half (to about 3 Tbsp), about 3 minutes. Stir in butter and honey and whisk until combined, set sauce aside.
5. Dab both sides of salmon dry with paper towels, season both sides with salt and pepper. 
6. Heat olive oil in a (heavy) 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. 
7. Once oil is shimmering add salmon and cook about 4 minutes on the first side until golden brown on bottom then flip and cook salmon on opposite side until salmon has cooked through, about 2 - 3 minutes longer.
8. Plate salmon (leaving oil in pan) and drizzle each serving generously with butter sauce, sprinkle with parsley and garnish with lemon slices if desired. Serve immediately.
9. Recipe source: Cooking Classy