Kale and Mushrooms Baked Spaghetti

Posted on March 10, 2015 by Simply Healthy Cooking with Pam
I am always looking for good healthy recipes to test. This recipe is very easy to make and the pasta choices can be gluten or rice free. I found this on another food blog I follow called http://www.hummusapien.com and I tweaked and added to the recipe only because I know that I want these flavors in this dish. What is so great about this is there are no eggs or cheese needed. I loved the idea completely. My next dish will be with spaghetti squash instead of pasta. Watch for that one. Enjoy!

Kale and Tofu Baked Spaghetti
Created on 3/10/15

Kale and Tofu Baked Spaghetti

For the Tofu Filling
16 oz. extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
½ cup of hummus (I made a huge batch in the beginning of the week so I used that)
¼ cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
1 teaspoon of dried basil
½ fresh squeeze lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of the zest

Press and drain the tofu for approximately 15 minutes. You can put the tofu on top of the colander, and put a plate with a heavy can to press all the water out of the tofu. Crumble the tofu in a medium size-mixing bowl. Add the hummus, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano and basil, and lemon juice and zest. Mix using your hands or a fork, the mixture will look like ricotta cheese. Set the bowl aside.

For the Baked Spaghetti
12 oz of spaghetti pasta (Gluten Free, Corn, Wheat or Rice Free whichever works for you)
32 oz jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (I used Simply Organic Tomato Basil from Kroger)
2-1/2 cups of water
8 oz button mushrooms sliced
½ onion sliced
½ bunch of kale, chopped
2 tablespoons of water or olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium sauté pan over medium-high heat up water or oil and add mushrooms and onions. Sauté until the onions and mushrooms are soft.

In a greased 9 x 13-casserole dish, layer the uncooked spaghetti on the bottom. If using a stone, no greasing is needed. Break the noodles in half and cross over the pasta so the noodles do not stick while baking. Add the spaghetti sauce and water. Use a spoon and mix on top of the spaghetti. It will look very watery. Top with the cooked mushroom and onion mixture and the chopped kale. Sprinkle the tofu filling on top evenly.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour, remove from the oven, and let the dish set for 10 minutes before serving.

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I Am Missing Summer Saute Vegetables

Posted on January 13, 2013 by Simply Healthy Cooking with Pam
Today was such a depressing rainy day. The skies loaded with white snow clouds and wind. Yuck! I was missing summer today. I miss the warm sun on my face. For dinner, I threw together in a sauté pan heated up with olive oil some of my favorite vegetables; white corn, Edamame, zucchini that I grated from the weekend trips to the farmer’s market, and mushrooms. Added some fresh herbs that were on sale this week dill and curly parsley. I imagine Thyme would be wonderful too if wanted to change up on the herbs, even Rosemary. Hmmm! The flavors were so fresh and crisp just like coming home from the farmer’s market and having a barbeque with all these fresh vegetables. You would have never known the vegetables I made tonight were frozen. This dish was so simple and easy to make. Enjoy!

I Am Missing Summer Sautéed Vegetables
Created on January 12, 2013

Click on picture to see a larger image
1 cup of frozen organic white corn
1 cup of frozen Edamame
2 cups of grated Zucchini (I had some frozen from the summer) thawed and drained well
8 button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
2 tablespoons of olive oil
¼ cup of fresh dill and curly parsley chopped well
1 teaspoon of onion salt (optional – can use kosher salt instead)
Fresh cracked pepper to taste

Sauté all the vegetables in a large 10” pan with olive oil for a good 5 to 10 minutes until the mushrooms are a little bit browned and the frozen vegetables are cooked all the way through. Sprinkle with fresh chopped herbs and season with onion salt or kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Serve hot!

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Lentil Shepherd’s Pie

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Simply Healthy Cooking with Pam
I have been searching for some decent vegetarian or vegan Shepherd’s Pie recipes because the meat Shepherd’s Pie is extremely high in fat and is really not good for me. I have not found anything that seemed interesting or appealing to me so I decided to make my own after endless searches. Many of the recipes that I found seemed to be really high in carbohydrates which I felt came from the potatoes. I made mashed potatoes with cauliflower and 5 red skinned potatoes instead of the whole topping being mashed potatoes. Next time I think I will try the sweet mashed potatoes on top for the crust – I can picture the flavors or even try butternut/acorn squash mashed topping. I loved the lentils in my Shepherd’s Pie; it was loaded with this awesome hearty flavor – I was so thrilled that my recipe came out amazing! What is so great about this recipe is that you can omit or add the vegetable ingredients to suit your taste. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Lentil Shepherd’s Pie
Created on 02/09/12

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1 cup of lentils, cleaned and picked through for any debris, discard debris and then cook lentils for one hour or until soft but not really soft to lose its shape and become mush
3 large organic broccoli crowns cleaned and chopped
½ head of organic cauliflower
5 organic red skin potatoes, scrubbed and cubed, leave red skin on
5 organic carrots, peeled and cubed into 1 to 2” chunks
1 cup of organic frozen corn
1 cup of organic Muir Glenn tomato sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (10 oz) package of white button mushrooms, wiped clean and cut into quarters
2 garlic cloves minced well
3 tablespoons of olive oil
½ cup to 1 cup of vegetable broth
½ cup of Tofutti cream cheese (measure based on taste and texture of the mashed topping)
2 tablespoons of Earth Balance butter (measure based on taste and texture of the mashed topping)
Salt/Pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large stock pot lined with a steamer, put in the cleaned cauliflower, cubed potatoes and steam over medium high heat until tender – approximately about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the broccoli at the last 5 minutes of cooking, turn of the heat and remove the steamed vegetables to a large bowl. Separate the broccoli from the cauliflower and potatoes because the broccoli will go into the lentil filling.

While the vegetables are steaming, in a 10” sauté pan with 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat, add the chopped onions, mushrooms, and carrots and sauté until the carrots are soft and the mushrooms and onions have a deep brown color on them. Add the frozen corn and garlic and sauté until the corn is heated thoroughly and the garlic is soft.

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Remove the sauté pan from the heat and add the cooked lentils. The lentils will absorb all the liquid from the vegetables. Add the broccoli to the sautéed lentil mixture and stir gently until everything is mixed well. Put the vegetables in a square 8 x 8 Pyrex or stone dish. Mix 1 cup of tomato sauce in the vegetables making sure everything is coated well.

Click on image to see a larger picture

In the bowl with the steamed cauliflower and potatoes mash the vegetables together. Season with salt and pepper and add vegetable broth to bind the vegetables together to make the mashed potato topping. I did not use all the vegetable broth and added some Earth Balance butter to give it some buttery flavor. Add the Tofutti cream cheese. Remember this is what I like in texture and flavor, please adjust the broth, butter and cream cheese as how you would like your mashed topping to be.

Spread the Cauliflower/Potato mash on top of the lentil mixture and spread to cover. Bake @ 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes until the tomato sauce is bubbling out of the top and the mashed topping is lightly browned.

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Late Saturday Night Pasta

Posted on October 2, 2011 by Simply Healthy Cooking with Pam
I had a very busy day today and by the time I got home it was very late. I was starving but did not want to get take out. This recipe has all the healthy vegetables I love and I decided to do a fast broil and stir-fry. The whole dish took no longer than 30 minutes to cook. Love the fresh flavors and I am addicted to tomatoes broiled with melt cheese on top. A great recipe that is fast and healthy. Enjoy!

Late Saturday Night Pasta
Created on 09/24/11

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3 tomatoes sliced about ½” thick

3 tablespoons Olive Oil

½ pound of asparagus chopped into 1-1/2” pieces

10 ounces of button mushrooms (use any mushroom you like)

½ cup of fresh Parmesan Cheese, grated

1 pound of whole grain pasta, cooked according to the package directions

Salt / Pepper

 Prepare the pasta according to the package directions.

 Preheat Broiler on low heat to prepare for the “Broiled Tomatoes”. Click here to see the “Broiled Tomato” recipe used here.

 In a sauté pan over medium high heat, heat up 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Sauté the mushrooms for approximately 5 minutes and add the chopped asparagus to the pan. Continue to sauté for another 3 to 5 minutes until asparagus is heated thoroughly. The asparagus should have some bite to it and not soft and soggy.

 On a plate, layer with pasta, 3 tomato slices, asparagus mushroom stir fry, 1 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese and 3 more tomato slices on top.

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Mock Fried Zucchini Mushrooms Potatoes Concept

Posted on August 13, 2011 by Simply Healthy Cooking with Pam
I am always trying out new flavors with some of my favorite foods that I grew up on. One thing I absolutely love is fried potatoes and the one thing I can remember about this dish was my aunt making fried potatoes on the farm with hamburgers for dinner. Talk about fried comfort food, this was mine. I know it is not healthy for me now because I have diabetes. I thought I could try and make my love of fried potatoes a little bit healthier for me such as sautéing the vegetables in olive oil instead of frying with vegetable oil and margarine and adding other vegetables like zucchini, onions, and mushrooms, so the serving is not all potatoes. I seasoned the sautéed vegetables with fresh herbs that I had left over from this week’s meals which left an enormous flavor to the dish. I think that dill, thyme and zucchini go so well together I actually enjoyed this vegetarian breakfast today. I will make this more often and will test other vegetables with the “mock fried potato concept”.

Mock Fried Zucchini, Mushroom Potatoes Concept
Created on 08/12/11

Click on picture to enlarge photo

2 lbs of baby Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1” bite size pieces leave skins on

Note: Try and cut the potatoes all the same size so they cook evenly

1 medium onion chopped

1medium zucchini cut in half lengthwise and then half-mooned sliced

6 large button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced “click here to see mushroom tip on how to clean mushrooms”

6 large baby Bella mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

1 large garlic clove chopped

2 tablespoons of fresh dill

2 tablespoons of fresh parsley

1 tablespoon of fresh thyme

3 tablespoons of olive oil

Salt/Pepper to taste

 In a large pan, heat up 2 tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat. Try and keep the heat on the high side so the potatoes form a brown crust. Add the chopped onions and potatoes and cook for about 10 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through. Season the potatoes and onions with salt and pepper to taste. Stir often so the onions and potatoes do not burn while cooking. Remove the pan from heat. In another sauté pan heat up 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat and add the mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes until mushrooms are semi-soft. Add the zucchini and garlic to the mushrooms and sauté for about another 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the mushrooms and zucchini mixture to the potatoes and onions. Stir well. Add the herbs and mix well. Serve hot with sliced tomatoes and/or poached eggs. This recipe is good by itself too! Enjoy!

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Cooking Tips: How to Clean Mushrooms

Posted on July 26, 2011 by Simply Healthy Cooking with Pam

This is a short cooking tip on cleaning mushrooms in two different ways

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Carrot, Mushroom, Fennel Stir Fry

Posted on May 6, 2010 by Simply Healthy Cooking with Pam
I made this yesterday 05/06/10. I did not have a clue what to make for dinner and then I thought I have not done a stir-fry in a while. I had some vegetables in the refrigerator that I needed to use up soon because I have been so busy with school and the vegetables were looking pretty sad. I am very picky with Teriyaki sauces and will only use one kind. Veri Veri Teriyaki is a unique sauce that has so many flavors and often compliments the stir fry dishes. Check out their website when you have some time.

Carrot, Mushroom Fennel Stir-Fry
created 05/06/10


3 handfuls of baby carrots as much as your hand allows
4 green onions
1 package (10 oz) fresh button mushrooms
2 fresh corn on the cob
1 medium onion
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 fennel bulb
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 to 3 tablespoons of Veri Veri Teriyaki sauce

Slice the baby carrots with the knife slanted – try to keep the slices as even as possible for a balanced cook time. Clean and slice the mushrooms. Slice the corn off the cobs. Cut the onion and fennel bulb in half and then in half moon shapes. Cut up the green onions and mince the garlic.

In a large stir fry pan in order heat up the olive oil on high heat, add the chopped onions, fennel and carrots. Cook continuously stirring vegetables for about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Add the corn, green onion, garlic and cook for about 2 more minutes. Add the teriyaki sauce, stir the vegetables a couple more times and remove from the heat and serve immediately with brown rice or eat the stir fry vegetables by themselves. It is wonderful either way. Enjoy!

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Pappardelle with Chicken, Mushrooms and Wine

Posted on March 14, 2010 by Simply Healthy Cooking with Pam
This recipe was featured in one of my favorite cooking magazines called Cuisine at Home. The pictures seemed to show this recipe as warm, hearty and filling recipe for a chilly winter day. I made this to test with some friends and the results were just absolutely amazing. The chicken basically fell apart from the bone and the sauce had a rich aromatic flavor. I must have said this dish is just amazing about 100 times during dinner. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I think the only thing I would change is the type of pasta that goes with this dish, maybe use a linguine or angel hair pasta because this type of pasta shown seemed so heavy for me.

Pappardelle with Chicken, Mushrooms and Wine
Created recipe on 03/14/2010

Pappardelle with Chicken, Mushrooms and Wine

1 lb mushrooms, sliced
1 cup red wine (I used a Merlot)
½ cup all purpose flour
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cut up chicken with skin and bone
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 ounces pancetta diced
1 medium red onion diced
½ lb fennel bulb, cut into strips
3 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon fresh sage leaves minced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 lb dry Pappardelle or any pasta

Sauté
In 2 tablespoons butter
1 lb mushrooms sliced – I used butter and baby Portobello mushrooms

Sauté mushrooms in butter in a large ovenproof sauté pan over medium-high heat, stirring often. When mushrooms are soft, they will give off liquid, reduce the heat to medium and cook until the liquid evaporates.

Add
½ cup of red wine – I used Merlot – increase the heat to high until most of the wine evaporates. Take mushrooms out of pan and put in a bowl – set aside. Wipe the pan clean and return to stove top. Dredge chicken in flour and pepper and shake off the excess. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 2 tablespoons of olive oil in pan and put the flour coated chicken and brown all sides over medium heat. Remove chicken from pan and put on plate. Set aside.

In the drippings from the chicken – add the pancetta – sauté until the pancetta begins to brown. Add the onion and fennel, cook until the onion becomes softened and the fennel becomes a light brown. Stir in garlic and cook for an additional 2 – 3 minutes more. Increase the heat to high and stir in the wine and sage. Remove from the heat and add the sautéed mushrooms.

Return the browned chicken back to the pan, cover and put in oven @ 325 degrees and cook for 45 min to an hour. Remove from the heat and add the balsamic vinegar. During the last 15 min of the chicken cooking prepare the pasta. Cook according to package directions and serve with chicken and mushroom sauce.

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Chicken, Spinach, Mushroom Pasta Bake

Posted on February 25, 2010 by Simply Healthy Cooking with Pam
This dish just sounded so appealing to me. I love casseroles but the fat content is always high in these types of dishes because the main ingredient is often a creamy sauce that is made from scratch or from a soup. I think I would take the Parmesan cheese over a creamy sauce any day. But, I learned something new for myself today. Parmesan cheese has a higher fat content than mozzarella cheese. I always thought it was the other way around. The house smelled like an Italian restaurant with the amount of garlic I put in the dish. Full of flavor and there were also some benefits of fiber from the whole wheat pasta, mushroom and spinach.

Chicken, Spinach, Mushroom Pasta Bake
Created recipe on 02/25/2010

Chicken, Spinach, Mushroom Pasta Bake 11 lb or one box of whole wheat pasta (use any shape you like)
4 oz of chicken tenderloin strips chopped in 1” cubes
1 box of frozen spinach thawed and all excess liquid squeezed
½ pint of mushrooms thickly sliced (I used button mushrooms)
8 -10 cloves of garlic minced fine
3 tablespoons of olive oil
½ cup of wine (I had a red wine available and used that)
1-1/2 cups of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

Prepare the whole wheat pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain liquid and set aside.

Sauté the cubed chicken tenderloins for about 10 minutes until browned in olive oil over medium heat in a 10” skillet. Add the garlic and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes. The garlic will brown with the chicken. Stir constantly so the garlic does not burn. Note: If the garlic burns in the dish, it gives a bitter flavor to the whole thing and does not taste great. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for an additional 5 minutes stirring constantly.  Add the spinach, wine and cook until the spinach is heated thoroughly and the wine is cooked off. Add 1 cup of grated Parmesan Cheese to the mixture, mix well. I used about 3/4 of the 1 lb pasta that I cooked. I felt that adding the whole 1 pound of pasta was too much. Mix the pasta in the filling.

In a casserole dish, even out the filling and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan Cheese. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 15 to 20 minutes until dish is thoroughly heated and the cheese is melted.

Chicken, Spinach, Mushroom Pasta Bake 2I wasn’t satisfied with the color so I flash broiled the dish in the broiler for about 5 minutes to give the cheese the golden color I wanted.

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Mushroom Frittata

Posted on February 11, 2010 by Simply Healthy Cooking with Pam
I love Saturday mornings. I love the fact that I can make dishes and try out new things. Most of all I enjoy the ones I’ve already created. A mushroom frittata loaded with Parmesan cheese and mushrooms – what can I say! I love mushrooms, eggs, Parmesan cheese – need I say more? An excellent 5-ingredient combo that can be used for all meal times in the day – breakfast, lunch, brunch or a light dinner.


Mushroom Frittata
Created recipe on 02/11/2010

Mushroom Frittata_1

  • ½ pint of mushrooms – any kind you like – in this one I used ¼ baby portabellas and ¼ button mushrooms – wiped off and sliced. You can certainly add more mushrooms if you want.
  • 1 carton of Egg Beaters (I used this because I found that with Egg Beaters, the frittata is fluffier. Not only that, there is no cholesterol and fat in Egg Beaters and I can eat this at anytime and often.
  • ½ cup of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
  • 2 teaspoon fresh Thyme – removed from the stems and coarsely chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons of olive oil

In a 10” sauté pan, heat up the olive oil over medium high heat and add the sliced mushrooms. Add about 1 teaspoon of salt and let the mushrooms cook until the desired consistency. I like my mushrooms cook thoroughly but still has a bite to it.

Add the carton of egg beaters to the mushroom mixture. Add the parmesan cheese and leave a little bit for a final sprinkling after taking the frittata out of the oven. Add the thyme and just lightly mix the cheese and thyme into the egg beaters. Try not to stir the mushrooms around; you will want to leave them on the bottom of the egg mixture. Cover the pan with lid for about 3 to 4 minutes. The eggs will cook. Remove from the heat and sprinkle the reserved Parmesan cheese and put in the broiler for about 2 to 3 minutes so the top is brown and the cheese is melted. Yum!

Mushroom Frittata_2

Remove the frittata from the broiler and slide the frittata onto a cutting board and slice half and then half again. Serve this with crusty whole grain bread and butter with a cup of freshly perked coffee or tea. I love Saturday mornings.

Mushroom Frittata_3

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