Vegetarian Spaghetti Sauce

spaghettiTo all of my babies working on their Summer ’16 bodies, I promise to look out for you guys as well. ??Lol I know I post a lot of indulgent things, but, believe it or not I only use whole wheat pasta in all of my pasta dishes. No one can ever tell the difference! Take this Spaghetti for instance. I made this “meat” sauce out of Morning Star’s veggie crumbles. My family thought it was real meat! Lol

Recipe:
Olive or coconut oil
12oz bag of veggie crumbles or 1 lb of ground turkey
2-3 cans crushed tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
Fresh basil
2 teaspoons of oregano
Red pepper flakes
Fresh parsley
Minced garlic
1/2 cup of red wine
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup of brown sugar

Add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil or olive oil to a saucepan. (Coconut oil is a solid when stored in cooler temps. It liquefies with the slightest exposure to heat.) Now, sauté onions till translucent and add EVERYTHING else to the pot. Bring it to a boil, stir, turn it down to low, cover w/a lid then leave a crack and let it simmer for 30 mins – 1 hr stirring occasionally. Now taste it, adjust seasoning (add more sugar if you need to) then let it simmer for at least another 30 mins!
You can serve this over wheat, thin spaghetti like I did this time or spaghetti squash!

For spaghetti squash, all you have to do is cut it in half, scrap out the seeds, then place it cut side down into a roasting pan. Pour about 1/3 cup of water into the roasting pan to make the squash more tender. Cover pan with foil and bake on 400 for 35-45 mins or until it’s tender enough to be easily pierced with a fork. Now, using that same fork, scrap out the contents horizontally, toss in a little olive or coconut oil and serve!

May look like a lot of cheese, but it’s only about 2 tablespoons of shredded sharp cheddar. Dieting or not, I can’t let go of my cheese!!? lol however, if it’s not apart of your meal planning, just omit it! All of my recipes can be tweaked to fit your lifestyle. Look for **in future posts on subtle changes that will make my recipes a little lighter. Oh, and let’s just pretend that bread in the picture doesn’t exist. It’s a mirage!!! ?

Hope you like it!

Print Recipe
Vegetarian Spaghetti Sauce
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings
people
Ingredients
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings
people
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil or olive oil to a saucepan. (Coconut oil is a solid when stored in cooler temps. It liquefies with the slightest exposure to heat.)
  2. Now, sauté onions till translucent and add EVERYTHING else to the pot.
  3. Bring it to a boil, stir, turn it down to low, cover w/a lid then leave a crack and let it simmer for 30 mins - 1 hr stirring occasionally.
  4. Now taste it, adjust seasoning (add more sugar if you need to)
  5. Let sauce simmer for at least another 30 mins!
  6. You can serve this over wheat, thin spaghetti like I did this time or spaghetti squash!
  7. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes

For spaghetti squash, all you have to do is cut it in half, scrap out the seeds, then place it cut side down into a roasting pan. Pour about 1/3 cup of water into the roasting pan to make the squash more tender. Cover pan with foil and bake on 400 for 35-45 mins or until it's tender enough to be easily pierced with a fork. Now, using that same fork, scrap out the contents horizontally, toss in a little olive or coconut oil and serve!

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Chicken Cordon Bleu (Cajun Style)

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Chicken Cordon Bleu is perfect as it is. Elegant and delicious! But, in true Coop fashion, I added a slight Cajun twist. Incorporating a few Cajun spices woke that chicken up! This is my take on a wonderful, French classic! Check out my YouTube video for this recipe. Here, you’ll see step by step instructions. Don’t be intimidated by the fancy title. This entree was a breeze! It was also a lot of fun to make.


You MUST have thin chicken breast, so break out the mallet, Cover the bird with plastic wrap, and beat it like it back talked you or owes you $$ whatever works. Wait, preheat your oven to like 350.. Whatever feels safe. Ok now back to the ? season it.Here’s where my Cajun twist comes in. Add those Cajun spices! Yum

Now grab a slice of ham. Any kind except honey! No sweet meat today! Now a slice of cheese. I used Gruyere because it made me feel special that day, but Swiss works! Roll the chicken and let him chill in the fridge for awhile.

Take him out after 15-20 mins. Throw way that plastic wrap. We can’t eat that, boo! Now, secure him with toothpicks if it’s being a jerk and unrolling.

Plate some breadcrumbs and season it with salt, pepper, onion & garlic powder. Then put an egg and some milk in a bowl (egg wash!) Now, roll that guy in some flour, dip in egg, then breadcrumbs.

Take him over to the stove that should have a hot skillet with a lil oil in it waiting for him, because I mentioned that earlier right? ? Brown ALL four sides of this guy. Then, place him in a greased dish (or leave it in the skillet if it’s an oven safe one) and bake for 15-20 mins or however long it takes until he’s no longer pink inside. But don’t over cook!

Now, I’ll be honest. This sauce was an accident that ended up making sense (story of my life??) But, it’s honestly soooo yummy! So, don’t skip it!

Hope you try this!!!

Love,

B. Coop

Print Recipe
Chicken Cordon Bleu (Cajun Style)
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Cajun, French
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 20-30 mins
Passive Time 15-20 mins
Servings
people
Ingredients
For the Chicken
For the Breading
For Frying
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Cajun, French
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 20-30 mins
Passive Time 15-20 mins
Servings
people
Ingredients
For the Chicken
For the Breading
For Frying
Instructions
Chicken
  1. Pound out chicken using a mallet or meat tenderizer between two sheets of plastic wrap.
  2. Season both sides with Cajun spices.
  3. Spread on the Dijon mustard and layer 1 slice of ham and 1 slice of cheese.
  4. Roll tightly with the plastic wrap.
  5. Continue with each breast then refrigerate for 15-20 mins.
Breading
  1. Set up a breading station with 3 different bowls. One for the flour, egg mixture(whisk milk and eggs together), and breadcrumbs.
  2. Remove chicken from the refrigerator and discard plastic wrap, Secure each roll with toothpicks to prevent unrolling.
  3. Dredge each roll in the flour, then egg mixture, and lastly the breadcrumbs,
  4. Allow the chicken to rest while you heat the oil in an oven safe skillet.
Frying
  1. Heat the oil until it sizzles when a small amount of flour is sprinkled into the skillet
  2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
  3. Fry each chicken cordon bleu for 3-4 mins per side.
  4. Transfer skillet to the oven for 12-15 mins or until chicken reaches 165 degrees internal temp.
  5. Allow to rest for 5-10 mins before slicing.
Sauce
  1. Melt butter and saute garlic for 1 min.
  2. Pour in the heavy cream and bring to a simmer.
  3. Add cheeses.
  4. Simmer until cheese melts completely.
  5. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add salt and pepper as needed.
  6. Toss in some fresh chopped basil and parsley.
  7. Enjoy!!
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