Spaghetti Squash Tacos

I think I can speak for Anjelica, Donna, and myself when I say our time in Puerto Rico has given us a newfound appreciation for all things in the squash family. For me, it was specifically the heavy ones: butternut squash and spaghetti squash. Whew, that spaghetti squash. One of those little boogers could cost you $15 if you weren’t paying attention! We, literally, NEVER ate it while on the island because we couldn't afford it. So, the other day when I could get my hands on a local spaghetti squash there was excitement in my soul. It sat in the fridge for a while though because it’d been so long since I worked with one I was torn about what I should do. It lasted until things were running low in the kitchen…you know how that goes. After skimming online for recipe ideas that mostly used cheese (which we were out of) or pasta sauce (we’d had Italian the night before), I went for tacos! Now, we do typically like cheese on our tacos, so I decided a sauce would hit the spot. One by our very own Anjelica, to be exact! 

Here’s what you need:

-1 medium spaghetti squash

-olive oil

-one onion, diced

-one poblano pepper, diced

-minced garlic, to taste

-two tomatoes, diced

-black beans (I make mine, so about 1 ½ cups)

-cumin

-paprika

-chilli powder

-oregano

-salt, to taste

-pepper, to taste

-8 corn tortillas

-Anjelica’s Ranch Dressing

-Taco Season

Directions:

-Cut the spaghetti squash in half, scoop out the seeds and middle with a spoon, and roast it (cut sides up) for 45 minutes at 350. When it’s finished, use a fork to scrape the “spaghetti” out of it.

-Heat some oil in a pan, and sauté the onion and pepper until they’re nice and soft and yummy.

-Toss in the garlic and tomatoes, and sauté a little longer.

-Add the black beans and seasonings and cook until heated.

-Add the spaghetti squash, and mix well

-Heat a dry pan (we prefer our cast iron), and toss the corn tortilla on it just until heated. Be sure to flip.

-Take Anjelica’s ranch dressing, and add your favorite taco seasoning (we use Penzy’s) until you’re pleased with the flavor. I added about 2 teaspoons.

 I often am too hungry to remember to snap photos, but make your tacos and ENJOY!!

-Hollie

Vegetarian Crockpot Mexican Gloop

I love striving for a no-processed kitchen, but sometimes it requires a little fast thinking. Since we are a one vehicle family, the days that I keep the car by taking my husband to work have become guaranteed crockpot dinner days. This wasn’t just a crockpot day; it was also a we-aren’t-grocery-shopping-for-another-3-days kind of day. I used what we had, it looked pretty ugly, but it tasted mighty fine.

You need:

-Pinto Beans (I make all of my own, maybe 1 ½ cups or so)

-Kidney Beans

-Chickpeas

-several celery stalks, chopped

-onion, diced

-half of poblano pepper, chopped

-1 ½ cups or so of your favorite salsa

-2 tablespoons or so of your favorite taco seasoning (We use Penzy’s!)

-4 oz. cream cheese, broken up into pieces (half of a packet was all I had and it was more than enough)

-cilantro, red pepper, salt, and pepper to taste

-several corn tortillas

 I’m going to tell you what I did, and what variations I might do later.

Directions:

-Mix everything except the tortillas together in a bowl

-Lay a few corn tortillas on the bottom of the crockpot

-Pour some mixture, and continue layering that way until it’s all gone. I made 3 layers.

-Cook on high 3-4 hours or Low 6-8

-VOILA! ENJOY!

The next day, J was off work and wanted to make tacos for lunch with the leftovers. He seared some corn tortillas in the cast iron skillet and put the mixture inside. This got me thinking that you could make the mix in the crockpot or stove top and just use that to fill tortillas if you wanted. OR make quesadillas even…WOAH! Crazy!! I also think potatoes, any other kind of bean, and even chicken or beef for you carnivores out there would work too. 

Happy Eating! 

-Hollie

Actually "Clean" Taco Soup

I married a man who could eat anything with taco or enchilada in the name…daily. A while ago when discussing our desire to eat only food that God made, Donna (Mindful), convinced me that I needed to ditch the cans as well even if they only have one ingredient listed on the label. There’s still sodium, BPA, etc. hidden in there, and (I mean, it happens occasionally [insert wink here]) she had a pretty good argument. So then, she taught me the MOST AMAZING way to tackle dried beans…CROCKPOT! Hellooooo!! I love me some crockpot, and I never do the soaking thing. So, very quickly, because this is not the focus, this is the easy peezy way this goes down.

1.       Pour the bag of dried beans of your choice into a dutch oven/deep pot on the stove along with a little salt, a little pepper, and a couple bay leaves covering them completely with water.

2.       Technically, you should boil them about 10 minutes, but I’m not one to wait around for boiling. I cover the pot and set the timer for 20 minutes. It works every time.

3.       Pour everything, water, beans, and all into a crockpot.

4.       Let it sit on high for 3 hours or low for 6-8.

5.       When time is over, drain the beans in a big colander. If you’re using some then, take what you need. If you’re planning on freezing (that’s totally what I do), then forget about them for a while. Let them cool down to room temperature.

6.       Either use or divide however you wish (I usually get 3-4 servings from one 16 oz bag) and freeze.

Okay! I typically do this a couple times a week. I like to always have chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans, etc. in the freezer at any given time. We’re not vegetarian, but we don’t eat much meat. Freezer foods are often fine when you’re looking for chemical free foods. It’s the best way to preserve and keep the goodness.

My family and I are no longer nomadic, which is AMAZING. So, I am loving all of the affordable, healthy options all over the place that I can use in my very own kitchen. When I realized all of the online taco soup recipes are filled with cans, I thought I’d add this beauty that I made last week to the cyber world. Change ingredients based on what you like in your taco soup, but here’s the real deal using some of my favorites.

You need:

A few potatoes, chopped

2-3 chicken breasts

1 serving of cooked dried black beans (I used about half a bag because we had company)

1 bag of organic frozen corn

3 stalks of celery, chopped

4 peeled carrots, chopped (For the record, I’m not a fan of baby carrots…God did not make them that way, just sayin’)

1 onion, diced

1 pepper diced

3 tomatoes, chopped

Some tomato sauce (The best way to go no canned here is to use the pouches or paper containers)

Some of your favorite salsa

About 3 teaspoons of Better Than Boullan

About 2 tablespoons of your favorite no chemical taco seasoning (I used Penzy’s Chicken Taco because it’s in my pantry now, and it’s glorious.)

All you do:

Toss everything into either a crockpot or a dutch oven. If you choose crockpot, cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8. If you choose a dutch oven, bring it to a boil and let it cook until the potatoes are soft and the chicken is done. Then serve with cheese, sour cream, chips, and guacamole if that’s what your taste buds are yelling out. 

YUM!! Enjoy!! 

-Hollie

"Alternative Lifestyle"

I’m a little late to this. When the article about David Wise and his “alternative lifestyle” came out, it was hard to miss. All kinds of folks bashed it, saying the author, Skyler Wilder, should have never used those two words about an Olympian who also happens to be a husband, a father, and a Christian. I have to admit, I felt the same zing of disapproval at first, but then (who’d have thought!?) I went to the actual article that was being referenced. And, it wasn’t half bad. (Find it here, by the way: http://www.nbcolympics.com/news/david-wises-alternative-lifestyle-leads-olympic-gold?ctx=olympic-journey) It’s not the most amazing writing, and they called the 23-year-old man a “kid” more than I would have liked, but, otherwise, I wasn’t offended.

Please don’t hate me for what I’m going to say, but Christianity is an alternative lifestyle, and, well, it kind of should be. In His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, Jesus says believers should be the salt of the earth. We should be the city on the hill, the light of the world. We should not blend in, and our lifestyles should not fit. David Wise is probably very different from his peers in all of the ways the article pointed out. Poor Wilder’s syntax was just blown way out of proportion.

HOWEVER, there is an “alternative lifestyle” that frustrates all of the blood in my veins. “Healthy Food.” “Whole Foods.” “Clean Living” Etc.  Why is it so different and so difficult in many parts of our country to find real food? Believers, I must implore you to remember that faith and health do go together. Corinthians 6 tells us that our bodies are not our own. They are temples of a Living God, and as such we are challenged to take care of them.

I have struggled a lot since returning to the south with the disregard for ingredient appreciation. Why do we eat food that has things in it that we know are not…oh, I don’t know…FOOD?! Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the occasional Chick fil A sandwich and, just tonight, I indulged in chips and queso from a local Mexican restaurant. However, processed foods rarely make their ways into my home and into my cooking, and I can say with confidence that my 9-month-old baby boy has only ever eaten true foods that God made.

I’m not upset by Wilder calling David Wise’s life “alternative.” Let’s not rant on that. I am upset that our country has ruined food so much that I don’t feel comfortable feeding my baby the food unless I cooked it myself. If we’re going to rant, let’s get riled up about that. I’m also disappointed by Christians pretending that health and faith are completely separate things.

Believers, let’s remember that these bodies are not our own. Let’s intentionally choose to spend our money supporting places that provide real food. Let’s not be upset when marriage and Christianity are involved in an article with “alternative lifestyle” in the title, but let’s delete the phrase from referencing people who live trying to keep fake chemicals out of their bodies. 

Embrace change; sometimes it’s good for you. 

-Hollie