“In my childhood, America was like a religion. Then, real-life Americans abruptly entered my life – in jeeps – and upset all my dreams.” ~ Sergio Leone, Italian born film director, producer, and screenwriter known for his work making Spaghetti Westerns (1929 – 1989)

Remember those Westerns made during the 1960’s? They were such a hoot. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly was even fun to say! Now that Oscar has gone home and red carpet rolled up, it is a great time to look at some cult classics.

At the produce market last week, the spaghetti squash was labeled “The Fun Squash!” Well, it is! Despite sharing the vitamins, minerals, and fiber of their classification, this winter squash separates itself from the rest of the gang by having a totally different texture that is like al dente spaghetti, not at all squishy. And this is the easiest of all the winter squashes to cook.

The most suggested use for spaghetti squash is to simply cook it and top with an Italian style pasta sauce. Here, we give it more of a Southwestern flair with peppers, cumin, and cilantro. Edemame (shelled soy beans) or pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds) give this dish the protein that make it the main course for Meatless Monday.

The fiber content of the combined ingredients make Spaghetti Western Squash much more filling and substantial than it appears, but serve it over mashed potatoes if you want to give it more of a casserole feel.

Spaghetti Western Squash
Serves 4
Time: 30 minutes

VEGAN
1 medium spaghetti squash
½ cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 (4-ounce) can diced green chilies
2 tablespoons capers, drained
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained well
1 (8-ounce) package frozen, shelled edemame, thawed OR 1 cup toasted pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
¼ cup lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)
¼ cup snipped cilantro OR 1 tablespoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground chipotle or cayenne pepper

Split squash lengthwise and scrape out seeds. Place into microwave-safe dish, cut side up. Pour water into dish and cover with lid or a piece of plastic wrap.

Microwave cook on highest level 15 minutes to start. Cook in 3 – 5 minute increments longer, testing periodically for doneness. Spaghetti squash is done if the strands easily release from the rind and are tender to bite (not mushy!). Allow to rest, covered, for 5 minutes after cooking.

While the spaghetti squash is resting, sauté zucchini in olive oil, in a large skillet or soup pot. When the zucchini is soft and beginning to brown, stir in the remaining ingredients. Scrape the cooked squash into the pot and gently fold to combine with the zucchini mixture. Serve while hot.

Visit Amazon for a list of Spaghetti Westerns and while you’re there, don’t forget to check out the “look inside” feature of our very own Mosaic Meals cookbook.

“Mostly, I haven’t had any lunch. I ate an energy bar. It helped a little. That stopped me from gnawing on people’s heads.” ~ Ronnie Earle, attorney and candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Texas (1942 – )

Last year my aunt, Cheryl, asked if I had a recipe for a good energy bar that would save money but not contain processed sugar. At the time, we had been working on that very idea but had not come up with anything stellar. Fast forward to last week, when I was eating a Lärabar that weighed in at $1.29 for 45 grams/1.6 ounces, and experienced a forehead slapping moment…

Dates, the base ingredient in the Lärabar, are high in natural sugars. Indeed, ground dehydrated dates can replace sugar in many recipes. Dates are fat free and high in fiber, however, so don’t require the addition of eggs or oil to bind other ingredients to it. They also contain small amounts of protein, calcium, potassium, and iron so have at least a little redeeming value for all their sweetness.

We found chopped dates at the grocery store for $1.99 for an 8 ounce package, grown in California. That means we can produce our own energy bars with them for less than one third of the price of purchasing them readymade, including the cost of nuts and other added ingredients.

Bakeless Easy Energy Bars (BEEBs)
Makes 10 (> 45 gram/1.6 ounce) bars
Time: 12 minutes active + 20 minutes drying time before storage

1 (8 or 10 ounce) package chopped dates
1 tablespoons water or fruit juice
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)
1 cup shelled nuts (peanuts, walnuts, cashews, etc.)

Optional add-ins
½ cup total of other ingredients such as:
Unsweetened shredded coconut
Old fashioned oat meal, toasted
Mini chocolate chips (big ones don’t work well)
Crispy rice cereal
Other chopped dried fruit (blueberries, apricots, etc.)
Pepitas, sunflower seeds, or sesame seeds

Measure the dates and cocoa into a food processor (the food processor is the best for this but it can be done in a blender if that is the only option), and sprinkle the water or juice over them. Allow to rest for 5 minutes, giving the dates the opportunity to absorb some of the liquid.

Process at high speed to grind the dates, stopping to stir down as needed. The mixture will become grainy looking but will stick together with a little squeezing. Add the nuts and process again to chop and combine with the dates – they can be coarsely chopped or finely ground to your preference, checking every few seconds.

Transfer the mixture to a plastic sandwich bag along with any of the optional ingredients you wish to add. Knead the ingredients together through the bag and shape into a log (length doesn’t matter). This can be done without the bag, but the mixture is very sticky at first, making a mess of hands and counter top. Once kneaded, it is much less sticky.

Remove the log from the bag and cut into 10 equal pieces. At this point, you can just shape with your hands and return to the bag, or you can get fancy and press them into small cookie cutters for cute shapes. Allow to dry for about 10 minutes on each side before storing in that same plastic bag used for kneading (or other airtight container) in the refrigerator.

For some interesting information about the history and cultivation of dates, visit http://www.foodmuseum.com/datepalm.html

“The most wasted day of all is that on which we have not laughed” ~ Nicolas Chamfort, French writer (1741-1794)

Listening to our local public radio station yesterday, I learned that Americans throw away, on average, more than 25% of the food brought home from the grocery store. If a family spends $800/month on food, we would theoretically be throwing away $200 worth of it. That isn’t only a bad economic move for our personal budgets, but think about the energy wasted in production, transportation, and storage!

Having an arsenal of recipes that use up small bits of what might otherwise go to waste is the best tactic to help our budget, the environment, and our health. Most soups are rich in vitamins, minerals, and life-sustaining water. Including fiber rich ingredients also makes it more filling, which means we will feel less hungry and be less likely to overeat, too, which translates into saving money on the front end.

Don’t be afraid to exchange ingredients in a soup or throw in something extra just to use it up. Part of a can of tomatoes, a spoonful of green beans, or even the last bits of a spinach salad, for example, will add colorful interest and diversify the flavor in addition to preventing waste. Soups, overall, are difficult to hurt and are very forgiving.

Note: When pork is processed into bacon, it is seasoned with a liquid smoke solution and salt (among other ingredients). Using liquid smoke – simply produced by infusing water with smoke, then condensing it – skips the pig, cholesterol, salt, and saturated fat along with it in this extra-thick chowder.

Sweet Potato Chaudière
Makes 8 cups
Time: 20 minutes active + 20 minutes simmering

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup chopped white onion
½ cup chopped red bell pepper
½ cup chopped pablano or green bell pepper
1 cup chopped celery
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
2 cups frozen corn
1 cup unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk
1 teaspoon liquid smoke

In bottom of soup pot, soften the onion in the vegetable oil over medium heat until translucent. Stir in the peppers and celery and continue to sauté for 3 minutes before stirring in the sweet potatoes, cumin, black pepper and broth.

Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cover for 15 minutes. Stir in the corn and continue simmering for 5 more minutes, or until potatoes are soft. Remove from heat and stir in the coconut milk beverage and liquid smoke. Serve immediately.

While you’re simmering your soup, check out the mention of the Mosaic Meals cookbook in the Ladies Home Journal article, “Sunday Night Dinner Done Right,” by Gretchen Roberts along with some other suggestions for getting families together at the table. Page 103 in the Mosaic Meals cookbook has a recipe for a great soup topper, Smoky Bakin’ Sprinkles.

“We don’t need a melting pot in this country, folks. We need a salad bowl. In a salad bowl, you put in the different things. You want the vegetables – the lettuce, the cucumbers, the onions, the green peppers – to maintain their identity. You appreciate differences.” ~ Janet Elliot, American teacher, anti-racist activist, and diversity trainer (1933 – )

At the grocery store last week, I overheard two young women talking in the produce department, one remarking that the new expectation that our dinner plates should be at least half full with vegetables is ridiculous. The other replied, “My family just wouldn’t go for it.”

Those comments made me think about the differences between people who are successful with a healthy, vegetable heavy diet, and those who just can’t seem to make veggies work for them. With that, we have…

The Seven Habits of Successful Vegetable Lovers

1) Nutritionally savvy folks know that vegetables can serve as the entrée. For those who choose to eat meat, remember that it can be used as a side dish or seasoning rather than the main event. While meat contains a complete set of proteins, the body breaks those proteins down and combines them in the same way it does with the complimentary proteins provided by plant-based foods. The key is to eat a variety of wholesome foods and whole grains, and the rest will happen naturally.

2) Veggie lovers keep a broad selection of vegetables in the freezer. Frozen vegetables are cleaned and cut up already, serving as time savers, and they retain more vitamins and texture than their canned counterparts. Frozen vegetables can help you assemble delicious homemade soups and stir-fries in mere minutes because we don’t all have unlimited kitchen time.

3) Those who enjoy vegetables are aware that creating combinations add interest. Instead of plain old zucchini, for instance, try sautéing it with onions, red bell peppers, and herbs to add flavor and visual interest. The grocer’s freezer also contains many tasty combinations that can be purchased as is, or just serve as inspiration for the do-it-yourself cook.

4) Vegetables can be hidden in plain view by simply presenting them in a way that makes them seem like a treat. Eating vegetable based dips and salsas can be at least as nutritious as a salad or bowl broccoli. Serve them with whole grain breads or raw vegetable dippers instead of fried chips to keep fats down.

5) Cultures that are less dependent on meat are a good source of ideas for planning meals with more vegetables. Would a pizza or calzone be rejected because it contains more peppers, mushrooms, or chopped fresh spinach and less (or no) meat? How about enchiladas stuffed with sweet potatoes and black beans? Or an Indian vegetable curry “bowl” with nutty brown rice?

6) Just because we don’t like a vegetable prepared one way doesn’t mean we won’t like it a different way. Roasting vegetables brings out a natural sweetness that isn’t found in the steamed variety, vegetables in soup taste milder than if served individually, and stir-fried vegetables retain a crispier texture than canned. An eggplant sandwich might be rejected without taking a single bite, but eggplant in a caponata dip might qualify as a favorite treat.

7) A history of meat-heavy meals doesn’t create an obligation for preparing foods the same way today. Vegetables with all their colors, textures, and flavors inspire us to create a new legacy. While there may be a bit of a learning curve, cooking healthier has the power to change our families now and for generations to come.

Today, simply repackaging a familiar dish shows how easy creating more interest can be. The fillo dough is usually found in the grocer’s frozen food case near the desserts, but it is not sweetened and is very low in fat.

Fillo Bowls
Makes 2 bowls
Time: 5 minutes active + 12 minutes in the oven

6 sheets phillo dough, thawed to room temperature
Olive oil to spray or brush

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Make a stack of 6 sheets of phillo dough, spraying or brushing with olive oil between each sheet. Cut in half crosswise and lightly press each stack into an individual sized casserole dish (about 5 inch diameter) or extra-large muffin tin, forming a bowl with a little of the pastry extending over the edge. Bake for 12 minutes, until the pastry has lightly browned. Remove the baked bowl when ready to use, either still warm or at room temperature.

For the photo, we filled the bowls with a chopped Greek salad rich in tomatoes, olives, beets, cucumber, and leaf lettuce, baked potato croutons, and served with falafel on the side. This fillo bowl works just as well for other salads and thick stews, too.

“What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?… Or does it explode?” ~ Langston Hughes, American novelist (1902 – 1967)

When you get near the bottom of the raisin box and find that they are just a little dried out – too much for eating out of hand, but not so much that you want to throw them away – here is a very tasty way to use them to make your meal fancier with almost no effort.

Raisins are good for us and, along with other dried fruit and cinnamon, give savory Moroccan food its distinctively sweet flavor, but you don’t have to go all out ethnic to enjoy the same concept. Simply spoon this easy, Moroccan inspired sauce over a split baked potato, stir into rice, top roasted vegetables, or dress a fresh spinach salad, and you’re good to go.

Savory Raisins
Makes 8 servings, 2 tablespoons each
Time: 3 minutes active prep + standing time

1 cup raisins
1 tablespoon Mrs. Dash Original
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup balsamic vinegar

Measure ingredients in the order given into a jar that will hold at least 10 ounces. Cover tightly, shake, and leave on the counter to stand overnight. This topping can be served at room temperature, or gently warmed, about 15 seconds in the microwave, if you wish.