Crunchy Rosemary ChickPeas - Perfect Snack

Last night my fiance asked if we had anymore garbanzo beans.  He wanted to make the same snack I had whipped up the night before that is South Beach Phase One friendly!

This little snack is crunchy, salty, and all the things you want it to be while watching late night TV without busting up your healthy eating plan.  Plus the garbanzo beans are packed full of protein!

Ditch the potato chips and try these!  When your man is asking for them, you know they're good!



Crunchy Rosemary Chickpeas Beans - Perfect Snack

1 can garbanzo/chickpeas beans
2 tbsp. fresh rosemary
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. paprika


1.  Preheat oven 425 degrees.

2. Rinse and drain the garbanzo beans.  Dry them delicately with a paper towel.  Mix them together in a bowl with the remainder of the ingredients.  Place on a baking sheet in one layer.

3. Roast in the oven 45 minutes.  Make sure to check on them every 10 - 15 minutes shaking the pan around so the beans don't stick to the pan.  When they are crunchy and no longer soft, they are ready to snack on!

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Zucchini Pasta & Red Sauce

I luuuuuuuuuurve pasta!  If given a choice, I would be face down in a bowl of pasta covered with cheese every single day!

That won't quite work on the meal plan I started for the New Year.  I've lost 5 pounds in the last six days!  I'm feeling great!  I've managed to get rid of the holiday weight, now to ditch the last five pounds that have been haunting me since I started noshing on candy around Halloween.

I had some left over red sauce from a dish I made yesterday, so I decided to make zucchini noodles to finish the sauce.  I used the new mandolin I got for Christmas to slice the zucchini.  I also used some yellow squash.

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I could not tell this wasn't real pasta!  As a matter of fact, I think I may like it better than pasta!!  I didn't feel weighed down after I ate it, but I did feel full.  All from these little veggies that are easy to cut and prepare!

Zucchini Pasta & Red Sauce

 

2 zucchini

2 yellow squash

1 tsp. salt

2 cups red sauce recipe==> Beefy Red Sauce

 

1.  Slice zucchini and squash using a mandolin, then slice the vegetables into strings.

2. Place the veggies in a colander over a bowl.  Salt lightly and let sit on the counter for 20 minutes to draw out the moisture.  Then squeeze the veggies gently with a paper towel to get out the excess water.

3.  Over medium heat in a large skillet add the red sauce.  Once the sauce is warmed through, add the zucchini and squash pasta to the pan.  Let warm through only two minutes.  You don't want to over cook the vegetables. They will get mushy.

Serve immediately!

Fake Out Beefy Pasta Primavera

My fiance told me this morning that he's lost 4 pounds this past week, and we're only just starting day six! He also told me that he'd like to continue this meal plan until he's dropped a total of 10 pounds no matter how long it takes!  Yaaaaay!

Last night I was craving pasta, so I did the next best thing...I faked myself out!  I made what I call Fake Out Beefy Pasta Primavera!

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I grabbed a spaghetti squash and roasted it for about an hour.  While it was roasting I made a meaty primavera red sauce.  I literally took all the veggies out of the fridge that we've been snacking on and threw them into the sauce!

Spaghetti squash is not the easiest thing to slice in half, but my fiance got me this amazing new chef's knife for Christmas.  I can't pronounce the name of it, because it's in Japanese.  But let me tell you, I could probably take this knife to a Samurai sword fight it's THAT sharp!  I love it!  I was able to slice the squash in half with this knife fairly easily, but if your knife is not as sharp you can use a mallet tapping on the handle to help it along.

I used 94% lean ground beef for the sauce, and it was so yummy!  We've been eating turkey and chicken all week, so the beef was a nice change up and filled me up!

Then assemble your Fake Out Pasta!   I top with a little grated cheese and fresh herbs!

Fake Out Beef Pasta Primavera

 

1 large spaghetti squash

1 lb. lean ground beef

1/2 onion

1 bell pepper

1 zucchini

1 cup sliced mushrooms

3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary

1 tbsp. dried thyme

2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 cup dry red wine

1 32 oz. can San Marzano crushed tomatoes

1 tbsp. tomato paste

1/2 cup fresh basil

1/4 cup fresh parsley

salt and pepper to taste

 

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Slice the spaghetti squash in half.  Scoop out the seeds like you would a pumpkin and discard.  Coat the inside with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Place on a sheet pan and roast for an hour or until you can easily poke a fork into the squash flesh.  Mine was a little larger and took about 80 minutes.

3.  Meanwhile make the red sauce.  Start by browning your beef in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. If you get low fat beef, you will need to add a little olive oil to help it brown. I like to add a little salt and pepper during this stage.  When the meat is about half way done, add the chopped onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and zucchini.  Let this saute for 3 - 4 minutes. Then turn the heat down to medium-low.

4.  Chop the fresh rosemary and add to the stock pot with the meat along with the dried thyme.  Continue to saute a few more minutes until the veggies soften.   Add the tomato paste and mix to combine.

5.  Add the red wine and red wine vinegar.  Let this reduce by half.  It takes 5 - 8 minutes. Now add the crushed tomatoes.  Turn the heat down a simmer and taste for seasonings. Cover and let the sauce get happy while you wait on your squash to finish roasting.

6. When you can pierce the flesh of the squash with a fork, it's done.  Remove from the oven and with a fork gently scrape the "spaghetti strands" from the sides and bottom of the squash.  It looks just like spaghetti! It's amazing!

Top your with red sauce, a little cheese, and whatever fresh herbs you might have handy!  I used fresh basil and parsley!

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