Green Bean "Fries" With Spicy Mustard Dipping Sauce

This year, I decided to participate in Nanowrimo. (National Novel Writing Month) Basically, I am attempting to write a 50,000 word novel during the month of November. This is my third try, I have never made it to the end in previous years. So far, I am 11,000 words in, in seven days. The goal is to write 1,667 words per day, in order to finish.

This is very time consuming, so I have been trying to make simple meals, so that I have more time to focus on my writing. I am also back on my diet, so I need healthy options. I decided to make green bean "french fries" because they are easy, healthy, and delicious!

1 package fresh green beans, ends cut off
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper

For sauce:
3 tbsp honey mustard
2 tbsp whole grain mustard
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
dash lemon juice
dash cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place a piece of tinfoil on a baking sheet. Arrange green beans in a single layer, making sure that none are overlapping. Top with cheese, garlic, salt and pepper, and bake for 20-25 min, until green beans crisp up.

Meanwhile, mix all sauce ingredients together, until blended.

Serve green beans with dipping sauce on the side!

Au Gratin Potatoes

As a teenager I was obsessed with potatoes. It didn't matter what form they came in, I loved them all, from mashed to french fried. They were the one food I said I could never live without. When I started college, I stopped eating potatoes as much, and eventually bread replaced them as my favorite food. Now that I can no longer have bread I am rekindling my love for them.

My husband is not the biggest potato fan, so I was a little surprised when he suggested this dish. I should know by now that he will eat anything that has been smothered in cheese!

(I would also like to apologize for the terrible picture, but this was taken during the hurricane, and my lighting wasn't too good).

4 potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 350.

In a sauce pan, over low heat combine milk, cheese, garlic, Worcestershire, salt and pepper, stirring constantly until cheese is melted. Remove from heat.

Toss potato slices in olive oil. Layer potatoes in a baking dish, topping with cheese sauce. Bake for 45 - 50 minutes, until potatoes are tender.

Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Rosemary

One thing that I enjoy, and kind of miss, about being out of town is that I don't have to cook. I love tasting food that other people prepare, (it gives me new ideas!) but I do really miss cooking. Since I have returned home, I have been spending a lot of time in the kitchen.

One of my favorite fall foods is spaghetti squash. A friend of mine told me that she roasts hers with rosemary, which I have had a mild obsession with lately. I knew that this was something I would have to make ASAP!

1 spaghetti squash, halved, seeds and pulp removed
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup chopped onion
4 cloves garlic
3 sprigs rosemary
Parmesan cheese for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a baking dish, combine broth, onions, and garlic. Add squash halves, hollow side down. place rosemary sprigs round the squash. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes until soft.

Remove from oven let cool for a few minutes, and carefully scoop squash out of the rinds. Inside will still be hot. Top with Parmesan cheese.

Creamy Cauliflower with Goat Cheese and Chives

I changed a lot of my eating habits when I found out I have Celiac Disease. Obviously, I gave up gluten, but I changed more than that. I am much more aware of the nutritional values of food. I found out that the years of basically being malnourished had let to multiple vitamin deficiencies. I have to think about everything I put into my body, in ways that I never had to before.

I cook more than I used to, mostly out of necessity. I used to order food, or pick up a frozen pizza, etc. Now I prefer eating in to going out, because I have complete control over what I an ingesting. It can be annoying at times, especially when I have been working all day, or when I am exhausted. But, when I cook I can have the comfort of knowing that I am putting good, healthy things into my body. 

2 cups cauliflower

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup goat cheese crumbles

1 tbsp chives

Heat cauliflower on stove top, over medium heat. Meanwhile, mix yogurt, oil, goat cheese and chives. Add mixture to cauliflower, and heat until sauce melts. 

Garlicky Mushrooms With Green Onions

Today was supposed to be a lazy Sunday for Husband and me, however, he was told on Friday that he had to work all weekend. I decided to keep my plans for a relaxing day, and spent that day pampering myself. I started out with a manicure and pedicure, then I gave my hair a keratin treatment. I spent the rest of the day with Netflix, and later, a Big Bang Theory marathon on TV. All in all, it was a very successful Sunday for me.

I did find myself feeling a little guilty that Husband was stuck at work, while I was taking advantage of my day off, so I figured that I would pamper him with dinner. I decided to make steaks, garlicky mushrooms with green onions, and carrots.

I find that I have to be creative with mushrooms, since David (my husband) is just learning to like then. I decided to use a ton of garlic, since it's David's favorite, and I had some green onions in the fridge, so I threw it together with a few other ingredients, and it turned into a pretty successful dish! David even told me that I can add it to my rotation of side dishes!

1 pack sliced white mushrooms
1 bunch green onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
I tablespoon butter or margarine (I used margarine)
salt and pepper to taste.

Wipe mushrooms clean with a paper towel, and put in a saute pan. Chop green onions into 1/2 - 1 inch pieces. Add to pan. Add the rest of ingredients, sauteing over medium heat until mushrooms are soft.