Now before you jump to any conclusions, you’re not going to find the word “tofu” anywhere in this recipe. Nor will you find any other supposedly-tastes-like-meat-but-looks-gross-to-me meat substitute. Now if you’re a tofu loving, tempeh tasting maniac, more power to you. It’s just not my thing. The day I walk through my front door with tofu is the day my husband will send me packing. Seriously.

If it weren’t for my husband, I’d probably be a vegetarian. (That eats steak on occasion.) (And a bite or two of fried chicken just to remind myself of what I gave up.) Basically, I’d eat a lot less meat if I wasn’t cooking for a guy. I do think roasted chicken and turkey sandwiches have a place in our diet, just in moderation. I try to eat vegetarian for lunch, and have at least two veggie only dinners during the week. Sounds hard? It’s really not.

The key to eating more vegetable is to find new ways to make them. I know I say it every time, but it really works! When I made these “meat”balls, Justin actually had to ask me if there was meat in them. There’s so good, you won’t even miss the traditional version. They’re salty, cheesy and have a kick from the crushed red pepper.

I serve them over brown rice pasta with lemon and zucchini. The beautiful thing about this recipe is you can make the meatballs, and change up everything else. They would be fantastic served with marina sauce and a nice side salad, or piled into a pita topped with tzatziki sauce. The options are endless.

Spinach “Meat”balls w. Lemon Zucchini Pasta

Adapted from { this recipe }

{ Serves 4 }

{ Meatballs }

1 lb. frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. lemon zest

1/4 tsp. crushed pepper

3-4 cracks of fresh black pepper

1 TBS coconut oil

Preheat oven to 325.

Place all ingredient in a large bowl and mix until well combined. (Best to use your hands.) Using a 1″ ice cream scoop, form meatballs. Make sure to firmly pat each meatball into a ball.

Heat coconut oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Place one meatball in the pan. If it sizzles, the oil is hot enough. Add remaining meatballs to the pan and cook for 1 minute on first side, or until well-browned. Using a spatula, carefully turn over each meatball to brown on all sides.

Once browned, remove meatballs from the pan and add to an oven-proof plate. (Leave pan sans meatballs on the stove.) Place in oven, uncovered, until pasta is finished cooking.

{ Pasta }

1 lb. brown rice pasta

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

3 garlic cloves

1 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped

2 zucchini, cut into thin strips

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

juice from 1 lemon

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Meanwhile, using the same pan you just removed the meatballs from, add olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add crushed red pepper, garlic and thyme to the pan. Cook for 30 seconds.

Add zucchini to pan and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until zucchini has just begun to soften. Stir in parmesan cheese, lemon juice and cooked (and drained) pasta. Toss well to combine.

Serve meatballs over spaghetti for a delicious vegetarian dinner!

In case you haven’t caught on by now, I love pasta. As a kid, I would only eat plain pasta and canned green beans. (Anyone, gag?) It took me well into my teen years before I even wanted sauce on my pasta. I was a strictly butter girl. Maybe Paula Dean is a distant relative of mine…

As much as I love a bowl of buttered pasta, my taste buds have grown up over the years. A few months ago I was craving chili mac. I had no idea where the craving came from since I’ve maybe eaten chili mac once in my life, but alas the craving needed to be fixed. That’s how this fantastic recipe came to be.

It might look like every chili mac you’ve ever seen, but the kick from the lime juice and 5 spice powder will tell you instantly this isn’t the same old, same old. And I didn’t stop there; melted cheddar cheese and bright, fresh cilantro will make this a dish you’ll crave again and again. Welcome to chili mac, with a twist.

Chili Mac

{ serves 2-3 }

1 tsp. coconut oil

1/2 pound lean ground beef

1 TBS garlic powder

2 pinches chili flakes

2 tsp. chili powder

2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. Chinese 5 spice powder

1/2 cup diced red onion, plus additional for garnishing

1 tsp. coarse sea salt; divided

1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock; divided

1 TBS tomato paste

1 1/2 cup diced, canned tomatoes

zest and juice from 1/2 lime

1/2 cup cheddar cheese

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

3 TBS chives, chopped (optional)

1/2 pound whole wheat spaghetti cooked and tossed with 1 TBS olive oil

Add coconut oil to a large saute pan and heat to medium-high. Once heated, add the ground beef to the pan and break up any large chunks with a wooden spoon. Brown meat, stirring occasionally, for 3-5 minutes or until meat no longer appears pink. Remove meat and set aside. Remove excess grease from pan, leaving only 1TBS of oil/grease.

Add the garlic powder, chili flakes, chili powder, cumin, and Chinese 5 spice powder to the pan. Stir frequently for 30 seconds or until the spices begin to smell fragrant.

Add the diced red onion and 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt along with 1/4 cup of stock to the pan and lower head to medium. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until onions begin to soften and the stock has begun to reduce.

Add the tomato paste, diced tomatoes, remaining 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt and remaining 1/4 cup of stock to the pan. Make sure the heat is at a simmer and cook mixture for 8-10 minutes, stirring often.

Remove from heat and add lime juice and zest. Toss to combine. Add any additional salt to fit your personal preference. Ladle meat mixture over individual bowls of spaghetti and top with cheese, cilantro, and optional diced red onion and chives. Enjoy!

{ Helpful Notes }

- Monterey Jack or Pepperjack would be a fantastic sub for the cheddar.

- If you don’t have red onion, you can use white, Spanish, Vidalia…you get the drift.

- If you like it really spicy, try topping your bowl with chopped pickled jalapenos.

If you’re anything like me, right now you have an abundance of zucchini and squash sitting around waiting to be used. Between the vegetable CSA we’re a part of, and friends that grown their own and have passed several to us, I have more than I know what to do with. Oh, and did I mention that I’m not a huge fan of squash?

Growing up I had a pet iguana (strange for a girl, I know). I used to feed him squash and I guess it became ingrained in my brain that squash = iguana food. Crazy, right? I wanted to find a way to make squash something I would actually enjoy eating and with this dish I did just that!

The squash and zucchini become browned and deliciously soft, while the corn adds a great crunch. Combine that with the freshness of the basil and tomatoes and you really have a winning dish. This meal embodies everything I believe in: it’s healthy, it’s easy to make, and it’s affordable.

The biggest stride you can make in you decision to eat healthy on a budget is to eat in season. The next time you go to the grocery store, look at the prices for zucchini, squash, basil, corn and tomatoes. I’ll bet you they’re on sale. This is a dish you can easily make for under $10. And it feeds at least 4 people. Yep, awesome.

If you want to make this meal even more affordable, try growing your own basil. I picked up a locally grown, organic basil plant for $4 at Whole Foods and it saves me at least $2 every time I use it. If I can grow it on an apartment balcony (with no green thumb!), then you can too!

Try making these meal for the squash hater in your life, and watch them change their mind.

Summer Pasta

This pasta embodies everything I love about summer vegetables.

{serves 4-6 }

- 1 TBS coconut oil

- 2 small squash, diced

- 1 large zucchini, diced

- 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt

- 2 large cloves of garlic, minced

- 2 Roma tomatoes, diced

- 2 ears of corn, shucked and kernels taken off the cobb

- 1 pound of whole wheat pasta

- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

- 1/2 basil leaves, lightly packed and torn into pieces

Heat coconut oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Once heated, add diced squash and zuchinni to pan. Season with 1/4 tsp. of coarse sea salt.

Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes, or until vegetables have begun to brown and soften.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package instructions.

In the saute pan, push the vegetables to the side and add the minced garlic to the center of the pan. Cook garlic for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

Lower the heat to medium low and add the diced tomatoes and corn kernels to the pan. Mix vegetables together and allow everything to heat through.

Reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water, drain pasta. Add hot pasta to the  vegetable pan, along with the parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup of the pasta water. Mix everything together.

If the pasta seems dry, add the remaining 1/4 cup of the pasta water. Taste for seasoning and add salt as necessary.

Right before serving, add the torn basil leaves. Serve with additional parmesan cheese for sprinkling and a drizzle of olive oil if you like.

{ Helpful Notes }

- I used { this } tool to scrape the corn kernels off the cob. It’s life changing.

- I love the whole wheat pasta at Trader Joe’s. For an easy glueten free version, try the brown rice pasta at Trader Joe’s. It’s great!

- { This } is the salt I used.

- { This } is the coconut oil I used.