Southwest Style Spicy Turkey Spaghetti Squash

I just returned from 10 glorious sunny days in Mexico and am already craving the heat.

I decided enough was enough and i needed some artificial heat in my life again...of course that comes in the form of food..with a southwestern twist! Measurements are all approximate for this one as i was winging it from pinterest inspirations. 

Slice a spaghetti squash in half, scoop out the seeds, drizzle it with some olive oil and bake for 45 minutes in a 400f oven or until soft. Set aside.

While the squash is resting brown a 1/2lb of ground turkey with 1tsp each of Chilli powder, cumin, garlic powder and paprika. Add 1 tbsp of water to keep the pan from getting dry.

Once browned reduce heat to low and add 2 minced garlic cloves, 1/2 a red onion chopped, 1 small can of corn and a chopped Jalapeño. Stir to combine.

Next add 1 full can of refried beans 

and a whole jar of your favourite salsa (I used  homemade). Bring this to a simmer then turn off the heat.

Lastly, using a fork scrape the spaghetti squash out and add to your mixture, combining really well. At this point you can serve this in a bowl and enjoy with some sharp shredded cheese, cilantro and avocado...or you can make it fancy.

Divide the mixture back into the squash shells, smother it in sharp cheddar and bake at 350F for 15 minutes until

 the cheese is all melted.

                      

See? fancy! Go make this now! 

Broccoli Cheddar Soup with Crispy Panchetta

Winter asks for warm yummy soups...all the time. I usually make large portions of soups and portion them into freezer bags for other quick weeknight meals.

This soup was made when my husband brought home a costco sized bag of broccoli. It sat in the fridge for a few days before i realized i really had to start using it before it went bad!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter

1 small onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

5 cups chopped Broccoli

2 cups 2% milk

1 cup heavy cream

3 cups low sodium chicken or veggie stock

1/2 tsp nutmeg

2-3 bay leaves

2 tbsp flour

3 cups Grated Cheddar Cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Panchetta

In a heavy bottomed stock pot over medium high heat add your butter, flour  onions, carrots and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent. Add your broccoli, milk, cream and stock. Reduce heat to medium low, add your nutmeg, bay leaves salt and pepper. Cover and allow to simmer untill the carrots are fully cooked (about 15 minutes)

Remove the bay leaves and Using a hand immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth (or you can carefully puree in your blender in batches) 

Once nice and smooth whisk in the cheddar in small handfuls until soup is nice and cheesy and smooth. Allow to simmer for a few minutes while you fry up your panchetta. Check the soup for seasoning.

 

Serve soup with a sprinkle of panchetta and fresh ground pepper! A hearty winter meal!!!