Baked Spaghetti (Squash)

1 spaghetti squah
16oz cottage cheese
1 egg
Italian seasoning
Prepared meaty spaghetti sauce
Parmesan cheese

Bake one spaghetti squash whole at 375 for 45 minutes. Cool slightly, cut in half. Scoop put seeds and remove flesh. Chop it up slightly. Place in bottom of square baking dish. Season with salt and pepper.

Combine cottage cheese, egg, Italian seasoning and layer on top of squash.

Layer meat sauce on top and generously sprinkle Parmesan.

Bake at 350 for and hour. It will be a little watery on the edges. Just scoop it out and discard. Serve with salad and garlicky flax crackers.

Thanksgiving Dinner- Orange Cranberry Sauce

Nice as an accompaniment to your dinner or as a spread on scones or toast.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

1 bag fresh cranberries
1 cup raw sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp orange zest (optional)

Place in sauce pan on medium heat. Stir occasionally, scraping sides each time. Lower/raise heat if necessary to keep a constant low boil.

Cooks down in about an hour, to a very thick consistency.

Serve warm or cold.

*I use my bread machine on "jam" setting to make this.*

Avocado Red Pepper Pasta

4 ripe avocados, halved and pit removed.
1 medium/large sweet red pepper
1 clove garlic, peeled
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
splash of milk, I used almond milk

Place garlic and red pepper into food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Scoop out avocado flesh into food processor. Add remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth.

Add to hot, cooked pasta. I used angel hair. Makes enough sauce for 1lb pasta.

Store extra sauce in airtight container.

Pea & Chive Pesto

1 lb frozen peas, thawed
1 cup chopped chives
3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil

Puree all ingredients but olive oil in food processor until generally combined. Stream in olive oil. Puree until smooth.

Serve on pasta, rice, or on Barley Tomato Risotto.

Freeze leftovers. Keeps really well.

You can also substitute other herbs like basil or parsley instead of chives.

Ranch Mix

I made this mix as a part of Christmas gifts last year (actually, I've updated the recipe since then with dill & mustard). I gave a seasoning trio wrapped in little clear bags with raffia bows- taco seasoning, seasoned salt, and this. It's so yummy! You can use it to make dressing, dip, or as a seasoning. I've written the recipe in parts. You can make as large a quantity as you'd like. I made it in 1 cup parts to divide up as gifts.

1 part sea salt
1 part dried parsley
1 part dried chives
1 part onion powder
1 part garlic powder
3/4 part paprika
3/4 part dill weed
1/2 part black pepper
1/2 part dried mustard

Combine with a whisk.

Add about 1-2 tablespoons to 1-2 cups sour cream for ranch dip.

Add 1-2 tablespoons to 1 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup mayo, and then add milk until it's your desired consistency for ranch dressing. Use buttermilk for buttermilk ranch.

Add as a seasoning to chicken dishes, veggie stir fries, etc.