lucindervention

“We had our first taste of autumn weather in the Carolina mountains this past weekend. A brisk 64 degree weekend had us daydreaming about being basic with pumpkin spiced coffee, braised short ribs, roasted chicken (and the inevitable chicken stock simmering on the stovetop the next day), and football. Having one foot in the summer heat and the other in autumn weather had us wanting to roast something, anything, but to keep it light as to not get too ahead of ourselves. Our farmer at the restaurant helped plant the seed for this recipe when he brought in fresh spaghetti squash from his property just down the mountain.

Last we spoke, we talked about a man-made squash substitute for pasta. This week we are speaking of one made by mother nature. Spaghetti squash is a vegetable that once cleaned and roasted has a resemblance of angel hair spaghetti. Some restaurants use it as a gluten free substitute for spaghetti in dishes, however I think once added to other ingredients it can get lost and often overcooked. That is why we love using it as a side dish to just about anything, especially in the autumn and winter months. This recipe will make enough to serve for guests as a side dish.

A half sheet tray is something that we as chefs use daily and take for granted. It’s small size and versatile attitude allows us to use it for anything from roasting meats and vegetables to holding cakes slices for service. Known outside of the professional kitchen as a cookie sheet, one of quality will serve you a lifetime no matter how you use it.” – Joe

Ingredients

• 1 spaghetti squash – cut in half and seeds scooped out

• 4 sprigs thyme – cut in half

• 2 cloves garlic – cut in half

• 1 small shallot – small dice

• 3 tablespoon chives – thinly sliced

• 2 tablespoon organic olive oil

• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Place two halves of garlic and four halves of thyme in each half of the spaghetti squash, drizzle each half of the squash with one tablespoon organic olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

3. Wrap each half of seasoned squash in a sheet of aluminum foil and place on a half sheet tray or cookie sheet.

4. Place in the oven and roast for an hour. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for five minutes.

5. Remove the squash from the aluminum foil and remove the garlic and thyme.

6. Scoop the squash from the skin into a bowl, add the shallots and chives to the bowl, and season with any additional salt and pepper.

7. Place into a serving dish and serve.

“Not to sound like we are late to the whole low carb party, but we kind of are. Trendy keto and paleo diets have been around for years and preach about the benefits of a low carbohydrate diet. Rather than a low carb diet, our personal philosophy is everything in moderation. Time to get off the soapbox and talk about food.

We have not cut anything completely out of the diet but have greatly reduced the amount of carbohydrates and simultaneously raised the number of veggies we have on our dinner plate. A new-ish ingredient that has helped out greatly in our efforts is the zoodle, a clever hyphen of zucchini and noodle where you spin a squash into rotini-like shapes. You can use a zoodle anywhere you can use regular pasta, but after discussing it with Andi we came to the conclusion that a zoodle would be perfect to swap out with the soba noodles in our Peanut Chicken recipe. We changed up the peanut sauce a touch to help let the zucchini shine through the richness of the recipe.

This quick and easy dish is perfect for a weekday night dinner for two people.

Making a zoodle is rather difficult if you are trying to make it by hand; believe me when I say I’ve tried and it did not go well for the zucchini or the dish. A vegetable spiralizer is a must when making any type of zoodle. Look for one that suctions to the countertop which will make your life that much easier it eliminates the need to chase the device all over the counter.” – Joe

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons Tamari
• 2 tablespoons Sesame Oil
• 1 lime zested and juiced
• 0.5 teaspoons Sriracha
• 2 teaspoon cilantro – chopped

For the dish:

• 2 chicken breasts – skin and cartilage removed, diced
• 1 small yellow onion – diced
• 3 clove garlic – minced
• 1 medium sized crown of broccoli – florets removed and stem chopped down
• 1 zucchini – spiralized

Directions

1. Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and whisk until smooth.

2. Set a large skillet to medium high heat and add two tablespoons olive oil.

3. Add the chicken to the skillet and brown on all sided, or for about five minutes.

4. Remove the chicken from the skillet, turn the heat down to medium, and add the onion, garlic and broccoli. Cook for three to four minutes or until the broccoli is tender.

5. Add the chicken back to the skillet along with the sauce and bring everything to a simmer.

6. Add in the zoodles to the pan and bring to a simmer once and stir. Remove the pan from the heat.

7. To plate, use a pair of tongs to scoop the chicken and zoodles and place into two bowls. Use a spoon to scoop the sauce into each of the bowl, top with more cilantro, and a squeeze of lime juice.

“Lucky for us, we serve some of the nicest guests one could ask for at the restaurant’s culinary bar. Just this past week a regular from New Orleans came in and gifted us with straight from the bayou crawfish tails. The obvious recipe answer was to make crawfish etouffee.

I am a huge fan of certain Cajun favorites, so much so in between visits home where we fill ourselves on the local flavor, I sustain myself and my husband by making these Mississippi Delta delicacies. On days where work is going to be especially busy and I know I’m going to be tired when I get home, I typically prepare food before heading into work for a reheat later when we get home. I was so excited to devour the etouffee when we got home that night that I almost forgot the finished dish photo.

Some may say hot sauce is just hot sauce and that they all taste the same. We say otherwise. Besides Slap Ya Momma, a southern favorite dried chili mixture, Tabasco is a staple in our house. The vinegary brightness along with the heat from the peppers makes it perfect accompaniment to gumbos, etouffee, or even tacos!” – Andi

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 yellow onion – chopped
• 2 celery stalk – chopped
• 1 green bell pepper – chopped
• 1 garlic clove – minced
• 1 12 ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 pound crawfish tails
• 1 cup of long grain rice

Directions

1. In a pot with a lid, bring two cups of water to a boil.
2. Add in one cup of rice and reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and cook for ten to fifteen minutes or until the rice is soft and tender. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
3. In a large, heavy bottomed pot (not an aluminum one), over medium-high heat melt the butter.
4. Add the flour and cook, stirring regularly to make a light-colored roux. This should take about six minutes. It should have a nice light golden color to it when it is ready.
5. Add the chopped onions, celery, bell peppers, garlic, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft and translucent. This should take about eight to ten minutes.
6. Add the can of diced tomatoes and bring back up to a simmer for another two to four minutes.
7. Add the chicken stock and crawfish tails and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until thickened. This should take another five minutes.
8. Add the Tabasco and Worcestershire. Serve over the cooked rice.