Spaghetti Squash-Spinach side (A healthy chip dip?)

Since my husband was such a surprising fan of spaghetti squash, I bought some more last week. I was planning to look up another fabulous recipe online, but both of our computers were down. So I had to improvise. I finally decided to just add to my basic creamed spinach and see how it turned out. The girls thought it was fun the first time I served it to them, but didn't really want it the next day. But my husband surprised me. He loved it and said it was kind of like a spinach chip dip. The next thing I knew, he was getting his tortilla chips out of the pantry and dipping them in my spaghetti squash! The man never ceases to amaze me :) I didn't really see the connection with the chips, but I did enjoy my side dish. So here it is:

Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash
1 box frozen spinach, thawed, or fresh baby spinach leaves
1 stick of butter
one small sweet onion, diced
5 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
4 Tbs. flour
1 cup milk
cheese as desired (I use any combination of swiss, cream cheese, parmesan, etc.)

Directions: In a large stock pot, put about 2-3 inches of water. Cover and bring to a boil. Wash outside of squash, cut squash in half and place in the stock pot of boiling water, flesh side down. Cover and boil for 15-20 minutes, until squash is tender. Drain squash. Holding halves with a potholder, use a fork to scoop out the stringy "spaghetti". Set aside. Melt butter in a sauce pan. Saute garlic and onions in butter til soft, then add spinach and squash. (The spinach and squash will soak up most of the butter. ) Sprinkle on flour and mix thoroughly. Slowly add milk, and stir til the sauce thickens. (It is kind of like making a basic white sauce.) Add in cheese and stir til melted. Serve and enjoy!

The way we do spinach...

As a kid, I thought that spinach was a gross health food. I stayed away from it as much as possible until I met something amazing called spinach dip. There are many varieties of spinach dip, and I've never met one that I didn't like :) But this post isn't about spinach dip. I decided that I wanted to find a way to eat spinach that wasn't as expensive to make as dip and healthy enough to be served as a side dish at our table. When I discovered the surprisingly delicious Sweet-Potato-Spinach Bake, I realized that it really isn't hard to make spinach delicious, even without the sweet potatoes. So here is the way my entire family enjoys spinach:

Ingredients:
1 box frozen spinach, thawed, or fresh baby spinach leaves
1/2 stick of butter
1/4 to 1/2 of a small sweet onion, minced
2 cloves of garlic
4 Tbs. flour
1 cup milk
cheese as desired (I use about 1/4 cup of swiss and some Parmesan sprinkled on top)
dash of nutmeg

Directions: Melt butter in pan. Saute minced garlic and onions in butter til soft, then add spinach. )The spinach will soak up most of the butter. ) Sprinkle flour and nutmeg on spinach, mix thoroughly. Slowly add milk, and stir til the sauce thickens. (It is kind of like making a basic white sauce.) Add in cheese and stir til melted. Serve and enjoy!

Creamy Spinach Chicken Dinner

This is one of my new favorites that I found in one of my cooking magazines :)

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups uncooked pasta

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

½ cup chopped onion

2 tsp olive oil

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 cup heavy whipping cream

10 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach (we just used a box of frozen spinach)

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/8 tsp pepper

*garlic powder

*salt

*Parmesan cheese

Directions: Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a skillet or Dutch oven over med heat, cook and stir chicken and onion in oil for 5 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. Stir in soup and cream. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Stir in the spinach, cheese, and pepper; cook for 1-2 minutes or until spinach is wilted and cheese melted. Drain pasta and add to chicken mixture; toss to coat

*I added in some salt and garlic powder at the same time I added the pepper to give it more flavor. I also sprinkled some Parmesan cheese on top when I served the plates