Spaghetti Squash with Marinara Sauce

Spaghetti squash is a great substitute for pasta!  It might not sound like it, but it really does have a similar texture to spaghetti.  It doesn't have much flavor on its own, but if you mix it with your favorite pasta sauce it really mimics pasta.  It's simple to make, it's filling, and it goes great with any sauce.  It is also great to use in chilled pasta salads.  This time, I decided to mix mine with marinara sauce.  Here's how to make it:

Veggie Skewers

More Labor Day food!  Veggie Skewers are a really easy way to add some nutrition to your meal.  I love all the colors!  I just picked my favorite veggies, skewered them up and poured on a quick marinade for some extra flavor.  These skewers are so versatile.  You can change up anything you want.  You can use different vegetables and herbs and they will still turn out great.  I served these with Citrus Marinated Shrimp and Potatoes on the Grill.  You can use any kind of vegetables you want for this, but here is how I made mine:

Potatoes on the Grill

So here is the last thing I made for my Labor Day cookout.  Potatoes on the Grill!  Potatoes are one of my favorite things.  I love finding new ways to cook them.  They are so versatile!  You can flavor them and cook them in so many different ways.  I wanted everything I cooked for our Labor Day meal to be cooked on the grill, so I made little foil packets of potatoes.  I've seen a lot of different people use this method but I hadn't done it before so I wanted to give it a try.  How hard can it be?  You just throw everything in packet and sit it on the grill!  It's easy and there is barely any clean up.  I served these with Citrus Marinated Shrimp and Veggie Skewers.  Here's how to make them:

 

Herb Roasted Baby Potatoes

This is great recipe for a quick side dish.  I love potatoes because they are so versatile.  My favorite way to have them is roasted in the oven with a lot of herbs.  The combinations are endless.  This is a recipe I came up with a few days ago using herbs from my garden.  I threw in some onions and garlic for extra flavor.  It's really easy and really tasty!  Potatoes are awesome because they are a natural starch.  It makes me feel healthier to eat some potatoes instead of pasta or bread.  Here's how to make them:

Napa and Apple Slaw with Honey Lime Vinaigrette

I love vinegar based slaws!  I can't stand mayonnaise, so every time I make a slaw I always toss it in a nice vinaigrette.  It's super flavorful and is so much healthier than mayonnaise based slaws.  I used this slaw on my Tilapia Lettuce Wraps but it would be just as good as a side dish or even on a burger.  It's crunchy, tangy and just a little sweet.  Perfect for a hot summer day!  And even better the second day.

Ellen's Marinara Sauce

I am such a big fan of pasta.  I know it's something I shouldn't eat all the time because it's pretty much just straight up carbs, but I don't care, I love it anyway.  I don't eat it all the time, but about once a week.  One of my favorite sauces of all time is a thick, rich and hearty marinara sauce.  In my opinion, a pasta sauce should coat the pasta and there shouldn't be a lot of excess sauce on the bottom of your plate.  This is my version of marinara and how I think it should be done.  In this recipe, I build different levels of flavor by using multiple techniques that each achieve a different flavor.

Cilantro-Lime Rice with Black Beans

I love rice.  It is one of my favorite ingredients.  You can use it in soo many different ways.  It never gets old because there is always something new you can do with rice!  I never cook rice the old fashioned way.  Bringing water to a boil, add rice, simmer 20 minutes... snoooore.  It's just boring and not for me!  I'm always looking for ways to make plain rice more flavorful.  This cilantro-lime rice with black beans is one of my favorites.  I'm not a huge fan of cilantro, but I do think it belongs in certain dishes.  You can use as much or as little cilantro as you'd like.  I don't use much at all!  Too much of it tastes like dish soap to me..blah! I just use enough to get the flavor of it but not to over power the whole dish.