Light & Healthy Tex Mex and Pie Try #2

Tonight we had a delicious mexican meal. Our main course was Susan V's Sante Fe Spaghetti Squash Casserole. I made this casserole shortly after Susan posted it, but I gave it all to Chase without having any myself. I'm glad I got to eat it tonight because, like everything Susan creates, it's wonderful. Here's a shot of the filling, before the cornmeal topping went on. Isn't it beautiful!



This is the casserole right out of the oven.



To go with the casserole, I wanted something crunchy. I decided on texmex springrolls. Chase said chips and guacamole would have been good, and it would have been excellent, but I wanted a healthier accompaniment. I have never made springrolls - only rice paper rolls - to be gluten free. I made up a filling of green onion, red pepper, spinach, corn, cilantro, and pinto beans (I had just made a big pot), and lots of spicy seasonings. We filled one dozen, and then baked them. I added mango to our favorite salsa to serve with the spring rolls. They didn't turn out too pretty (don't laugh Megan!), but there wasn't a single one left over. Baked rolls are just as crispy as deep fried and we really enjoyed these.

There wasn't much left of any of this meal.

I was determined to make a good lemon pie after messing up last week. I followed Susan's recipe again, except I used 4 Meyer lemons and 1 blood orange for the juice. I even made the oatmeal cookie crust, which was super tasty. I barely filled the tip of my quarter teaspoon with agar agar. This time the filling was stirrable while cooking, and I could actually pour it into the crust.

The filling flavor combination of lemon and a bit of orange was soooo good! I had a little left over and put it in a small bowl. Several hours later I decided to see how the leftover tasted, and I was disappointed again.

I had jello again. I did NOT want to throw out another pie, because I loved the flavor. Then it dawned on me. I didn't screw up the recipe, and Susan's recipe isn't bad. It's just that Susan's recipe wasn't for lemon CREAM pie, which is really what I wanted. I think Candi left a comment on my last post that any of Susan's recipes she has made turned out great, and same goes for me, and I've made a lot of them. Anyway, I decided to make a quick trip to Whole Foods and get some whipped topping so I could have the kind of pie I wanted to serve. It really is a beautiful and delicious pie, especially with that crust!

The topping did the trick (although it does take away a little flavor). Here is Chase's SECOND piece.

Before I thought of the whipped topping, I thought I had better make a backup dessert. I decided to make Banana Oatmeal Cookies from Vegan Lunchbox, which commenters raved about. The cookies are simply oats, bananas, sunflower seeds, dates, baking soda, and cinnamon. I deviated slightly and used half sunflower seeds and half peanuts, and I added in two teaspoons of raw chocolate. These cookies are addictive little bites of heaven. I absolutely love them and highly recommend these healthy treats.

Hope you all had a great weekend! Is anybody into Super Bowl Sunday?