A Vegetarian Meal, A Book Review and The Weekly Menu

This Vegetarian Dish starts with Spaghetti Squash tossed with Roasted Tomatoes and Northern Beans and freshly made Almond Pesto.  

I was inspired to share this recipe with you after reading The Book of CarolSue.......

Seared Scallops and Spaghetti Squash and the Weekly Menu #SundayFunday

Beautifully seared Scallops atop a wonderful heap of Spaghetti Squash makes for a delicious, healthy and carb free comfort meal.

We are celebrating Squash today with our Sunday Funday Group......

Spaghetti Squash and Cheese #ImprovCookingChallenge

Today's Improv Cooking Challenge ingredients are Winter Squash and Bacon.  Improv Cooking Challenge is a fun little group where our leader, Nichole of Cookaholic Wife, chooses two ingredients each month and challenges us to each make one wonderful recipe using those ingredients.

I had gotten some Spaghetti Squash from my friend, Kim, last month when she was harvesting the last of her garden.  I knew that it would be perfect to use in this challenge.  I decided to make a riff on pasta and cheese, substituting the Spaghetti Squash for the pasta and adding bacon for extra flavor and richness.

I cooked the spaghetti squash in the microwave.  Once cooked the squash was shredded and placed in a skillet over med high heat to cook away some of the liquid.  Once the squash was dry, I stirred in some bacon bits and  added some milk and butter to the skillet.  When the butter was melted and the sauce was slightly thickened I incorporated some cheese.

Transferred the squash mixture to two individual crocks and topped with additional cheese.  Then it was placed under a broiler until the cheese was browned and the sauce was hot and bubbly.

Let rest for a few minutes before serving.  This recipe makes 2 individual casseroles.  You can double the recipe and use a large casserole for a family sized meal.

This is a very rich and delicious.  This is a perfect Meatless Monday Meal paired with a salad.  It can also be served as a side dish, in which case this recipe would serve 4 or more.

Spaghetti Squash and Cheese 

1 spaghetti squash

3 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

1/4 c. milk

1 T. butter

1/2 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese, plus more for sprinkling

Pierce the squash all over with a sharp knife. Place on a microwave safe plate and cook in the microwave on high heat for 10-15 minutes, checking every 5 minutes, until the squash is tender and easily pierced with a fork.

Cut in half, remove seeds and shred the squash into strands.  Place the strands into a skillet over med high heat and cook until liquid is absorbed and squash is dry.  Stir in the bacon bits, milk and butter.  Cook and stir until butter is melted and milk is partially absorbed.  Stir in the cheese until melted and creamy.  Divide between two individual casseroles.  Sprinkle with additional cheese.  Place under a broiler until hot and bubbly and cheese is browned.  Let rest for a few minutes before serving.  Print Recipe

More Winter Squash and Bacon Recipes

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Italian Spaghetti Squash Bake #RecipeMakeover

On this, Day 4, of Recipe Makeover week I decided to share with you a way to enjoy the ooey gooey goodness of baked Spaghetti that gives you and your family an extra serving of vegetables and is gluten free. This dish is so delicious that even your most die hard carnivores, pasta lovers and veggie haters will happily gobble it up.

I love using Spaghetti Squash in place of pasta.  Does it taste like Spaghetti? Nope but in my humble opinion it tastes just as good as spaghetti.  Especially when you add delicious flavorings, melty cheese and yummy broccolini and mushrooms.

You can prepare it in about the same amount of time as it would take using pasta by cooking the squash in the microwave.  While the squash is cooking, saute the broccolini and mushrooms with some crushed red pepper and garlic in a little olive oil.

Remove it to a bowl and allow to cool before adding the cheeses and Italian Seasonings.  Stir to combine and set aside while you shred the "spaghetti" from the squash.

Add the squash to the vegetables and toss to combine.  

Place the vegetable filling into the scraped shells and sprinkle with more cheese.

Bake for a few minutes to warm through then put under the broiler to melt and brown the cheese.

I adapted this recipe from one found at Eating Well.   They called it Spaghetti Squash Lasagna with Broccolini.  I added mushrooms, used fresh mozzarella, substituted red wine for the water and used Tuscan Herb olive oil to saute the vegetables.

Thanks to the ladies over at The PinterTest Kitchen for hosting this great event.  Don't miss out on the great giveaway our sponsors are having.  You can enter over at my Welcome Post.

Italian Spaghetti Squash Bake

adapted from Eating Well

1 (2-3 lb) spaghetti squash, halved and seeded

1 T. Tuscan Herb Olive Oil

1 bunch Broccolini, chopped

6 oz. sliced mushrooms

4 cloves garlic, minced

pinch of crushed red pepper

2 T. dry red wine

6 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, grated

1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese

1/2 t. dried Italian herbs

pinch of salt

couple of grinds of black pepper

Place squash, cut side down onto a microwaveable dish.  Add a little water to the dish and cook on high temperature until the flesh is tender, about 10 minutes.  

While squash is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the broccolini, mushrooms,  garlic, and crushed red pepper. Cook and stir for 2 minutes, add the wine and continue cooking and stirring until broccolini is tender, about 5 minutes.  Transfer to a large bowl to cool, then add the 2/3 of the mozzarella and 2 Tablespoons of the parmesan cheese, herbs, salt and pepper.  Toss to combine, set aside.

Using a fork, scrape the squash from the shell in strands and add to the vegetable/cheese mixture. 

Toss together loosely and then divide between the shells, and sprinkle with remaining cheeses.  Bake in a preheated 450* oven for about 10 minutes, just until heated through and then place under a broiler for a few minutes until the cheese is melted and lightly browned. Print Recipe

More Wonderful Recipe Makeovers

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Southwestern Spaghetti Squash Pie for Crazy Ingredient Challenge

The third Thursdays have become pretty crazy around here.  I have three monthly events that are all posted on this day, #BundtBakers, #ImprovCookingChallenge and, of course, #CIC, for which this post is written.

I love all three of these groups and am thankful for the scheduling options offered by blogger that allow me to prepare and serve the meals anytime that is convenient, write out the blog at my leisure and then share it with you on the designated day.

That is how it usually works but not this month.

This month was moving month.  We began moving on October 8th and went nonstop for an entire week.  I was finally back in the kitchen on October 12th and made our first meal in our new home. Now that the kitchen was up and running, I was able to plan a dinner party for our daughter's birthday this past Sunday.  That took care of Bundt Bakers but I still had Improv and CIC due.

Monday night our daughter, Nicole and her husband, Pierre came for dinner. Nicole hadn't had a chance to see the house yet. They had previous plans for Sunday so decided to come over after work the following day.  This was a perfect opportunity for me to get in my next two challenges.  Nic and Pierre are adventurous eaters and always up for trying new dishes.  They also like eating meatless so Meatless Monday is a perfect day for them to visit.

In Crazy Ingredient Challenge we vote between several items on two different lists each month. Whichever ingredients get the most votes is what we use to create a meal.  This month the winners were......Spaghetti Squash and Cornmeal.

I love Spaghetti Squash so I was very happy to participate.  I knew that I wanted to do a casserole of some sort using the cornmeal as a topping.  I stumbled upon this Santa Fe Spaghetti Squash Casserole at Fat Free Vegan Kitchen.  Susan has a lot of great recipes on her blog.

Susan had you microwave the squash which would have made this dish ready much quicker than my method of oven roasting it.  You can cook yours however you like.  I used 1 1/2 spaghetti squashes because I had a half left from another meal that needed to be used but wasn't enough for this recipe.

Other than roasting the squash, the rest of the recipe is just combining the ingredients.  We are not completely fat free in this household so I used olive oil to cook my veggies.  I used red, orange and yellow peppers instead of green.  Substituted Ranchero Beans for the black beans and taco seasoning for the chili powder.

I also made the cornmeal mixture a little thicker than Susan had written in her recipe.  This meal was a huge hit.  Pierre ate two large servings and was happy to take the leftovers home with him.  "This is my kind of meal", he remarked.  I think when I next make this casserole, and there will be a next time, I will add some fresh jalapeno peppers in with the onion and sweet peppers.  I thought the dish needed a little extra kick.

Unfortunately, (or fortunately depending on your outlook) we got busy talking and visiting and when we sat down to eat, I forgot to take any photos of the finished pie.  I remembered when I was packing up the leftovers for them to take home, so I pulled out a plate and snapped a shot of a piece of the casserole.  It was dark outside and the photo suffered from no natural light but take my word for it, this is a casserole you can be proud to serve.  Thanks, Susan, for the great inspiration.

This is the perfect recipe to ease me back into the FMD eating plan on Monday.  The cornmeal crust would not be allowed but I think and almond meal crust would be delicous and make this dish Phase 3 Friendly.

Make sure you stop by to see all the other Spaghetti Squash and Cornmeal inspired dishes following the links after the recipe.  Have a great day!

Southwestern Spaghetti Squash Pie

adapted from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen

1 1/2 medium spaghetti squash, cooked and scraped into strands (learn how here)

2 t. olive oil

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 each mini red, orange and yellow peppers, diced (or 1 lg red pepper)

1 (15 oz) can Ranchero Beans, rinsed and drained

1 (4 oz) can green chiles, drained

1 c. corn kernels, fresh or frozen

1 c. packed baby spinach leaves

1 t. taco seasoning

juice of 1 lime

salt and pepper to taste

3/4 c. corn meal

1/2 c. hot water

pinch of salt

1/2 t. agave nectar

Heat oil in large skillet over med high heat.  Add the onions, garlic and peppers.  Cook and stir until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the spaghetti squash and allow to cook some of the moisture from the squash for another 5 minutes.  Add the beans, chiles, corn and taco seasoning.  Mix to combine.  Add the spinach and cook for a minute or two until wilted.  Stir in the lime juice, taste and season with salt and pepper.  Turn into a casserole or deep dish pie plate that has been treated with cooking spray.

Combine the corn meal, water, salt and agave in a small bowl. Pour over the squash casserole, spreading the batter to cover.  Bake in a preheated 350* oven for 30-40 minutes, until the crust is cooked through and golden brown on the edges.

An InLinkz Link-up