Spaghetti Squash and Spicy Tomato Basil Sauce

Delicious

My co-worker Liz and I both saw Rachel Ray make spaghetti squash about 2 months ago and came to work the next day excited by this new idea and ready to try it. Well Liz made it multiple times and I of course found other things to distract me until now. I have to say that this is really good and very fun to make. The squash is very healthy and not too heavy like real pasta which means you can have big honkin' portions which makes me happy!

To make squash roast one spaghetti squash halved and brushed with olive oil at 400 for about 45min to an hour. When done use a fork to scrape out inside (ohmigod it looks like spaghetti!). One squash makes enough for 3 LARGE servings.

For the sauce you can use anything you want but I think the squash needs something really savory and salty. My sauce:

2 TBS EVOO
2 cloves garlic
red pepper flakes
3 TBS capers
Red wine
1 large can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup kalmata olives
Fresh basil


Saute garlic and red pepper to taste in EVOO for 5 min add capers and red wine and let cook down. Add tomatoes and cook on medium until thickened. Add olives and basil right before serving on top of squash.

Tom's Easy Pesto

Delicious

I call this Tom's Pesto because he's become an expert at making it on nights I'm coming home late. This is really easy and economical but is also tasty enough to serve to guests. I served this to my dad with a salad, roasted squash, and a nice glass of wine and we were all happy!

In food processor combine 2 handfuls kalmata olives, an equal amount of basil, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 or 3 tablespoons pine nuts and salt and pepper to taste. Add extra virgin olive oil and pulse until smooth. Toss with warm whole wheat pasta and add sun dried tomatoes.
UPDATE: add half the sun dried tomatoes into the food processor and blend then mix in the rest with the pasta.

Time: 15 minutes make pesto while boiling water and pasta mix and serve! This is why Tom likes it so much

Lasagna Pasta

Delicious

After the success of the lasagna earlier this month I was inspired to make something that incorporated the same flavors but was easier to make. I used to make this with sausage and ricotta so that was out of the question but this is really just as good!

Sauce:
I made a basic tomato sauce but added big mushrooms, olives, and frozen spinach in order to mimic the flavors of my lasagna. At the end of cooking I added meatless meatballs to simmer and warm through. You could also add your favorite fakey sausage.
Ricotta:
Pulse firm tofu, olive oil, and basil in food processor until crumbly in texture. Do not add fresh garlic like in previous recipes as the flavor will be too pungent. You could add roasted garlic but I added mine in the sauce.
After sauce is cooked take off the heat and fold in tofu ricotta. Serve over whole grain pasta.
Prep and cook time:45min

Vegetable Puttanesca Sauce

Delicious

This past weekend, Tom and I went to my parents, and in my mom's never ending quest to find out what I can eat and feed me, she made some delicious veggie pasta sauce. She sent me home with some veggies from her garden and I also had a lot of leftover odds and ends in my kitchen, so I decided to re-interpret my mother's sauce with a little more salt and spice. Puttanesca sauce has hot pepper, black olives (oil cured or kalamata), capers, garlic and anchovies. My vegan version has all of that, except the anchovies, and a lot more veggies which makes it a nice healthy meal. I started caramelizing one and a half sweet onions and when they were about halfway done I added thin strips of red and yellow peppers and diced carrots (it sounds weird but they get nice and sweet). Once those had softened, I added diced kalmata olives, capers, and 2 cloves of crushed garlic. This would be the time to add some crushed red pepper if you like it spicy (which we do). I then de-glazed the pan with some left over red wine (yay there was a glass left for me). I added a jar of Trader Joe's pomodoro sauce, but you could use any jar sauce or a large can of crushed tomatoes.


I served the sauce over some special pasta that our friends, Sarah and John, brought us from Italy. (Which reminds me: Big thanks to both of them for designing the look of our blog!)


Prep Time: 1omin (to chop everything)
Cook Time: 20min