We’ll eat something A LOT and then burn out on it only to re-discover how wonderful it is months/years later.  Like Spaghetti Squash. Seriously, how great is a low carb/low calorie VEGETABLE with the consistency of pasta?!  I used to cook it all the time in our pre-vegan days but hadn’t bought one in memory.  Tonight Spaghetti Squash made a glorious return to our dinner table (with no pre-planning and very few groceries in our fridge).

COOKING SPAGHETTI SQUASH:

• Cut squash in half lengthwise and spoon out seeds
• Place face down on foil lined cookie sheet at 350 for about 45 minutes
• Let cool (face up) for 10 minutes (I rarely wait ten minutes but ALWAYS burn my hands on the hot squash, so I recommend exercising patience if you can)
• Take a fork to the inside of the squash, separating the skin from the meat – it will come apart in a “spaghetti” consistency

PASTA SAUCE: I threw this together with what we had in the house, but it turned out REALLY good, I will definitely repeat.

• 3 Cans diced tomatoes
• 1 small can tomato paste
• One Onion, diced
• One Bell Pepper, diced
• 4 Cloves Garlic
• Oregano
• Parsley
• Olive Oil
• Fresh Basil

Sauté the Onion, bell pepper and garlic in olive oil – add parsley, oregano, salt/pepper & chopped basil per your taste.  Once veggies are cooked through, add tomato sauce and paste.  If you have an immersion blender, blend together in the pot – I couldn’t find mine, so I threw everything in our Vitamix Blender to get the consistency smooth.  I then returned to the pot and let simmer while the squash cooked.  Next time I’ll add Cannelloni beans for additional protein/thickness, but I didn’t have any on hand tonight.

FRIED TOFU: The tofu on top of the dish was coated in Panko Bread crumbs and Kirkland’s Salt-Free Seasoning (I’m Obsessed with).  I fried in Grape Seed Oil and sprinkled the remaining Panko on top.  TIP: We recently discovered how much better tofu cooks when you get the moisture out BEFORE marinating or seasoning – I wrap extra firm tofu in a towel and set something heavy on it for 5-10 minutes before cooking to get all the excess moisture out.