a squash disguise

What I like about Fall is the variety of:

Fragrances

Flavors

Fun

Fallen Leaves

and we can't forget FOOD!

With Fall upon us and Halloween right around the corner, squash was a perfect food to experiment with. It's a smaller, pumpkin-like vegetable, which is rather cute! After being cooked, I kind of expected this spaghetti squash to blow my mind! That is...the looks of the "spaghetti" I mean. There was all this hype about its noodle-like quality and I honestly envisioned noodles exploding from the squash. Yeah, that didn't exactly happen. I think I might have brushed the inside of my squash with a little too much olive oil, because the noodles were very wet and didn't separate easily (notice picture above). However, it was definitely cool to see the noodles peel away from the inside of the squash. They just didn't impress me the way I was expecting. I think I overdid it with the olive oil and I might have gotten a little too anxious starting to pull the noodles off the squash while it was still VERY hot! Go figure. Me, anxious? While cooking? That's just absurd. Despite the fact that my noodles didn't turn out the way I was hoping, the final meal was quite unique in flavor, very fragrant, and I'd say I had fun trying to figure out this new vegetable. This recipe incorporated three of the things I like about Fall, all in one bite.

What I like about Halloween is the variety of:

Creative ideas

Collaboration

Cider

Clowns

and we can't forget costumes!

I think spaghetti squash fits in with Halloween perfectly. It's wearing its own disguise 24/7, until you cook it. Then you see it's true noodles...err...colors.

Not only was cooking spaghetti squash an experiment, but being vegan for the month of October has been a HUGE experiment. The recipes on the blog are not the only ones we've tried this month. October has brought a variety of recipes into our kitchens. Here are a few others that I have tried on my own. I've given them a star rating (out of 5) for convenience, as well as my own quick little opinion.

Mocha Chip Muffins *****

from Vegan with a Vengeance
These were fast, easy and delicious. A big hit at work!

Tempeh & White Bean Sausage Patties ****

from Vegan with a Vengeance
These were fairly easy to make. A little bit of prep work, but the patties had great flavor and stayed together really well. Great on a bun or in a wrap.

Sarah's Delicious Chili ***

from How It All Vegan
I love chili, so I was excited to try this recipe. I took one bite and realized that it was either the curry paste or the chili powder that made it extremely spicy! I had to tone it down by adding more vegetable broth. Other than that, it was a great vegan chili.

Big Ben's Lentil Burgers *

from How It All Vegan

These took quite a bit of time to make and the end result was quite disappointing. They didn't stay together well at all and they were very bland. In the end I basically had to smash two patties together and stick 'em in a wrap.

Basil-Tofu Ricotta ****

from Vegan with a Vengeance

This "cheese" resembled ricotta so much, it was scary! It's a great substitute for cheese on top of a pizza, in a wrap, or on top of pasta. And, it was SO easy!

squash that spaghetti

It's been a bit of a rough month in our household.  Not because of our decision to go vegan, mind you.  But, because our 15-month old, Owen, is growing a charming quartet of molars.  And by charming, of course, I mean absolutely, positively rotten.  Something so small as a tooth simply shouldn't be allowed to completely uproot the lives of three decent individuals such as ourselves. 

Well, Friday night our little guy slept through the night for the first time in almost a month.  Six straight hours of sleep is a glorious thing.  And glorious things deserve to be celebrated.  So, I thought that Saturday was the perfect night to try our blog recipe for dinner.  Put the babe to bed, feast on some delightful food, perhaps enjoy a movie or a game of cards.  This was the type of celebration I was envisioning. 

Enter the reality of this week's recipe: Moroccan Spaghetti Squash.  Two words should have tipped me off that this was a bad idea: spaghetti and squash.  My husband dislikes both, so why, oh why, would he like anything that resembles the two being...well...squashed together?  The moment I mixed the whole thing together and took a look at the final product, I knew that this was not a celebratory dinner.  "It looks kind of gelatinous," Dan said.  Never a good remark when it comes to food other than Jell-O. 

So, I put a little distance between myself and the spaghetti squash concoction and got Owen ready for bed.  All the while, my mind was spinning, "How can I make this better?"  Fry the whole mess up in a pan to give it a crispier, less wet texture?  Add more spices to give it so much flavor that we are distracted from the gelatinous-ness?  Throw in some additional, creative ingredients and change the recipe altogether?  I didn't think any of these were good enough solutions.  And then I had a remarkable idea....order take-out!  I mean, is there really any better solution to dinner disasters? 

I emerged from Owen's bedroom and announced to Dan, "we're getting take-out."  Now, I am not one to spend extra money unnecessarily, so his eyes got a little wide, and he must have know in that moment that I thought dinner was pretty bad news.  We decided upon Indian as there were plenty of delicious vegan options on the menu.  The spaghetti squash went into the fridge to be dealt with on another day, and we dined on spicy Aloo Gobi instead.  Curry makes any dinner into a celebration, if you ask me. 

Now, to be fair to our little squash recipe, I did give it a second shot at lunch today.  Dan decided that a second shot was more than this recipe deserved and toasted up some frozen waffles instead.  I, however, tried my frying pan theory, served the squash over the recommended couscous, and found that it was not altogether terrible.  The flavors were good, the couscous soaked up some of the leftover wetness than wasn't completely fried away, and I enjoyed eating it much more than I anticipated I would.

To sum things up, I've already thrown this recipe in the trash.  Granted, this meal was far from the worst thing I've ever eaten.  If you are a huge fan of spaghetti squash, then this would probably be a most enjoyable meal for you.  But, I just know that I will most likely never make it again. 

Still, I was glad to have the opportunity to cook a spaghetti squash.  It is easily one of the most unique veggies I've ever encountered.  Watching the squash shred into spaghetti-like strands was rather intriguing.  Quite an uncharacteristic trait for a vegetable to have, if you ask me.  Plus, I got an Indian dinner that I didn't have to cook out the deal.  So, thanks, spaghetti squash.  You're a pal.  A pal who I may never invite over again.  But, a pal nonetheless.

The Recipe: Moroccan-Style Spaghetti Squash

Vegan Moroccan-Spiced Spaghetti Squash
from eatdrinkbetter.com (click for the the original recipe that we found)

1 (3 1/2- to 4-pound) spaghetti squash
5 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt (or to taste)
3 tablespoons golden raisins
Half of a 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds (either discard or save to roast later). Brush the inside of the squash with a tablespoon of olive oil. Roast the halves face-down on a baking pan or sheet for 30-40 minutes, until the flesh of the squash is fork-tender and has separated into spaghetti-like strands.

While the squash cooks, heat the remaining oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Stir in spices, salt, raisins, and chickpeas and remove from heat.

When the squash is done, remove from oven and let it sit for five minutes, or until it’s cool enough to handle. Using a fork, scrape the squash flesh out of its skin into a bowl, separating the strands as you go. Toss the squash with the spiced oil mixture and cilantro. Serve warm, over couscous or sautéed winter greens if you like.

Serves 4