Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

We love spaghetti squash! Even with it's little bit of crunch, the texture and taste are similar to spaghetti. This recipe is not clean, but it's tasty, low fat, and a great alternative fettuccine. I also tried to make it lactose free, however the small amount of cream cheese sort of got in the way. But hey, everything good in moderation, right?

Here's what you'll need:
*1 med. size spaghetti squash
*1 Tbsp Earth Balance Buttery Spread Please refer to a previous blog of mine for information what Earth Balance is.
*3 cloves garlic, finely minced
*2 Tbsp gluten free all purpose flour
*1 C fat free lactose free milk
*1 Tbsp fat free cream cheese
*1 C grated Parmesan cheese
*1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper

1) Preheat oven to 350 F. Meanwhile, cut squash in half. Remove the inside seeds, then place squash face down on a foil-lined pan with a half inch of water in it. Bake for one hour. When it's done, gently fork all "spaghetti strands" to the center.

2) Heat Earth Balance in a small pot over medium-low heat. Once hot, add garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes. Whisk in flour until no lumps remain, cooking for about another minute. Whisk in milk.

3) Once simmering, add cream cheese and stir until smooth. Remove from heat and quickly stir in cheese and pepper. Separate sauce evenly between both shells, and toss with spaghetti strands. Add additional cheese and pepper to the top for broiling. Broil in oven until cheese on top begins to brown. 

4) Remove from oven and let sit! The moisture from the squash being in the oven will cause the mixture to turn out a little watery. Let it sit for about 10 minutes so that the content can thicken up. Don't worry, dinner will still be hot when it's ready to eat!

One squash is enough to feed a family of four. Pairs great with chicken. Thanks for visiting! Enjoy and pass it on!

Last day to carve pumpkins!!

Toast your seeds for a sweet and savory snack.

I'm a Northwest girl at heart, and where I'm from we carve pumpkins much earlier in the month. For my first time carving pumpkins in the Bay Area, I forgot to take the warmer weather into account. We carved on week two of October and by the third day the pumpkins were white and fuzzy with mold! Even though the jack-o-lanterns didn't work out, we were able to bake some really yummy seeds! Tonight, being the last night before Halloween, we are going to try carving once again. Good thing we are, because it reminded me to share this pumpkin seed recipe with you! Originally we were trying to follow this recipe, but it was getting late and we were missing a few pieces. Lagging about half the ingredients, this is what we did and they turned out perfect.

Ingredients

1 medium size pumpkin
8 stevia extract packets

1 tsp of granulated sugar for texture
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
Red pepper flakes to taste
1 1/2 Tbsp. hazelnut oil

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Using which ever method you prefer, separate seeds from pumpkin flesh.This should yield about 1 cup. 

2. Spread pumpkin seeds over paper in an even layer. Bake until seeds are dry, which should take about 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

3. In a medium bowl, combine cumin, cinnamon, ginger, and red pepper flakes. In a non-stick pan, heat hazelnut oil over high heat. Add pumpkin seeds, stevia, and sugar and let cook until sugar starts to melt (about 45-60 seconds), stirring frequently. 

4. Add seeds to spice mixture and stir well. Return seeds to parchment paper for cooling. Once they are cool they may be kept in an air tight container for up to 1 week. That is, if they last that long.

             I hope you enjoy my recipe! It is super easy and fun to make with loved ones.

Cook, enjoy, pass it on.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!