Green Pea Pesto Spaghetti Squash

Isn't that basil beautiful .  I found it at my local Albertsons.  I've never seen such large basil leaves.

The amount of basil in the package was a nice amount too.  I packed a 1/2 cup full and still had a little left over.  It wasn't cheap though, so I may end up growing a nice, large  plant inside near a sunny window.

Usually the store has plenty of parsley and other herbs, but not basil so this was a treat to find such a large amount for this new recipe I wanted to try.

A member of Dr. Fuhrman.com posts new recipes each week and  the spaghetti squash  was one I've wanted to try for a while.  I made it last night and WOW.  It's a new favorite.  :-)

It's also the first time I've ever tried to cook this particular squash and I really loved it so much that I think I'll look for some other recipes for this new favorite vegetable.

I had so much fun cooking this squash.  I was experiencing a sense of exploration and discovery.  hee hee  I almost thought that I might have chosen a dud because I cooked it for the amount of time it said and when I tried to remove the insides, there was no spaghetti.  So I cooked it for a little longer and when I tried a second time I had strands.  :-)

What I noticed is that there was a difference in the skin when it was ready.  When you prick the outside and place it in the microwave, the outside is hard and unyielding.  But afterwards, when it's been cooked for the proper amount of time, the outside becomes pliable and soft.  But watch out because it's extremely hot.  I used a pot holder to hold it while I scooped out all the spaghetti.

 The recipe called for a medium size squash, but I just got whatever they had at Albertson's.  They all looked pretty uniform to me, so I didn't know if I had a small, medium or large one.  :-)

 After I finished scooping out all of the spaghetti strands from it's shell, (I had a blast doing that) I had quite a volume of the stuff.

But some of the  squash is blended with the pesto sauce, so I didn't worry about it.  I figured it would work out fine even if there was more than the recipe called for.

The author of the recipe used a 1/2 cup of chopped tomatoes, but I noticed one of the other members used a can of tomatoes, so that's what I did too.  For one thing I didn't have but 1 tomato and for another, it didn't seem like that small amount would be enough tomato for the pile of squash I had. 

The pesto is so easy to make.  I used my food processor thinking it would be quicker and easier to clean, but next time I'll try using my vitamix and see which way I like better.  The vitamix will puree it smoother and creamier, but the processor is so much easier to remove the creamed mixture than the vitamix would have been.

The pesto called for green peas, some of the spaghetti squash, basil and pine nuts.  I didn't have any so I used walnuts instead.  I love pine nuts so the next time around I'll make sure I have some on hand.

Once the sauce is blended, you spread it on top and bake the dish at 350 for about 30 minutes.

I let it cool while I my dh and I ate supper.  Afterward, I sliced and plated a serving.  I just wanted to try a small amount because I was already satisfied with the huge salad I'd just eaten.  But once I ate that first piece, I just had to have another.  :-)

I've tried many different recipes while doing E2L, and this was one of the more simple and easy ones.  That's probably one of the reasons I enjoyed making it so much.  :-)

I'm asking the author if I can post the recipe here in case there is anyone who would like to try it.  It's a winner!

So ............. eat to live everyone!

Holly (Hojo) at Dr. Fuhrman's membership website gave me permission to post her recipe, so here it is.  Many thanks to her.

Green Pea Pesto Spaghetti Squash

    4 main dish servings, 6 side dish servings

1 medium spaghetti squash
1/2 cup tomatoes (I used a can of tomatoes)
2 tsp oregano
1/2 cup frozen green peas
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup fresh or frozen basil
1 1/2 - 2 oz. pinenuts (I used walnuts)

Cook spaghetti squash by preferred method. I like to pierce it several times and microwave for 4 minutes, then cut it in half & scoop out the seeds, put the halves face down on a dinner plate & microwave for another 8 minutes or so, until soft.

Once cooked, remove strands from one half of squash and add to a lightly sprayed 6x9 rectangular baking dish (or similar size) along with a little squash from the 2nd half. Stir in tomatoes and oregano.

In a high powered blender add the green peas, garlic, basil, pinenuts and the remaining squash. Blend until smooth & creamy.

Spread pesto across the top of the spaghetti squash and place in preheated oven. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes, until pesto seems to have firmed up some.

Delicious!  :-)

Progress

I've had family visiting this past month. Preparing the standard fare for them made it more difficult for me to stay true to eating healthy. But I have mostly stayed on track and I don't mind eating the standard diet once in a while. I just don't want it to be difficult to get back to eating my greens again.

I haven't weighed in. I don't think I've lost anything and I'm hoping I haven't gained either.

So another week and I will go back to eating E2L 100%. Well hopefully I will. I'm sure I'll have some detox issues again, but it shouldn't be too bad. I really need to do this for my health. You'd think for that reason it would make it much easier.

I had some zucchini this week right out of the garden along with fresh garden tomatoes. I'm going to really miss my fresh veggies when summer takes a vacation.

I'll miss going into my garden and popping those sweet grape tomatoes into my mouth. It's like eating candy. Yum!

This weekend or next, I'll be trading those sun-loving veggies for cooler crops like spinach, kale and lettuce.

This week I cut up some zucchini and tomatoes in bite size chunks, and simply added an Italian dressing. How simple is that? And how delicious! I must admit, I love simple and delicious to shake hands. :-)

I'm wanting to post more often to hold myself accountable, so hopefully I will. I hope that by blogging I can offer some encouragement to those who are trying to eat a more healthy diet.

Eating for health and enjoying it,
Laina :-)

Spiral Slicer - A must have tool

Joyce Chen Saladacco Spiral Vegetable Slicer

I bought a spiral slicer a couple three weeks ago. I finally got it out and used it today. I'm so glad I did. Why did I wait so long? I highly recommend you buying one if you don't already have it.

I made zuchinni spaghetti for supper tonight, and it was wonderfully delicious. And fantastically easy, what a quick meal.

I happen to be growing summer squash in my garden this year and had some sitting on the counter.

I spiralized a couple of them, medium in size and topped them with Walnut Acres low sodium tomato basil spaghetti sauce. I warmed the dish in the microwave for a minute or two, just to warm it, and wow. The crunchy texture of the raw zuchinni, and the tomato sauce delighted my palate.

I love this dish so much that I know I'll be eating it often. And the slicer was easy to use, easy to clean, and actually it was fun to operate.

Next I'm going to give carrots a try and add them to my salad. I love new kitchen tools, don't you?