cooking

Dinner Time: Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai

I love, love, love this recipe from

My Fitness Pa

l.  This spaghetti squash pad thai is satisfying and tasty, and under 300 calories a serving.  I don't miss the noodles at all!

Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breast
  • 1 large Spaghetti Squash
  • 2 large Carrots, grated
  • 1 Red Bell Pepper, thinly sliced
  • 4 Green Onions, thinly sliced + more for garnish
  • 3 Garlic Cloves, minced
  • 1/4 cup Cilantro, plus more for garnish
  • 1/3 cup chopped Unsalted Peanuts
  • 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

For the sauce:

  • 1/4 cup Chicken Broth
  • 1/4 cup Rice Vinegar (or substitute White Vinegar)
  • 2 tablespoons Lime Juice
  • 3 tablespoons Honey
  • 1/4 cup Tamari (gluten free soy sauce)
  • 1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon Pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and guts. Drizzle the flesh side with olive oil and place face down on a baking sheet. Bake for about 45 minutes, until you can stick a knife in easily.

When squash is done, remove from the oven and let it cool for about 5-10 minutes. When it is cool enough to handle, use a fork to scrape out all of the spaghetti squash, until all you have left is the skin. Set the squash in a colander for about 10 minutes to drain all of the excess moisture.

In the meantime, make the sauce. Put all of the ingredients for the sauce into a small saucepan and whisk to combine. Put over medium-low heat to warm. Don’t let it come to a boil, just keep it warm while you are cooking the rest of the meal.

Now cook the chicken. Cut the chicken into small pieces and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the chicken with 2 tbsp of olive oil, stir occasionally until chicken is lightly brown.

Add the peppers, carrots, green onions and garlic, and saute for about 3-4 minutes, until vegetables are tender-crisp. Add the drained spaghetti squash and the sauce to the skillet and stir until evenly distributed.

Remove from skillet and put the squash mixture into a large bowl. At this time, add the peanuts, and cilantro. Stir.

To serve, garnish with a few more peanuts and cilantro.

Nutrition Information

Serves: 

 6 |  

Serving Size: 

3/4 cup

Per serving: 

Calories: 290; Total Fat: 13g; Saturated Fat: 3g; Monounsaturated Fat: 5g; Cholesterol: 43mg; Sodium: 801mg; Carbohydrate: 23g; Dietary Fiber: 4g; Sugar: 14g; Protein: 21g

Nutrition Bonus: 

Potassium: 174mg; Vitamin A: 97%; Vitamin C: 56%; Iron: 13%; Calcium: 6% 

Strawberry Mango Oat Bars

Feeling a bit under the weather tonight and as such I'm choosing to have a quiet night in.  "Quiet nights in" always involve baking.  Tonight, I had some strawberries and mangos that were getting dangerously ripe, so, voila - Strawberry Mango Oat Bars!  I promised my friend Louise I would post this recipe if they turned out.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup margarine (I used Earth Balance, suppose you could use butter if you were so inclined)

2 ripe mangos, mushed

3 cups ripe strawberries, casually chopped

2 packets Splenda (OK, go ahead and use real sugar if you must - that'll be about 1 tbsp)

1 tbsp cornstarch

Squirt of lemon juice

Instructions

1.  Throw the flour, rolled oats, sugar and margarine in a bowl and mix (with your fingers preferably) well until the ingredients are fine and crumbly.

2.  Reserve 1 cup of crumbly stuff and then press the rest into a greased 8 x 8 baking pan so it forms a hard crust.  Bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 F.

3.  Mix the mango, strawberries, cornstarch, Splenda and lemon juice.

Mixing the fruit.

4.  Pour on top of the baked crumbly crust and then sprinkle the reserved cup of crumbly stuff on top.

Ready to go in the oven!

5.  Bake for 45 minutes at 350 F.

My sous-chef wasn't willing to wait.

6.  Wait until cool to slice.  Makes 8 bars.

Et voila!  Think these might be good with a little coconut "ice cream."