December 15, 2008

Cook a dinner while you cook dinner


First of all, thank you for all the well wishes after my nutmeg fiasco last week! It was great to hear that I wasn't the only one in the dark about nutmeg, and also to learn a thing or two from those of you who had more information about herbs and spices.

Today I'm sharing a very simple recipe, and not because I think you've never heard of spaghetti squash. But rather because I think it's a great way to make two dinners at once. I get home pretty late a few nights a week because my favorite yoga studio is on the other side of the city. It takes 90 minutes on public transportation to get home! Crazy. So on those nights it's a quick dinner or none at all!

Say you're making something like Braised Seitan with Brussels, Kale, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes for dinner. It's going to take you about an hour, but you don't need the oven. This happened to me the other night. So I split open a spaghetti squash and threw it in a pan with about a quarter-inch of water, baked at 400 degrees. Since I had a little extra time I toasted the seeds from the squash and sprinkled with some coriander. Yum! By the time my other dinner was done, I had a whole lotta squash ready and waiting for later in the week.

I stored the squash halves in a big tupperware in the fridge. The next night when I got home from yoga all I had to do was fork out the spaghetti strands and heat in a pot with a splash of water. I added fresh thyme and Earth Balance, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper. You could do any number of toppings instead but the point is, you will have a healthy dinner in no time flat.

Here are a few recipes you can try with your pre-cooked spaghetti squash if you want to get a little fancy!
http://happyherbivore.com/2008/10/fiesta-spaghetti-squash
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/02/dining/021srex.html

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Michelle! I live in Boston and am interested in trying yoga. What is your favorite studio?

Thanks, Jena

Darya Pino said...

Love it! Time saving tips are super important if you are a busy person and want to be healthy.

Roasting up a simple squash is an excellent idea.

Did you ever post a kabocha recipe btw?

Anonymous said...

Great suggestion. :) I do it all the time...especially when I have bread to bake and the house is too cold for it to rise! In go the cookies, the spaghetti squash, the sweet potato bake, whatever keeps the kitchen warm.

Lauren said...

Spaghetti squash, yay! I love your focus on all of these heathful foods that we all should be eating. :) Great blog!