Rai Singh's "No Bones About It" Recipe for the Week, July 22, 2010

Goodness, my week got away from me, and I'm just getting this posted. If you've been patiently, I thank you.

First, I want to invite you all to Yoga Phoenix next Tuesday the 27th at 7pm for a cooking class. The cost is $20, and it we will go over some basic knife skills, saute, and blanching veggies. The menu is a Roasted Tomato Salsa, The Carrot Beet Salad from last week's recipe and for dinner we will have A Veggie Stir Fry w/Pressed Tofu in a Coconut Curry Cream Sauce Served with Brown Rice/Lentils.

This week's recipe is:

Spaghetti Squash with Sauteed Zucchini, Mushrooms, Onions and Fresh Herbs, Served with a Tomato Sauce
(Vegan, Gluten Free, Nut Free)

Ingredients:
1 each-spaghetti squash
2 cups-zucchini, diced
2 cups-mushrooms, sliced
1 each-medium red onion, diced
1Tbl-garlic, chopped
1 quart jar of your favorite pasta sauce. (the recipe I have would be a blog post)
Salt and Pepper
fresh herbs of your choice
olive oil

Directions:
-Very, very carefully, cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise, and take out the seeds. Pour olive oil, salt and pepper on a sheet pan, and place the squash flesh down on the pan, and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30-45 minutes. Time varies on the size of the squash, so start with 30 minutes. What you're looking for is the peel to seperate from the flesh. You can tap on it with your fingernail to determine when it is done, or turn it over and test the flesh with a fork. You want the squash to be just barely done. Set squash aside to cool.
-When squash is cool enough to handle, take off the peel and seperate the flesh into the spaghetti like strands. A fork works well, or jsut use your hands.
-Prep and cut the mushroom, zucchini, onion, garlic, and herbs. In a saute pan, add 2 tbl olive oil to heat. When oil is hot add garlic first, for just a few seconds, then onions, for a few more, and then add remaining veggies, season with salt and pepper to taste. When the mushrooms and zucchini are about half way done, add the squash to the mix. Add the herbs at the very end of the saute process, and set aside.
-Heat up pasta sauce in a sauce pan.

To serve:
-Whether you're using it as the vegetable portion of a meal, or as the meal itself, you add the tomato sauce on top of the squash.

Tips and Comments about this recipe:

-Be careful when cutting the raw squash!!!
-If you're not vegan, you can reduce 1 cup of cream by about half, in a sauce and spoon it right in the middle of the tomato sauce. It adds a great color contrast to the plate.
-You can also serve the squash mixture cold, and the tomato sauce hot.

I try to make my recipes simple and approachable, at the same time, unique, delicious and fun. As always, your comments, concerns, and questions are much appreciated. You can reach me directly at raisingh108@gmail.com for anything related to this blog.

Sat Nam, and remember, nurture your creativity, and your belly by making your own food.

See you next week,
Rai Singh