Spaghetti Squash in Creamy Tomato Sauce

So... if you haven't yet tried spaghetti squash, you really need to - it will blow you away! I don't miss pasta at all!! Any pasta recipe can be served in an awesome squash bowl instead (with its awesome squash nutrients!). And this is the richest-tasting, tastiest Paleo tomato sauce I've come up with, and it's my favorite tomato sauce of any kind. Period. It's still frozen up here in the north, but I will definitely be making this sauce with garden tomatoes this summer! But back to spaghetti squash...

So spaghetti squash starts out looking like any other squash...

...until you cook it, and then it turns into awesome, tasty spaghetti!

- 2 spaghetti squash, halved
- 1/2 c quinoa, uncooked
- 1 c water
- 1 can light coconut milk
- 1 large can diced tomatoes, in juice (tomato sauce would also work)
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1/4 white onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp arrowroot flour (or cornstarch)
- 2 Tbsp water
- 1 handful of basil (I used a whole small pack), julienned
- green onion, for garnish (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 400.

2. Cook the quinoa like you would cook rice (steam around 20 minutes in a stove pot or rice cooker).

3. Place the squash halves, cut side down, on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake until soft (easy to poke with a fork), around 30 minutes.

4. As the squash cooks, in medium-sized saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the coconut milk, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Combine well and bring to a boil.

5. As the tomato sauce cooks, coat a saucepan with olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic until translucent, around 4 minutes. Add them to the tomato sauce.

6. When the tomato sauce comes to a boil, combine the arrowroot flour and water in a small bowl until well combined, and add to the tomato sauce. Add the basil and cook for another 2 minutes, until it gets nice and thick. Remove from heat and set aside. I ran mine through my immersion blender to get it to a consistency that I like better, but that's optional.

7. When the squash are ready, remove their seeds with a spoon, then scrape the meat with a fork until you get nice spaghetti strands. If it's been cooked long enough, the meat should separate from the skin well. Divide the quinoa evenly among the squash, and mix to combine it with the spaghetti strands. Pour the tomato sauce over the squash and mix well into the spaghetti. Top with green onion and serve in the squash skins (no dishes!!). Enjoy!

Sweet Chili Lime Tofu

This recipe is based on the one from Grumpy's Honeybunch Blog, and it is INCREDIBLE. You try various recipes, you like some better than others, and then every now and then you just go nuts for one: I am crazy for this tofu!! It's super easy, and completely delicious (I have even had success with this among supposed tofu-haters!).

Quinoa
- 3/4 c quinoa (or couscous or rice)
- zest from 1 lime
- 2 bruised cardamom pods (I'll explain "bruised" below)
- pinch of salt
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 1/3 c water

Sweet Chili Lime Sauce
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- juice from 1 lime
- zest from 1/2 lime
- pinch or cayenne pepper
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp salt

- 16 oz extra firm tofu
- 3 heads chopped bok choy (or kale)
- 2-3 Tbsp water
- lime slices for garnish

Don't you feel healthy already?!

1. To bruise the cardamom pods, place them on a cutting board and press down with the large flat surface of a knife. Let the pods crack along the sides, but don't press so hard as to open them completely. This is so that the strong cardamom flavor can come out, but doesn't overtake the quinoa's other flavors!

2. Mix the quinoa, lime zest, cardamom pods, salt, cinnamon stick, and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 20 mintes then remove from heat. Let steam for 10 minutes. (It's like cooking rice!)

Delicious quinoa mix

3. Cut the tofu into bite-sized pieces. (I cut mine into 36 pieces.) Place the cut pieces uniformly across a cutting board on top of 3 paper towels. Cover them with 3 paper towels and a heavy pan (I use my cast iron saucepan) and let them drain for 5 minutes.

Draining the tofu

4. In a small bowl, mix all the Sweet Chili Lime Sauce ingredients until combined. Set aside.

5. Place the drained tofu onto a hot skillet over medium high heat. I generally place a small bit of oil in the pan to be sure it doesn't stick, but that's not necessary if you're good about checking it. Cook for 6 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Then apply the sauce. Keep the heat on for 30 seconds, then turn it off and let the sauce turn into a reduced glaze.

6. Steam the bok choy with the water in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Steam for 2-3 minutes, until the water evaporates.

7. Place the quinoa under the bok choy under the tofu in a bowl. Garnish with limes. Pairs well with dry white wine, limeade, or a beer (Pilsners and Lagers especially). Enjoy!