Lemon Caper Spaghetti Squash
1 small spaghetti squash
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup non-hydrogenated vegan margarine
2 tablespoons drained capers
1/4 cup zucchini, diced
1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
4 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup tomatoes, canned or fresh, chopped
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Rub the inside well with the olive oil. Put the squash cut side down on a pan (cookie or pizza, whatever you have) and cover with foil. You don't have to make a tight seal but you don't want it too loose.
2. Bake the squash until the squash is done and can be easily scrapped out with a fork. It took about 30 minutes in my oven. Scrape out the spaghetti strings and put them aside where they'll stay warm.
3. Melt the margarine in a large pan or cast iron pot and add the zucchini, bell pepper and capers, cooking them until they're tender. Stir in the lemon juice, parsley and season with salt and pepper.
4. Taste the sauce to see if it's seasoned properly, then mix in the squash and tomatoes.
I pan fried floured tofu slices to serve with this and it was excellent.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
This is the best thing I've made in a long time. Absolutely delicious! I didn't use the vegan butter though, just left that out & used a tiny bit of olive oil.
I'm not sure about the size of a small spaghetti squash. I was quadrupling the recipe and bought four spaghetti squash, but they were so large I only ended up using two of them. I quadrupled ( x4 ) all other ingredients, except for the vegetables which I octupled ( x8 ). The taste was good. The lemons and capers made it tart like Italian dressing. I don't like the sharpness of Italian dressing, but I took the dish to a potluck and got a lot of compliments on it.
Modifications to the recipe include: I couldn't find flat parsley, so I used curly parsley. I used a grape/cherry tomato medley that I sliced in half rather than chopping a larger tomato. Instead of mixing everything together, I sautéed the vegetables and then strained the butter into a bowl and tossed it with the spaghetti squash strands. Then I arranged the sautéed vegetables and fresh tomatoes on top and garnished it with a bit of parsley.
I served the lemon caper spaghetti squash with some tofu I cut into half-inch squares, marinated in apple juice and apple cider vinegar and then pan fried with a bit of grape seed oil, toasted sesame oil, and mushroom soy sauce. The tofu was good also, but it was really easy to add too much soy sauce so the tofu was on the salty side.
yum! i used asparagus instead of the zucchini, a roma tomato and dried parsely. super good!
This recipe is UNBELIEVABLY good! :D
I had a HUGE spaghetti squash so I doubled everything else. I also added some sliced Baby Bella mushrooms.
The next time I make this, I'll decrease the amount of margarine.
Hey TinTexas, looks like you had fun at our zoo!!!
This recipe sounds awesome, and I've always wanted to try spaghetti squash. The only thing is I can never find it anywhere. Where do you get it? (besides looking in all the grocery stores around the area)
I never have any problem finding it in the produce section of our local (Uvalde, Texas) HEB. I don't think it's a regional thing. Is it possible that you're overlooking it?l This article on Wikipedia has a picture. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaghetti_squash It's kind of nondescript looking, IMHO. Then again, it might be considered an exotic item in the more rural, Appalachian areas of Virginia (like Pound where my stepson lives.)
This recipe sounds awesome, and I've always wanted to try spaghetti squash. The only thing is I can never find it anywhere. Where do you get it? (besides looking in all the grocery stores around the area)
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