Venturing into the World of Spaghetti Squash

I know that I make decisions based on advertising, we all do. But, I get a funny feeling when I think about how trendy certain foods have become in recent years -- or has this always been a thing? I am not talking about kid's cereal, pop tarts, or hot pockets. No, i am talking about quinoa, avocados, and dried fruit. How many commercials have you seen for pistachios in the last few weeks? This is surely not as big of a deal as I am making it, but just something that has been rattling around in my brain for some time.
Anyway, I have been wrangled into a food trend -- actually, multiple food trends for this recipe. And I am happy of myself.

This week we tried spaghetti squash. There hasn't been much pasta action in our house recently and I was getting antsy about it. It is so easy to prepare and can most certainly make it onto any week night menu rotation. We enjoyed our spaghetti squash with chicken and avocado pesto, based on a recipe from Sweet Dreaming.

Here's what you'll need...

1 2 - 2.5 lb spaghetti squash
4 thinly sliced chicken breasts
Olive oil
1/2 avocado
15-20 basil leaves
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon sour cream
lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
parmesan cheese for garnish

Let's get started...

1. Puncture several slits into your spaghetti squash.

2. Place in a microwave save dish and microwave on high for about 4 minutes per pound, rotating halfway through the cook time.

3. While your squash is cooking, slice and pit your avocado.

4. Scoop half of the avocado into your food processor with the basil leaves, garlic, sour cream, and lemon juice. Process until smooth. Set aside.

5. Upon remove the spaghetti squash from the microwave, it should be soft and may have collapsed. If it is not soft to touch, microwave for a few extra minutes. Otherwise, let the squash cool. It may leak fluid so make sure to kept it in the dish or place on a towel.

6. As your squash rests, cook chicken in oil as desired. 

7. When the squash is cool enough to handle, cut off the top and slice it long ways in half.

8. Scoop visible seeds out the center of each half. Then, using a fork, begin scraping the spaghetti like strands from the squash's pulp. You should be able to scrape it to the skin.

9. Comb through the strands to remove any remaining seeds.

10. Remove the chicken from the skillet and replace with squash. Toss in oil over low heat.

11. Add pesto to skillet and coat squash evenly. Toss in chicken gently to warm.

12. Plate fist size portions of squash topped with chicken breast.

I was concerned that this would not be filling, but it certainly was and could easily replace pasta for a time. We will be trying it with other sauces, tomato and cheese based. We may even try a cold rendition as part of a pasta salad. The possibilities for this trendy vegetable are limitless.