** Edited a Second Time: I now have the "official" program information. It turns out Spaghetti Squash IS on the Phase one list but on the Restricted list so only once per week. I'm OK with that. This was so good I'd hate to wait until the maintenance phase to have it again
** Edited: Turns out I read the list wrong. That's what comes from trying to start before I officially have all the information. Spaghetti squash is on the forbidden list for Phase 1 not the allowed list, so while this was delish, the veg is not Phase 1 friendly.
So I've never posted a recipe or step by step cooking instructions in my life. But I've posted card "recipes" over on my paper crafting blog so how much different can it be ... except make sure to wash your wands thoroughly after handling raw meat. You don't have to do that with raw paper, but here its important.
First things first ... preheat your oven to 375° and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (it keeps the mess down).
Now on to the spaghetti squash because it takes longer to cook.
First you cut it in half and clean out the cuts. Its kind of like a pumpkin with strands and seeds and such. Too gross for pictures in my opinion. The nice thing is its smaller than a pumpkin so much easier to clean out. OK - your squashes are all clean? Yes? Then on to the next step
Drizzle the insides of the squash with olive or grape seed oil then season with salt and pepper. You can use any spices you like but I usually stick with just these two. Put the squash on your foil lined baking sheet like so ...
I've been told that poking holes in the rind helps it cook more evenly and more quickly. Since I have never gotten one cooked in less than an hour I thought I'd give that a try tonight (hint: it did work). Let the hole poking commence.
Then pop it in the oven for about 40 minutes. While the squash is cooking start working on your chicken. I like to pan sear my chicken so I usually slice the breasts in half to make them thinner. You can also pound them flatter to make a cutlet, but I find this to be faster for me.
Add some spice ... tonight I used salt pepper and some Penzy pasta sprinkles. I was going for an Italian theme and I figured it wasn't just for pasta despite the name :) and Thanks again Aunt Judy for the Penzy Spice pack wedding present. We are making great use of it here at the ranch
Next add a little oil to your saute pan and heat it over medium heat. I tend to use the Rachel Ray method of measurement so 2 turns around the pan. I think that's about 1-2 T, but try and keep it to a minimum. You just want to keep the chicken from sticking. You could also use a Misto and spray the oil on for a more even coverage
Chicken frying .... with this size of meat I let it go 4-5 minutes on 1 side them flip it for another 4-5 minutes. I didn't start the chicken until the squash was almost done.
Once the squash was done you pull it out of the oven, let it cool for a few minutes so you don't burn your fingerprints off and use a fork to scrape the squashy bits out.
I tried these 2 Waldens Farms sauces together. My hubs liked the Tomato Basil all by itself,. The Alfredo is a bit garlicy but when paired with the tomato was really good, I thought.
Ta Da!
My husband had never had spaghetti squash before - didn't even know what I was buying at the grocery store when I got it. He really liked it and was done with his plate when I still was working on mine (I was talking a lot about the WF products I bought today, but still I'm usually a much faster eater. That's usually my sign that he really likes something!)
So tonight's dinner was a total success. Challenge friendly and mighty tasty.
So long for now!
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