We first made this recipe back in April of 2013. It was one of those recipes that you know, without a doubt, will be made again. Fast forward to January 2014, winter has hit hard (again), temperatures have dropped (again), and all we want to do is curl up on the couch and sink into a warm bowl of something. So long as you can track down a spaghetti squash, and have access to a magic bullet (or blender), this recipe is incredibly simple to whip up on a week night after work. Even though there is no meat in the dish, the squash and nutty sauce are really satisfying. If you're worried you'll miss the protein, grilled chicken or a piece of salmon, would complement the dish well.
SPAGHETTI SQUASH + BROCCOLI WITH A NUTTY LIME SAUCE // makes enough for 4
Recipe barely adapted from The First Mess
Preheat oven to 375.
Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash, cut in half and seeds removed
1 broccoli, cut into florets
3-4 kale stalks, chopped finely
1 scallion, sliced thinly
1/2 cup peanuts
black and white sesame seeds
fresh herbs (I used basil), chopped, optional
For the sauce...
1/2 inch fresh ginger, peeled + roughly chopped
2 gloves of garlic, peeled + roughly chopped
2 tsp sriracha
2 tbsp peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1 lime, peeled + chopped
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp maple syrup (or honey)
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
small scoop coconut oil, optional
small splash sesame oil
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
What to do:
Place the squash, cut side down, onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for roughly 45 minutes.
While the squash is cooking, prep the other ingredients. Rinse and chop the kale and place in a large bowl. In a small saucepan, toast the peanuts and set aside. In the same pan, quickly fry the sliced scallion in a drizzle of olive oil (I don't like raw onions, but feel free to skip this step and eat them raw). Prep your broccoli and set aside.
Make the sauce by combining all the ingredients into a bullet or blender and pulse until smooth.
Once the squash is ready, remove from the oven and set aside. Bring water to a boil, and steam broccoli for 3-4 minutes.
Once squash has cooled enough to handle, use a fork to remove the 'spaghetti' and transfer into the bowl with the kale. Stir to combine - the heat from the squash will steam the kale.
To assemble, place a bed of the squash/kale mixture on a plate and drizzle with some sauce. Top with a few florets of broccoli, some onions, peanuts, sprinkle of seeds and fresh herbs. Finish with one final drizzle of sauce.
Enjoy!