Spaghetti Squash Gratin With Basil

Every day is a new adventure and this one is blogging mid flight en route to Michigan!  That's right folks, I am now somewhere in the sky above the Cascades!  I don't think this technology is that new, but it's still boggling my mind.  My not so inner food is silently screaming at my flight neighbor, so far she has downed not one, but two Big Macs.  Two!  I've never had one in my entire life (I fear I am the worldly exception) and somehow some of their not-so-special sauce ended up on my jacket. 

In the spirit of the holidays, I think I'll keep chanting my mantra "tis the season to be jolly, tis the season to eat whatever the hell thy wants."  I mean, I didn't eat a handful or five of puppy chow last night because I ran out of food… who would do such a thing?  I really can't complain, with my wifi, a free copy of Bon Appetit and Sufjan Stevens Christmas music I should be able to enjoy the friendly skies (even though there is a fair amount of turbulence right now).

I have a large number of photos of cookies to edit, but I have been meaning to post this recipe for a while now.  The main reason I haven't?  The photo is horrible and doesn't do this dish justice.  Every. Single. Time. I make this, it is after 8 o'clock and I am eating by the light of florescent light bulbs.  It's quite romantic, trust me, especially the loving glow it casts on my food in photographs.  I found this recipe in the New York Times "Dining for Health" section sometime in October and it has been an inexpensive and healthy staple ever since.  I even taught Gabe, a guy who can't even boil water, how to make this. No matter how much the succulent squash weighs, Trader Joe's will only charge me $3 per gourd!  I almost feel like I'm robbing them when I scurry out the front doors cradling spaghetti squash in grocery bag shrouds.  Any squash leftover from roasting can be frozen in one cup increments for a (seemingly) indefinite amount of time.

**The only part of this dish that isn't so cheap is the Gruyère cheese, but if you don't feel like dropping $15 on a chunk of cheese, any slightly salty but essentially earthy cheese can be substituted in a snap.

I think I need a nap.  I've been up since 4 am Seattle-time… at least I won't have any troubles falling asleep when I'm back in Michigan.

If I don't have a chance to blog again before Christmas, Happy Christmahanakwanzika!

Thai Inspired Stir-Fry

I made this for dinner a few nights ago (and finally finished eating the left overs yesterday night for dinner) and I was very pleased with the results. The 'peanut sauce' for the noodles is a go-to sauce for me and I have used it countless times. Most of the veggies I bought at the Ann Arbor's farmers market and I think that made all the difference for me - the dish tasted so fresh! So, no more boring rambling, here is the (kinda long) recipe!

Ingredients:

For Stir-Fry:

• Onions
• Potatoes, sliced thinly
• Celery
• Carrots, thinly sliced
• Asparagus (thin stalks)
• Peppers (orange, yellow, and red), diced
• Summer (yellow) Squash
• Chard
• Scallions
• Mung Bean Sprouts
• Tofu (optional)

For Stir Fry Sauce:

• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 Tbs. grated fresh ginger
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 Tbs. honey
• 2 tsp. Chinese Sesame Oil
• 2 Tbs. cornstarch

For Noodles:

• 1 package of Trader Joe's Rice Noodles (I like the width)
• 2 Tbs. Brown Sugar
• 5 Tbs. Peanut Butter
• 1/2 cup (ish...) Soy Sauce
• Zest and Juice of one lime
• (side note: I have never measured for this sauce before, every time I make it I 'eyeball' it until it looks/tastes how I want it)

Directions:

1. Cook Rice noodles according to package directions. While the noodles are cooking, mash together brown sugar, peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, and lime zest until it is a smooth paste. Drain noodles, place back into pot, mix in sauce, and set aside with lid on top to keep it warm.
2. For stir-Fry sauce: Combine the first 6 ingredients. Place the cornstarch in a bowl & whisk the liquid mixture into it. Set aside and whisk again before you add the sauce into the stir-fry.
3. Heat the woke alone (for about a minute), then add in a little peanut oil. Add the onions and saute them alone first until transparent. Add potatoes, celery, and carrots and saute until partially done. Add Sauce now. Add in the peppers (all three colors), summer squash, and asparagus - saute until almost done. Finally, add in the chard, scallions, and mung bean sprouts. If you decided to use (pre-cooked and marinated) tofu, add it in now.
4. Plate the noodles so that they look like a bird nest. Scoop the stir-fried veggies into 'the nest' - serve immediately.