Monday, January 24, 2011

Vegucating Robin Spaghetti (Squash) with Pesto

Since cooking classes are out of the budget of late, I've been somewhat hooked on Vegucating Robin, the relatively new, online, vegan cooking show hosted by Robin Quivers and Gavan Murphy.  Their recipes all seem appealing, hearty, and do-able, and I finally attacked the spaghetti squash It Looks Like Pasta recipe, accompanied by It's Not Pesto Without Pine Nuts (with slight variation).


First off was the spaghetti squash.  Be forewarned that halving it is a very dangerous feat for all fingers involved, but after that it's pretty much smooth sailing.  However, it bears repeating; halve your squash with extreme caution.

Yes, that's the floor.  I needed leverage!

Once divided, enjoy the aroma that reminds you that this is going to be no more fun to de-seed than a pumpkin.



Because I was really out of my element roasting squash I was hesitant to deviate from the recipe.  So, the only variation that occurred was that I didn't use fresh herbs on the pan.  And guess what?  The dried worked fine.

The oil & herbs on top serve no purpose; it was just transferred when I flipped 'em.
The great thing about spaghetti squash is that it requires no special skill or equipment.  All you need is a fork and nature does the work for you.



Remember to scrape all the way down to the skin.  Much like an avocado, you'll know when you've gone to far.


Eventually you'll wind up with a great big mound of vegetable spaghetti.


Unexpectedly, my basil plant has been flourishing since I brought it indoors from the sunroom for the winter and I had just enough of its giant leaves to make a nice batch of pesto using the VR recipe.

If you look closely you can see the surrender flag leftover from when I thought it was a goner.

I was all zested out, so I substituted 1/4 cup of lemon juice for the lemon zest.  I also added 2 tsp minced garlic and cut the oil by 1/3.  It was good, but I prefer my pesto creamier, i.e. even less oil and more nuts.


In general, I'm not a huge fan of pesto; so, I don't make it often.  But with the spaghetti squash it was infinitely superior than on traditional pasta.  Serving it on a vegetable rather than macaroni really cuts the richness to a tolerable and more healthful level.



For leftovers I tossed in some tomatoes and it was even better.


Tip: For whatever reason, it's much easier to navigate and print recipes from Gavan's site than directly from Vegucating Robin.

8 comments:

  1. Not a huge fan of pesto??? Oh my wordy word, that stuff is so delicious!

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  2. For some reason I am always shunning spaghetti squash, don't know why! I obviously need to give it another try because this looks super awesome!

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  3. Hey Abby, you're dish looks awesome, well done. Thanks so much for trying out the recipe and we're delighted you enjoy the show.
    We appreciate the support.
    Cheers.
    Gavan.

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  4. You might want to try raw zucchini pasta next time. It's delicious and very healthy. Also, ask some of your friends if they have a banging raw tomato sauce recipe, it just might make your day... Although, I'm not sure your wimpy little blender can handle it. ;)

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  5. Abby, I'm so delighted to see your basil plant grew back!

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  6. This looks so good, like a homemade version of the raw one at Blossom Cafe. Thanks for the link, i'm definitely going to try this. Did you find that the squash was in season?

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  7. Pesto on spaghetti squash is such a great idea. Did you know it's possible to roast a squash whole, and then open it when it's soft? You have to poke a knife in a few spots first to let the steam out. Butternut goes for about an hour at 350,˚ but I've never tried a spaghetti squash. Maybe I will.

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  8. Sorry for the delayed response all, I was recovering from the swoon-worthiness of Gavan having commented on my blog.

    Veganthropology: I don't live around a particular abundance of fresh fruits & veggies in the winter, so I doubt this squash was "in season", but it was really good.

    Andrea, this is such a great tip because the only thing that would keep me from making this again would be the frightsome cutting!

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