Tuesday, April 29, 2008

SPAGHETTI SQUASH WITH MINT: Accidental Salad

I just got back from an out of town trip, and I haven't had time to go grocery shopping yet. All I had at my house was a spaghetti squash and some fresh mint, among a few other odds and ends. Surprisingly, I wound up with a salad that is super good. I've been bringing it to work for lunch this week, and I will make it again for sure.

Ingredients:
  • Spaghetti squash
  • Fresh mint
  • Fresh lemon juice
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Prep that can be done beforehand:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the spaghetti squash in half, and scoop out as many seeds as you can--leaving a few is fine. Lightly oil a cookie sheet or baking dish, and place the squash halves face down. Bake until the squash can be pierced easily with a fork, about 20-30 minutes, but it varies depending on the size of the squash. When it has cooled, remove any remaining seeds, and then use a fork to scrape the inside of the squash. The flesh will come apart into strands like spaghetti. Put the spaghetti squash strands into a Tupperware container, and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to use it.

Making one serving of the salad:
Place a cup and a half of the cooked spaghetti squash in a medium bowl. Chop about 10-15 leaves of mint. Squeeze in half of a lemon (I bet this would be good with lime too!), pour in a dash of olive oil, add in some salt and pepper, and toss everything together.

This salad is light, crunchy, and fresh. Sometimes the best dishes are created when there seems to be nothing in the house. This one is definitely a keeper!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I do want to try this one; you know I love mint. You have such creative ideas, Shayna. llm