Spaghetti Squash with Pesto

Yesterday was a good day. I was off from work as well as my class. Jamie and I woke up and went to the grand opening of the Loving Hut. The food was nice and I liked the hardwood floors. It will not be my favorite vegan spot in Atlanta but it will get a visit sometimes. We saw a few people we knew but mainly stayed to ourselves. There were many people there and it was fairly crowded.

After that, we did a few errands including getting a refund for faulty items at a major retailer. I had to call corporate to get it resolved but that is the way it works. I have no issues making a scene.

That night Jamie and I decided to go to the framers market and find a few items that we had never cooked with before and make something fun with it. We each came up with two item (artichokes, radishes, spaghetti squash, ginger), some had been used before but we were committed to using them in a new way. We ended up deciding on artichokes and spaghetti squash. The dish was actually fantastic and we added some kale chips with it as well.

Spaghetti Squash with Pesto

1 med spaghetti squash
1 bunch of basil leaves
3 cloves of garlic
2 cups of water
4 tablespoons of pine nuts
3 tablespoons of oil
2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1 tablespoon of artichoke heart (optional)

Pre-heat the oven at 400. Cut the squash the long way and remove all seeds and soft middle parts. In the "bowl" sections of the squash, pour about 1 cup of water in each half. Wrap in tin foil and place in the oven (open face up) for 50 minutes. After 50 minutes, remove the squash and pour the water out. Then place back in the oven (open face down) and bake for another 12-15 minutes. The squash should be tender but not mushy.

In the meantime, in a food processor, place the pine nuts, oil, and garlic, and blend until semi-smooth. The add all the basil and blend again. Slowly, add the lemon juice, nutritional yeast, pepper and artichoke heart and blend until fully smooth. Chill until the squash is cooked.

Once the squash is cooked, take a fork and gently pull length-wise on in the flesh of squash. It should just come part in strings. Top with pesto and serve.