Spaghetti Squash Chicken Pad Thai

I was pretty determined to make my England fall on par with New England fall, if not in foliage then in fall activities. Which is how I ended up leading a group of friends along a highway one fine fall afternoon in October. There was a pick-your-own (PYO for short) farm within train distance from London where we could get apples and pumpkins so off we went!

After traipsing along a walking path, narrow road, a golf course, some brush, a field and finally a sidewalk, we arrived! The journey home was even more eventful as we came back to the golf course and Google Maps instructed us to cross the course to get to the train station. The golfers were not amused and ultimately we had to run across some busy highways. Do as I say, not as I do.

The farm turned out to be a huge success though as we left laden with apples, pumpkins, broccoli, cauliflower, eggs, and a variety of squash. I savoured another opportunity for the coveted spaghetti squash. I was also pumped for the apples and pumpkin but the squash was an added bonus.

More on the apples and pumpkin later, first, let's talk about Pad Thai! This may sound complicated but it's very simple and falls under the 'throw everything into one pan and see how it goes'. Chicken is seasoned and sauteed while the spaghetti squash roasts away in the oven. Once the chicken is browned, remove from the pan and cook the veggies in the same pan. All those juices and seasonings.

Saute the garlic first, then add the carrots. Cook until almost soft, then add the cilantro, green onions and bean sprouts. Lastly, stir in the chopped chicken and shredded squash into the pan to finish cooking. Pour the marinade of peanut butter, soy sauce and sriracha into the pan and stir to coat the ingredients. Allow to simmer so the flavors blend together.

Serve with crushed peanuts on top or plain! You can also squeeze a lime over top for a little zing.

Recipe
Pad Thai

• 1 medium spaghetti squash
• 2 medium chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup carrots, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 sprigs of green onion
• 1 1/2 cups bean sprouts
• 2 Tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Sauce

• 1 Tablespoon sriracha sauce
• 2 Tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
• Juice of 1 lime

1. Prepare the spaghetti squash and bake until tender.
2. In a large skillet, heat vegetable oil (just enough to cover the pan and prevent the chicken from sticking). Brown the chicken breasts evenly on each side. Remove and set aside on a plate.
3. In the same skillet, add the minced garlic. If needed, add more vegetable oil and sautee the garlic until fragrant. Add the carrots and cook until tender.
4. Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Return to the pan with the carrots.
5. Add the green onion, bean sprouts and cilantro to the pan.
6. Shred the spaghetti squash into the pan as well (this is why we need a large pan). 
7. In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients for the sauce. Whisk until combined and pour into pan.
8. Stir all ingredients to coat with the sauce and mix everything up. Simmer for 5 minutes longer.
9. Serve hot. You can also add crushed peanuts on top and more cilantro.

Homemade Pesto

My  mom is an expert gardener. She often sends me pictures of her vegetable haul which includes tomatoes, zucchini (courgette), yellow squash, spaghetti squash, fresh herbs and rhubarb. She was telling me recently how she's preserving the vegetables and making tons of pesto. I got jealous and immediately wanted pesto.

I haven't had much luck finding spaghetti squash in London so when I saw Whole Foods had them, I bit the bullet and bought two. Savoring these precious squashes and making a variety of pasta sauces for them made me happy. In addition to my go-to bolognese, I also decided to make pesto. Handling fresh basil for the first time in a looong time felt so good. The smell is so strong but not in an overpowering way, just in an enjoyable, nostalgic way.

It's extremely easy to make pesto but I still did some research on different types recipes. Every variation I read had basil, pine nuts and garlic. But there was one that substituted half an avocado for the olive oil. I still used a little bit of olive oil for consistency but I'm all about the avocado. I also swapped ground almonds for Parmesan cheese.

In a food processor, combine basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, avocado, ground almonds and olive oil. Blend until the texture resembles pesto with no large chunks of leaves remaining. I initially tried this in a blender but there wasn't enough weight to make this happen so definitely do a food processor. I liked that some of the pine nuts weren't ground up but feel free to follow your heart on that one.

The Parmesan cheese is apparently important for flavoring so omitting it left the pesto not as dynamic in flavor. I would definitely add some onion powder or salt to it next time.

Mixed with some spaghetti squash and chicken and you have a well-balanced and fall-ful meal! You could use this as a marinade for chicken as well to make pesto chicken.

Recipe

• 3 cups fresh basil leaves
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 ripe avocado
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1 Tablespoon almond meal (or Parmesan cheese)
• Olive oil

1. In a food processor, add the basil leaves (I removed most of the stems), garlic (lightly chopped), avocado, pine nuts and almond meal (or cheese, if using). Top with a drizzle of olive oil.
2. Blend until the mixture is a course paste. If it's too dense, add more olive oil.
3. Serve over spaghetti squash or regular pasta.

How to Prepare and Cook Spaghetti Squash

I love pasta. I love ravioli, tortellini, spaghetti, orecchiette, you name it. I also love bolognese, pesto and alfredo. So realistically, I love the sauces more than the pasta itself. Plain pasta is okay but ya know, I could take it or leave it. I've been experimenting with zoodles to fulfill my pasta cravings and now, I'm experimenting with spaghetti squash.

What I love about spaghetti squash is how easy it is to make. Zoodles aren't too bad either but you still have to spiralize things yourself. Spaghetti squash is literally made to be little squash strings. Once it's cooked and tender, a fork can run through it like soft butter and voila! Spaghetti.

Similar to how we roasted acorn squash, the spaghetti squash is sliced in half and the seeds are removed. I think a spork would do quite nicely here. Then, the halves are oiled and roasted, face down, until tender.

Then it's attacked with a fork. You immediately start getting long strands of squash and you're able to really empty the whole thing if you've baked it long enough.

Topped with some bolognese, I'm in heaven. This week, I did a simpler combination by pan cooking broccoli with tomatoes and chicken to add to the spaghetti squash. Oh and some spinach for good measure.

Recipe

• 1 spaghetti squash
• Olive oil for brushing

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Carefully chop the spaghetti squash in half, long-ways.
3. Scoop out the seeds and strands like you would for carving a pumpkin.
4. Brush olive oil around the cut side of the squash.
5. Place face-down on the baking sheet and roast for 30-45 minutes (depending on size) until tender.
6. To test if the squash is ready, turn over so it's face-up and poke with a fork. The fork should easily pierce the squash.
7. Allow to cool slightly. Using a large fork, shred the squash into strands. Place cooked squash strands into a bowl and continue until all of the squash is removed from the rind.
8. Add your favorite sauce or fixins to the mix! For this recipe, I added cooked chicken, broccoli, tomatoes and spinach.