Baked spaghetti squash with tomato and basil

Spaghetti squash is not a vegetable I've worked often with. Turns out, it really is super cool, and what a delicious and healthy alternative to starchy pasta. I love my pasta, my spaghetti squash is pretty unique in its own right too.

I was inspired by some pictures I saw on foodgawker.com, but mostly I just wanted to take the spaghetti squash and jazz it up with some delicious cheese and bake the hell out it. The result is beautiful as you can see:

Here's how you make it:

Recipe and instructions- Baked spaghetti squash with tomato, basil and rosemary

Adapted from: http://www.cookingwithmykid.com/recipes/baked-spaghetti-squash/

1 medium spaghetti squash
1 cup ricotta cheese
3 medium tomatoes
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
rosemary
1/2 cup basil
1/2 cup yogurt
2tbsp chili powder
salt and pepper

1) Take the spaghetti squash and poke holes all around it with a knife or other sharp object. Heat it up in the microwave for about 12 minutes, stopping every 4 minutes to turn it over. In the end the skin should be wrinkly and easy to scrape off.

2) Scraping it out! Cut it into two and scrape off the seeds and store them for later. You can make some delicious chutney with the remaining squash seeds and center. After you're done taking off the center, use a fork to scrape off the spaghetti layers.

3) Making the sauce. Slice the onion and garlic and sautee them until they turn light brown. Add in chopped tomatoes and the chili powder.You can also add some vodka or wine at this point to enhance the flavor. I did not use vodka this particular time. After a paste has formed turn off the heat and add the yogurt to the mixture along with some salt and pepper.

4) After the tomato mixture has cooled, combine the tomato mixture with the ricotta cheese, the rosemary and basil. Finally add the spaghetti squash and mix it up. Bake them separately into individual ramekins. Bake for around 35 minutes at 350 F.

Back from a hiatus; Orange Lemon Bread

 A major twitter design blog discovery inspired me to start blogging again. This time it's mostly about the pictures. I'm in love with my new Nikon D50 camera, and I couldn't stop gushing at how luminous an orange looked. I'm still learning though, so expect the pictures to get better.
Meanwhile, I visited my sister in the city yesterday and she introduced me to her friend's blog which then inspired me to try one of her recipes- olive oil bread, which I'm renaming orange lemon bread here. I did make a couple substitutions. I used corn starch as a substitute for egg and I used wheat flour instead of flour. The result was pretty delicious, but I think using regular flour would have definitely elevated the taste. I'm also going to try using egg the next time around. Here's the recipe and LOTS of pictures!

Recipe and instructions:

Adapted from epicurious.com


- 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- a pinch of salt
- 3/4 cup of sugar
- 2 eggs(I used 2 tbsp cornstarch + 4 tbsp water)
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- zest and juice of one lemon
- zest of one navel orange + juice of half an orange
- 1/4 cup of slivered almonds

Mix the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Whisk the egg(or egg substitute) with the milk and olive oil. Fold the wet mixture into the dry ingredients until the mixture is just combined. Gradually add in the lemon and orange zests and juices. Transfer the mixture into a loaf pan and top with slivered almonds. Bake for 55-60 minutes.