Italian-Style Spaghetti Squash by @KorinaMossAuthor

KORINA MOSS: This Italian-style spaghetti squash is something I make year-round but especially this time of year when I want comfort food but my body says, "No more pasta!" It's a lighter version, but gives me the pasta vibe. (After all, it is called spaghetti squash.) And you know if it's from me, then it's easy peasy to make. 

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash 

olive oil

1 head of garlic

parmigiana cheese

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400°

Prick the squash with a fork, then microwave in 1-minute bursts until it's just soft enough to cut. 

Cut squash lengthwise. 

Scoop out the seeds.

I put the squash in a Pyrex dish lined with tin foil. You can also use a baking sheet with parchment paper.  (Foil or parchment makes cleaning easier, but neither are necessary for the squash to be cooked properly.)

Lightly drizzle olive oil on the inside of the squash. You don't need very much at all. I drizzle some in the bowl part and then use my fingers to spread it around and on the outer edges. Sprinkle with salt if desired. 

For roasting the garlic: I used only a couple of large cloves, but I should've used an entire head of garlic, so my instructions for roasting the garlic do not match the photos exactly.

Cut the stem end (not the flat end) of the head of garlic, but don't peel the garlic. 

Put the garlic on a piece of tin foil and drizzle a little olive oil on it. 

Wrap the foil around the garlic and place on the oven rack or baking sheet alongside the squash halves. It will roast at the same time your squash roasts.

Roast for 40 minutes or more, depending on the size of your squash. It's done when the inside is slightly browned and fork tender, but still a little firm. You don't want it to cook too long or else the texture of your "spaghetti" will end up too mushy. I check mine with a fork. If it comes away easily, it's done.

Let cool for a couple of minutes. Using a fork (and an oven mitt to hold the warm squash), scrape the squash from the shell so it comes out in strands. It should come out very easily. If it doesn't, your squash isn't cooked enough. 

Transfer the strands of squash to a large bowl. 

Take out the head of garlic from the tin foil. It should be soft and lightly browned.

Squeeze the roasted garlic from its skin into the bowl of spaghetti squash. Mash it and mix in with forks. 

Sprinkle a generous amount of parmigiana cheese on. Mix in with forks.

Serve spaghetti squash in bowl and top with more parmigiana cheese. 

For leftovers, heat in a frying pan. 

Enjoy! 

Readers: Do you have a healthy alternative to pasta? 

KORINA MOSS is the author of the Cheese Shop cozy mystery series set in Sonoma Valley, including the Agatha Award winner of the Best First Novel, Cheddar Off Dead and the finalist for Best Contemporary Novel, Case of the Bleus. Her books have been featured in USA Today, PARADE Magazine, Woman’s World Magazine, AARP Magazine, and Writer's Digest. The Cheese Shop Mystery series is available wherever books are sold. To find out more and subscribe to her FREE monthly newsletter, visit her website and follow her on Facebook and Instagram. 

Korina is also a freelance developmental editor specializing in cozy and traditional mysteries. Using her experience writing her award-winning series for a Big 5 publisher, she has the inside track on what editors, agents, and readers are looking for in a cozy mystery.  Whether you're a new writer hoping to be traditionally or independently published, or you're an established writer wanting some guidance with a manuscript, she can help you strengthen your book. You can find more information on her website and contact her at korinamossauthor@gmail.com. 

Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

LESLIE: Last fall, when a friend proudly presented us with a homegrown spaghetti squash, we made Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Bowls. Like a little burrito, without the tortilla and with their own bowls! 

A few weeks ago, I came across this recipe in a magazine while visiting my mother, so when I spotted spaghetti squash in the grocery store, I brought the tasty thing home with me. And made them even tastier with the addition of some of Mr. Right’s favorite things: marinated artichokes and cheese. We changed the recipe a bit, naturally—I seem incapable of doing otherwise! 

Starting the cooking in the microwave was brilliant, and worked perfectly. Plus it cut the cooking time considerably, and we’ll do that next time we make the Stuffed Squash Bowls. The 80% power instruction amuses me—microwaves do vary—but it worked for us. If you know your microwave is weak, go full-strength!

We used one squash for the two of us, mounding the filling high. If you do have extra filling, it would be lovely inside an omelet. The original recipe called for loosening the squash flesh with a fork, then adding the filling directly to the squash; on a repeat, we’d do as we did with the Stuffed Squash Bowls, and scoop out the innards, adding them to the pot with the other ingredients to mix and heat thoroughly. 

These dears are both gluten-free and vegetarian. Of course, they’re not vegetarian if you serve them with grilled chicken, as we did! 

Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

1 spaghetti squash

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium shallot, finely chopped 

3 cups fresh spinach, about 3-4 generous handfuls

½ teaspoon kosher salt

4 ounces cream cheese

½ cup marinated artichokes, drained 

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

½ teaspoon lemon zest

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Pierce the squash all over with a knife and place on a plate or other microwave-safe dish. Cook on 80% power for 10 minutes; turn over and cook another 10 minutes, or until a knife slips in easily. Cut in half to cool slightly, and scoop out and discard the seeds. 

Meanwhile, in a 6 quart saucepan, warm the olive oil and saute the shallot for 2-3 minutes, stirring. Add the spinach and salt, and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Scoop the innards out of the squash halves, being careful not to damage the skin, and add to the pot. Add the cream cheese, artichokes, Parmesan, zest, and black pepper. Stir until cheese melts, about 5 minutes. 

Heat your broiler. Divide spinach mixture in the squash halves and broil on high until browned on top, 3-4 minutes.

Enjoy!

From the cover of TREBLE AT THE JAM FEST, Food Lovers' Village Mystery #4 (Midnight Ink, June 2017):  

Erin Murphy, manager of Murphy’s Mercantile (aka the Merc), is tuning up for Jewel Bay’s annual Jazz Festival. Between keeping the Merc’s shelves stocked with Montana’s tastiest local fare and hosting the festival’s kick-off concert, Erin has her hands full.

Discord erupts when jazz guitarist Gerry Martin is found dead on the rocks above the Jewel River. The one-time international sensation had fallen out of sync with festival organizers, students, and performers. Was his death an accident?or did someone even the score?

Despite the warning signs to not get involved, Erin investigates. And when the killer attacks, she orchestrates her efforts into one last crescendo, hoping to avoid a deadly finale.

Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice Shop Mysteries—and the first author to win Agatha Awards for both fiction and nonfiction. The past president of Sisters in Crime, she lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat, an avid bird-watcher. 

Swing by my website and join the mailing list for my seasonal newsletter. And join me on Facebook where I announce lots of giveaways from my cozy writer friends.

Spaghetti Squash made easy by author @DarylWoodGerber

Spaghetti Squash with herbs and Parmesan cheese

From Daryl aka Avery: I still have herbs growing in my garden. I'm lucky. I live in Southern California. They won't last the whole season. They're on their last legs and I'll have to replant, but I have a few, so I avail myself of them. For those of you living under a blanket of snow - the rest of the country - I'm sorry and I wish you lots of warmth - you might have a kitchen garden or you have a grocery store that offers fresh herbs or you can use dried herbs for this recipe. This is an easy, forgiving recipe and one of my go-to recipes for a vegetarian meal. (Lucy, it's light on salt!)

What exactly is spaghetti squash? It's a cultivar. 

A what? 

FROM WIKIPEDIA -  Popular ornamental garden plants like roses, camellias, and daffodils are cultivars produced by careful breeding. Similarly, the world's agricultural food crops are almost exclusively cultivars that have been selected for characteristics such as improved yield, flavor, and resistance to disease.  

What I like to call it is a gourd. It's about 8-12 inches long, yellowy-orange in color. 

To cook it, you need to cut it in half. This is not an easy task, so be careful. Set the gourd on a cutting board and use a big firm knife. You need to hold the gourd steady as you cut. I have often used a kitchen gripper to give me some leverage. It cuts like a pumpkin!

After it is cooked, the flesh falls away from the fruit in ribbons or strands like spaghetti. What I did not know until I read the Wiki page is that you can cook the seeds like pumpkin seeds. I have never done that, but will try the next time I make this, which is about once a month.

Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash

(serves 4, as side dish)

1 large cooked spaghetti squash, cut in half, seeds removed

2-4 tablespoons olive oil or butter

2-4 tablespoons fresh herbs (if dried herbs, use 1-2 tbsp. bouquet garni or basil)

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, more if desired

Heat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Cut the spaghetti squash carefully on a cutting board lengthwise.

Add one inch of water to a 13 x 9 baking pan. Set the spaghettti squash seed-side down in the water. Set in the oven and bake slowly for 35-40 minutes.

Remove the squash from the oven. It will be steaming hot. Let sit for ten minutes.

With potholders on your hands, scoop the seeds out of the squash and discard (or set aside and bake, as you would pumpkin seeds.)

Then scoop the flesh of the spaghetti squash into a large bowl.

Add the olive oil or butter, herbs, salt, and Parmesan cheese. Toss as you would spaghetti.

Serve and top with more Parmesan cheese, if desired.

This makes a great vegetarian entrée or a terrific side dish.

Savor the mystery!

Daryl Wood Gerber aka Avery Aames

Tasty ~ Zesty ~ Dangerous!

*

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GRILLING THE SUBJECT, the 5th Cookbook Nook Mystery, is out!

The Wild West Extravaganza has come to Crystal Cove.

Click here to order.

FOR CHEDDAR OR WORSE, the 7th Cheese Shop Mystery is out!

Finally there's going to be a cheese festival in Providence!

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GIRL ON THE RUN, a stand-alone suspense is out!

When a fairytale fantasy night becomes a nightmare, 

Chessa Paxton must run for her life...but will the truth set her free? 

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Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Bowls

LESLIE BUDEWITZ: We love squash—summer squash like zucchini, crookneck, and patty pan, or the heartier winter squash like acorn, butternut, and kabocha. Spaghetti squash may be our very favorite, a winter squash named for its strand-like flesh. Roast a cut winter squash, serve with butter, salt and pepper, and a sprinkling of Parmesan for a simple, yummy side dish. Of course, they make fabulous soups, like this Gingered Pumpkin Apple Soup I shared a year ago.

But squash play well with others, too. This recipe combines veggies, beans, and cheese, making it a complete protein for vegetarians. It's also gluten-free. The combination is terrifically pretty. The cilantro-averse—you know who you are—can substitute parsley without losing the color.

The outer skins that allow winter squash to store well can be tricky to cut. The original source for this recipe—which I have changed quite a bit—suggests microwaving the squash for 5 minutes to soften it, but I have not tried that.

We ate one bowl each—one half of the squash, stuffed—as our dinner, but each half could be cut in half again and served with chicken as a side dish.

Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Bowls

1 large spaghetti squash
olive or vegetable oil
½ chopped onion
1 red bell pepper, chopped
½ cup chopped fresh tomatoes
1-2 jalapenos, cored and sliced (optional)
1 (14.5 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup corn kernels (if frozen, place in a colander and rinse with hot water to defrost)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro or parsley, finely chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
salt & pepper
½ cup salsa
1/2 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey jack cheese

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a cookie sheet or baking dish with foil.

Wash the squash and slice off the stem at the top. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds and loose pulp with a spoon. Oil the cut edges of each half and place, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Roast about 45 minutes, until the inside of the squash is tender when pierced with a fork.

Heat one tablespoon of oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Sauté the onion 3-5 minutes, until softened, and add the bell pepper, jalapeno, and tomato. Saute lightly, 4-5 minutes.

Stir in the beans, corn, cilantro or parsley, cumin, salt and pepper, and mix well. Remove from heat.

When the squash is done cooking, allow it to cool for a few minutes before handling. Turn the oven to broil. Using a metal spoon, scrape out the spaghetti-like strands and add them to the vegetable mixture, being careful not to pierce the skin. Mix the strands into the vegetable mixture, then spoon into the squash bowls.

Divide the salsa between the bowls and sprinkle with the cheese. Broil about 5 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling.

Serves 2-4.

From the cover of KILLING THYME (October 2016, in paperback, e-book, and audio---large print coming soon!): 

At Seattle Spice in the Pike Place Market, owner Pepper Reece is savoring her business success, but soon finds her plans disrupted by a killer…

Pepper Reece’s to-do list is longer than the shopping list for a five-course dinner, as she conjures up spice blends bursting with seasonal flavor, soothes nervous brides fretting over the gift registry, and crosses her fingers for a rave review from a sharp-tongued food critic. Add to the mix a welcome visit from her mother, Lena, and she’s got the perfect recipe for a busy summer garnished with a dash of fun. 

While browsing in the artists’ stalls, Pepper and Lena drool over stunning pottery made by a Market newcomer. But when Lena recognizes the potter, Bonnie Clay, as an old friend who disappeared years ago, the afternoon turns sour. To Pepper’s surprise, Bonnie seems intimately connected to her family’s past. after Bonnie is murdered only days later, Pepper is determined to uncover the truth. 

But as Pepper roots out long-buried secrets, will she be digging her own grave?

Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice Shop Mysteries—and the first author to win Agatha Awards for both fiction and nonfiction. The 2015-16 president of Sisters in Crime, she lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat Ruff, a cover model and avid bird-watcher.

Swing by my website  and join the mailing list for my seasonal newsletter. And join me on Facebook, where I often share news of new books and giveaways from my cozy writer friends.