We’re always amused when we think about the way we grew up. We lived in this healthy household with our granola-baking mom and yoga-practicing dad, and our parents were basically hippies, minus the drugs :). And while we grew up eating mostly plant-based meals with lots of beans and lentils and we ate foods that the typical American wasn’t eating, we also didn’t have certain foods that you’d assume that any healthy family would eat all the time. Oddly enough, we didn’t try avocados, artichokes, kiwi fruit or even spaghetti squash until we were in college. These delicious healthy numbers just weren’t foods our mom bought. When we asked her why not, she said she didn’t know why she didn’t buy them, but we’re guessing it’s because she didn’t grow up on them, so they weren’t on her radar. But the foods that were on her radar, inspired us to make these spin-offs (some with those very foods we didn’t grow up with)–our Tomato, Avocado & Chickpea Salad, our Quick & Creamy Quinoa with Beans & Spinach, our Quick White Bean Stew with Kale and Tomatoes, our Tex-Mex Bean Salsa and these two faves— our Lentil Vegetable Soup and our Black Bean Quinoa Chili with Avocado.
So this comfort food dish is inspired by a sauce that was basically a typical winter stew in our house. In our new version, this tops a super-healthy pasta stand-in (this “pasta” is only one-third of the calories of regular pasta and packed with nutrients!). We didn’t discover this “pasta” until later in life! And oh yeah, it’s also topped with avocado, another luxurious healthy treat that we didn’t try until after we left the healthy household where we grew up .
We suggest serving this scrumptious Meatless Monday meal with a large salad or some steamed broccoli or another of your favorite veggie meals. We love it with our Caramelized Cauliflower.
Spaghetti Squash with Red Lentil Pumpkin Sauce
Serves 4, (each serving has about 1 cup spaghetti squash and about 1 cup Lentil pumpkin sauce)
Ingredients
1 spaghetti squash, about 4.5 pounds
½ tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
¼ cup canned pumpkin
¾ cup red lentils
1, 13.4 ounce can chick peas, organic,
14 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 avocado, garnish
Directions
1. Pierce squash several times with a knife to prevent bursting when cooking. Microwave whole squash for 3 – 4 minutes, until soft enough to cut.
2. Once cool enough to handle, cut squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out and discard seeds. Using a large kitchen spoon scrape the strands of squash from the inside of the skin.
3. In a medium pan, heat olive oil over low heat and add cumin and chili powder. Stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.
4. Add pumpkin, lentils, tomatoes, chick peas and 1 cup of water to the pot. Season with pepper and salt, if using.
5. Bring mixture to a boil. Then reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lentils are cooked. They should be soft. Most of the water will be absorbed and you will have a thick, delicious, hearty stew/sauce. Plate the spaghetti squash (divide among four plate and divide the lentil pumpkin sauce equally over the each plate. Slice avocado and place on top and serve.
Nutrition Facts Per Serving, without avocado: 242 calories, 3 g fat, 46 g carbohydrate, 14 g protein, 15 g fiber, 317 mg sodium, 0 g saturated fat
- Ingredients:
- 1 spaghetti squash, about 4.5 pounds
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ cup canned pumpkin
- ¾ cup red lentils
- 1, 13.4 ounce can chick peas, organic,
- 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 avocado, garnish
- Directions:
- Pierce squash several times with a knife to prevent bursting when cooking. Microwave whole squash for 3 - 4 minutes, until soft enough to cut.
- Once cool enough to handle, cut squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out and discard seeds. Using a large kitchen spoon scrape the strands of squash from the inside of the skin.
- In a medium pan, heat olive oil over low heat and add cumin and chili powder. Stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add pumpkin, lentils, tomatoes, chick peas and 1 cup of water to the pot. Season with pepper and salt, if using.
- Bring mixture to a boil. Then reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lentils are cooked. They should be soft. Most of the water will be absorbed and you will have a thick, delicious, hearty stew/sauce. Plate the spaghetti squash (divide among four plate and divide the lentil pumpkin sauce equally over the each plate. Slice avocado and place on top and serve.
