tomato-basil spaghetti squash

With the help of my healthy friend Johanna, I created this new low-cal recipe... since the amount of weight I've gained from covering all of these feastly feasts is really not even funny, but I'll pretend it is to make myself feel better. Anyways, for being so healthy, it was actually really satisfying and flavorful. I've come to realize that although not a friend to whomever you're kissing, garlic is definitely your friend when it comes to cooking. It easily spices up any dish without adding the extra calories.

Plus, this dish was super easy to cook. I'd say the hardest part was cutting the squash in half. It took two knives, 30 minutes and all of my strength. Quite the task but well worth it.

Ingredients:

spaghetti squash // fresh basil // trader joe's everyday seasoning // 

cherry tomatoes // parmesan cheese // olive oil // garlic

First, cut spaghetti squash lengthwise and place face down in a glass pan. Fill pan with water so that it covers about 1/2 an inch of the squash. Cook on 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Once cooked, flip over so the "cut side" is face up and cook for 15 more minutes.

While you're waiting for the squash to cook, in a bowl mix olive oil, chopped basil, tomatoes and about four cloves of crushed garlic in a bowl. Mix until everything is coated in olive oil and set aside to allow the flavors to meld.

When the squash is finished, remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Once cool, scoop out the seeds and throw away. Then with a fork, take the squash out from its shell and put in a large bowl. Toss with tomato-basil mixture, top with parmesan cheese and serve. 

finished product! 

&& in other news... 

me and my amiga from college, rachel

{How was your Fourth?}