It’ 6:41 p.m. and I feel like a grounded tween on a Friday night.
I’m at home because most of my friends – including my beloved K-Rock – are out celebrating the end of the week at happy hour with libations and gourmet appetizers. Libations are woefully prohibited during the ten-day cleanse, and what I wouldn’t give for a glass of Malbec, or hell, even a decent (gasp) Merlot. Instead I’ll sip on some hot lemon water, maybe even add some freshly grated ginger to liven things up.
Appetizers are also out of the question, especially my favorite: pan-seared sushi grade tuna on a crisp wonton shell, nested on a bed of fresh greens, served with wasabi soy sauce and pickled ginger to cut the kick. As I make my own mouth water, I realize that one thing isn’t out of the picture: gourmet. For lunch, Chef Lori cooked a spaghetti squash to perfection and served it to us with her trustworthy marinara. We’re calling it Spasquashi. Get it? Spaghetti and squash? Ugh, nevermind (I need a drink). Keep reading and you’ll get to the recipe at the end!
Also gourmet? My latest culinary creation that’s baking as we speak: Wild Rice Stuffed Portabella Shepherd’s Pie with Whipped Rosemary Squash.
Here’s what I wanted and how I got what I wanted without using gluten, dairy, meat, sugar, sodium or anything out of a box, container, jar or bag:
I wanted:
A Boca burger
So I included:
Giant Portabella mushroom caps because you can’t get any meatier without killing something
I wanted:
Texture
So I made:
Wild rice and quinoa seasoned lightly with sea salt and pepper
I wanted:
Substance
So I added:
Chickpeas
I wanted:
Nutty, salty and sweet
So I threw into the mix:
Half an acorn squash and roasted, salted pepitas
You might think I’m in a very multiple personality mood right now as you read my palate’s diverse requests, but I tell you, the results are amazing. A fusion of sweet, savory, nutty, smooth and substantial that blends together and creates a simple yet sophisticated detox dinner!
Wild Rice Stuffed Portabella Shepherd’s Pie with Whipped Rosemary Squash
Makes 4
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cooked acorn squash
4 large portabella mushroom caps, washed and destemmed
1/2 red onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
Pinch of dried rosemary
1/3C cooked wild rice and quinoa mixed
1/8 C pepitas
1/3 C cooked chickpeas
1/2 zucchini, peeled and chopped
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. coconut milk or other milk, depending on your dietary needs
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350. Heat over medium flame the olive oil. Add the red onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 3 minutes, then add the cooked wild rice quinoa mix, the chopped zucchini and the chick peas. Salt lightly and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 more minutes. In the meantime, prepare the mushrooms by gingerly dressing them with olive oil and about 2 tsp. of balsamic vinegar each. Stick in the oven for about 5 minutes to soften them slightly. While they’re in the oven, puree the cooked squash with the coconut milk and the rosemary. Take the mushroom caps out of the oven, scoop the wild rice chick pea filling into each of the 4 caps. Sprinkle each with the pepitas. You should have just enough stuffing for all 4. If you have too much, you did something wrong. Not really, but I’m guessing you made too much quinoa and wild rice.
Next, add a generous dollop of whipped rosemary squash to the top of all 4 stuffed mushrooms. Then they’re ready for the oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the tops are slightly brown.
Chef Lori’s Spasquashi
1 cooked spaghetti squash, forked out to mimic spaghetti noodles
Easy Peasy Marinara
This is the perfect office lunch, but don’t mix the marinara with the squash until you’re ready to eat because it might get soggy if you do. Nuke both in the break room microwave and serve with a crisp romaine salad and balsamic vinaigrette.
Happy weekend everybody!
deskchef 