Marinated Chicken with Pesto Spaghetti Squash

Remember that pesto I made the other day? Well I had some extra after our dinner Saturday. Combine that with it being the season of all things gourd. I give you Pesto Spaghetti Squash. Pretty simple, especially since I already had the pesto made, and its delicious!! Spaghetti Squash is something I've had before but never prepped myself. But I really like the idea of using the squash instead of say a different starchy side dish. The squash itself is somewhat bland. Usually served with butter and s&p if a side dish or it could be subbed for pasta and topped with some marinara sauce for a main. I paired it with some marinated chicken and then some frozen(yes, I use frozen-pre-made items from time to time)veggies to round out the meal. It was good.

INGREDIENTS:
(marinated chicken)
4 chicken breasts, skinless
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbls lime juice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teas ground coriander

*Place chicken in a large ziplock bag. Add in all the other ingredients, work around all the corners of the chicken. Marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Cook as desired(bake or fry-I fried in a couple tbls of olive oil in a skillet)

(pesto spaghetti squash)
1 spaghetti squash
olive oil
salt and pepper
3/4 cup prepared pesto
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup parmesan, shredded or grated

*Take the squash and cut in half length wise. Take out all the gunky innards and place rind side up on a cooking sheet. Cook in a 400 degree oven for 30-35 min, depending on the size.
*In a large skillet, heat a splash of olive oil over medium heat. Shred and scoop out the cooked squash into the pan. Sprinkle on some s&p, mix. Then add in the pesto and work it through all of the squash, evenly. Finally mix in your cheeses and let everything get all ooey-gooey and melty.

Broccoli Tofu Pesto Pasta

Basically I did I lot of cooking this weekend. So there may be a few double post days...stay tuned!

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! I got another person in this world to try tofu! Our dear friend Trav was over Saturday night, and I offered to cook dinner for the three of us. Originally going to simply make pesto pasta, I peeked into that big ol' fridge to see if I had anything else to add to it. The green heads of broccoli were calling to me. And then, out of the corner of the fridge, I heard...the tofu. In a unified harmony I heard "eat me!"  So, my simple pasta was now getting jazzed up. Also!! Unbeknownst to them, they ate-for the first time-nutritional yeast. A common cheesy like substitute for vegans. Mark this one down as vegan AND delicious!

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup cashews

water

1/2 cup fresh basil

2 cups fresh arugula

1/3 cup nutritional yeast

1/2 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 package extra firm tofu, cut into pieces

broccoli, chopped

whole wheat pasta

*Soak the cashews in warm water for 10 mins. In a food processor, combine basil, arugula, nutritional yeast, and olive oil. After well mixed, add cashews, 1/2 cup of the water they were in and the garlic. Blend well. Set aside. 

*Cook pasta as directed. Steam the broccoli and start to cook the tofu by heating a tbls of olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Saute until browned on both sides. 

*Serve pasta, covered in pesto, topped with broccoli and tofu. Enjoy the heck outta it!!