Give Me Some Lasagna

You know when you're about to check out at the store and all of a sudden you see a "buy 2 get 1 free" sale? Or when you're browsing the aisles and you come across a BOGO sale?

Next thing you know your cart, or basket or whatever, has one to many free items (and a few extra non-free ones). You finally reach the register (or online checkout page) and all of a sudden you're spending more than your budget. That quick <$20 trip turned into a $50 afternoon.

I recently talked about this with a friend. He left a department store with a new waffle maker; he didn't know he was buying a waffle maker that day. That's when I realized this sort of thing happens to me all the time. I go into a store--more likely land on a website--with an idea of what I'm going to buy. However, my checkout cart always--and I mean always--includes random and unplanned items.

What can I say, I can't help. And I'm sure many of you can't either.

Tofu Spaghetti Squash Lasagna (adapted from Minimalist Baker)
Makes 6 servings.
Active time: 35 minutes; total time: 90 minutes.

• 2 spaghetti squashes
• Coconut oil spray
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 14 oz. extra firm tofu
• 1/2 cup vegan parmesan cheese
• 25 oz. marinara sauce
• 2 tablespoons dried basil 

1. Halve spaghetti squash using a sharp knife (if you've never done this before, I suggest checking out this video). Use a large spoon or ice cream scoop to scrape out the seeds and surrounding strings so that it looks clean. 
2. Spray the interior of the squash with coconut oil (or other) oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover each half with plastic wrap and pierce several times with knife. Place 2 halves in the microwave and cook for about 15 minutes, or until skin is very soft. Set squash aside and let cool. Repeat with remaining squash. 
3. Preheat oven to 375F. Place lemon juice, basil, olive oil, tofu, and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese in a food processor and season with salt and pepper; pulse to combine and break up so that you end up with a semi-pureed mixture. 
4. Using a large spoon, scoop out the squash into a bowl. Set aside. 
5. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with coconut oil. Spread 1/3 of the squash along the bottom of the baking dish; top with 1/2 of the ricotta and then 1/2 of the marinara sauce. Repeat the squash, ricotta, and sauce layers once more; top with remaining squash. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup vegan parmesan. 
6. Cover dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes; remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes, or until the top is golden and the sauce is bubbling. If the squash seems to be browning too quickly, cover with foil. 
7. Remove lasagna from oven and let cool. Serve and top with more parmesan and dried basil.

Not your ordinary pasta

Today was the 2014 Bank of America Chicago Marathon. What does that have to do with me you ask? 

Well, up until a month a go I planned to run it; up until two months ago, I planned to use it to qualify for Boston. Instead here I am, in Austin, on a two-week (possibly longer) running hiatus. 

Needless to say, I'm a sad blogger today. It's not just the fact that I lost a chunk of money buying my entry, or the fact that my medal collection didn't grow as expected. What really hit me was seeing photos and posts of my running buddies. I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty jealous of them. 

I'm jealous of the pre-race jitters they got this past week; of the immense amount of carbs that they had to eat for three days in a row; and of the group run they went on around the windy city on Saturday. I'm jealous of the queasiness some of them felt as they made their way to starting line; or the regret that overcame them as they passed mile 10 and realized they weren't even half way there; or of the annoyance of having to gulp water without trying to splash their faces. But what I'm most jealous about is that feeling of utmost triumph they all (probably) got as they crossed the finish line.

... Anyways. I'll try not to get hung up on it and instead share my dinner from tonight. 

This is the first time I've experimented with spaghetti squash and all I can say is where was this vegetable hiding! Here's a recipe I found online; it's simple and healthy--did you think I'd post otherwise? But it's also delicious and versatile. Sub in marinara sauce for the mushroom add-on or any other addition you would put on pasta and you've got yourself a meal.

Spaghetti Squash with Mushrooms & Shrimp (adapted from Pickled Plum)

Active time: 15 minutes; total time: 50 minutes

Makes 4 servings

• 1 small spaghetti squash (about 3 lbs)
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• 4 cups sliced portobella mushrooms (about 16 oz)
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese 

1. Preheat oven to 450F. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil.
2. Using a large knife, split the squash down the middle--I found it easiest to strike once and then keep sticking (with the knife still in the squash) until it was almost sliced through; then I removed the knife and split the squash with my hands. Remove and discard seeds. Season squash with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place flesh side down on baking tray and cook for 30-40 minutes, until soft and slightly browned on the bottom.
3. When squash has about 20 minutes left, heat remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add thyme and mushrooms and cook, stirring, until mushrooms are browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Remove squash from oven and set aside until cool enough to handle. Using a large spoon, scrape the inside of the squash into the skillet with the mushrooms. Place over medium-high heat and cook for about 5 minutes, until squash looks golden.