sasquash sighting!

Alright, kids!  first official post on what's kind of just been a phantom idea of mine for the past several weeks.  i finally decided to just up and get this baby started.  less talk, more...uh..talk...in blog form.  so anyway, seeing as this had become such a figment of sorts for so long, i figured it might be appropriate to kick things off with a culinary cryptozoological sighting.  ladies and gentlemen, i give you, mandarin spaghetti sasquash stew!

so, originally i had planned on a much lighter, less stew-y version of this meal, but this things was kind of a beast from the start...and the end result was still pretty darn tasty, so i'm completely satisfied to take my gains with my losses.  this was my first time cooking a spaghetti squash and i was hoping for something a little more strand-like in consistency rather than the creamy mash i ended up with.  i may have roasted mine a bit too long or stirred it in with the sauce a bit too...enthusiastically.  but in any event, this became a really nice, hearty soup instead that satisfied both a sweet and savory craving and really hit the spot.  left overs, too!  bonus!

you will need:
1 spaghetti squash
2 mandarin oranges
1 small to medium onion cut into chunks
3 smallish plum tomatoes cut into large chunks
2 handfuls of spinach
2 ts garlic powder
1/4 ts nutmeg
1 3/4 ts cinnamon
1 ts basil
3 TS nutritional yeast (optional)
salt to taste

preheat your oven to 375.  cut your squash in half lengthwise with a trustworthy, large knife.  these suckers are tough and kind of awkward, so be extra careful and take your time.  i had to wrestle with mine for a bit...just keep reminding yourself that it's as afraid of you as you are of it.  after muscling it to submission, scoop out all the seeds and stringy middle bits with a spoon and discard.  lightly coat or spray the cut/fleshy side with cooking oil or spray and place it face down on a foil lined bake sheet or tray with about 1/4-1/2 cup of water to keep it from drying out.  cook on the middle rack for about 20 minutes.  in the mean time, peel your mandarins and cut them into wheel slices like so:

once squash hits the 20 minute mark, pull it out of the oven, flip that puppy over, and cover the flat fleshy side with the orange slices.  pop it back in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the flesh easily peels away from the skin with a fork.  pull the squash out of the oven and let it sit while you get the rest of the stew cooking.

heat up a little olive oil in a pot and throw in the onion.  cook until starting to turn translucent and add tomato and spices.  cook until tomatoes start to soften and add the spinach and the spaghetti squash strings along with the mandarin slices.  stir it until it's combined and let it all kind of simmer together until the temp and flavor is consistent.  you can adjust the spices how you'd like them, but i found the sweet spice and simple but distinctive savory blend in this really appealing.  the nutritional yeast adds a nice little bit of nutty/cheesy flavor, too....if you're into that.
i topped mine with fresh basil, walnuts and cranberries and that was pretty swell, but feta and raisins or a little cheddar with a side of brown rice or quinoa would all be really good with this, too.  i also made mine vegan just cause, but you could easily throw some turkey or chicken in with this for a heartier, meatier meal.  enjoy!  and thanks for reading my first post!  lots more fun stuff to come :)