Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai

By Christy Bassett for the Organic Food Guide and NOFA/Mass

As a mother I am always looking for ways to sneak more colorful, nutritious, vegetables into our meals.  My kids aren’t as picky as some are, but they can spy a leafy green from a mile away and give me the side-eye if they notice an extra portion of broccoli on their plates.  They are good sports though and will usually still polish it off in order to get to dessert.  But when I can make a meal that they actually enjoy while using a huge amount of produce from our summer garden or CSA share, we’re all ecstatic.  This New England grown version of creamy, nutty Pad Thai fits the bill.

Ingredients

1 large organic Spaghetti Squash

1 lb organic pastured chicken, roasted and chopped or shredded

2 organic onions, chopped

1 cup organic carrots, sliced

1 organic bell pepper, chopped

2 cups organic cabbage, shredded

4 organic pastured eggs

½ cup peanuts (or almonds or cashews)

½ cup green onion, chopped

Cooking oil (organic pastured lard or organic virgin coconut oil are both lovely)

Fresh cilantro for garnish

Pad Thai Sauce Ingredients

2 Tbs peanut butter (or almond butter or cashew butter)

2 organic chile peppers, sliced and seeded (leave some seeds if you prefer spicy food)

2 cloves organic garlic

½ tsp sesame oil

½ cup organic coconut aminos

1 tsp fish sauce

1 Tbs rice vinegar (white vinegar or apple cider vinegar will work also)

1 small piece organic ginger root, peeled and grated

3 Tbs organic grass fed cream or coconut milk

Salt to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Halve the spaghetti squash lengthwise.  Scrape seeds from the squash.  (Chickens love these if you don’t want to put them in your compost pile.)  Place both halves of the squash face down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 45-60 minutes or until fork tender.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.
2. Prepare the pad thai sauce by placing all sauce ingredients into a food processor and blending until smooth. Set aside.
3. Using a fork, shred the inner squash fibers away from the outer skin. Set aside.
4. In a large wok or sauté pan over medium heat, cook the onion, carrots and cabbage in 1 Tbs. cooking oil until well browned. Add bell pepper and cook for a few more minutes until tender.  Push vegetables to side of pan, add eggs to free side of pan and scramble.  Mix together.
5. Add pre-cooked chicken and shredded spaghetti squash to pan to heat. Toss with prepared pad thai sauce.
6. Garnish with green onions, peanuts and cilantro.