Mushroom's Sweet and Savory Spaghetti Squash

Tony: Aha, okay. Hey, Joe! Butch-a he say he wants-a two spaghetti speciale, 

heavy on the meats-a ball.

Joe: Tony, dogs-a don't a-talk!

Tony: He's a-talkin' to me!

Joe: Okay, he's a-talkin' to you! You the boss! 

-Lady and the Tramp

Stoney and I survived Snowmagedden here in Nashville.  It was a good thing we had plenty of leftovers, though, because when we finally emerged from the apartment on Sunday to take our weekly grocery shopping trip, we were amazed at what we saw when we arrived at Kroger (the farmer's market was, predictably, closed).  Most of the produce was gone -- vast, empty shelves stood before us.  At this point we were starting to get nervous.  Nearly everything we needed to make dinner, which was to consist of spaghetti squash, mushrooms, and brussels sprouts, was missing.  We were able to find a small spaghetti squash on the shelf, but the other items were conspicuously absent.  Eventually, we stumbled on a restocking cart with a few containers of white mushrooms.  While not ideal for our sauce, we grabbed them.  We also struck out on one of the key ingredients for another recipe we will be making this week - homemade ruebans using sauerkraut that we made back in October!  The missing ingredient?  Rye Bread.  Le sigh.  After checking out at Kroger, we made our way over to the small, very nice (but also expensive) grocery store near our apartment.  Luckily, they had some beautiful brussels sprouts, so I was able to make dinner as planned.  

We even grabbed a handful of shiitake mushrooms to add to the white mushrooms.  However, we ended up having to settle on the bread for the ruebans, buying a multigrain bread instead.  Oh well.

Our "spaghetti" dinner was perfect for a cold winter's night.  Slightly sweet thanks to a little maple syrup on the brussels sprouts, and earthy and savory, thanks to the mushroom sauce.  The only issue we ran into was that we ended up with a very small spaghetti squash, and I had planned for a bigger squash, so my sauce to squash ratio was a little off.

What you need:

• 1 large spaghetti squash, halved, with seeds scraped out
• 1 lb Brussels Sprouts, quartered
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 4 cups mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 1 large shallot, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1.5 cup raw cashews
• 1 tsp nutritional yeast
• 1.5 cup water

Although this recipe has a lot of moving parts, it's actually pretty simple.  Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F.  Rub the inside of the spaghetti squash with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, and place face down on a greased baking sheet, cooking for 45 minutes.  

While the spaghetti squash is cooking, melt 1 tbsp of coconut oil in a bowl large enough to hold your brussels sprouts.  Stir in the maple syrup, and then toss in the brussels sprouts and 1 tsp sea salt, making sure the sprouts are thoroughly coated.  Set the bowl aside.

When there is 20 minutes remaining on the spaghetti squash, place the brussels sprouts on a greased baking sheet (one layer) and place in oven, cooking for 20 minutes.

When everything is done, let the squash cool (or don't, we usually just use heat gloves for this part) and scrape the spaghetti-ness out into a serving bowl.

Next, heat 1 tbsp of coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add garlic and shallot, cooking until the garlic is fragrant.  Add in the mushrooms and cook until they have browned slightly.  

After the mushrooms have cooked, add mushrooms, water, nutritional yeast, and cashews to the vitamix and blend well.  Pour your sauce over the spaghetti squash, and garnish with brussels sprouts.