Thai Peanut Spaghetti Squash

When I am too tired to cook, my go-to takeout is Thai food.  I have a serious weakness for anything with coconut milk and chili peppers.  Unfortunately, most Thai restaurants use white rice and non-organic tofu (read: GMO) and who knows what else.  Not to mention the cost of ordering takeout.  This recipe is by no means authentic Thai cooking, but it can satisfy even the strongest of takeout cravings without requiring a trip to a specialty Asian grocer.  

The danger of Thai food is that just about every dish is served with either white rice or noodles.  This means that the majority of the calories in the dish are coming from food sources with little to no nutritional benefits.  That's why in this recipe I swapped noodles for spaghetti squash.  I am not a calorie counter by any means, but spaghetti squash has only about 40 calories per cup!  And vitamins, high water content, and fiber too!  Compare that with the nutritional stats for pasta or rice and you'll make the switch too.

If you don't have access to spaghetti squash (or just don't like it) this sauce also tastes great on stir fried veggies and quinoa, brown rice, or brown rice noodles.

Thai Peanut Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash

7 dates, finely chopped

1 small garlic clove, finely chopped

3 tbsp water

6 oz. coconut milk

1 tbsp Thai red curry paste

1/4 cup natural peanut butter

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp organic tamari sauce

1/4 cup chopped peanuts

2 tbsp chopped green onions

Suggested Toppings:

red pepper flakes

lime wedge

sprouts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Pierce spaghetti squash with a sharp knife a few times (to make sure it won't explode) and place in oven in a rimmed baking pan.  Bake for about 1 hour or until soft.  Be careful not to overcook or it will become mushy.  Once it is cool enough to handle, cut in half and scoop out seeds. Using a fork, scrape out the flesh of the squash into a large bowl.  It should fall apart into strands that look like noodles.

While the squash is baking, prepare the sauce.  Begin by combining dates, garlic, and water in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Cook for about 4 minutes to soften the dates.  Then add all the remaining ingredients except for the green onions and chopped peanuts and cook for another 5 minutes or so.  If it begins to boil, reduce the heat.  Pour sauce into a blender and blend for about 30 seconds to smooth out the dates.  Pour sauce over spaghetti squash and stir to combine.  Add green onions and chopped peanuts and any additional toppings and serve.

Note: Depending on the size of your squash, this may be too much sauce.  Add until you achieve desired consistency.  Leftover sauce can be saved for about 5 days.

The peanut sauce also makes a great dip for Summer Basil Rolls and Baked Vegetable Pockets!