Mediterranean Spaghetti Squash

Yum! As much as I would love to have a 6-month summer, I can't deny that I look forward to the beginning of fall. The air is crisp and clean (usually - around here, it's muggy right now!), the leaves change colors, it's cold enough to wear a sweater but warm enough to be comfortable. Ah, fall. Along with that beautiful weather comes the fall harvest - squash, pumpkins, potatoes. And I don't know about you, but I can't get enough of autumn food. I absolutely love squash, and last night I decided to try and make it for myself. I settled on spaghetti squash because (1) it's still pretty warm around here and it's not too heavy and (2) it was on sale at the grocery store.



What You'll Need:
1 spaghetti squash
2 grilled chicken breasts, cut into strips or decided (whichever preferable)

half sweet onion, diced

about 10 garlic cloves, minced

kalamata olives, halved
artichoke hearts, bite size
half sweet onion, diced
about 10 garlic cloves, minced
1 large tomato, diced
3/4 cup pesto (more or less, taste dependent)
feta cheese crumbles


I decided to cook the squash the lazy way - in the microwave! It takes about 15 minutes, rotated every 3-4 minutes. Make sure to pierce the squash with a sharp knife to avoid explosion.

When the squash is done cooking, cut in half length wise. Scrap out the seeds. When you've scraped out the seeds, take a fork and "scrape" the flesh - it will break into noodles, like so:



In a large non-stick sauté pan, sauté the onion and garlic in a generous amount of olive oil. When the garlic and onion are browned, add the spaghetti squash "noodles" to the pan. Stir, making sure the squash gets tossed with the olive oil. Add the artichoke hearts and kalamata olives. Next, add the pesto, mix thoroughly, to get everything covered. Add the tomatoes and the chicken - you're done!

Put on a plate, top with feta cheese, and enjoy! It's surprisingly tasty and a healthy substitute for noodles. You won't even miss the noodles. Yum!

Tastes better than it looks, I promise!