Spaghetti Squash with Mushrooms, Chick Peas and Arugula

A combination of all my once hated foods.
When I don't like a food, I try it until I change my mind. I was never a picky eater, but everyone has certain foods they just don't care for. Mine were garbanzo beans, green olives, tofu, beets, arugula, and Swiss cheese to name a few. I say "were" because I eat them all now.


These were considered my dislikes compared to how I felt about mushrooms. Mushrooms brought my food feelings to a whole different level, pure hatred. From the texture and favor to the thought of what they are, fungus. I couldn't even pick around them, it was too late, the dish was ruined. After years of sampling every variety, cooked every way, I thought it was a lost cause until my friend grilled whole buttons in a foil packet. It was love ever since.

There is one food that will never make my "like list," or even my edible list. Vegemite. One sample and never again.

Enough about dislikes, onto the good stuff. Spaghetti without the side of guilt, tossed with all my haters.

Ingrediants

1 spaghetti squash
1 - 16oz marinara sauce
2 cups arugula lettuce
12 oz. baby bella mushrooms
2 cloves of garlic
2 tbs olive oil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
Herbs (one or two of the following: thyme, Italian parsley, basil)


Preheat oven to 375°F.

Cut spaghetti squash in half, length wise. Place cut sides down into a baking dish with and pour 1/2 cup water into the dish and bake until just tender, 30 to 35 minutes (or microwave for 10 minutes).

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, add chopped garlic with sliced mushrooms. Cook until golden, add chick peas for 2 minutes. Add marinara sauce and red pepper flakes (optional), simmer 5 minutes.

While sauce is simmering, rake spaghetti squash with a fork to remove flesh in strands and mix well.

Remove from heat, fold in arugula and basil (optional), top with Romano or Parmesan cheese.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie

The only appropriate ingredient to kick off my gluten free dishes would be pumpkin. Some people are known for loving one kind and insist on ordering it wherever offered; this is me with pumpkin. Not being able to eat traditional pumpkin pie during the fall season doesn’t affect me after being introduced to Better ‘n Peanut Butter by a coworker. Yes, I was introduced to a new brand of "peanut butter" and this somehow relates to my pumpkin pie fix.

Let me explain how this is incorporated into a pumpkin pie without tasting like peanuts, yet doesn’t taste like pumpkin pie without it. 

Ingredients

1-¼ cups solid-pack pumpkin puree
1 cup non-fat plain soy or almond milk
½ cup Better 'N Peanut Butter
2 eggs
½ cup gluten free pancake mix
¼ cup honey

¼ agave syrup
1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 tsp cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F

Combine all dry ingredients (pancake mix, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice) in a small bowl.

In a separate, large bowl, combine pumpkin puree with Better 'n Peanut Butter and then the rest of the wet ingredients (eggs, honey, agave syrup, soy milk, vanilla); mix until smooth. 

Add dry ingredients into the large bowl; mix until smooth.

Pour into a 9-inch pie plate that has been coated with non-stick cooking spray. 

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Let cool.

Refrigerate until chilled, about 3 hours.

Gluten Free Me

I'm Trish. Trish the Dish. Well,  until recently when I became Trish the Gluten Free Dish.

My whole outlook on food has changed since going gluten free two years. I love cooking just as much as I love eating; I was always known as the good eater...or the little piggy.
Food consumes me in a different way now. Before, I loved food. Now, I appreciate food; the effort, the quality, and overall, the challenge of making gluten free food delicious.

Since going gluten free, I've realized the importance of healthy, natural food and the impact it has physically and mentally. Your body runs off the fuel you put in it, making the comprehension of nutrition essential. This all feeds into my fascination with food, all food, wheat included.

Unfortunately, gluten free can mean taste free in some over-priced store bought, processed and preserved products. With the bad rep of tasting like cardboard, people are hesitant or reluctant to try it.

Unwilling to be ostracized, left salivating over the delectable, untouchable food during meal-time, I am forced to step-up my A-game and make great food to be consumed by all.