Squash Cubed, sorta

Spaghetti Squash Boats
You've seen me do this a number of times.  Cut the squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds.  Nuke until the skin starts to soften and then rake the flesh to make 'spaghetti'.  Add a ladle of your favorite pasta sauce or other gravy, and devour.  

As pictured above, you can make a variety of "passengers" for the boat -- shown is a mixture of farro and vegetables.  Some folks (not me) like to unload the boat --  completely remove the flesh from the skin, lay it out on a plate and top with the gravy.

Spaghetti Squash Fritters
Ever notice you can find spaghetti squash so small they'll barely serve two or else so large you can feed a platoon??  Our last Co-op box brought us one of the latter; so we had plenty of leftovers with which to try this dish.

2 cups leftover Spaghetti Squash
2 Eggs
3 cloves Garlic. minced
1 Shallot, chopped
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Thyme
Pinch Salt
EVOO for frying

Chop the squash a time or two -- you don't want long strings.  Combine everything in a mixing bowl and spoon the batter out onto a medium-hot, oiled skillet, 2 heaping tablespoons per fritter, and flatten them a bit.  Cook 3-5 minutes per side until crispy & brown.   They're delicate, so be careful when flipping not to break them up.  I topped these with a wonderful black bean chipotle salsa that I picked up at Aldi.

These are tasty but very delicate.   Next time I'm going to do two things:  pat or otherwise remove some/most of the liquid from the leftover squash as it cools; and second -- add some panko to help tighten the mixture up a bit and give the fritters a bit more body.

Acorn Squash Soup
UF football night with our friends on Saturday, so I made, by request, an acorn squash soup.  Normally I would use Butternut or Buttercup squash for a soup, but I found this Guy Fieri Food Network recipe and thought I'd give it a try.  I modified the recipe to eliminate almost all the salt and dairy.

2 Acorn Squash (about 4.5 lbs)
2 Shallots, minced
2-3 cups No Sodium Vegetable Stock
1 tsp Sage
1/2 tsp White Pepper
1/4 tsp hot Hungarian smoked Paprika
1 cup Almond Creamer (half and half if you like dairy)
1/3 cup faux Parmesan

Halve the squash and nuke them in the microwave for about 15 minutes, or bake in a 350F oven for an hour if it's cold where you live.  Scoop out the flesh into your soup pot, and discard the skins.  Mash the flesh a bit to get right of the big lumps.  Add the vegetable stock and bring to a simmer.

While that's happening, saute the shallots and garlic in a bit of EVOO until translucent and fragrant, and then add that to the squash.  Add the herbs and spices and stir to combine.

Simmer for about 30 minutes, then puree in your food processor in batches if necessary.  If you've got a stick blender, skip the food processor and puree in the soup pot.

Stir in the creamer and parmesan, simmer for another few minutes to melt the cheese into the mixture.  Serve with crusty bread and a sprinkle of parmesan on top. 

The almond creamer gives the soup a unique sweetness, but the hot paprika and white pepper provide a 'bite' to the finish that is really very pleasant.