sPAGHETTI SQUASH BAKE WITH A CILANTRO PESTO

PHOTOGRAPHER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR : THE ETERNAL CHILD

STOP EVERYTHING. You want to impress your in-laws and those people in your family who gag at healthy food? This is your golden ticket to at least a day or two of pure joy and respect towards YOU.

ESPECIALLY if you're hosting a family dinner. I've heard so many funny ass stories of people having to host dinners but the people attending wouldn't touch healthy food with a single taste bud so at the end of the day, they end up hungry, you end up stressed, and everyone probably just becomes drunk by default.

The Eternal Child & I bring to you, you're saving grace, with a bit of a witchy vibe.

Now before you freak out and think that you need something easier, hold up. This is easier than it may look, it's SO delicious, it's healthy, vegan, and preeetty low maintenance.

Kinda the perfect recipe when you have a billion other things going on and possibly your third pear sangria in your hand.

Alright, 'enough jibber jabber', as my boyfriend would say.

Let's get to it.

INGREDIENTS:

(HOMEMADE CILANTRO PESTO)

- 2 Bunches of Cilantro

- 4-5 Cloves Garlic

- 1 Cup Garlic Olive Oil (We got ours at Trader Joe's)

- ½ TSP Sea Salt

- ¼ Cup Cashews

- Pepper to Taste

- ¼ TSP Onion Powder

- ¼ Chili Flakes

DIRECTIONS:

- Blend all the ingredients in a food processor or a blender.

SPAGHETTI SQUASH

- 1 Large Spaghetti Squash

- 1 Red Onion

- 2 Cups Shitake Mushrooms

- 1 Cup Mozzarella Style Almond Cheese

- 3 TBS Garlic Olive Oi

DIRECTIONS:

1.

Set your oven to 400-degrees, cut the squash in half length wise and scoop out all of the seed.

2.

Place 1-inch of water in a baking tray, place both sides of the squash face down in the tray and bake for 35 minute.

3.

As the squash is baking, cut the red onion into halves, and then into quarters. (Make sure you remove the skin). In a skillet, sautée the red onion and shiitake mushrooms in 2 TBSP of garlic olive oil on high heat for 5 minutes.

4.

Remove the squash from the oven once it is ready. KEEP YOUR OVEN ON, YOU'LL NEED IT IN STEP 5. If you want to use the shell later on as a bowl like we did, then let the squash cool for about 10 minutes before gutting it, and be careful not to puncture the shell.

5.

Scoop out the squash into your skillet with the onions and mushrooms. Add ¾ to 1 cup of pesto to the pan; stir on med-high heat for 5-7 minutes. Add everything in the pan back into the shell, sprinkle with cheese, bake for 10 minutes at 400-degrees.

OPTIONAL: (Roast the squash seeds & use as a topping)

1. Rinse the seeds

2. Place them in the baking pan with sea salt and a TBSP of garlic olive oil for 10 minutes while the squash bakes.