The Taste of Summertime

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My dear friend Julie lives in Utah and whenever I think of her the image of home grown produce pops into my mind. Julie runs a small farm out of her suburban neighborhood backyard and the spoils at the end of the summer are endless. Rosy tomatoes. Green beans. Carrots. Berries. Apples. Lettuce. Herbs. And of course, squash. Even the inept gardener can manage to produce squash, which is why Julie's Mediterranean Spaghetti Squash recipe is so great. Squash is good for you, easy to grow or cheap to buy, and its flavor is essentially a blank canvas for whatever foods you pair with it. Jeremy always teases me that I like to use the seasons to describe some of my favorite recipes, as in, These cookies taste like fall! Well to me, this recipe tastes like summer. The lightness, the fresh ingredients, the snatch of tartness the feta lends to the vegetables! It might be snowing outside (again) here in Denver this week, but in my kitchen summer is beginning to unfold.

PS-You'll notice I didn't add any amounts to the vegetables, and the rub for the chicken I found online. This is one of those recipes that you can feel free to change up and make your own. And if you're worried your kids won't eat the squash, you can always do what I did and insist the spaghetti squash is a new kind of "pasta" for them to try. My girls were suspicious, but they ate it. Bon Appetit! 

Julie's Mediterranean Spaghetti Squash

1 spaghetti squash

Grape tomatoes

Sliced red onion

1 T olive oil

feta cheese

greek olives (optional)

Grilled chicken (preferably cooked on an outdoor grill, suggested rub listed below)

Slice the spaghetti squash length wise, clean out center. Place them in a glass baking dish, flesh side down, in one inch of water. Bake at 400 degrees for 45-60 minutes. Meanwhile, grill your chicken. Then sweat the red onions and grapes in the olive oil, although you don't have to wait for the tomatoes to completely dissolve and fall apart, you just want them warm and softened a little. Add the olives toward the end. 

Once your squash is cooked string it with a fork. Toss with the vegetables, diced chicken and feta. Season to taste. 

Mediterranean Chicken Rub

3 T dried rosemary

2 T ground cumin

2 T ground coriander

1 T dried oregano

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

Mix together and rub on chicken before grilling.