30 Meals in 30 Days: Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai

It's no secret that my Kitchen Skillz are lacking. It's not that I can't cook, it's that I can't multitask. Between stuff boiling and stuff burning and people talking and babies crying and timers beeping I get frazzled and things turn into other things and stuff is scary and what was I doing and YOU FINISH IT.

Fortunately I'm not the kind of person that browses Pinterest food boards in envy or self-doubt, otherwise my lack of kitchen sense might drown me in sorrow. I know I have Other Skillz and my kitchen madness doesn't define me as a person. But: I'd like to learn more. And the only way I learn is by doing.

So, I have chosen thirty meals to complete over the course of the next 40 days (10 grace days) - to try to spice things up, get a little variety, and get even more practice. This will force me to stop cooking the same ol' thang and try new stuff. And it'll keep my poor, fractured-foot husband, free from the responsibility of dinner. You're welcome, honey. Sort of.

And with that, here's Day 1 of 30: Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai

I found the original recipe at FamilyFreshCooking.com and made some changes to suit a vegetarian diet. You can see the original recipe by clicking here.

Here's what it's supposed to look like.

Find the original recipe by FamilyFreshCooking.com here 

So the appeal with spaghetti squash instead of noodles is of course that you're using a veggie instead of a grain to get the job done. Spaghetti squash is quite filling and simple to prepare. And we loves our pad thai so... this all made sense as a starting place. The original recipe is called "fried rice" but this doesn't remind me of rice at all.

Here's how to make it.

Cut the spaghetti squash in half and bake facing up, lightly drizzled in olive oil at 375 for 40 mins.

While it's cooking, prepare 1 cup of chopped carrots (about 2 carrots), 2 diced green onions and 3 diced cloves of garlic. Fry with 3 tbsp of sweet n' sour sauce and 2 tbsp of soya sauce (this substitutes the fish sauce & hot sauce the original recipe suggests). Once the carrots have softened, add 2 eggs and scramble in. Turn heat to low.

When the spaghetti squash has finished cooking, pull it out in chunks & add it to the other mix. Let simmer for 5 minutes.

This is my sophisticated Pulling Out strategy.

And serve with chopped peanuts.

Here's what it really looks like.

I gotta admit, the final product looks nothing like the inspiration but the taste was seriously awesome.

Here's how we're rating it:

Taste value: 10/10. So delicious, especially if you're a pad thai fanatic.
Simplicity value: 8/10. Because I could prepare the majority of the meal while the squash was in the oven, I felt at peace.
Appearance value: 4/10. It's not too sloppy but it.. it's sloppy.
Entertainment value: 2/10. I'd serve this to one of my best friends if I knew their taste buds well, but I wouldn't serve this to a new guest.
Coolness value: 8/10. Very cool. I never would have considered spaghetti squash as an alternative to noodles but it really works!