Spaghetti Squash & Black Bean Tacos

This whole blog thing grew from my little cooking club/classes that I host monthly. We have discussed various regions and cuisines as a focus for some classes. Last night, we focused on how to turn something into something else. We chicken fried chicken paillards and then made both a piccata sauce and jalapeno cream gravy. One preparation that has a totally different flavor profile based upon the sauce.  

Unfamiliar foods can be intimidating and daunting. So, one of my goals is to show how easy it is to incorporate various ingredients into one's repertoire.We also jumped back into the winter squash pool one more time (yes, I know I said I'd turned the corner, but it worked so beautifully with the theme that I couldn't resist it.)  Spaghetti squash was the star again and we prepared it two-ways as well. The first, I already detailed here previously. The second was in taco form. Tacos are so incredibly versatile and this recipe is a great example. Made with corn tortillas (only 50 calories each), spaghetti squash (about 30 calories per cup), and canned black beans (about 12 calories for the amount in one taco) this is quite a tasty dish for a very low calorie cost.  Easily editable to fit your tastes, here's what we did:

Spaghetti Squash and Black Bean Tacos (adapted from Deb Perelman)

• 1 small Spaghetti Squash (about 1.5 lbs)
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1 lime)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon coarse salt
• ¼ teaspoon chipotle powder(optional)
• Sixteen 6-inch corn tortillas ( I prefer white corn tortillas El Milagro brand if you can get them)
• One 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained very well
• 4 ounces crumbled Cotija cheese (could sub feta in a pinch)
• ½ cup finely chopped red 
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves

•  Roast (or microwave the spaghetti squash) use the following instructions:

To cook the squash in the microwave: Pierce the skin of the squash (about an inch deep) all over with a small sharp knife to prevent it from bursting while cooking (This would be very bad!)  Cook at high power for 6-7 minutes. Turn the squash over, and microwave it until it feels slightly soft when pressed, 8-10 minutes. Cool the squash for 5 minutes. Remove the squash from the microwave. Cut in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Not my preferred method, but will not heat up the kitchen as much as oven roasting/baking. To roast the squash in the oven: cut squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and roast (face down in a foil lined pan) for about 40 minutes at 375F. (Squash should be easily pierced with a fork or skewer.)

•  Let squash cool and then scrape the squash flesh with a fork. Magically, the strands will loosen and separate from the skin. Remove the strands and discard the skin.
• Mix together the lime juice and all of the dried spices in a small bowl. Whisk to combine well. Pour over the spaghetti squash strands and mix well to coat/flavor the squash.
• Assemble the tacos: 
• Heat the corn tortillas (you can go all out and heat a griddle to warm them or just use the microwave to warm them up well.)
• Sprinkle each tortilla with about 2 Tbsp each of black beans, spiced squash and cotija cheese. Add a few pinches of onion and cilantro. If you want to gild the lily, add an extra squeeze of lime over top. Roll it up and enjoy.

If serving as the main course - Allow for 2- 3 tacos per person - this recipe makes about 16 tacos.

Happy Cooking!

 sld

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