Southwest Spaghetti Squash with Black Beans & Lime

This is not your typical spaghetti squash recipe. Rather than using the squash as a mere substitute for pasta with red sauce, this recipe combines strands of spaghetti squash with Southwestern-inspired ingredients such as black beans, lime juice, tomatoes and roasted corn.

Ingredients

1 medium spaghetti squash
Sea salt and ground pepper
A drizzle of fruity extra virgin olive oil, as needed
A sprinkle of cumin, chili powder, and minced garlic to taste
A splash of water, as needed
Extra virgin olive oil
1 medium sweet or red onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 ears of fresh corn, kernels cut off [or try a red bell pepper, diced]
Cumin and chili powder, to taste
1 cup ripe and juicy grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 14-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained well
Two whole roasted green chilies, mild or spicy, seeded, chopped (canned works ok)
1 lime - for zest, and juice
Toasted pine nuts or pumpkin seeds
Fresh chopped cilantro
Lime wedges
Cubes of goat cheese or feta (opt.)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Halve the squash lengthwise and place cut side up in a roasting pan. Season the squash with sea salt and pepper, a drizzle of good olive oil, some cumin, chili powder and garlic. Add two inches of water to the pan to help keep the squash from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Roast in a hot oven for about an hour, until the squash is fork-tender. Half way through roasting, you may want to pour a little bit of water on each squash to keep it moist. When the squash is done, remove it and let it cool.

Heat a splash of olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion, garlic, corn kernels and spices; stir for five minutes until the onion has softened.
When the squash is cool enough to handle: take a fork and scrape the squash, making spaghetti-like strands.

You can assemble the ingredients in a casserole-style baking dish and bake it - or you can do it all on the stove-top in the large skillet.
If you're going to bake it - toss the squash strands into a large mixing bowl. Add a little of your best olive oil to moisten. Season the mixture with more sea salt and pepper. Sprinkle in some added cumin or chili powder, if you like, to taste. Toss well. Add the skillet mixture, tomatoes, black beans, green chilies. Combine. Grate a lime and add the zest. Cut and squeeze the lime juice all over the mixture and toss lightly. Pour the mixture into a casserole style baking dish. Cover and bake in a 350 degree oven until heated through - about 20 to 25 minutes.

If you'd rather do it in a skillet, add the squash to the skillet mixture, and stir in the remaining ingredients, as above. Cover and gently heat through over medium heat - roughly five to ten minutes.
Serve with a sprinkle of fresh chopped cilantro and some lime wedges.

Optionally:
Add a topping of toasted breadcrumbs. Or top with a layer of fresh cooked polenta, like a pie.

Total Servings: 4

Adapted from: The Gluten Free Goddess WebMD Recipe from Foodily.com