My end-of-month post is often a favorite since I’m meeting unique recipes and buying ingredients that have never graced my pantry. Michael was a meat and potatoes, Oreo cookies, chocolate marshmallow pinwheels and Häagen-Dazs guy. If there was a bag of Snickers around, hip, hip hooray. He did love spinach, if it was creamed, but other veggies, not so much. And, pass on those salads.
It was food blogger Andrea Mohr, The Kitchen Lioness, who suggested I look at Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage Veg. Hugh’s cookbook contains 200 inspired vegetable recipes simple enough for beginners but sophisticated in their flavoring and spices. I’ve been cooking this book with Andrea’s monthly group, Cottage Cooking Club, for almost two years.
This week’s CCC recipes include Chickpeas and Spinach served over Spaghetti Squash. Cumin and chile (fresh or dried), provide the kick. Using Cumin again, I added coriander and cinnamon to pull together Moroccan-spiced Couscous. Dried fruits, toasted nuts and chickpeas mixed into couscous is a delightful lunch or lovely side. Spaghetti squash, to me, may be the Jim Carey of the squash world. It’s hilarious and we’ll return to it later.
Over the Martin Luther King holiday week-end I attended the 20th annual Morro Bay Bird Festival. Although rain dampened some field trips, this is a wonderful year for Central Coast birds. Thank you, El Niño. With a predicted two-day sunshine break, I jumped in the car last Wednesday and headed for the San Joaquin Valley, the state’s top agricultural producing region. It’s also where the San Luis Wildlife Refuge complex, 45,000 acres of wetlands, grasslands and riparian habitats, as well as over 90,000 acres of private conservation easements for the protection and benefit of wildlife, is located.
Not knowing what to expect, I was unprepared for this natural world theatrical extravaganza, The Refuges play host for 6 months to more than 20,000 lesser Sandhill cranes, 60,000 arctic-nesting geese and swans who migrate along the great Pacific Flyway to mingle with thousands of other visiting waterfowl and shorebirds. My, it’s noisy! I stayed in nearby rural Los Banos and, surprisingly, enjoyed some of the best lasagna I’ve ever tasted at M&M Restaurant owned by the six Munoz brothers.
Sprinkled throughout my Central California coast driving adventure last week were thousands of stacked and nondescript white boxes which are visible from the highway. They contain honey bees.Though not image inspiring, I found their story to be incredibly inspiring. The bee hive boxes are trucked here to spend a warm winter before almond pollination begins. In total, 1,800,000 hives are estimated to be in California (54 billion bees) now. These beekeepers allowed me to take pictures and ask questions. Since bees were swarming outside the boxes also, I didn’t linger.
Hopefully you will not only enjoy these recipes but also some photos from my last two weeks’ adventures.
SPAGHETTI SQUASH
Aren’t you surprised that spaghetti squash isn’t more popular? Yes, it’s difficult to entice kids to willingly try different vegetables but sometimes we raise their expectations. At first bite, peas aren’t delicious. They’re mushy and stick to the roof of your mouth. It’s not really necessary to ever like cooked carrots if you prefer raw. And, spaghetti squash is not pasta although it looks like pasta. Throw Marinara sauce and a juicy meatball on top and it still tastes like squash. Start slowly, with butter, salt, pepper, a squirt or two of lemon…..
DIRECTIONS:
1.Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Put the whole spaghetti squash into the oven.
3. Bake for 40-45 minutes. When it is easily pierced with a fork, remove, and let cool enough for handling
4. Cut in half, diagonally.
5. Using a spoon, remove the seeds. Then, with a fork, scrape the flesh under the seeds
CHICKPEAS AND SPINACH served over SPAGHETTI SQUASH, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, River Cottage Veg
MOROCCAN-SPICED COUSCOUS, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, River Cottage Veg
If you want either of Hugh’s recipes, let me know. MH
Hi Mary, Your end of the month post are always my favorite too, love your wildlife pics, especially the elk they look so healthy. The Moroccan spiced couscous looks beautiful as does your spaghetti squash dish, will have to make those later for myself. Take care, Cheri
Oh I love your wildlife contents in this post! And those bees! Sounds like you had great fun too!
Spaghetti squash… I bought and cook something similar (or the same) many years ago… cannot remember if we liked it or not… so it was only that one time! or maybe I seldom see it at our wet market.
I ran out of dinner nights at my place… so chickpeas and a local spinach might just appear in Feb! The moroccan-spiced couscous (bulghur wheat) was a hit with my hubs. But I did skip the dried fruit, just for hubs..
Both recipes sound delicious and I love the lighting in your photos! Mary, I’ve driven so close to that refuge so many times on the way to my parents’ house and I never even knew it was there–and, yes, noodles would’ve had a field day seeing all the animals! That’s great you found some good food in Los Banos because I wouldn’t have expected much (sigh, that sounds kind of terrible). I’ll also keep that in the back of my mind, even though I don’t take that particular route on my drive anymore. Spaghetti squash is a funny thing, in a way. I hadn’t ever thought of it that way until reading your post. Too bad the kiddo has been in a snub-her-nose-at-anything phase the last week here. 🙂 Nice to visit with you virtually!
Hi Mary! Sigh, take a deep breath, read Mary’s nature posts, and take in the extreme beauty of nature and it’s surrounds. Oh how I love your nature photographs, so beautiful, mesmerizing, and so interesting is the information you tack on. We’ve a flock of Canadian geese in the pond behind us but about two weeks ago, flying above in formation were about a hundred very noisy birds that looked like Canadian geese only black tipped and white, the bird book called these snow geese though they didn’t seem quite as bright as your photo presents. Hmm. The bees look fascinating, though a bit scary too. I love the bald eagles and the Tule elk. Thank you for sharing a magnificent journey. And your dishes look sensational too!
Spectacular nature photographs as always Mary, and your food looks fantastic also. Serving the chickpea-spinach dish over squash was truly inspired – it had enough flavour to mask the squash-y flavour of the squash (at least a little).
Mary, what a beautifully written post with amazing photography – Mother nature does provide the most inspiring photo opportunities – at least that´s what I have convinced myself of after looking at all your pictures. Unfortunately, there is not enough “nature” around me, I would much rather live far away from the city…alas, not everyone in our family agrees with me…your photos are always so inspiring.
And serving the Chickpeas and spinach on a lovely bed of shaghetti squash sounds like a very healthy and delicious plan to me. The Couscous was a nice adventure – I usually do not cook with dried fruit all that much. Your version looks fabulous – glad that you enjoyed the dishes you prepared from Hugh´s book – it always feels like a trip away from everyday routine when I come her to read and look at your CCC post.
Andrea
DWB, love the photos. I cannot believe what you are seeing and photographing. It seems you don’t have to go to far flung places to experience incredible beauty. Still I am going to Ecuador (since I am not pregnant…) and am looking forward to capturing nature at least half as well as you do. If I am lucky!.
Meanwhile, I have really tried with spaghetti squash and it never comes close to the tastiness/texture etc of other squashes (summer or winter). But will try your recipe anyway.
Hugs, Rocks
Mary once again the photos are amazing. How stunning the animals in their setting was. I was not aware of the wildlife refuge – and since I plan on doing some exploring in California this year I am grateful for the discovery thanks to you.
I LOVE your nature photos and updates, Mary. What fabulous adventures you have. And your Hugh dishes look pretty good too! I tried a different set, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not tempted to try yours too! Glad that you’re making the most of your Californian winter. xo
My husband is a huge spaghetti squash fan! I am trying to warm up to it… I like your method of cooking it whole; I usually cut it in half raw, and it feels kind of dangerous (not in a good way). In fact, I am about to put one in the oven now, so I will forget about cutting it in half!
Those are gorgeous wildlife photos! And it sounds like your California adventures are in full swing, too. Both those dishes sounded like hits – I was hoping to get around to the Moroccan couscous, but it will have to wait for another time.
I’m glad I can comment on your blog again. I was reading along in the WordPress Reader in the interim.
My favorite line was “Throw Marinara sauce and a juicy meatball on top and it still tastes like squash.” Too true! I happen to really like the flavor of squash, but Paul always complains about recipes that consider squash to be a true replacement for spaghetti. They certainly don’t taste the same. I loved your wildlife photos, especially the geese. What absolutely gorgeous scenery.
Mary, your photos are stunning! Even with a damp day – such gorgeous wildlife photos. Seeing bee hives always reminds me of Betsy.
And your dishes look wonderful! I love spaghetti squash too – yum, makes me want to make some for dinner! Maybe!!