Spaghetti squash in garlic-cream sauce (dairy-free) topped with pumpkin-kissed meatballs

I've been doing cooking demos at my local farmer's market, and made this recipe today. It was a crowd-pleaser to say the least, despite the chilly, rainy fall day that was upon us.

Spaghetti squash in garlic-cream sauce (dairy-free)

Ingredients:

1 can full fat canned coconut milk

1 spaghetti squash, halved, seeds removed

1-2 heads garlic

A few sprigs of fresh basil (2-4 tbsp, chopped)

2 tsp dried oregano

sea salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 F
2. Place spaghetti squash halves, face down, on baking sheet
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes (until a fork pokes through easily -- don't over cook or it will become too mushy)
4. Remove squash and separate strands of squash away from the skin with a fork (the strands are long and thin, similar to spaghetti, but thinner and more fragile)
5. Empty the can of coconut milk into a large skillet. Add herbs, spices and minced garlic. Cook on medium high until boiling, stirring frequently Reduce heat to keep the mixture simmering, and stir continuously for 10-15 minutes, until it thickens
6. Reduce heat to low, add squash strands, and stir well, until the squash is warm

Pumpkin-kissed meatballs

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef 

1 egg

1 head garlic, peeled, minced

1/2 C pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)

1/4 C chopped kale

salt & pepper to taste

coconut oil (or olive oil)

plate or tray

baking sheet lined with paper towel or cotton cloth

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients* (except oil) in a medium mixing bowl. Use wooden utensil to mix together, or use a mixer if you're fancy!
2. Shape/roll into meatballs, about 1-1.5 inches in diameter, and place on tray or plate. Continue until you've used up the entire mixture
3. Add a few tablespoons of oil to a skillet on medium-high heat
4. Place meatballs in the oil (carefully -- the splashing oil BURNS -- I often use tongs to transfer the meatballs to prevent the splash)
5. Flip the meatballs every 2-3 minutes, until browned on all sides. It usually takes 10-12 minutes to cook them through -- I always cut one open to ensure it's medium-well
6. Transfer meatballs to the tray lined with cotton cloth or paper towels.

SERVING:

Place a helping of the squash with sauce on a plate, and top it off with a load of meatballs! ENJOY!!!!

*If you want to use fresh pumpkin puree, handle the pumpkin similar to the spaghetti squash. Cut a pie pumpkin in half, remove the seeds, place open face down on a baking sheet, and bake) -- pumpkin usually takes longer than the spaghetti squash -- check it at 30-40 minutes. Cook longer if needed. After it cools, you can easily pull the flesh away from the skin, and then place the flesh in a blender or food processor, and puree! Freeze leftovers for future cooking endeavors.

Salmon cakes

When I read, "It Starts With Food," I was pleased to see a variety of recipes in the appendices. The salmon cakes stuck out, as they contain protein, fat and veggies - an all-inclusive meal! As usual, I modified it a bit per what I had on hand (i.e. the recipe calls for dill, and I didn't have any at the time, so simply omitted it).

*The recipe below is a double recipe - simply cut everything in half if you wish. I like doubling it so that I can freeze a few servings for later.

Ingredients
2 14.75 ounce cans of bone-in wild-caught salmon (28+ ounces total)
2 C canned or roasted sweet potato (I used 1/2 C roasted sweet potato and 1 1/2 C canned pumpkin)
1 C almond meal
2 eggs, whisked (or two tbsp flax meal in 6 tbsp water, let stand 5 minutes)
1/2 C kale, chopped
1/2 sweet onion, diced
2 tsp parsley, dried
1 tsp paprika
salt
pepper
1-2 tbsp coconut oil or clarified butter, melted

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
2. Flake salmon into large mixing bowl, removing all bones (if you are using bone-in salmon, that is)
3. Add all remaining ingredients. Mix well with wooden spoon or hands
4. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Brush the paper with coconut oil or butter
5. Using a 1/4 C measuring cup, scoop up the mixture, and dump out onto the parchment (that way you get metered, nicely-shaped patties.
6. Bake 20 minutes, then remove from oven and flip. Bake 10 more minutes, or until golden brown.

Check those puppies out! The batch I made yielded sixteen, 1/4 C-sized salmon cakes (enough for four adult-sized servings plus two kid-sized servings).

Storage

Store in a sealed container in the fridge, or freeze for later. If you freeze them, defrost in fridge prior to reheating.