Basil Beef with Spaghetti Squash Tossed in Peanut Sauce

Stir fry is usually my go to for a quick, veggie heavy meal that will give my body a hefty dose of nutrients. It's literally the best for clean eating (if you do it right) & wonderful for so many reasons. No. 1 - one pan wonder.  Need I say more?  No. 2 - easily customizable.  Use your favorite veggies and leave out the ones that make you gag.  No rules or judgement in the stir fry realm!  No. 3, and lastly, it leads to veggies cooked to softened perfection, and dredged in a sauce that doesn't need to be loaded with fat and sugar to be delicious.  & sometimes big pile of veggies loaded on your plate is just what you need.  I'll start to crave loads of veggies when I'm feeling a tad guilty about my eating habits, and simply put, I'll feel the extreme need to hit the reset button.  I know it's mental, but I swear to god I can feel my body turn to total mush - sometimes eating out a couple days in a row will do that to ya! Or just cooking something a little indulgent at home, making way too much of it so it sticks around a couple of extra days, and ultimately it gives you tempting stares every time you open the fridge.  Literally, my life & why I don't make cheesecakes for just me and my husband anymore.  But at this moment, there has simply been far too much queso in my life the last 48 hours, so that craving for healthy eats is kicking in.  My body is pretty much saying "feed me hot, roasted vegetables tossed in coconut aminos and sweet chili sauce now."  So tonight, even though it's a Saturday and that's when I typically chose to do my most indulgent eating, I oblige my most inner desires & we go healthy.

Arguably, the best part about stir fry is a starchy side to soak up all the yummy sauce.  Usually it's rice, which is always great, and my most recent go to for stir fry pairings has been cauliflower rice.  I say it all the time, but cauliflower is like the magical chameleon of vegetables - fabulous in all forms.  As a rice, it's great and does the job of soaking up that salty sweet stir fry sauce, but lord knows I love to up my repertoire of healthy substitutes.  So tonight, I'm using one of my favorite winter veggies to amp up dinner - spaghetti squash.  Spaghetti squash is a food I like to eat just tossed in a light drizzle of olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper.  I've used it as my base for bolognese when we were full paleo, so why not go Asian with it?  Specifically, we're going Thai - Basil Beef with Spaghetti Squash Tossed in Peanut Sauce.  A curated dinner with one herby stir fry complimented by a light peanut sauce to create the perfect Asian flavored marriage on your plate.  It's a Thai inspired meal that hits all the healthy high notes. 

Let's be clear that this dinner has two distinct components - a beef & veggie stir fry & a spaghetti squash side.  The sauce for this stir fry is literally 2 ingredients - coconut aminos & sweet chili sauce.  That's literally it!  So easy and tasty without a handful of different ingredients.  It's also loaded (not just a generous sprinkle - literally loaded) with tons of basil to bring an extra fresh & herby feel to the dish.  The spaghetti squash is then lightly tossed in a homemade peanut sauce that's just tasty enough to give the squash an Asian kick, but stays neutral  so that the squash is protected as the perfect vessel to soak up all that yummy stir fry sauce.  It sings all the teriyaki takeout high notes (though I know this definitely not any kind of teriyaki dinner) -  it's salty, sticky & sweet.  

It's a quick and easy meal good enough to make again, & a great make ahead option for some pre-made, well rounded lunches for the week.  Just a good little veggie concentrated pairing to have in the back pocket.

For the Spaghetti Squash
1 spaghetti squash
2 tbsp peanut butter. chunky preferred
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp coconut aminos
1/2 lime juiced
1/2 tsp minced ginger
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 c. chopped parsley
2 tbsp roughly chopped peanuts
EVOO
Salt & pepper

For the Stir Fry
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 pound of sirloin steak, cut into thick bite-size slices
1 red onion, halved & sliced
2 bell peppers of different color (choose your favorite!)
1 jalapeno, unseeded & thinly sliced into disks
1 tsp minced ginger
2 tbsp coconut aminos
2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
1 c. fresh basil sliced
2 tbsp chopped peanut
Salt & pepper
Sriracha for drizzling
Soft boiled eggs (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Halve the spaghetti squash long-ways and scoop out the seeds & the rest of the goopy inside. Tip: if the squash is too tough to split, heat the whole squash in the oven at 350 for 10 minutes to soften it up, and then cut in half.  Drizzle each half with a bit of olive oil, about a teaspoon, and sprinkle with salt & pepper.  Place the squash flesh side up on a foil lined baking sheet.  Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the flesh of the squash can be easily flecked with a fork to unveil the spaghetti like texture.

As the squash cooks, prep the peanut dressing.  In a small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, vinegar, coconut aminos, lime juice, ginger, and red pepper flakes.  Set the dressing aside until the squash is fully cooked.  

Now time for the stir fry.  Season the sliced steak generously with salt & pepper.  In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp of the vegetable oil and garlic over medium heat.  Heat until the pan begins to lightly smoke, and add in the steak.  Cook only for 3 minutes to barely sear and cook through, remove the steak from pan and set aside.  Add the remainder of the vegetable oil to the skillet along with the onion and peppers.  Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring every minute or so, giving the veggies a chance to get nice and soft.  Once the veggies are cooked, add in the coconut aminos and sweet chili sauce, increasing the heat until the sauce begins to bubble.  Let the sauce simmer for 2 minutes, then reduce the heat to low, add the meat back to the skillet, and stir so all the steak is coated with sauce.  Cover the skillet, keeping the heat on low, and keep stir fry warm until your ready to eat.

Once the squash has finished cooking, remove from the oven & immediately begin flecking the squash with the fork to that the flesh looks stringy.  In other words, gently pull the flesh away from the rind.  Once cooled enough to handle, scoop out the flesh into a large bowl.  Gently toss with the peanut sauce.  Key word being gently to protect the stringy squash texture.  Finish the squash by topping it with the parsley and peanuts.

Now time to finish the stir fry.  Increase the heat back to medium to get it nice and hot, and stir in the basil and peanuts.  Serve the spaghetti squash and stir fry right alongside one another, and top with an over easy egg to get some runny yolk goodness oozing over the whole thing.  Get a bite of the stir fry with a little of the squash all at once, and it's perfect.  You're ready to eat