Cooking with Chef Christie

Anyone who somewhat knows me knows that I cook. Anyone who really knows me knows that I tend to cook at the oddest hours. No matter what time it is, if I'm hungry or have the taste for something, I will cook it. I'm the type to not keep too many convenience foods around. For one, they're not healthy. Two, they're crap. Three, my food tastes better anyway. Four, I discovered that I actually like cooking. If you ever have stuff on your mind, start chopping onions or something. It's therapeutic. Okay, well not the eye burning part. But I've noticed that my eyes aren't irritated if I'm wearing contacts.

So last week, I got a sweet tooth and ended up baking pumpkin muffins around 1am. Last night, I was determined to get into my spaghetti squash. So I started cooking in the wee hours again. If you were on twitter last night, you were probably wondering what the hell I was doing up so late (or early depending on how you look at it) getting my Lidia's Family Table on. Yes, I can throw down like a big boned, Italian wench (with some veg friendly and healthy modifications) when I want to. So it was about 3am when I finally ate. I woke up with my kitchen still smelling like Lidia was in there putting in work.

And now for the Cooking with Chef Christie show that I put on last night:

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil.

Add tomato paste and red wine. I'm using burgundy.

Add spices. I got oregano, thyme, basil and marjoram going on.

Add whole tomatoes. Then break them up with your spoon. Don't forget to add a pinch of sugar to cut down on the acidity. Just a pinch. Don't go crazy with it.

Add salt and red pepper flakes to taste. I like mine spicy. Then let it simmer.

Add tofu for protein. I like a balanced meal. Use your protein of choice. Continue simmering.

Time to tackle the spaghetti squash. I don't think my knife is big enough.

Got it open without a struggle. Time to scoop out the seeds.

Spaghetti squash is easy. Just microwave face down.

Scoop out the 'spaghetti'.

Plate and serve with garlic toast and maybe some wine.

In case you're wondering, I'm not vegan or vegetarian any more. I eat fish occasionally (no creepy crawlies, no sea urchins, nothing in a shell, just fish with fins). Even knowing that, people still call me vegetarian. But whatever. I eat what I eat. Most of my cooking is vegan, since I don't eat eggs. If I make any type of pastry, baked goods, or pancakes and such, they are vegan (so I'm vegan on those days). I don't cook with dairy unless I specifically want dairy, like a grilled cheese sammich (making me vegetarian on those days). Then there are times I will cook a piece of salmon or tilapia to go with a side of veggies and a baked potato (making me pescatarian on those days). Most of the time, I use tofu or tempeh as my protein of choice . But hey, cook how you want to cook. Just make it tasty and healthy.