Spaghetti Squash and Fava Beans with Sunflower Pesto

Spaghetti squash is a great alternative to pasta if you're trying to avoid grains or simple carbohydrates. I often pair it with a tomato-based pasta sauce, but tonight I decided to raid the basil pots in my kitchen window and make pesto. I only got one cup worth of leaves from my poor, stripped little plants, so I decided to make a milder pesto by adding spinach. The first can of beans I pulled out of the pantry were fava beans, but you can substitute favas with any other bean you like.

Spaghetti Squash and Fava Beans with Sunflower Pesto

Ingredients:
1 medium-sized spaghetti squash

1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 cup spinach
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp salt

1 can fava beans, drained and rinsed
2 shallots, sliced thin
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp olive oil
pinch salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375F. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Place cut side down on a cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes.

While the squash is baking, make the pesto. Place basil, spinach, sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast, olive oil, and salt in a food processor and process until smooth. The spinach may cause the pesto sauce to oxidize and turn a little darker, but this doesn't affect the flavor.

Heat 1 tsp of olive oil in a saute pan. Add shallots and mushrooms and saute for 3-4 minutes, until shallots are translucent. Add beans, salt, and pepper, and continue sauteing for another 1-2 minutes until beans are hot.

When the squash is done cooking, use a fork to separate the strands. Put squash on plates and spoon pesto and bean mixture on top. Mix the pesto into the squash before eating.

Serves about 3.