Wednesday, October 22, 2008

VeganMofo: Adding to My Fall Produce Repertoire

It struck me while I was in the grocery store yesterday that there were three fall produce items that I have never used in my home kitchen. Since discovering new flavors is at the heart of what veganmofo is about, it was the perfect opportunity to try them out. So into my grocery basket went a spaghetti squash, a pomegranate, and a blood orange. Then I needed to figure out how to turn them into a meal....
After googling how to remove the seeds from a pomegranate, I went step by step through the simple instructions, first chopping the top off, then scoring the sides, soaking in water for ten minutes, and then gently prying out the seeds and letting them sink to the bottom of the bowl. And of course, I kept sneaking seeds into my mouth!

For a sweet and tangy fall salad, I tossed organic greens with the pomegranate seeds, blood orange slices, avocado, and a roasted shallot dressing.
The spaghetti squash was cut in half, seeds removed (and subsequently roasted and eaten), drizzled wih olive oil, and seasoned with salt and pepper which then went into the oven to roast at 375 for 45 minutes. Served with just a dab of Earth Balance.

22 comments:

Unknown said...

isn't fall wonderful!?!?

tofufreak said...

mmm..... that salad looks awesome! great combination! i love pomegranates :D

Anonymous said...

That meal looks beautiful and delicious. I just picked up a pomegranate at the grocery today :)

Carrie™ said...

Although I'm not a big squash fan, I do like zucchini & spaghetti squash. Love pomegranates!! That salad you made looks killer!

Anonymous said...

Mm, some of my favorite things! If only those pomegranates weren't so darned expensive around here...

Virginia said...

i have had spaghetti squash but i have never had a blood orange or pomegranate! maybe i should branch out some!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

OH MY, OH MY, OH MY - come make these meals for me, right now. Please?? ;0)

fitncrafty said...

Your salad is making my mouth water! It looks delicious!

I just love spaghetti squash... It tastes great with a fresh pesto yum..

Anonymous said...

I love love love spaghetti squash! It's so easy and so yummy - and with your pesto? Wow!

Belle said...

Just a tip for the squash. If you cut it across the middle and not lengthwise, you'll get longer 'pasta' out of it, though it might take a little longer to roast.

Tami said...

Wow, 3 new things in one shopping trip. That's so impressive.

You put them all to wonderful use.. that salad! Yum!

jessy said...

that's the prettiest salad i've seen! it's perfect! and how awesome that it's got blood oranges (aren't they they coolest? and tasty, too?!) & pomegranates! mmmmmmmm!

spaghetti squash is some tasty stuff as well. what a great way to enjoy it - roasted and "as is"! delightful!

this makes me want to try something new. thanks! :)

allularpunk said...

trying new things is fun! i've been meaning to cook up a spaghetti squash for ages, but haven't yet. we eat pomegranates like there's no tomorrow at my house, and would blood oranges too, if they weren't $1.30 EACH.

Anonymous said...

I've never tried any of these fall items, either, but they all sound delicious! I love the way you prepared them!

aTxVegn said...

I love your simply prepared spaghetti squash. Now I want some!

Anonymous said...

Such a beautiful salad!

Anonymous said...

That salad looks heavenly. I think pomegranate is my favorite fruit! How did you enjoy your new finds??

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

Sounds good to me! I love trying new fruits & veggies.

Sheree' said...

The last pomegranate I bought was so sour we could not even eat it. That was a couple weeks ago so I hope they have sweetened up a bit. Your salad looks really good!

Theresa said...

I've never tried spaghetti squash--I don't think they grow it much here in Australia. I love fresh pomegranates and blood oranges though, but unfortunately I don't eat them much because they are shipped here from California usually!

A@ Please Don't Eat Me! said...

oh that salad looks so yummy! i love spaghetti squash.. its perfect!

Megan said...

Oh, that looks so scrumptious!