Seasoned Tofu Noodles on a Bed of Roasted Squash with Avocado Arugula Cream

Looking for something vegetarian for Thanksgiving?  These days, a meat-based Thanksgiving meal can be tricky when serving a diverse crowd. Here's something fancy enough for guests and hearty enough to give thanks over.

1 large spaghetti squash
1 brick extra firm tofu
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 Tbsp fresh thyme
1 cup frozen chopped spinach, or 2 cups fresh chopped baby spinach
1 large fresh ripe tomato, diced
8 oz. soba noodles or any other kind of spaghetti noodle

Avocado Arugula Cream:
1 ripe avocado, peeled and cored
1 green onions, roughly chopped
small palmful cilantro leaves
small palmful parsley leaves
small palmful baby arugula leaves
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
about 1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400F.  Carefully cut the squash in half at the waist (not lengthwise) and scoop out all the seeds.  Then carefully slice the squash into 1-inch rings.  Lay the rings on 1-2 rimmed jelly roll baking pans in a single layer and brush both sides with canola oil.  Generously salt and pepper them, and roast for about 45 minutes, until will browned and soft.

Meanwhile, get 2-3 quarts of salted water to boiling in a pot.  Blend the cream sauce ingredients in a blender, adding only enough milk to make a saucy consistency.

Sauté the tofu in a large non-stick skillet, seasoning generously with the garlic and onion powders, thyme salt and pepper.  After about 15 minutes, the tofu should have browned up a bit.  Add the spinach and set on a very low simmer.

Cook the pasta in the water until just al dente.  Drain, and toss with a bit of olive oil.  Add the tomatoes to the tofu and raise heat to sizzle them up and just heat them through. 

Now plate each squash ring and twirl a bit of spaghetti into the center.  Spoon some tofu mix over the spaghetti and top with a bit of cream sauce.

Serves 4-6.

Cook's Note:  I used Trader Joe's corn noodles, which were very good.  But you could use soba noodles or really any other noodles you would like. I used a striped spaghetti squash from our CSA - about 8-inches long by 3-4 inches wide.  I got six rings from mine; if you are serving more than 4, you might need two squashes.  I can only find yellow spaghetti squash in our grocery stores, which would work just as well.