Eric and I have been quite obsessed with HGTV and DIY Network for some time now. We know all the shows. All the hosts. Bryan Baeumler fan girl/boy right here! We can recite all the annoying commercials by heart (ugh). We watch repeated episodes multiple times to the point where we could recognize the homeowners on the street. Eric is tormented by the fact that we’re renting right now and can’t really do anything major to spiff up this place. Not that it’s a bad place to live, but it doesn’t really feel overly personalized for us. It doesn’t quite feel like home. He’s so desperate to build things he didn’t complain once when putting together an Ikea cabinet the other week! How does that even happen?
The point of this story, however, is that the DIY shows are brainwashing me.
Proof? I’m entertaining Eric’s idea of gutting an old house from top to bottom. That’s on his bucket list. His dream is to buy the crappiest, oldest, creepiest house on the block and gut it to the bones. We recently went to look at a 100-year old house that hadn’t been updated since the original owner moved in. Green cabinets, knob and tube electrical, scary stains in the basement, rotary phones. It was straight out of a horror flick. Isn’t that every girl’s dream? Can I even survive that kind of torment? Who knows. Watching them make it look so easy on TV makes me feel like it’s possible though (or insane, depending on the day).
I hate to be a dream crusher, so I’m entertaining this idea. Plus, I love when he’s happy and doing what he is passionate about. I just don’t want a house gutting to be a marriage gutter, you know what I mean? I recall the renos we did in our previous house and it wasn’t always puppy dogs and rainbows. There were tears, fights, hefty bills, excruciating trips to Home Depot (loathe), dust, and more dust. Did I mention dust? Maybe renting isn’t so bad after all.
I’ll keep you posted on what we end up doing. In the meantime, feel free to share your own home renovation stories with me! Are you living through any right now?
Something that isn’t a marriage crusher? This recipe right here. Smiles and happy bellies all around with this meal. As per my theme of Vegan Glow in September, this meal was super easy to throw together. In fact, I think I’m going to put it on the rotation every week! It’s also a great way to boost your vegetable intake significantly.
When the squash is done roasting, season it with chili powder, cumin, oregano, and more salt and pepper. I go wild with the spices. Then layer on a hefty serving of black bean guacamole. I repeat: go wild.
aaaaand feast!
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
Tex Mex Spaghetti Squash with Black Bean Guacamole
Yield
2-3 servings
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
A satisfying and healthy dinner for two! Recipe inspired by Whole Foods.
Ingredients
For the spaghetti squash:
- 1 medium spaghetti squash
- extra virgin olive oil
- ground cumin
- ground chili powder
- dried oregano
- salt & pepper
For the black bean guacamole:
- 2 avocados, pitted and flesh scooped out
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 1 small tomato, seeded and diced
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed (about 1.5 cups cooked beans)
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste
- fine grain sea salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- red pepper flakes, to taste
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice off the stem of the squash and place the squash cut side down on a cutting board. With a chef's knife, carefully slice through the squash lengthwise to create two long halves. Scoop out the seeds and guts with an ice cream scoop. Brush some olive oil onto the squash and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place squash halves cut side down on the baking sheet and roast for 30-50 minutes, depending on how large your squash is. When the squash is tender and you can easily scrape the strands with a fork, it's ready. I like to check the squash after 25-30 minutes to make sure I'm not over cooking it. Be sure not to cook for too long or it will turn mushy.
- While the squash is roasting, prepare the black bean guacamole. Mash the avocado flesh in a large bowl. Fold in the onion, tomato, drained and rinsed black beans, and cilantro. Season to taste with lime juice, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
- Remove squash from the oven, flip over, and scrape the flesh with a fork in vertical motions. Do this until you've scraped all the strands off the skin. Now sprinkle on some chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper (as much or as little as you want). Top the squash with guacamole and serve warm. You can also plate the spaghetti squash, if preferred.
Tip:
For a step by step photo tutorial for roasting spaghetti squash, see this post.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
This was delicious … super filling. I dare say it might have almost been too much guac (which seems impossible!).
Thanks!!
DELICIOUS sums up this dish! My transition to plant based eating is easier because of your recipes and detailed instructions. Thank you!
In April this year we bought a 100 year old house and are renovating it top to bottom. Id be very cautious buying a house that hasn’t been touched in 100 years though get a very good inspector and even structural engineer in to make sure you’re not wasting your time and money . As it is this house is very well built and has been somewhat kept up. Its a LOT of work, it costs a whole lot more thoen you expect, you’ll live in absolute chaos for a while until each room is complete but in the end it is sooooo worth it to sit in your renovated house and enjoy it. If you can do the work without hiring people it keeps the cost way down, but if you’re trying to work full time and renovate in free time you can expect it to take a very long time. As it is my hubby Is self employed and his Grampa who is helping is retired so hubby has taken a break and focused on Renoes and it’s still dragging. Oh and I’m 6 months pregnant…. don’t do Renoes pregnant lol. good luck!
This was delicious! Served it for my husband and dinner guest. They both loved it. Thanks for sharing.
Loved this dish from start to finish. The guacamole with the spaghetti squash was awesome. This is a keeper recipe for me. Everyone in the family loved this one from the 8 year old to the 65 year old…. loved, loved, loved it. The tangy fresh flavor of the guacamole coupled with the semi sweet squash added dimension to the ol taste buds…thanks for this one.
I made this for my husband and I a few weeks ago. I was adventurous and tried the spaghetti squash for the first time. I knew that I would like it, but as for my husband, I wasn’t sure….Guess what?!? He loved it! I was very pleased with the way it turned out.
Thanks for a great recipe. I am always looking for recipes that will appeal to my non-vegan family. I have found several on your website! Thank you!
I really enjoyed this! Thank you. The leftovers were even great. The avocado did not get gross.
This was a great and easy recipe! Angela – thanks so much for all your recipe postings – I’ve tried a few and none of them have missed! Finally vegan recipes that are good and easy to make!
I made this again tonight, this time with a butternut squash, since the store was out of spaghetti squash, and it was still every bit as delicious! My omnivore mother swears this is one of her new favorite meals.
Just made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! Filling, unique flavors and roasting spaghetti squash is so fun. Will be making this again for sure!
I used quinoa instead of spaghetti squash (the one I had was spoiled inside) and it was really tasty. I love using fresh herbs in dishes. I even had some left over that I scooped up with carrot sticks earlier today. These recipes have helped to make my transition to going vegan so much easier!
OMG, these recipes look amazing!! Thanks so much, off to try them… :)
Just finished eating this. Both me and my husband loved it. Thanks!
I made this last night and it was AMAZING! Very simple to make (with easy cleanup if you eat it right out of the squash), and tasted so fresh. Thank you for this wonderful recipe! =)
Would spaghetti noodles taste good as well?
This is one of the best dinners I have had in a long time. It is very easy to make, I cooked my squash in the microwave, The whole dish was done in 10 min. Very tasty!
Made this last night for my dad and my sister, just doubled the recipe and… oh my goodness! This is seriously so so delicious and easy to make. I think I ate a lifetime supply of spaghetti squash because the spices make it amazing. Thanks for sharing!
This is the third day in a row that I have eaten this dish. I CAN’T STOP!!! It’s the most perfect thing I’ve ever eaten.
I tried this and my whole family loved it! Its really simple and easy and has a ton of flavor.
This was amazing. My husband and I pressure cooked our squash for 2 minutes instead of roasted but kept everything else the same. Repeat-worthy fo sho.