Spaghetti Squash alla Carbonara

from: http://paleoparents.com/featured/spaghetti-squash-alla-carbonara/#disqus_thread

• 1 medium spaghetti squash
• 12 oz nitrate-free bacon
• 1 Tbsp arrowroot powder
• 1/2 C full-fat coconut milk
• 6 eggs
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning (or herbs de provence)
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp salt (did not use this)
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 heaping Tbsp lard (or butter)

Instructions (I made half of this and it was pretty good!!

1. Cut the spaghetti squash in half, scoop out the seeds, place open side down on a plate and microwave for 10 minutes (alternatively, bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees)
2. While the squash is cooking, fry up the strips of bacon (whole) in a pan over medium heat. (I cut up the bacon beforehand and fried it in small pieces.) Use one you can also scramble eggs in, we like a cast iron skillet
3. When the bacon is finished cooking and crispy, remove from the pan and set-aside bacon
4. Over medium heat, whisk in the arrowroot powder to the bacon grease and let cook for a few minutes
5. * While the arrowroot cooks, combine eggs, coconut milk, seasoning, parsley, salt and garlic powder in a bowl until all yolks are fully incorporated
6. Pour eggs into pan, stirring frequently, and cook in bacon fat until still wet but cooked through (about 3 minutes)
7. Slice bacon into 1/4 inch strips, add to serving bowl and top with egg mixture
8. * Scoop out spaghetti squash "noodles" with a spoon and and add to serving bowl, top with lard
9. *Slowly start to incorporate lard into spaghetti squash; once melted, stir to combine all ingredients (I skipped this step, as I used all the bacon grease in the pan. It was plenty.)

Baked Spaghetti Squash with Garlic and Butter
Couple of ways to cook the squash:
1. Microwave 2-4 minutes to soften, cut in half and under-bake so it is a little crunchy. Put cut side down on baking sheet and roast 30 min. at 375 degrees.
2. Or, pierce squash a few times with share knife and bake whole for 60 min. at 375 degrees until knife pierces easily through skin. Let cool 10 min.
3. Or - AND I WANT TO TRY THIS - cut in half lengthwise and put flat sides UP on pan. Scoop out seeds (or you can do this after baking) and brush with olive oil. Put in cold oven and turn to 460 degrees. Roast 20-30 minutes if small, and check. It may take 40-50 minutes.  Scoop out strands and add sauce or stew. From Chocolatecoveredkatie.com

Scoop out seeds and discard. Use a fork to scrape out the strands. You may have to bake an additional 10 minutes to get it all.
For four people, use four cups of squash.
Heat large pan with 2 T butter and 2 cloves garlic over med.-low. When garlic becomes fragrant, add 1/4 C parsley, salt and squash. Toss well, sprinkle in the 1/4 C Parmesan and 1/2 tsp salt to taste. From steamykitchen.com

Vegan Cheese Sauce (from chocolatecoveredkatie.com)
1 cup cooked white beans
1/2 cup milk of choice (unsweetened)
5 Tb nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp vinegar
2 tsp buttery spread
optional pinch of turmeric, thyme, rosemary, etc.

Drain and rinse beans. Blend together everything, transfer to a pot and heat on low, stirring occasionally until desired serving temp is reached. Stir in pasta, or spaghetti squash or broccoli, etc. Can thin with more milk if necessary.