A comfort dinner....Roasted Chicken and spaghetti squash?

For some reason, every once in a while, I just need to make something plain and simple, that just tastes delicious and satisfies whatever craving I have just to have a yummy meal.... so for me, it's a roasted chicken.  I sprinkle on the following spices:  onion powder, garlic powder, sea salt, ground black pepper, herbs de Provence, and paprika.  I coat the entire surface of the chicken, and then spray with a vegetable oil spray, so that the herbs don't fall off.

 

I start cooking this in my convection oven, breast-side down.  After about 45 minutes, I take the pan out and flip over the chicken, breast side up.  I will cook the remainder 15 minutes this way.  When the timer goes off, I notice the thermometer hasn't popped, so I turn the regular oven on to 325 and leave the chicken in until the popper pops.

So here comes the funky part of this meal... spaghetti squash.  I cut the squash in half and scraped the seeds out.  I put each half face down in a pan with a little water and bake.  I  roast my spaghetti squash at 325 for about 30 minutes.  When the timer goes off, I remove them from the oven, flip them over and let them cool for a bit.    I will then flake the "spaghetti-like" threads of squash into a pan. 

 It is so cool how much this squash looks like pasta!  In the blender, I put a can's worth of artichoke hearts (reserve the liquid from the can), 2 cloves of garlic, 1 cup of Parmesan cheese, a little sea salt and fresh ground pepper,  and about a tablespoon of parsley.  Blend everything.  I added the entire can of liquid from the artichoke hearts as well as a little olive oil, so that the sauce wouldn't be too thick. 

 

 Done.  Now to put everything together.  I take the spaghetti squash, and mix in the sauce, along with a can of sliced mushrooms and about a cup of sliced cherry tomatoes.  Add a little more shredded Parmesan cheese and take a taste...

Yum!  This along with the roasted chicken?  Amazing.....