Tag Archives: Spaghetti Squash

Rosemary Apricot Spaghetti

Posted on by
6

I am not eating meat. This is a tragedy, but it is wreaking havoc on my digestion right now, so I’m taking a little break to see if things improve (they have, and pretty quick, too). SAD. Also, no avocados or eggs, they’re not digesting either. What am I eating? Plant based foods! How long can this last? Not sure!

Rosemary Apricot Spaghetti

  • Pre-roasted spaghetti squash
  • Fresh rosemary
  • Organic dried apricots
  • Himalayan pink salt
  • Black pepper
  • Grass-fed butter

I reheated the spaghetti squash with grass-fed butter, Himalayan pink salt (trying to change salt quality), black pepper and rosemary. When butter was melted and squash was hot, I added the organic dried apricots, cut in half, and heated a little more so they were soft, but still a little chewy. I don’t typically eat dried fruit, but I had them leftover from a recipe, and they needed to be used. They were organic, and preservative free.DSC_0462

How to roast a Spaghetti Squash!

Posted on by
7

There are several different methods for roasting a spaghetti squash, but because I’ve had a couple of individuals ask me how to in the last few weeks (in the produce section especially, yay for people buying new veggies!), I thought it deserved a post. I’ve tried a couple different roasting methods, but have the most success with the following:

Roasting a Spaghetti Squash

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
  2. Wash the outside skin of the squash
  3. Stab evenly with a knife
  4. Place squash in glass baking dish
  5. Roast
  6. Remove and let cool
  7. Cut in 1/2 lengthwise
  8. Scoop out seeds
  9. Scrape out spaghetti!

Roasting time depends on size. I roast smaller ones for about 25 minutes, and larger ones (pictured) for about 45-50 minutes. You can check progress by sticking a fork in it (stick a fork in me, I’m done, hahahaha), and you want it to be easy to poke through, but still slightly firm (for an “al dente” pasta texture). Refrigerate and eat throughout the week, a million and one different ways 🙂

DSC_0372DSC_0376DSC_0377DSC_0378DSC_0379

Italian Flavors abound!

Posted on by
3

I’ve really been craving Italian flavors lately, WAIT…I think I’m craving the idea of Italian flavors (meaning, dimly lit authentic little Italian restaurant, good red wine, Frank Sinatra, cheese, and garlic). What’s awesome about this health journey I’m on is recognizing the flavors OR ideas (in my brain) that I’m craving, appreciating them, and understanding what they mean so I can satisfy them in a healthy way. Amazing the very, very close relationship between your gut and your brain. That’s a whole other post.

These cravings were the inspiration for my creation last night: Artichoke Olive Pasta.

Artichoke Olive Pasta

  • Roasted spaghetti squash
  • 1 can/jar artichoke hearts
  • 1 small or 1/2 large can whole pitted black olives
  • 1/2 a diced white onion
  • Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil
  • Herbes de Provence
  • Garlic powder
  • Kosher salt/pepp
  • Olive oil

I had pre-roasted spaghetti squash in the fridge, which made this dish super quick. I squeezed the water out of the artichoke hearts over a colander (they don’t need to be “pretty” so I literally smash them up in my hand). I melted about 1 TBSP of coconut oil in a sauté pan, and added the diced onion, sprinkling with garlic powder, kosher salt/pepp. After about 5 minutes, I added the squeezed artichoke hearts and continued stirring so they could warm up. Last, I added the black olives, which I’d sliced in half lengthwise. I turned the heat down low to keep everything warm, and microwaved a pile (yes, a big pile) of spaghetti squash. once the squash was warm, I generously sprinkled with Herbes de Provence, and a drizzle of olive oil (to add to the Italian flavor). Then I added my artichoke olive stir-fry, and voilà! Italian flavors abound!

DSC_0350DSC_0355

Turkey Spaghetti Toss!

Posted on by
2

Last night was a “what do I have on hand that’s easy because it’s Thursday” kind of night 🙂

I had pre-roasted spaghetti squash in the fridge as well as diced red onion, and organic ground turkey thawed. 3 things I thought I could do something with, and inspired by this dish from Paleo in PDX: http://wp.me/p2slMQ-1bw

Turkey Spaghetti Toss

  • 1 pkg organic ground turkey
  • 2 cups roasted spaghetti squash
  • Diced red onion
  • Grass-fed garlic butter
  • Dried parsley
  • Garlic salt (thanks to my neighbor, as I was out!)
  • Kosher salt/pepp

I started by browning the turkey in the pan, seasoning with kosher salt/pepp, and garlic salt. I added the red onion and continued cooking until the meat was browned. The turkey is so lean that I didn’t add anything to the pan to cook it in, and there was virtually no grease after it was done cooking.

Then I put about 2 cups of spaghetti squash in a bowl, added a couple slices of grass-fed garlic butter, dried parsley and a little more garlic salt. I re-heated the squash in the microwave until it was hot and the butter was melted. Then I added a portion of the turkey mixture to the squash and tossed.

I wanted to go back for seconds, but I refrained because my first bowl was rather large-it’s that good. Since I have leftovers of everything I’ll probably have it again today. It was hearty with protein, a little buttery, and complete comfort food on a chilly night!DSC_0119P.S. Who needs pasta?

‘Mazing Monday Meal

Posted on by
6

My first day back at work from a week off for Thanksgiving, and I did not feel like cooking. Fortunately, Seth had an idea (this can go several ways. He calls it the Hews-Surprisio! Sometimes, I get nervous.). 🙂 I will say that we make a pretty damn good kitchen team, as his specialty is meat/seafood and mine is fruits/vegetables.

He bought some sustainable canned tuna, packed in olive oil recently (because he happen to look at the ingredients in the tuna we’ve bought for years-hydrolized soy protein. WTF, there is no need to add soy to canned tuna. Another fine example of unnecessary ingredients added to food we eat. Think corn starch in your tea.) that we had yet to use. He thought he’d make tuna cakes. They were friggin fabulous.

Tuna Cakes

  • Tuna
  • Diced bell pepper
  • Diced onion
  • Halved cherry tomato
  • Drizzle olive oil
  • 3 Tbsp almond flour
  • Dash kosher salt/pepp

Mix above ingredients until well incorporated, and form into patties. Pan fry them on the stove in the oil of your choice. They were really nice for a change and sooooooooo good. We’ll definitely be adding them to our rotation.

For our sides, I added some roasted spaghetti squash with a little organic marinara and a wee bit of freshly grated asiago cheese. Dessert-fresh raspberries.

Nom!