Winter Squash Recipes: Spaghetti Squash

This year  have found a new obsession with winter squashes: butternut, spaghetti, acorn… you name it I’ll eat it.   I wanted to create a series of posts for you to enjoy with alternative options/recipes using winter squashes that you may have not tried or even known about before.  This post is dedicated to the first squash of the three: Spaghetti.

Thanks to a recommendation of a coworker, I have unlocked the secret to healthy pasta dishes without having to chomp down on stinky, literally squeaky alternatives like shirtaki noodles.  The answer my friends is spaghetti squash!  Have you ever seen one?  Do you even know where to find one?  Took me a bit of investigating and i did find that not all grocery stores had these so don’t get discouraged if you can’t find one either.  I have found them at Jewel and a local grocery store but have not been as lucky at larger chains like Target, Walmart, or even Whole Foods.  They are bright yellow (similar to yellow zucchini squash in color) but shaped round like a pumpkin.  I get them at my local Jewel in which they are placed by the other squashes in a unchilled area of the produce section next to the potatoes and onions.

Once purchased spaghetti squash is really easy to cook.  For those with less patience for cooking like myself, the squash can be microwaved!  For prep you just need to be sure to poke holes into its sides exactly like you would when cooking a potato. Pop the squash in the microwave on a paper plate for 8-10 minutes and voila it’s done!  if you have time or prefer to cook it in the oven it will take you approximately 45 minutes and the directions for prep are much different (see the squash’s label for details).  Now that you’ve fully cooked your squash you are ready to shred the insides and dress it up!

Spaghetti Squash freshly shredded

Below is just one of the many recipes you can make with spaghetti squash:

Pesto Chicken Spaghetti Squash:

1. Cook squash in microwave/oven until tender

2. Cut in half and scoop out all of the seeds

3. Take a fork and scrape the insides of the squash until you reach the rind

4.  Mix in 1 tbsp of olive oil and a pesto dry seasoning

5. Mix in chicken sausage or grilled chicken, chickpeas, parmesan cheese, spinach, red peppers and anything else to dress it up (in this recipe i added leftover ingredients from my fridge: chickpeas, mushrooms, and black olives)

6. Season with salt, pepper, garlic to taste and that’s it!

True it is a little more crunchy in texture than pasta, but you can’t expect it to be a perfect match since it’s not actual pasta anyways.  Plus it’s a vegetable so it’s packed with nutrients!

Related articles

• The Magic of Spaghetti Squash (honestfoodie.wordpress.com)
• You Gotta Try This! Spaghetti Squash (fauxstepfordwife.com)

All About Oil: Cooking, Eating, Baking

cooking oil’s (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We have all heard the health advocates toggle back and forth between which is the healthiest oil, which oil is full of trans fat…blah, blah, blah. However let’s be frank, do you know the difference between canola, vegetable, and coconut oil? How about olive oil and its “fantastic” health benefits? Are all olive oils equal? What about the coconut oil craze? Should I jump in it too? Relax.  Take a deep breath, we’re in this confusing puzzle together. Luckily, I came across an informative article from FitSugar with a solid breakdown of the oils for better or worse.  Perhaps after reading this a few of those missing puzzle pieces will fall into place giving you a clearer picture of which to use next time you’re making a stir fry or chocolate cake.

All About Oil: Choosing the Healthiest Cooking Option – http://pulse.me/s/iXbgc

Which type of oil do you prefer? Anything you’d change after reading this? Let us know!

Here’s even more articles on the subject:

• More coconut oil please! (thecrystalchronicles.wordpress.com)
• Best Oils to Cook With for Weight Loss (leanonlife.com)

Summer Recipe: Greek Quinoa Salad

 

We all know how great quinoa is for us.  It’s one of the only carbohydrate types that has a solid amount of protein per serving. I decided to get a box and play around with a recipe for a cold salad to suit my taste.  The title is deceptive however calling it a “salad”.  It is a cold salad but does not contain all those leafy and bulky greens/veggies that generally accompany that title.  It’s still healthy nonetheless.  Hope you enjoy:

Ingredients:

Quinoa (1/2 cup uncooked)

1 can drained/rinsed chickpeas

Kalamata olives (10-15 diced up into 1/3rd’s)

Red pepper (1/3 diced)

Red Onion (1/3 diced)

Tomato (1/3 diced)

1/2 Garlic Clove (ground)

Dash of Salt

Ground black Pepper (to taste)

Feta cheese (topping – to taste)

1 tbsp Olive Oil

1 tbsp Dijon Mustard

Lemon (1/2  of a lemon squeezed)

Parsley Sprigs

* Diced 1/3 cucumber optional

 

Directions (makes 4 servings):

1. Cook quinoa on stove with 1 cup water boiling and reducing to a simmer until tender. Let cool.

2.  In the meantime drain and rinse out the container of chickpeas.  Dice red peppers, onion, olives, tomatoes and cucumber.  Chop garlic up finely and set aside.

3.  Once quinoa has cooled mix in all of the ingredients above. Add in the Dijon Mustard and Olive Oil stirring until blended.

4. Finely chop parsley and mix in.

5. Squeeze lemon into container and add salt/pepper to taste.

6.  Stick in the fridge and let cool for 1-2 hours.  Enjoy!