Spaghetti Squash

I started playing around with spaghetti squash years ago but was never really impressed with the end product. It always turned out mushy, soggy and when I would scrape it out of the skin it never really came out stringy but rather in big chunks. I eventually gave up on trying to like it and stopped buying it.

Years later brings us to today and I again decided to give this guy another shot. I was seeing recipes including it that sounded wonderful so I went and bought myself a nice big one from the farmers' market. Eureka! I just made a dish that is an absolute keeper with just one little change... cooking the heck out of it! I put it in the oven for about two hours at 375 degrees F and it came out PERFECTLY! The flavor difference from what I remembered was night and day and the texture was just as I always thought it should be. I let it cool for about 45 minutes and began the scraping process; perfection. No mush, no sogginess and no chunks. Just beautiful al dente strands of squash.

I tested the taste of it with a sprinkling of salt and knew I had found a new staple ingredient for my kitchen. It was flavorful, slightly creamy with just a bit of firmness in the center. I used this in a new recipe for lunch and absolutely loved it! Didn't miss the pasta one bit!

Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Mushroom Sauce

1 1/5 cups spaghetti squash, cooked

1/2 cup chopped mushrooms

1/4 large onion julienned

2 cloves of garlic minced

2 ounces ground turkey

1 ounce parmesan or asiago cheese

1/2 c tomato sauce, unflavored

1 T oil

1/4 t each, salt, dried rosemary, sage, thyme

Sautee onions and mushrooms in oil pan set at medium heat.

Once veggies begin to brown and liquid has evaporated lower the heat to medium low and add garlic.

Once garlic has softened and lightly browned add ground turkey and season with salt and herbs.

Once turkey is fully cooked pour tomato sauce into pan and coat entire mixture.

Add squash to pan to re-warm and toss with sauce.

Plate and top with tons of freshly grated asiago or parm!

This serves one!

Let's talk about food, baby...

Let's talk about my most recent adventures in the kitchen! With my husband out of the country for the next six or seven months I have been experimenting to my hearts content with several fabulous concoctions of recipes. With him home I tend to stay a little more conservative when I cook as he seems to have a less than adventurous palate. That said, I told him that one of the FEW perks of him being gone is my freedom to throw caution to the wind and get a little wild in my kitchen. I told him, babe, I'm having an affair with my kitchen while you're gone!

From here on out it's all about cooking, healthfully, but with a little bit more experimenting. Here's to my newest recipe that has already become a staple meal. It's loaded with ALL the good stuff and low in carbs!

Salmon with Zucchini Ribbon Sautée

2 6 ounce salmon fillets

1 small onion

1 large zucchini

1/2 red bell pepper

1 t minced garlic

salt and pepper

2 T oil

2 ounces parmesan cheese or however much you want!

Rinse and thoroughly dry salmon fillets. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat for about five minutes. Add 1 T oil to pan at five minutes and place salmon skin side up into pan uncovered. Turn heat to medium and let the salmon sear for five minutes.

Meanwhile, julienne bell pepper and onion and add to a separate oiled sauté pan set at medium heat. Spread veggies out to form a thin layer over bottom of pan and let caramelize for about three minutes.

Flip salmon and cover for another three minutes. Add garlic to veggies after three minutes and sautée for two minutes. Using a vegetable peeler, peel ribbons of zucchini into sautee pan with veggies until you reach the seeds. Sautee all veggies together and season with salt and pepper for another 3 minutes.

Pile veggies into two separate planes and place salmon fillets over top (I take the skin off of the salmon but feel free to keep it if you'd like). Grate fresh parmesan cheese liberally over salmon and veggies and dig in!

Roasted Butternut Squah Meatloaf!

This is my newest and favorite meatloaf recipe that I just had to get down on paper before I forgot it! The addition of the butternut squash makes this absolutely delicious! It adds moisture and a creamy texture while contributing to a sensational buttery-sweet flavor!

Ingredients:

8 ounces of lean turkey breast

10 ounces frozen spinach warmed and drained of all water

1 small butternut squash

1/4 parmesan cheese

1 egg

1 small onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 T olive oil divided

1 t dry basil

1 t dry oregano

1 t dry marjorum

1 t onion powder

1 t salt divided

1/2 t fresh ground pepper

1/2 15 ounce can stewed tomatoes

Peel and chop the butternut squash into bite size pieces and scatter over a baking pan. Rub 1 t of olive oil all over and sprinkle with 1/4 t salt. Place in oven and roast at 400 for 40 minutes of until lightly golden and very soft, turning every 10 minutes.

Add onion and garlic with 1 t olive oil to sautee pan on med-low until translucent and slightly browned.

Once squash is done add to a mixing bowl and mash until it looks like mashed potatoes. Add all remaining ingredients besides stewed tomatoes to mixing bowl with squash and combine until all ingredients are consistent throughout.

Place in meatloaf pan and top with stewed tomatoes. The juice will give some extra moisture and flavor to the meatloaf as it cooks and the tomatoe pieces will carmalize!

Place in 375 degree oven for about 45-60 minutes depending on your over. I highly recommend using a digital thermometer for best results.

Let cool for about 15 minutes when done. Cut into four servings and top with FRESHLY grated parmesan cheese!

D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S-!