Wednesday, May 13, 2015

10 Things I love about Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash is a lovely vegetable. I've experimented with them in the past, but my initial attempts at making good dinners with them were a bit of a let down. Thanks to Pinterest, however, I have found some really good recipes and cooking methods that make them a go-to meal about once a week. Here are some of the awesome things about Spaghetti Squash that I love:

1.The meat of the squash, when cooked, breaks in to noodle like strands, hence its name, and those "noodles" can replace any wheat noodle or rice in just about any dish. This is a good way to sneak in more veggies and cut back on carbs.
http://www.skinnymom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/SpaghettiSquashTacos3_horRESIZED.jpg

2. The "noodles" have an al dente texture when cooked, and might seem a little crunchy, but in a good way. They also have a slightly sweet flavor that lends itself well to savory sauce pairings.

3. They pack a big nutrition punch. In a one cup serving you will find:
0 g of fat, 10 g of carbs (2 g fiber, 4 g sugar, 4 g starch) and 1 g protein, plus a variety of vitamins and minerals, including folic acid and Vitamin A. (MyFitnessPal app)

4. The ones you find in the grocery store are usually yellow, but they can range from cream to orange in color. Spaghetti squash on the more orange side have a higher concentration of beta-carotene, and eating pigment rich vegetables will give your skin a healthy glow! (Glamour)

5. Spaghetti squash falls under the Winter Squash category, which means it is readily available during the winter months. This is encouraging when so many other vegetables are out of season.

6. There are several ways to prepare them, and all of those are super easy.  My favorite method is baking, but they can also be microwaved, boiled, or steamed.

To bake, cut the squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and goop, season with salt and pepper, drizzle with a little bit of olive oil, and bake, cut side down for about 45 minutes at 350°. If they aren't fork tender by then, I flip them over and bake for 10 - 15 more minutes. Let them rest until they are just cool enough to handle, and use a fork to scrape out the "noodles"

7. The seeds can be roasted, just like pumpkin seeds!  Make sure you don't discard the seeds when you remove them from the squash. I like to rinse and dry them while the squash is baking. To roast, again just sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, drizzle on some olive oil, and then spread the seeds evenly across a foil lined baking sheet. They take 5 to 10 minutes, so you need to keep an eye on them. But you can absolutely roast the seeds while the squash is in the oven; yay multitasking!

8. They are their own containers. The first spaghetti squash recipe I found on pinterest utilized the hollow shells as a baking vessel after you mix the "noodles" with the decedent, yet light, cream sauce. The spaghetti boats were a hit, and soon became our go-to serving method. The recipe makes 2 large servings, and you'll be amazed when you devour the whole thing, and not feel bloated or overstuffed.

9. Spaghetti squash are fairly inexpensive, depending on the season, but will run between $0.70 and $2.00 a pound. Eating healthier foods seems to get more and more expensive, so having low cost produce available certainly makes that task much easier.(Cost)

10. They are easy to grow. If you have the time and space, this variety is simple to grow, in ground or in containers. Be sure to plant more than one, as they need to cross pollinate between male and female plants. (Wikipedia)

The recipe possibilities are endless for these amazing vegetables, and I hope you enjoy experimenting with them as much as I do.

:)


1 comment: