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What a lovely pair of spaghetti squashes you have! May I see your recipe?
Published: 11/5/2012 7:30 AM
Last Modified: 11/2/2012 6:51 PM

"Nice melons!" the sales clerk told me.

"Thanks!" I said, not correcting the individual who couldn't tell I was actually holding two spaghetti squashes to my chest.

I hadn't grabbed a cart before shopping, as I was only there for squash and feta cheese -- my fourth squash to buy this week.

I confess: I have a spaghetti squash addiction.

Being on Weight Watchers, I can't enjoy the copious amounts of pasta I used to consume at least once a week -- usually, half a pound of penne or seashell pasta with a blend of marinara and alfredo, or maybe just pesto, with half a cup of Parmesan grated on top. Mmm ... No wonder I got so fat so quickly.

Now that I'm 20 pounds down (with about 50 to go between now and next spring), I intend to keep it off. That means no more half-pound penne pasta servings.

Instead, I've switched to spaghetti squash, which I love. I usually just take a ... I don't know, two-pound one? Maybe it's three. Whatever, I take it, stab it three times while thinking of an ex (kidding), then plop it in a preheated oven, 375 degrees, for one hour.

Monday night, it turned out perfectly; Thursday night was almost slightly soft, of which I'm not overly fond. Like my pasta, I prefer my spaghetti squash al dente.

Anyway, I let it cool for 5 or 10 minutes, then split it open, scoop out the seeds (which you can toast like pumpkin seeds, by the way) and commence to scraping out the noodle-lookin' innards of my squash. I usually eat both halves in two back-to-back sittings, with 1/2 cup of low-fat marinara on each serving -- no alfredo, no pesto, no blends. But it's definitely filling, and it's less than 10 points for all of that, with the marinara, so woohoo!

When I'm sharing with Lord V, I might put 1/4 cup of feta on top or slices of a chicken breast.

Some folks don't put their spaghetti squashes in the oven whole, though, like this recipe from FoodNetwork.com ...

Spaghetti Squash with Marinara
2 whole spaghetti squash
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Gray salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups prepared (jarred) marinara sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Split the squashes in half, and scrape out seeds. Line an oven tray with aluminum foil. Season the spaghetti squash with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place flesh side down, and roast for 30-40 minutes until fully cooked. Remove from the oven, and let rest until cool enough to handle.
3. Meanwhile, heat the marinara sauce in a large saute pan.
4. When squash is cool enough to handle, using a large kitchen spoon, scrape the strands of squash from the inside of the skin. Toss the spaghetti squash in the pan with the hot marinara for just long enough to get hot. Serve and enjoy.

Do you have a delicious, healthy recipe? Please share!

Peace, love and non-melon-related compliments ... XOXO

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FANTACULAR (3 months ago)

My Mom always made it with butter, cinnamon, and and a little brown sugar. Of course the healthy alternative would be spray butter, cinnamon, and splenda :-)

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Living Wright

While other kids were watching "The Smurfs," Scene Writer Jason Ashley Wright was tuned in to "Style with Elsa Klensch." By fourth grade, he knew he wanted to write, and spent almost three years publishing a weekly teen-oriented magazine, Teen-Zine -- circulation: 2. After earning a degree in journalism from the University of Southern Mississippi, he became the medical reporter and teen board coordinator for the Hattiesburg (Miss.) American, a Gannett newspaper. Eight months later, with visions of Elsa dancing in his head, he applied for the fashion writer position at the Tulsa World, where he began working on Aug. 3, 1998. He is now a general assignment reporter for Scene.

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