What I’m Eating Now.

Ah, fall time. I love autumn, my favorite time of the year. Crisp mornings, shorter days, and the faint smell of wood burning fireplaces. Fall brings us root vegetables (hmmm, think I’ll make a root veggie stew this week), the almost ever-present leafy greens (kale is especially good now), fun fruits like pomegranate and persimmons, and winter squash! How I love acorn squash, butternut, and what I’m eating now: spaghetti squash.

Spaghetti squash is very low in calories and is the perfect gluten free alternative to pasta! When roasted, the flesh flakes off like spaghetti strands and can be topped with meat or tomato sauce or my favorite, pesto. Or, roast and then stir fry with vegetables. It’s very adaptable to any recipe. Can also be served with olive oil, garlic, and sea salt.

Spaghetti squash doesn’t have as impressive a nutritional profile as its more richly colored cousins, the acorn or butternut, but it is high in potassium, an essential mineral for blood pressure regulation.

To prepare, simply hack it in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. It can be pretty hard to saw in half, so if you’re not up for the challenge, you can chuck the whole thing in a 375 oven and roast it for about an hour or so, until it’s soft. After it cools, cut in half and scoop seeds; flake the flesh into strands. Or, if pre-hacked, scoop out seeds and put both halves in a glass baking dish with an inch of water, skin side up, and roast about 30-45 minutes.

Once it cools and the flesh has been flaked, use it like spaghetti or noodles. Stores well in the fridge for up a 4 days. Haven’t tried freezing it, so can’t comment on that. I usually mix it with chicken and pesto and it is very delicious. Enjoy!