Substitutes - Spaghetti Squash!

Part of eating healthy is all about substituting the bad for the good.  You like French fries?  Make it sweet potato fries.  You like Ice Cream?  Make it frozen yogurt.  You like pasta?  Make it spaghetti squash. 

Yep, that’s right, spaghetti squash.  Spaghetti squash is a great alternative to pasta because you can use it in any pasta dish that you would normally make.  Instead of a load of carbs and starch, you get a “pasta dish” packed with vitamins and fatty acids.

Fun Facts:

1. Spaghetti squash is very low in calories (one cup is about 40 calories), very low in fat, and has no cholesterol. 
2. It also contains omega-3 essential fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids, which are great for preventing heart disease, cancers, and inflammation.  The omega-6 is particularly good for brain function, but you don’t want to overdue it, as too much omega-6 can cause inflammation.
3. Spaghetti squash is very rich in Vitamin A and C, which are anti-oxidants and can prevent cell damage.
4. Technically, squash is a fruit.  But c’mon, to normal people, it’s a vegetable.

  
Here are my 2 favourite spaghetti squash recipes.

Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

Ingredients: 
-1 large spaghetti squash 
-1 package ground turkey or chicken 
-1 jar of Ragu sauce 
-1 garlic clove 
-Grated cheese 
-Parmesan

Instructions: 
1. There are many different ways to cook a spaghetti squash – boil it, bake it, microwave it, steam it etc.  I usually stick it in the oven on 350 for 45 min-1 hour. 

2. Fry up the ground meat, garlic, and ragu sauce. 
3. After it has baked, take it out of the oven and cut it in half.  Grab a fork and scoop out the seeds.  Slide the fork along the sides and middle to string the squash.

4. Mix the spaghetti squash in a bowl with the meat sauce.  After it is all mixed, put the insides back into the spaghetti squash halves.  Sprinkle with cheese and parmesan.

5. Bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the cheese has melted.  DELISH!

Hell Yeah Spaghetti Squash 
I certainly did make up this name, as it is my favourite recipe to make using squash!\

Ingredients: 
-Shrimp 
-Olive Oil 
-Black Olives 
-Parmesan 
-Onion 
-Tomatoes 
-Garlic

Instructions: 
1. Bake the squash the same as in step 1 of the first recipe. 
2. Fry together shrimp, black olives, onion, garlic and tomatoes. 
3. Once the spaghetti squash is done and has been gutted, place the squash in a bowl and stir it in with the fried up mixture.

4. Sprinkle with a few tablespoons of olive oil and parmesan.

Sounds good, eh?

Another thing you can do is bake the seeds in the middle, like you are baking pumpkin seeds.  Throw a little spice on them and bake them for 15 minutes.  It’s mmm mmm good!

My favourite spice:

3-4 teaspoons chili powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon lime juice
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1-2 teaspoons cumin

YUM YUM! Give it a shot!