Spaghetti Squash

If you are like me, you might find yourself being intrigued and at the same time intimidated by all of the varieties of squash out there. For years I shied away from anything more "exotic" than yellow squash because I had no idea how to handle them. I also assumed these other varieties probably tasted similar to yellow squash, which further deterred me because I was never very fond of yellow squash!

My horizons (in terms of squash) expanded when a colleague brought in a bowl of spaghetti squash for lunch. To be honest, I had no idea this was a specific type of squash, I actually thought she had somehow grated a yellow squash into long strands. Boy was I mistaken, and I of course failed miserably trying to recreate this dish with a yellow squash. However, one day when I was shopping I suddenly noticed a sticker saying "how to prepare spaghetti squash" stuck an oblong, yellow pumpkin-like vegetable. That was when it hit me and I understood what spaghetti squash really was! 

Spaghetti squash can also be pretty easy to prepare. The hardest part is cutting it in half. Scooping out the seeds used to also be quite difficult until I found a serrated ice cream scoop in the back of my drawer. At least I think it is an ice cream scoop...regardless of what its actual purpose was, it works perfectly for scooping out squash and pumpkin insides! I also always, always save the seeds and bake them along with the squash on a separate baking sheet. These are a fun, healthy treat; the oven is going anyway so you may as well pop them on in!   

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Spaghetti Squash Recipe
vegan, plant-based, refined-sugar free
Ingredients:

• 1 spaghetti squash cut in half lengthwise
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp flax oil
• 1/2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Remove the seeds from each half**.
3. Coat both inside halves of the spaghetti squash with olive oil.
4. Place each half facedown on a baking sheet.
5. Bake for 30 min or until tender.
6. Remove the inside of one half of the squash by scraping with a fork. (Long strands that look like spaghetti will start to come out.)
7. To this half of the freshly removed squash add the flax oil, nutritional yeast, and salt.
8. Done!

**Note: Bake the seeds, too! Remove most of the squash parts stuck to the seeds, sprinkle with salt and spread on a baking sheet. Add them to the oven and bake at 400°F for 15 min.