Adventure with Spaghetti Squash & CouchSurfing

After a friend recommended the substitution of spaghetti squash for actual spaghetti to lay off the gluten intake (we eat a LOT of gluten), I found myself picking up a couple of these mysterious squash at the grocery store a week ago. In the past I've found spaghetti squash so scary, in fact, that I was given one by my sister a couple years ago from her CSA box, and never used it... letting it literally rot in my produce bin at the bottom of the fridge :-\ So, after a week of sitting in the produce bin, I figured - now or never.

Yes, that is a Care Bears mug behind the Misto

I have the "How to Cook Everything" cookbook, and it stated that the "best and easiest" way to cook the spaghetti squash was to poke a few holes in it using a thin, sharp knife and baking it at 375* for at least 45 minutes. I left mine in for about 1'20" before giving in a bringing it out of the oven. I sliced it in half, carefully scooped out the squash brains, and used a large metal spoon to scrape the meat off the peel and into a greased baking dish. By the way, if you've never heard of or used a Misto, I highly recommend visiting your local TJMaxx and picking one up. It's great - I can use my own oils (whatever you want), pressurize it by hand, and spray it into my dishes. It makes me feel better about my food & the environment.

 Anyway, while the squash was roasting, I sauteed a cornucopia of vegetables (just whatever was in the fridge, really) and seasoned them with a few favorite herbs (oregano, parsley, & crushed mint - my secret ingredient... oops!) and salt & pepper. I piled all this on top of the cooked spaghetti squash, covered it in Newman's Own vodka sauce, added a layer of fresh spinach, and a bit of finely shredded mozzarella cheese (for my cheese-loving husband). I put this back in the oven at 350* for 30ish minutes (or whenever the cheese is melted).

We weren't really sure what to expect, but the outcome was... DELICIOUS. Yum. Not scary. Not hard. Perfect. I just takes awhile to roast the squash, but we have plenty left over for another meal (no cooking tomorrow, yay!). This was a simple dish, made up in my head, and I'm sure there are far more delectable ways to eat spaghetti squash - and you should definitely explore!

MMM sooo good!

In other news, we hosted a CouchSurfer last night. To protect his privacy, I won't give you all the nitty gritty details, but he was a great guy and, come to find out, spent time as a child at the summer camp that we've been working for over the last few years! Sing it with me, "It's a small world after all, it's a small world after all..."