THP Day!

 

 

You know the feeling. You have been....um, "naughty" and eaten that bad-for-you beef burger, or that giant piece of rich and cholesterol-laden lasagna...you feel the need to behave, and eat healthy.  Having been guilty of both the burger and lasagna indulgence lately, today was that day for me.  I call it "Totally Healthy Person" day...or THP, for short.  As much as I wanted to be good, I was totally craving some lovely pasta with marinara sauce.....but, my rules about THP day are that at least two out of the three meals can have zero animal products in them! I know, it's harsh...but, our bodies and red meat (as much as I love me some steak), are really not compatible. So, with that challenge in mind, my breakfast was some lovely honeydew melon and blueberries, and the solution to my craving?

 

 

 

That's right...the lovely and talented spaghetti squash! I did not want to be in the kitchen all day, either. So, I poked a hole in it, oiled it and a baking dish up, and popped it into a 350 degree oven for an hour.

 

 

While it was baking, I assembled the (very few) ingredients for my sauce...

 

 

Parsley, basil, salt & pepper, red pepper flake, a small can of tomato sauce, olive oil, garlic. That's it! Just mince your garlic small, and put into a saucepan with the olive oil and red pepper flakes, on very low heat. You are really just infusing the oil with flavor, more so than cooking the garlic at this point...

 

 

Now, just open the tomato sauce, and mince up the parsley and basil..

 

 

Then, simply add everything to the saucepan, adding salt & pepper to taste.

 

 

Mix well...

 

 

Now, leave that on a low simmer...when your squash has baked for an hour, remove it from the oven and let it cool for a while on the counter..

 

In about twenty minutes (or sooner, if you use a pot holder), you will be able to cut the squash in half, lengthwise..

 



 

Now, use a spoon, and remove all the seeds...

 

 

This is what your seeded half of the squash should look like.

 

 

 

Now, to get the stringy spaghetti-like squash out of its shell, use a spoon, or my favorite, some tongs...

 

 

Now, here is what you should have left..a (mostly) empty skin, and a plate of lovely strands..

 

 

 

Now, simply place all the strands into your sauce

 

 

Mix it in well...

 

 

Then, cover and simmer for about ten minutes...just so the squash absorbs up the flavors of the sauce.  Now, turn out on to your plate, garnish with a little chiffonade (thinly sliced strips) of basil, and, enjoy! My results?

 

 

Just delicious! This would normally be the point that I would shower some really good Parmesan over the top....but, I was abiding by the Totally Healthy Person rules! This would be good for those will gluten sensitivity, or diabetics who cannot have a lot of pasta, vegans and vegetarians, as well.

 

Eat well, my friends, and stay tuned for the grilled asparagus salad that makes your mouth so happy, and a proper cheese board!

 

Love and kindness to all,

 

Pixie