Have you ever tried to make a spaghetti squash Kevin? It is the easiest thing in the world!

You cut it in half lengthwise and skip all the seeds out ..the way you would a cantaloupe.

Then you just bake it for 30/45 minutes facedown on a pan. When it's soft you scrape out the squash and it comes apart like spaghetti. Easy peasy!

Here are directions I found online that are a little more professional:

How To Cook Spaghetti Squash in the Oven:
What You Need:
Ingredients:
1 medium spaghetti squash (2 to 3 pounds)

Equipment:
Sharp chef's knife
Cutting board
Soup spoon
Medium-size roasting pan or baking dish
Fork

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400°F: Preheat the oven while you prep the squash.

Slice the squash in half: Use a chef's knife to cut the spaghetti squash lengthwise from stem to tail. Spaghetti squash are really tough and hard, so be cautious and work slowly. You can cradle the squash in a balled-up dish cloth to keep it steady as you cut.

Scoop out the seeds: Use a soup spoon to scrape out the seeds and stringy bits of flesh from inside the squash. Be careful of actually digging into the flesh though — we want that! The inside should look clean and fairly smooth.
Discard the seeds (or save them and roast them for a snack!).

Place the squash in a roasting pan: Place the squash halves cut-side down in a roasting pan.

Pour in a little water (optional): Pour a little water in the pan, enough to cover the bottom. Your squash will roast just fine without it, but I find that the water helps the squash steam and become more tender. You can also cover the pan with aluminum foil, if you prefer.

Cook the squash for 30 to 45 minutes: Transfer the squash to the oven and cook for 30 to 45 minutes. Smaller squash will cook more quickly than larger squash. Check the squash after 30 minutes to gauge cooking.
The squash is done when tender: The squash is ready when you can easily pierce a fork through the flesh all the way to the peel. The flesh will also separate easily into spaghetti-like strands. You can also taste it right now — if the noodles are still a bit crunchy for your taste, put the squash back in the oven for another 15 to 20 minutes.

Scrape out the squash: Use a fork to gently pull the squash flesh from the peel and to separate the flesh into strands. The strands wrap around the squash horizontally — rake your fork in the same direction as the strands to make the longest "noodles."

Serve the squash: Serve the squash immediately, tossed with a little butter or olive oil. Spaghetti squash will also keep refrigerated for up to a week, or frozen for up to 3 months.

Additional Notes:
Roasting the Squash Whole: Instead of cutting the squash in half, you can also roast it whole. Roast until a fork can easily pierce through the outer peel and all the way to the interior of the squash, about an hour. Slice in half and carefully remove the seeds and stringy flesh, then scrape the flesh as directed above.

I made this roasted cauliflower over the weekend. I love both lemon and cumin. And this is all about those two flavors.

http://gourmetfood.about.com/od/gourmetsalads/r/Spicy-Whole-Roasted-Cauliflower-with-Parmesan.htm

Oh, speaking of both butternut squash and kale, this is yummy...

foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/butternut-squash-and-kale-stir-fry.html

Roasting brings out the flavor of veggies. Yum!
For salads I like jicama and mango salad. Slice in thin strips or small cubes if you like, put some lime or lemon juice, a pinch of salt and cayenne (if you like a little sauciness)
Celery root or celeriac and green apple salad. For this I like it to eat them just plain, undressed. But you can add oil and/or acid to it. You can cut them in thin strips or some cubes
Green papaya salad. Thin strip is green papaya. Toss it with fish sauce, chili, fried shallots and lime or lemon juice.
Or do a winter root vegetable mash instead of a regular mash potato. Use rutabaga, squash, potatoes.
Or try Asian veggies, instead of sautéed spinach, use baby Bok Choy.
I almost forgot about one of my favs. Chayote! They taste good raw and cooked. I always smile when I buy them because they look funny to me.
Most importantly, have fun, go to a farmer's market and ask the vendors.

Butternut Squash Bison Chili. I used ground elk and turkey instead of Bison. I also added 15oz of pinto and 15oz of red beans. It's delicious and full of veggies.

I also make brussel sprouts on the regular. I take fresh brussel sprouts, wash them, halve or quarter them (they cook better and taste better this way), coat them in olive oil (1-3 tbs), add sea salt and fresh ground pepper, add whatever else you want...I usually put in crushed red pepper flakes, bake at 400 for 45 minutes, stir them and then watch em for another 10-15 to make sure they are brown but not black. I prefer them crispier... They are my favorite thing to make. They go great with anything.

I like the roasted brussels sprouts, too. Or cook some bacon in a pan, stir fry onion and the sprouts in the same pan, and then add the crumbled bacon. YUM! My non-vegetable-eating son-in-law-to be (that's a lot of hyphens!) gobbled them up.

TJ I didn't know that! They usually don't cook all the way through for me when they are whole anyways. I don't like them boiled or steamed either...only baked, roasted, or sauteed. I bet they would be good on the grill too...

Jennifer tell me what you think! I try to make them once a week (which stretches for a few meals at least).

I might try to cook em with bacon and onions next time! Thanks for the tip!

Also like to marinate vegetables in balsamic vinegar, then cook em on the grill. Good with red onions, asparagus, zucchini, squash, peppers. You could make kabobs or something like that.

tindercd wrote: »

TJ I didn't know that! They usually don't cook all the way through for me when they are whole anyways. I don't like them boiled or steamed either...only baked, roasted, or sauteed. I bet they would be good on the grill too...

Jennifer tell me what you think! I try to make them once a week (which stretches for a few meals at least).

I might try to cook em with bacon and onions next time! Thanks for the tip!

Also like to marinate vegetables in balsamic vinegar, then cook em on the grill. Good with red onions, asparagus, zucchini, squash, peppers. You could make kabobs or something like that.

Chris, I don't think I mentioned this but yes I did try the roasted brussel sprouts and they were yummy. Just drizzled them with some olive oil and salt and pepper. I should have made more since they definitely shrink up when roasted. Looks like I have a new veggie to add. I will say the smell for a few minutes was a bit iffy. Guess I'll just have to get used to it.

Kris, I love all three Brussels, asparagus and blue cheese, but have never tried them together. Will do it

I hadn't done my new food this week in the FB weight loss challenge until tonight. Brought home a head of romanesco. Cut it into all the little pine tree looking pieces, tossed them in melted ghee, garlic salt, lemon pepper (actually Penzys spices Florida seasoned pepper - which has orange and lemon peel. I'm in love with it...try on salmon too) and roasted at 400 for about 15 minutes. Yummy

Kris, romanesco must be in season now (at least in Mexico or some such) as it's everywhere. Not just specialty stores.

Kelly, I have a bunch of recipes pinned for using cauliflower. I want to try mashed. Thanks for the share.

Cauliflower is such a versatile veggie...which I didn't realize until last few months. Hadn't tried cream cheese (versus butter/ heavy cream) as the mash. Sounds yummy.

I so love cheese but I really have to avoid all dairy. Cooked cheese doesn't seem to bring out the severity of symptoms but I know otherwise I spend all my time looking like I am crying! Lol