Growing up the only spaghetti I consumed was that made by my mother. In an Italian-Canadian household, you did not dare say you could make spaghetti out of squash (my parents still are getting used to zoodles). Living with first-generation immigrants has its pros and cons. Pros: a lot of good food! Cons: eating heavily can lead to my butt having a friend.
Nowadays, my parents are a lot more conscious of what food they put into their mouth. They are reaching a point where they are starting to look at how they want to age. They don’t want to consume large quantities of pills to deal with issues they can moderate now. The goal here is not to lose weight, not to fit into a dress from 10 years ago, but to wake up in the morning with energy and feeling good about yourself.
I am not saying that a proper diet is going to keep all diseases away, but to be quite honest, maintaining a healthier attitude towards what we consume can only benefit us in the future. Part of the reason why I started this blog was to educate myself on the world of food, to try new things and most of all, to feed my family the best way I can.
With that being said, I decided to introduce spaghetti squash to my mother. As she watched me make it, she was quite hesitant and mumbled to my husband “there is other food in the fridge just in case this fails”. I continued on knowing well that I would prove her wrong and to be honest, I love it when I do (when it comes to the kitchen).
As we sat for dinner, I explained to my mother exactly what I did. She began picking at it with her fork hoping it would turn into a plate of real spaghetti. As she took in her first bite, her face changed. She actually asked me in a sincere voice what ingredients I put in because it was delicious.
I prepared the dish another night for my brother, his family and my parents and I could see my mother nudge at my father and say “This is the squash I was telling you about on the phone, she baked it and then scraped it and now it looks like spaghetti”. My father ate it, he enjoyed it, but I still think he wished it turned into a real plate of pasta and sugo.
In the end, if I can please my mother, one of the most harshest food critics I know, then I’ve done something right. For my recipe on Spaghetti Squash Stir Fry, scroll down.
Spaghetti Squash Stir Fry
Ingredients:
- 2 spaghetti squash
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil ( 1 tablespoon for baking tray)
- 1 chopped carrot
- Half chopped white onion
- 1 bell pepper (I prefer red or orange, gives it more colour)
- half of a chopped zucchini
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground chili pepper (add 1 teaspoon if you like it spicy)
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Slice the spaghetti squash in half
- On a pan with parchment paper, drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil and spread around the parchment.
- Place the squash cut side down and bake for about 30 minutes (when your fork goes in smoothly it is done)
- Let the squash cool before you handle it.
- While the squash cools, take a medium size pan on medium high.
- Add the remaining olive oil.
- Once the pan is hot, sauté the onions, until almost translucent. Then add the carrots, zucchini and bell peppers, along with a little salt and pepper. About 5 minutes.(the zucchini shouldn’t be mushy)
- While the veggies are cooking, work on your spaghetti squash.
- With a fork, scrape the heck out of your spaghetti squash and watch the spaghetti form!
- Once you have scraped it completely, all that is left is a very thin and flimsy skin, add the squash to the sautéed veggies.
- Give it a quick stir, add a little salt and ground chili.
Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Antonietta xo
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