Unknown Territory

 I think I've lost my mind. Not only have I cooked a healthy meal for dinner (healthy meaning, not meat and butter based), but it's also all 100% organic. I don't know whether this is a cause for pride or a therapy session as I'm obviously smack dab in the middle of an identity crisis. I'm all for organics and natural ingredients, but I've never gone out of my way to acquire said materials. However, when my mother presented the opportunity to take part in a produce co-op, I had to give it a try.  In our first share delivery, we received a random sample of berries, tomatoes, fruits, and one giant enigmatic gourd. So what is the mystery veg? Ladies and gents, I give you, the spaghetti squash!

Here's how you rock a spaghetti squash:

OK, so first you cut the thing in half length ways. This recipe is fabulous because it gives you two totally legitimate excuses to avoid the gym: 1, as previously stated, this is a healthy meal (that means you don't have to work out, right?). 2, it takes every muscle in your upper body to wrench the sucker apart.

Then, you gut it like a pumpkin, removing all the seeds. Put it, cut side down, on a lightly greased (OK I had to use SOME butter, but it's not butter-based, and that's what makes this extraordinary). Roast it at 350 for 35 minutes.

While the squash is a roastin, saute a small onion, three small tomatoes and garlic (all organic, bien sur!) in some olive oil.

When the squash is done, scrape out the insides with a fork into a bowl. Here's the nifty part: the insides form the shape of a spaghetti noodle! No kidding! A spaghetti squash produces spaghetti shaped squash meat! Mind blown.

Empty the shavings into a bowl and toss with tomato mixture, some feta cheese, fresh basil and spinach. It looks, tastes and feels just like pasta. It's pretty and delicious and fabulous and it won't clog your arteries.

To make things even better, the portion you see above is only half the dang gourd! I shaved the rest and popped it in the freezer (it apparently freezes beautifully) for future use - more than likely the next time I get a group of those fabulous tomatoes.

While I'm thrilled with this whole new world of healthy fabulousity, I'm still not feeling right about all of this no-meat-barely-a-hint-of-butter recipe thing. I'm thinking a batch of sugar cookies will restore balance to my world...