SPAGHETTI SQUASH DINNER

My daughter and her family recently moved to the country and have numerous neighbors who are always willing to help and share. One neighbor grows spaghetti squash which I love, and I’m happy to say that I was gifted with one of them.

Just the right size for me to use in two meals. That may seem like big helpings, but one cup of spaghetti squash is less than 100 calories and it’s low in saturated fat and cholesterol. I also love to eat some of the strands just after it comes out of the oven.

Squash is really thick-skinned and difficult to cut. Cut off the stem end. Then cut the squash in half. However you decide to cook it -- boiled, in the oven, or in the microwave, do not bother to peel off the skin.



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I like to scoop out the seed with a serrated grapefruit spoon. A tablespoon will work just as well. I’ve heard that the squash seeds can be toasted in the oven like pumpkin seeds. If anyone has a good recipe for doing that, I hope you’ll share it here.


You’ll find numerous ideas for temperatures and times in your cookbooks or on the Internet. I only cook it once or twice each summer and it seems like I do it different (or is it, differently) every time.

While the squash was cooking, I pulled leftover Sloppy Jane mix from the refrigerator and put it in a saucepan over low heat.

Then I sliced a tomato from my garden, topped each slice with a piece of mozzarella cheese, a basil leaf (also from my garden), and topped it all with freshly ground black pepper and a very small amount of kosher salt.


You’ll know spaghetti squash is done when you can run a fork, tines down, through it from end to end (the long way) and it easily shreds out like short strands of spaghetti. Overcooking will make mush which has happened to me in the past. Oh, well, I cook and learn...


I topped the cooked Spaghetti Squash strands with the reheated Sloppy Jane mix and enjoyed it with the Tomato-Mozzarella-Basil Salad.


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Sloppy Janes

One of my absolute favorite recipes is for Sloppy Janes, a vegetarian version of Sloppy Joes. I can’t remember where I got the recipe. It might have been at Medleys, a whole foods cafe I worked at in the mid-90s or one of the numerous vegetarian cookbooks I used to own.

I found Sloppy Jane recipes on the Internet, using ground chicken or turkey. My way is the vegetarian way, and I think you meat eaters will find it very tasty. Let me know what you think if you make it.

Sloppy Janes are seductively sweet, due to a bit of brown sugar plus whatever other sweeteners are in the remaining ingredients. I’m thinking it’s the sweetness that keeps me coming back for more. As a matter of fact, I wonder how there could possibly be leftovers on those days that it’s just me eating.

I would have taken more pictures except that I decided to start this blog the day after I made the mixture. My next blog entry will be about how I used the leftover SJ mixture (yes, there were leftovers this time) and there will definitely be more photos for that.

I’ve taken to eating SJ on slider rolls -- whole wheat when I can find them. Makes me feel less of a glutton when I eat two (or even three!) of them.

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SLOPPY JANES...

*Stir 1 cup of TVP (textured vegetable protein - a soy product) into 3/4 cup boiling water. Remove from heat and let soak for just a minute or two, long enough to absorb the liquid.

*Saute in 1 tablespoon EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil):
1 teaspoon minced garlic (or substitute garlic powder to taste)
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
grated carrots (optional)
fresh or frozen corn (optional)

*Stir in:
3 ounces tomato paste (half a 6-oz. can; freeze the rest in a small plastic bag)
1/4 cup water
3/4 teaspoon dried basil (rub between fingers just before adding)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (rub between fingers just before adding)
1/8 cup ketchup
1 heaping teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
1 tablespoons brown sugar (light or dark)
1/16 to 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Depends on how spicy hot you like your food!
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce (or substitute 1-2 tablespoons Braggs Liquid Aminos)

Bring slowly to a boil, adding more water if needed. Check seasonings and adjust to taste.

Serve on hamburger buns. Add cheese if desired.

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A plus to making Sloppy Janes is that you can have it ready with a few minutes of preparation and minimal cooking time. I’d say less than thirty minutes should do it and still allow you time to throw together a salad.

Double or triple the recipe. You’ll find that it freezes well.


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Next ~
Spaghetti Squash, leftover Sloppy Jane mixture, and a Tomato-Mozzarella-Basil Salad


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