Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Yes, it's been awhile

Haven't done much blogging lately, but I still know how to cook.

Also, I'm dong Atkins, so the notation "low-carb" will come up in a lot of the new stuff I'm posting.

If you have never tried spaghetti squash, it's time you did. Try these:

Spaghetti Squash
Take one large spaghetti squash, wash it up real good. Poke holes in it all around (so it won’t explode in the oven). Bake at 375 for one hour or so, depending on the size of the squash. It’s done when you can poke it easily with a fork. Remove from oven and let cool awhile until it’s easy to handle. Slice it in half lengthwise and carefully remove the seeds. Scrape the rest of the “spaghetti” from the two halves into a serving bowl. Serve hot with butter, salt and pepper as the vegetable side to any meat & potatoes meal.

It’s also good served with your favorite spag sauce or use as a layer #1 in Cincinnati Five Way Chili.

In fact; these sweet strings make a great low-carb substitute for any pasta or rice dish like a stir-fry such as:
Beef-Tomato-Basil Stir Fry: Slice up a good 10-14 ounce cut of steak into strips, sprinkle with tenderizer if necessary. Toss with a couple of Tbslp each oil and corn starch and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, coarsely cut up 1 small white onion, mince one large clove garlic and cut 2 medium tomatoes into wedges. Set aside. Mix 1 Tblsp corn starch with 2 Tblsp cooled beef broth. Add a dash of Kitchen Bouquet to this if desired. Heat oil in a heavy skillet; add beef, onion and garlic and stir fry until done as desired (i.e. rare, medium or well). Stir in ½ cup beef stock, 2 Tblsp hoisin sauce and the corn starch mixture. Stir, and as mixture thickens stir in the tomato wedges and 12 leaves of fresh basil. Stir fry for about one minute. Serve over rice or noodles or cooked spaghetti squash.

OR for breakfast:

Spaghetti Squash Pancakes: Cook one spaghetti squash as directed above. Mix 6 cups cooked squash with 4 eggs, a couple tablespoons each minced onion and mined garlic, 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes, ½ cup finely shredded cheese, salt & pepper to taste. Heat oil in a non stick skillet. Drop mixture into skillet in about ¼ cup measures – an ice cream scoop works well. Fry til golden on one side, turn and fry til crispy.

No comments: