Exploring the produce section

I am used to buying apples and oranges, even occasionally some avocados and broccoli (these things are edible immediately upon walking out of the market, and I rarely go to the store unless I am hungry).  This time though, I picked up a spaghetti squash, not knowing how it was cooked, but confident the internet would let me know.

The spaghetti squash sat in my kitchen for over two weeks...which is part of what is wonderful about these types of vegetables, they have a long shelf life. They're easy to grow in your backyard when the season is right and will keep you stocked with food long after the tomatoes are gone.

The squash is a tough veggie that takes some work to cut through. It is filled with seeds and mush like the innards of a pumpkin. The recipe said to halve it, drizzle it with some olive oil, add salt and pepper and seasoning (I chose cumin and curry), and stick it in the oven on 400 for an hour.

Right as I was about to put it in the oven, my roommate suggested taking the seeds out of the middle as it would cook faster, so I did.  I also had seen her made a similar vegetable and wrap it in tin foil...so I did that too -- thinking it would help keep the moisture in the veggie. After over an hour, closer to an hour and a half, a fork went easily through the squash indicating it was done. I let the squash cool and then opened up the tinfoil to find a delicious soft moist veggie waiting to be scooped out.

Since I didn't want to waste the seeds (and they looked like pumpkin seeds) I decided to roast them. I untangled the seeds from the innards, put them on some parchment paper with salt and put them in the over on 225 for 15 minutes. They are delicious!

My roommate suggested adding butter and eating the squash warm, but the vegan alternative to this is product called Earth Balance, sold near the butter in most alternative foods stores. It tastes like butter but is made from healthy vegetarian alternatives.

- miss deb