It's almost like pasta..

The best thing that has happened to me since finding out I am celiac is learning about spaghetti squash. Italian food is probably the best thing that's ever happened to the world.. You could imagine my disappointment when I found out I couldn't eat regular pasta ever again.

Although they do make gluten free pastas, I don't think they taste that great. Also, now that I'm eating healthier than I ever have been, I almost feel bad about eating a ton of carbs. Celiac has made me change my entire lifestyle and way of eating to the point where I don't even want to eat unhealthy food. On occasion, I want some chocolate.. but loading up on carbs doesn't appeal to me anymore.

Spaghetti squash is an awesome alternative. It has a mild flavor and tastes great with any kind of Italian-style sauce.  I threw together this recipe last night and let me tell you, it's pretty freakin amazing. I didn't feel bad about eating a big serving either because it was just vegetables. Try it out, if you don't like it then we can't be friends. ;)

Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash
2 cups frozen spinach
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt, to taste
1/4 cup fresh parmesan
1/2 cup grated mozerella

Directions:
Cook the spaghetti squash. The easiest way to do this would be to boil it in a large sauce pan for about 20 minutes. You have to make sure the water completely covers the squash. I don't have a large enough pot so this was not an option for me. Instead, I just cut the squash in half and removed the seeds. (This is very difficult. It's like cutting concrete and takes a lot of muscle, but I'm impatient so I suffered through it.) Then put it in the microwave for 12 minutes. Another method would be to bake it whole in the oven at 375 degrees for an hour.

Once the squash is cooked, remove seeds and  then take a fork and run it lengthwise down squash to remove strands from squash. It will look like spaghetti!

While squash is cooking, prepare the spinach according to package directions. (I boiled mine in water for 3 minutes)

Heat olive oil in skillet on medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until onions are soft. About 5 minutes. Drain spinach and add to skillet. Add salt and saute everything for another minute.

Combine squash, Parmesan, and spinach mixture in a baking dish. Sprinkle mozzarella on top and broil on high heat until cheese is melted.

This dish tastes great as it is but you can add a little bit of marinara sauce for an extra kick.