The Vegetable I Just Met

So, yesterday I was watching Dr. Oz. I'm being honest when I say, it was my first time ever to see the show. But as I flipped through the channels, the caption "Woman Loses 200 Pounds" caught my attention. I am a SUCKER for weight loss shows.

As I watched (aka, sat completely glued to the tv), Dr. Oz told the story of a woman named Nancy who lost over 220 pounds eating healthy and exercising. The before and after pictures were INSANE. I love a good weight loss story. Anyway, she gave some tips on healthy eating, and one of the dishes she made caught my attention.

It LOOKED like a plate piled with spaghetti noodles and covered in marinara sauce. She then explained that it was actually a plate full of spaghetti squash topped with marinara. Instead of being carb packed and high calorie, it was low in both and the perfect, healthy meal.

Ok, I don't know if I've been living in a dark closet my whole life or what, but I had never seen anything like that. Apparently, I am unfamiliar with spaghetti squash. In my defense, the audience ooohed and ahhhed, too. In the end... I had to try it for myself. And here's what I did....

I BOUGHT a spaghetti squash! (Yesterday, I didn't know they existed. Today, I OWNED one!)

Next I poked at least five holes in the squash with a knife and popped it in the microwave for 10-12 minutes on a few paper towels, turning it every 3 minutes or so. Then I took it out and let it sit for 5 minutes until it was cool enough to handle.

Next I sauteed some chopped garlic, onions, green peppers, and mushrooms in a little olive oil. (Love how that smells!)

It was time to cut open my squash. Oh the anticipation! I sliced it in half and dug out the seed part with a spoon, then took a fork and began scraping at the edges. And there they were! Spaghetti noodle stands! Check. it. out.

Is that not cool? (For those of you who knew about this secret vegetable, just humor me, ok?) Next, I transferred it to a bowl.

Added my sauteed veggies and a little salt and pepper.

Then topped it off with a little marinara and some parmesan cheese.

The big question.... How did it taste? Well...

After a few minutes, I totally forgot I was eating squash and not spaghetti. I was a little afraid the texture would throw me off, but it really is similar to noodles, plus, the veggies added some great texture, as well. Very, very good, and very, very healthy.

As far as nutritional differences... the spaghetti in my pantry has 210 calories per serving, and 45 grams of carbs. The squash has only 45 calories, and 5 grams of carbs. That's a big difference. Here's the Dr. Oz recipe if you're interested. Please know I tweaked it just a little. And here's another one that looked good enough to try. Happy fake spaghetti eating!