Spaghetti squash goop

[nutbar]

I tried my first spaghetti squash today and LOVED it. (I'd previously hated all winter squash.) Here's the concoction I threw together:

Prep work:

Bake a small spaghetti squash 45 minutes or so and fork out the noodlage.

Cooking:

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan, toss in the spaghetti squash "noodles" with a can of diced tomtoes and a few mushrooms. Add enormous heaps of oregano, along with a buttload of onion & garlic (minced fresh or powder or whatever floats your stinky allium boat), and simmer the heck out of it until you can't stand it any longer. I also threw in about 6 ounces of diced chicken breast that I'd previously grilled.

Yum!

CalKing gave me the following nutritional info for the whole dish:

Calories: 594
Carbs: 45.4g
Fat: 20.7g
Protein: 60.2g
Fiber: 13.6g

[Lost Dog]

Sounds good.

[Phaedrus49er]

*drool* Squash casserole... mmmm... I was always the only one at school who would eat it. No one else wanted to touch it, but it was SO good.

[RedLefty]

I love anything with "enormous heaps" of oregano. My favorite spice/herb, I'd have to say.

[nutbar]

Originally Posted by RedLefty

I love anything with "enormous heaps" of oregano. My favorite spice/herb, I'd have to say.

Oregano is the (dried, crusted, and coarsely chopped) nectar of life. Or salsa is. I can't decide. Maybe they're co-nectars.

Have you tried oregano tea? I grow oregano so I grab a handful, steep it, and gulp. Yum. (No sweeteners -- that would be nasty.)

[RedLefty]

Hmm... oregano tea. Haven't heard of it nor tried it. Seems an odd combination, like shrimp-flavored cheetos.

Salsa's great too but I'm always changing brands and flavors. I like them all but haven't found one I can't live without. Yet.

[Lost Dog]

Originally Posted by RedLefty

Salsa's great too but I'm always changing brands and flavors. I like them all but haven't found one I can't live without. Yet.

Do you ever make it? It's really easy.

Pico De Gallo

This will be like the "fresh" salsa from the fridge section, only it tastes better because sodium benzoate isn't tasty.

• 12 ripe roma tomatoes or the equivalent in larger tomatoes
• 1 small white or yellow onion
• 1-2 chilis (1-2 serranos or jalepenos for sorta hot, 1-2 pasilla, poblano, Anaheim, or "green chili" for mild, 1-2 New Mexico for something in between). Mix and match.
• juice of one lime
• cilantro
• salt

chop tomatoes
chop onions
seed and chop chilis
chop cilanto
stir together
add lime juice and salt
for best results, let it sit at room temp for 30 minutes to an hour
eat

[RedLefty]

Originally Posted by Lost Dog

Do you ever make it? It's really easy.

There was seeding and chopping involved, it looked like. With my skills that's not easy. Thanks though -- we may give it a try!

[nutbar]

Originally Posted by Lost Dog

• 12 ripe roma tomatoes or the equivalent in larger tomatoes
• 1 small white or yellow onion
• 1-2 chilis (1-2 serranos or jalepenos for sorta hot, 1-2 pasilla, poblano, Anaheim, or "green chili" for mild, 1-2 New Mexico for something in between). Mix and match.
• juice of one lime
• cilantro
• salt

Amateur.

For those of you who want thick, luxurious chest hair like me, make salsa as follows:

• Several pounds of garden-fresh tomatoes
• 3-4 big onions
• Truckloads of garlic -- don't just put in 5-10 cloves, put in 5-10 bulbs
• 3-6 bunches of fresh cilantro
• Several ounces each of various types of peppers, at least 3-4 kinds so that the heat "layers" -- don't wuss and just stick to jalapenos or serranos -- toss a few habaneros in there as well as whatever other types you grow/find at the store.
• A pound or two of radishes

Grind the crap out of the above in a food processor, then stir in a couple cans of tomato paste to thicken and add some oomphiness. Add several glubs of vinegar and a palm-full of salt.

I eat this on everything (and nothing -- just hand me a straw). It freezes well, too, but is a bit thinner upon thawing. The cilantro & vinegar has a cooling effect so, if your mouth is overheating, just take another bite.

[Lost Dog]

Originally Posted by nutbar

Amateur.

whatever

[nutbar]

Originally Posted by nutbar

Amateur.

Oops. I thought I put a winking smilie so it would be apparent I was being silly. Now I just look like an ass (not unusual for me ). Sorry, Roland.

In other news, my store's been out of spaghetti squash since my initial buy. Argh. I'm going to grow 10 million of these suckers in my garden this year. Has anyone grown (and stored) them before?