Fun with squash

OK, I'll admit it. I think squash is fun about as much as I think a nun should have a neck tattoo. But since we're talking healthy food, I'll make some squash suggestions. I never cooked with squash until I had to adjust my cooking for my husband's dietary restrictions. But they're actually very good substitutes for potatoes and pasta.

I just tried this recipe for butternut squash that was in Runner's World and it's pretty good. I think it tastes like a less-sweet sweet potato, but my husband liked it and he doesn't like sweet potatoes. He thought it tasted more like a regular potato. I used the parmesan cheese instead of dried cranberries since that's what I had.

I use spaghetti squash a lot. If you don't know what it is, it looks kind of like a yellow football. The flesh naturally shreds into noodle-like strips. I simply cut it in half, remove the seeds and strings, then microwave, covered with plastic wrap, cut-side down in a dish with just a bit of water for 10 minutes. Then I just scrape out the "noodles". Mix this with spaghetti sauce and it makes a great substitute for the pasta. I like it as a snack especially. It's crunchier than pasta, but you could probably eat a pound of this stuff and only get 1 point on Weight Watchers. (Don't take my word for that--I've never done Weight Watchers so I don't know what I'm talking about.)

A new trick is to use the spaghetti squash as a substitute for hash browns. I mix the "noodles" with a couple eggs, some grated cheddar cheese (optional) and "fry" it. It's actually more like a simmer since the squash has a high water content. You have to let the water cook off before it sets (the eggs and/or cheese mostly serve as binders). We put some no-sugar-added ketchup on it and it's a good substitute. I'll be honest and say it's not as good as the real thing, but the same can be said for real butter or real sugar or real cream, etc. Such is life for those of us watching what we put in our bodies.