GOURMET MEALS FOR $5 OR UNDER: MEAL 17 OF 25

SQUASH SPAGHETTI
W/ MEATBALLS & THREE-MUSHROOM SAUCE

Total Cost: $3.79/serving

Total Preparation Time:  1 hr 20 min

Having welcomed my husband home eights nights ago, I completely withdrew from an otherwise daily activity of writing about food. Facing the nightly choice of staying up late blogging or cuddling up to an incessant human heater, I elected the latter every time, reconciling to the unmitigated weakness for the man I married.

A full week without a single update, however, guilted me into describing the latest culinary experience: squash spaghetti. Not that long ago, I had little understanding of what spaghetti squash really was. In fact, I never had a chance to taste it until tonight, when I uncovered the secret to replacing grain-based noodles with a vegetable in an ever-uncomplicated manner.

Right away, I knew to cook my squash in the oven, but the temperature and the length of time had to be confirmed. The very first internet source that caught my attention was that of Peggy Trowbridge Filippone's, who provided brief illustrated instructions: preheat the oven to 375° F, pierce the squash all over and cook for one hour. 

As soon as the squash was in the oven, I started working on beef-and-vegetable meatballs, making enough for several meals. Using three kinds of organic mushrooms, parsnip and golden pearl onions, among others, I browned and sauteed all, then let the mass cool down. By the way, the price specified in the table of ingredients refers to regular yellow onions- a cheaper alternative to fancier pearl onions I chose to incorporate into the meal. The same could be done for mushrooms: had I bought non-organic varieties, I would have saved a few more bucks.

Once the mixture cooled down, I combined it with raw ground beef, spices and an egg yolk and a table spoon of amaranth flour for stronger bonding. Ironically, the latter does not contain any gluten- a natural bonding agent- although it seems to have worked, nonetheless.

MEASURE	WEIGHT (g)	INGREDIENT	COST PER PACKAGE ($)	TOTAL COST ($)	COST PER SERVING ($)*
N/A	772	Ground beef	18.99/4lb	8.08
1	52	Parsnip	10.19/kg	0.53
1	88	Orange carrot	3.98/5lb	0.15
1	33	Mini pepper, orange	6.48/1.5lb	0.31
N/A	62	Yellow onions	1.97/3lb	0.09
1	7	Garlic, clove	2.98/lb	0.05
	23	Shiitake mshrms	33.02/kg	0.76
N/A	32	Cremini mshrms	10.98/kg	0.35
N/A	46	Oyster mshrms	19.80/kg	0.91
1	108	Tomato	1.37/lb	0.33
N/A	42	Spinach	3.99/5oz	1.18
1	N/A	Egg yolk	3.69/dozen	0.31
1 tbsp	15	Amaranth flour		0.10
		Salt & spices
TOTAL				13.15*	1.88

*Makes 38 balls or 7 (rounded down) servings of 5 balls each

Freezing most of my meatballs for future use, I browned without any additional oil, then cooked ten of them on low for about 20 minutes. It was time to move on to the next step in the cooking process... Using the same three kinds of mushrooms and golden pearl onions, which I browned and sauteed, I made smooth and creamy sauce to accentuate the flavour of mushrooms in the meatballs and remedy what I expected to be rather bland vegetable spaghetti.

MEASURE	WEIGHT (g)	INGREDIENT	COST PER PACKAGE ($)	TOTAL COST ($)	COST PER SERVING ($)*
N/A	22	Shiitake mshrms	33.02/kg	0.73
N/A	29	Cremini mshrms	10.98/kg	0.32
N/A	20	Oyster mshrms	19.80/kg	0.40
N/A	10	Onion	1.97/3lb	0.01
N/A	16	White cheddar	10.48/500g	0.34
N/A	20	Goat cheese	5.98/300g	0.40
¼ cup	59ml	Cream, 10%	1.99/500ml	0.23
		Salt & spices		0.10
TOTAL				2.53*	1.27

*Makes 2 servings

In the meantime, the squash was cooked and ready to be peeled. Interestingly enough, when cooked, the entire inner flesh of a spaghetti squash falls apart into long narrow noodles. Using a fork, I removed the wet centre with seeds and peeled the rest into a separate bowl. Nothing looked more like traditional durum wheat spaghetti!

MEASURE	WEIGHT (g)	INGREDIENT	COST PER PACKAGE ($)	TOTAL COST ($)	COST PER SERVING ($)*
N/A	1260	Spaghetti squash	0.69/lb	1.91
TOTAL				1.91*	0.64

*Makes 3 servings

Arranging all the ingredients in a bowl, I looked forward to tasting what seemed like real spaghetti. Slightly crunchy, my vegetable pasta managed to fool my taste buds, even though I knew that the noodles I so delightfully devoured had absolutely nothing to do with its distant human-made cousin.

	TOTAL COST ($)	COST PER SERVING ($)
GRAND TOTAL	17.59	3.79

Inspired by the new discovery, I wonder how many of us still associate eating healthfully with a bland diet... Given the incredible diversity in food and its cooking methods, it is nearly impossible to get bored by or grow tired of a balanced whole-food diet. The key, however, is in committing to a life-long journey of exploration and discovery of what pleases our senses and provides sufficient nutrition for the ultimate functioning of our bodies.


Cited Sources:
http://homecooking.about.com/od/vegetablerecipes/ss/spagsquashsbs.htm