The Anne half of Fab Frugal Food still has some baby weight left to lose, along with a couple standard holiday pounds. I’ve always found the most success with the South Beach approach to weight loss, as carbs have always been my nemesis. Needless to say, I’m spending a lot of time over at Kalyn’s Kitchen. For those of you who aren’t familiar, she is THE internet goddess of low glycemic living. She posts South Beach-friendly recipes for all phases of the plan, and also provides regular “round-ups” of  phase one recipes in particular; phase one being the most restrictive period (it’s only two weeks or maybe a bit more, depending on your situation). Kalyn makes it a breeze. I’ve already made several total hits, like the Chicken Paprikash and the Asian Lettuce Wraps.

I seriously crave veggies, and one great veggie staple that keeps popping up on Kalyn’s Kitchen is spaghetti squash. She has several recipes featuring this, and I sort of took what I liked from a few of them and created my own. It’s really an homage to her, though. I think you’ll enjoy it whether you’re working on getting fit or not!

SPAGHETTI SQUASH WITH MUSHROOMS AND KALE

1 large spaghetti squash
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 portobello caps, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch kale, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons basil
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400. Cut squash in half lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds and strings, then season both halves with salt and pepper and one tablespoon of the olive oil. Bake for 40 minutes, then set aside to cool. While the squash cools, you can do the rest of the prep!

Once you’ve washed and chopped everything, heat remaining oil in a large skillet. Saute onion over medium-high heat until soft and starting to brown, at least 4-5 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic and saute 2-3 more minutes. Finally, add the kale and herbs. Continue sauteeing until kale wilts. Remove from heat and set aside.

Take cooled squash and run a fork through the flesh, separating it into its spaghetti-like strands. Scrape the strands into a large mixing bowl. Add the onion-mushroom-kale mixture and toss until well-combined. Toss in parmesan, and  add salt and pepper to taste.

By the way, make sure you stop by here on Friday, January 8th. We have a big, BIG announcement, one that I guarantee you will be excited about. GUARANTEED! Yes, YOU!

– posted by Anne