7/26/13

What's For Dinner?

Hey everyone!  I don't do many posts about cooking, and really it's only because I generally forget to take pictures!  Well, last night as I started prepping for our meal, I had my iPad handy and started taking some shots.  We do mostly low-carb meals around here (with an occasional splurge, of course), so I thought I'd share one of our faves.  

The Menu:
Spaghetti Squash 
Marinara Sauce w/TVP (instead of beef)
Fresh Green Beans 

It's just too hot to stand over a hot stove making this sauce from scratch, so I used Bertolli's, which I think is really quite good.  To the sauce, I added some TVP.

TVP is Textured Vegetable Protein, which is low-carb, zero fat, & high protein.  It comes in a package like this, and I buy mine at Sprouts, but I've seen at Whole Foods, too.  It's also inexpensive if you are watching your pennies.

I store mine in one of these jars.  TVP is one of those things that takes on the flavors of whatever it is combined with and really does have the texture of finely ground beef.  Truly, I have not lost my mind.  Even "Mr. Skeptical" (aka "The Man") thinks it's great.

I love squash and spaghetti squash is one of my our favorites.  It's so much healthier for us than pasta.

Usually I make a big green salad to go with this meal, but I had some fresh green beans to use instead.  We like them kind of crispy-tender, so I sauteed them with some sliced onion and finely chopped garlic in olive oil & a tab of butter.  I love it when the onions get all glazed and golden.

Topped our "spaghetti" with freshly grated parmesan cheese, and we enjoyed a wonderfully delicious, albeit low-carb dinner.

So tell me, have you ever used TVP before or substituted spaghetti squash for pasta?  

Thanks for stopping by.  
Hope y'all have a wonderful weekend!

I'm linking this post to Laura's Fun Fall Foods Linky Party.

13 comments:

  1. It looks yummy. I don't like standing over the stove either or even having the oven on. Too HOT!

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  2. Mmmmm, looks so yummy, never tried squash as spaghetti before, I should try this! Thanks and have a great weekend Carol!

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    1. Spaghetti squash shreds up and looks similar to spaghetti when it's cooked -- very tasty.

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  3. This looks too good! Thanks so much for sharing and I always love to see the step by step! :)

    XO,
    Jane

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  4. I must see if I can find this TVP. Your meal looks absoulutely wonderful!!

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  5. Never heard of TVP. I have always said I would try spaghetti squash if I ever found any.

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  6. This looks so good! I have tried TVP; it's not my favorite food ever but I kind of inherited some from my mother-in-law. It was already fairly old but they were moving and didn't want to throw it out. We used it and it wasn't bad at all. I like meat substitutes; we eat tofu and tempeh.

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  7. Your dinner looks delicious! I have never tried TVP. Must check our stores to see if they carry it by this or another name. Love spaghetti squash. TFS. Hugs, Gayle.

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  8. Definitely going to look for TVP here. We have a few Bulk Barns where they sell a lot of unique stuff. This looks so delicious Carol! Pinning this one!

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  9. I have never heard about TVP but boy your dinner looked great! :)

    Have a wonderfully lovely day!

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  10. I've never heard of TVP, but it looks good. I've always wanted to try using squash like this. Those green beans are making me hungry. :) I love lots of onions and garlic with them. Yum!

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  11. This looks delicious! I've never heard of TVP, but I think I might just give it a try. Thanks for the great recipe!

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  12. I cannot wait to try this recipe! It looks so good that I pinned it.Thank you so very much for linking up.

    I hope you enjoy a truly lovely fall season.

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I truly love to hear from you and try to respond to each and everyone. If you have "no reply blogger," I will respond in my comments section and then visit your blog as soon as I can.

Make this a great day!
Carol