spaghetti squash with cinnamon

autumn and spaghetti squash are a wonderful pair. in autumn I like to bake a lot, and get good smells going around the house. unfortunately, I can't eat a lot of what I like to bake because of my diabetes. that's where spaghetti squash comes in.

it's a battle. I heave this heavy, smooth squash up out of the bag and onto my countertop. thud.

i grab my longest and biggest knife. after microwaving for about a minute to soften the skin (not really), I brace myself for a possible bloodbath in the kitchen.

one is supposed to slice off one end of the squash to form a flat base. then, standing the squash upright, slice it lengthwise in half. it is very easy at this part to slip the knife off the skin and into one's hand or arm. I imagine this in my head every time I do it. i don't think it makes me more careful, but maybe a bit calmer to pre-image this in my head so when and if it does happen  i am ready.

once you have two halves, place them one at a time in the microwave in a dish that has some water at the bottom. also put about 1/4 cup of water in the hollow of the squash to keep it all steamy and moist in the oven. microwave oven.

when it comes out let it rest about 5 minutes and then it is ready to eat. I eat mine right out of the shell with a fork.

I prefer mine sweet with cinnamon and a little earth balance butter and liquid splenda drops on top. stevia powder would work here too.

spaghetti squash is full of water and fiber, which is good if you are trying to lose a few. like me ;) it is also high in B vitamins and vitamin C. it is considered a 0 point food if you are on weight watchers. enjoy.

my granola

claire's granola

I am a  type 1 diabetic and require insulin to live.

My days are spent monitoring my blood sugars at least 8 times a day and carefully counting and measuring my food so I can adjust my insulin to mimic what my body would need if I were normal.

Foods like granola are very tricky. They are usually packed with sweet and sticky and chewy with little nuggets of even sweeter and stickier. Granola tastes great but I have avoided the "regular" kind for a long long time thinking I couldn't ever get my insulin needs to match up with it.

The raw way of eating has allowed my food choices to include things I had previously excluded. Eating raw I can tolerate carbohydrates much more efficiently than before. I need less insulin, which creates a smaller margin of error. That is a good thing. I find myself eating raw desserts and other sweet treats with the confidence that I am not only eating healthy, but I am also giving my whole digestive and endocrine system a break so I don't have to fight as hard. Eating sweet things. I think that is really cool for a diabetic.

In my epicurean adventures with raw foods, I tried making a granola recipe that turned out really well. It tastes sweet but not too sweet, and has a hint of salty. It is crunchy and chewy. It is also raw so I can eat it and deal with my insulin needs easier- much easier than if I ate conventional granola.

What I like about this recipe  is that it is complex, like most, but it is deeper than most. I think adding in coconut oil brings to it a richness that I don't find in others I have tried. 

Here goes:

Mix together in these amounts:

2 cups soaked almonds

1 cup soaked sunflower seeds

1 cup soaked buckwheat ( keep it to 30 minutes and rinse well!)

1 cup coconut shreds

1/2 cup coconut oil

1 tsp Himalayan sea salt

2 tsp vanilla powder

1/4 cup raw honey

1/2 cup raw agave

all ingredients should be raw and organic if you can manage it.

dehydrate at 108 degrees at least 12 hours but more like 18 for crunchy. I start it on teflex and then flip it over 12 hours into it.