Harvesting Greek Oregano for Spaghetti Squash

Greek oregano is very flavorful herb.  A small amount brings a wonderful flavor to any Italian dish.  Most herbs are more flavorful when they are fresh, but there are a few exceptions and Greek Oregano is one of them.  Oregano is actually more flavorful when it is dried.  The flavor doesn't hold up well in the cooking process, so it is best to add your oregano near the end of the cooking process.  Many people cut long sprigs, tie them in bunches and hang them from their kitchen walls.  I have tried this, but I live in a windy area and find that the wind blows off many of the leaves as they dry.  I have heard that hanging them in paper bags remedies this, but who wants a bunch of paper bags hanging in their kitchen?  My solution is to remove the leaves from the sprig and place them in a bowl to dry out.

Once the leaves are dry, I leave them whole and store them in jar in the spice pantry.  When I want to use them for cooking, I pour some leaves on my hand and crumble them over the top of the dish.  These add a marvelous accent to pizza.  It is also a nice addition to any pasta dish.  One of my favorite low-fat, healthy dishes is spaghetti squash with marinara sauce topped with some organic oregano from my balcony garden.  Spaghetti squash is a unique vegetable, rich in vitamins and nutrients with the consistency of spaghetti.  You can feel good about eating your vegetables.  Serving spaghetti squash with marinara allows you to enjoy the flavor of a high calorie pasta dish, without all the carbs.  This is a favorite for Moms trying to get their kids to eat healthier. 

Spaghetti Squash Pasta with Oregano

The most difficult part is preparing the spaghetti squash.  This squash has a very tough exterior.  I wouldn't even attempt to cut it until you microwave it.

Preparing the spaghetti squash:
1.  Microwave whole squash for 5 minutes.  Cut the squash in half with a sharp knife.  The squash is very tough, so be careful.
2. Scrape out seeds from the center of the squash and microwave for another 10 minutes.
3. Using a fork gently scrape out the inside of the squash.  This will release in stringy spaghetti like pieces.

Once you have all of the stringy spaghetti from inside the squash you can treat this as you would fresh cooked noodles.  Simply top with your favorite tomato sauce.  Some Fat Free Mozzarella cheese and Low-Fat Parmesan cheese and organic oregano from your balcony herb garden.