Spaghetti Squash Fritters

I love using my waffle iron, and I use it at least once a week. My girls love waffles, and it is also great to make fun cookies, brownies, sandwiches, or whatever else you might think up. Just dollup it in, close the top, and let it cook.

Last week we ate a great Spaghetti Squash Skillet (you can find the recipe here), and it got me thinking about what else I could make with spaghetti squash. My first thought was a pizza crust, but then I thought about using my waffle iron and making something I could use as a sandwich.

Which then brought me to craving some tomato soup for lunch. The Fixate cookbook has a great recipe, which I change up a little bit, and we have been eating all week. It is really quick to make, and full of healthy nutrition. But, I always want something to dip into my soup.

This was a complete experiment, but it works. I tried it once, and then again for our lunch, and I'm calling it a success. If you have anything to add please let me know! I also had it for breakfast with my spinach, kale and poached eggs, topped with some verde salsa. It was amazing!

You must first take your cooked spaghetti squash, measure out the 2 cups, and place into a cheese cloth to strain out all the water. This is very important, because it holds a surprising amount of liquid. Just like making cauliflower crust or bread, you want to get as much liquid out as possible.

A note about spaghetti squash- they are a beast to cut in half to roast. I microwave mine first to soften it, and then cut it. That makes it SO much easier. Be careful- it will be hot when you remove (because you just microwaved it). I use a washcloth to hold onto while I cut it in half. You will scoop out the seeds, then place face down on a cook sheet. You'll bake it on 350 deg F for about 50min or until soft. I usually do this one night ahead of time either while I'm cooking another meal or while I'm getting the kids in bed or watching Netflix.

I then had about 1 cup of cooked quinoa to use, so I added that, then a couple of eggs and cheese to bind it together. There is not much cheese in this, about 1/4 cup of thickly shredded mozzerella. You could omit this if you needed it to be dairy free. There was still a little liquid in mine, even after all my squeezing in the cheese cloth, but that is ok- It mixed in well and I had no problems.

I added some siracha, because I like to add hot sauce to everything, and a little salt and pepper. The mix was not soupy, but could be dolluped onto the waffle iron and hold together without spreading out.

I put a rounded tablespoon amount of mixture into each of the four corners of the waffle iron and let them cook until they were nicely browned, and felt solid to the touch.

I think these will be a favorite around here. I'm still thinking of ways to use them in meals!

#recipes #HealthySnacks #snacks