Fennel and Ground Beef Tomato Sauce on Spaghetti Squash

There is something gorgeous about real food; food that has not been pounded, extruded, contaminated with preservatives, or processed beyond recognition. I was fortunate to have a mother who embraced this idea and was passionate about good nutrition - she was the kind of girl who grew bean sprouts in a jar on the kitchen window sill so that we would always have a fresh supply for our salads. And, I have lived by the great-great-grandmother food philosophy for as long as I can remember. It goes like this - if my great-great-grandmother wouldn't recognise it as food, I wouldn't eat it. In practice, it means I have never eaten most foods that come in boxes (although I did once have Fruit Loops - Holy hell they are wicked good!! Ahk! LOL) or from the frozen foods case. So, eating Paleo was a logical next step for me. It feels right to eat the fruits of the earth in as close to their natural state as possible.

This dish is typical of my dinners. A vegetable packed sauce of some sort, sometimes served over greens or, as in tonight's meal, over a cooked vegetable. Now, I would forgive you if you thought this can't possible taste like real spaghetti. You would be right - it's better! And you can eat this guilt-free as it is only 245 calories per serving. Allow about  a half-hour to prepare this, and at least another half-hour to enjoy it, preferably with a little sunshine.

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup (85g) chopped fresh fennel bulb
• 1 cup (120g) chopped onion
• 2 cups (180g) sliced mushrooms
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp anise seeds
• 2 cups (240g) chopped zuchinni (leave them in big bits ~3/4" or so)
• 4 medium (400g) roma tomatoes, chopped
• 6 ounces organic tomato paste
• 15 ounces (400g) 93% lean ground beef
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt (adjust to personal taste)
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 6 cups fresh spinach
• 1 medium spaghetti squash

1. Wash the spaghetti squash, divide into quarters, and place cut side down in a large microwave safe baking dish. Cover. Cook in microwave on high power for 10 minutes. If it is not soft after 10 minutes, cook for another 2-3 minutes, but add a couple of tablespoons of water in the bottom of the baking dish if necessary so that the squash does not dry out while cooking.
2. In a medium fry pan, brown the ground beef (discard the melted fat if you wish). Sprinkle with garlic powder. Set aside.
3. In a large sauce pan place the olive oil, onion, chopped fennel bulb, and mushrooms. Saute over medium heat, stirring often, until the onions are transparent and the mushrooms begin to turn golden.
4. Add fennel seeds, anise seeds, salt, and pepper to onion mixture. Cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add zuchinni and tomatoes to the onion mixture. Continue to cook over medium heat until the zuchinni is tender (but not mushy!)
6. Add the cooked ground beef and the tomato paste to the vegetable mixture. You may have to stir in a bit of water at this point to make it more saucy. Cook together for only a couple of minutes to let the flavours blend. Taste and adjust seasoning.