Yankee-Belle Cafe

This time of year, people seem set on scaring each other or themselves. Me? Not a horror fan ever since ManO and I went to see Halloween with a friend in college. The movie was bad enough. What we didn't know was there were other students hiding in the bushes across campus, ready to leap out and scare the dickens out of folks who were walking back from the theatre. Poor ManO was already deaf from the stereo screams during the movie. I think I about ripped his arm off on the way back to our dorms. Or maybe that was a bit intentional for other reasons. He's still my hero.

Now I have to admit, there are foods that scare me. Raw fish of any kind. Lamb chops (I'm afraid Lamb Chop the puppet will haunt my dreams.) Beets when I was a kid. ManO says brussel sprouts scare him.

This is how I look when I see calamari or ahi tuna - or rather I fear what I'll turn into if I eat it:



But there's something about scary food that also intrigues me. Not talking the veggie plate skeletons or the gummy worms coming out of Oreo dirt. I'm talking food that literally sends a shiver up my spine or is not what I'm used to or looks so different from what it tastes like that I have to think before plunging my fork in!

Take for instance, the new black burger from Burger King in Japan. You can read the article here. Too scary to post pictures.   I thought it was pretty. The burger and cheese may be black but not charred. Other folks said it scared them silly.

And then there is the black spaghetti noodles I found at my local Fresh Market. The amazing thing about these wheat-free noodles is they are the OPPOSITE of pasta. They have twenty-one, yep 2-0, grams of protein and barely any carbs. So you can feel free to create a meatless sauce and still have the protein you need.



You have to admit they are a little scary looking, like I cooked hair or something.  






But it is also the perfect base for an autumn veggie based sauce. I roasted some butternut squash but kept it stringy to fake ManO into thinking there was some meaty heft in his sauce.

Let's pause for this true confession: Love our farmer's market squash but had to go with organic due to a pinched nerve in my shoulder. No heavy duty chopping for me. And TAH DAH, I discovered roasting radically improves sometimes disappointing frozen veggie flavor and texture. That knowledge is gold!

A cup and a half of my favorite sauce, add in the roasted squash or pumpkin and let simmer til warm. If you prefer a slightly more savory version, just add parmesan on top! And it is delish!


ManO was pretty game and I was pretty game at creating stories to go with it. Kinda wished I had boys who would eat anything in the house so I could tell them it was worms or snakes or something.

Have you ever had a food scare you but ended up being delicious? How brave are you at trying new food?