Butternut Squash Spaghetti with Creamy Almond Butter Sauce

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.
I always crave for light meals after the holiday, do you feel the same? There were many amazing dishes on our Thanksgiving table, but all I can think about now is simple, clean food like these butternut squash noodles.

I've always had a weakness for raw butternut squash, snacking on it when preparing it for roasting. It becomes even more delicious when thinly sliced with a spiralizer into a sort of spaghetti. I also love the tartness of fresh cranberries that are widely available this time of year, but of course you can use dried ones instead. The creamy almond butter sauce brings everything together and adds some nice winter spices.
Thanks so much for all your comments and support about the book. We couldn't have done it without you.

Butternut Spaghetti
(serves 4-6)
1/4 medium butternut squash
1 apple - peeled, cored and sliced into a matchstick shape
two handfuls shredded Swiss chard or other greens of choice
1/2 cup fresh cranberries

Almond Butter Sauce
1/2 cup almond butter
3/4 cup purified water
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
seeds of 1 cardamom pod
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper flakes

Peel and seed the butternut squash. Using a spiral slicer, cut it into spaghetti noodles. In a bowl, combine it with apple slices, greens and cranberries. In a blender, combine all of the sauce ingredients until smooth. Add to spaghetti, toss to coat and serve.

Spiced Hot Chocolate and a Cookbook of Our Own

This post is also available in: French

We've been waiting for so long to announce this news that I am having a hard time writing a cohesive first sentence. But here it is - we are working on a cookbook! It will be published by Roost Books and is due to come out in the Spring of 2014. We've been working on it all summer with the help of our wonderful editor over at Roost and the amazing Alison Fargis of Stonesong as our agent. The book will be hardcover, with all new recipes, and lots of photos of course.

Although the book will be a continuation of this blog in many ways, we are taking a bit of a different approach to it. We took into consideration all the emails and comments received from readers over these past two and a half years and left out most of the hard-to-find ingredients and unconventional techniques. It is really important to us that the recipes in this book are accessible to everyone, while still original and nutritious.

All the recipes are vegetarian, mostly vegan, and gluten-free. Many of them have instructions for both cooked and raw preparation. We are also working on a Play Time chapter where we cook with and for kids, knowing that so many of you are particularly interested in a healthier way of feeding the little ones.

It's hard to describe how excited and immensely grateful we are for this opportunity. We want to thank each and every one of you for your support - visits, comments, emails - this book would have never happened without your encouragement.

The book has kept me busy, and I've hardly noticed the holiday season sneaking up. The days have become much shorter, and the air has been crisp and chilly. This is the perfect time to cure any hot chocolate cravings. This hot chocolate is spicy, rich, and heart-warming. Enjoy the season and celebrate with us. Cheers!

Spiced Hot Chocolate
3 cups hazelnut or almond milk
1 cinnamon stick
1-inch piece of fresh ginger - peeled and sliced
freshly ground nutmeg - to taste
1 vanilla bean - seeds scraped out
5 tablespoons coconut sugar or to taste
1 cup shredded cocoa butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup mesquite powder
2 tablespoons maca powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger

In a medium saucepan, combine the nut milk, cinnamon stick, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla seeds and pod, and coconut sugar. Bring to a near boil, stirring to help the sugar dissolve. Remove from heat, cover and let infuse for 20-30 minutes. In the meantime, melt cocoa butter on a double boiler. Add in the rest of the ingredients, mix until smooth. Strain the milk and gradually add it into the chocolate mixture, mixing to combine as you go. Enjoy and stay warm.