It’s squash season! This delightfully easy recipe satisfies the taste for Italian cuisine with a vibrant texture but not the heaviness that can come from eating pasta.

Serves 4-6

Spaghetti Squash

Preheat oven to 375°. Rinse squash and place in a baking pan with half an inch of water. Cut off stem, and bake for 60-90 minutes (depending on size of the squash). When done, the skin will give slightly when touched. Slice longwise and scoop out seeds (for toasting later or planting in next year’s garden!). With a fork, separate spaghetti strings and place in a bowl until sauce is complete.

Tomato Sauce

1/2 yellow onion {diced}
1/2 red onion {sliced}
1 clove garlic {peeled + diced}
1/2 C mushrooms or cherry, pear or grape tomatoes (optional)
1/8 C sun-dried tomatoes {chopped} or 1 T tomato paste
4 C jarred or fresh diced tomatoes
2 T olive oil
sea salt to taste
fresh black pepper to taste
Italian seasoning (basil, fennel, garlic, onion, oregano, parsley, sage, thyme, black + red pepper) to taste (2-4 T)
1-2 T red pepper paste, sun-dried tomato paste, pesto paste or a combination
garnish: toasted pine nuts, a chiffonade (cut into long, thin strips) of fresh basil or chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Heat a deep sauté pan and add oil. Sauté onions, garlic and mushrooms (if using) until soft. Add diced tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes or tomato paste, spices and salt and simmer until tasty (20 min or longer). Add cherry, pear or grape tomatoes (if using) 10 minutes before removing heat so they retain their shape. Season with red pepper paste, sun-dried tomato paste, pesto paste or a combination of them to taste. Dust with black pepper to taste and let rest while you warm the squash pasta. Garnish with toasted pine nuts, fresh basil or fresh chopped parsley. Enjoy!

Creamy Tomato Sauce

If you like a creamy tomato sauce, try mixing in this cream sauce inspired by Juliano's Mac Cream.

2 C macadamia nuts or raw cashews (or a mixture of both)
1/2 C lemon juice (from a lemon)
1/4 C coconut aminos or 1 + 1/2 t sea salt
1 clove garlic
pepper to taste
1/4 - 1/2 C water

Blend all ingredients until creamy; add water to desired consistency. Mix with tomato sauce or enjoy on its own with veggies!

This is the formula for our standard, daily juice. It has enough sweet veggies and fruit to taste great, but also contains green leafies so you can benefit from their nutrition without having to chew all day long. This recipe makes 16 – 20 oz (enough for 2 people or to save some for later). Remember that the body can only absorb the nutrients from about 8 oz of fresh juice at a time, so don’t go crazy. Wait an hour before consuming more for optimum absorption.

The Base

2 apples (really any type will do) (peels on, seeded)
2-3 carrots (peels on)
1/4 – 1/2 inch of fresh ginger root (depending on your taste for ginger) (no need to peel)
1/2 – 1 beet (some beets can be quite big, so this is on average) (peel on)

The Greens

3-6 leaves or mixture of the following:

Goitrogens (good for a hyperthyroid and in moderation for regular folks)

Kale
Cabbage
Collard greens
Spinach

Lettuces (good for a hypothyroid and for regular folks)

Any lettuce (even the stuff that you wouldn’t make into a salad, but don’t want to waste)
Chard
Basil or mint (technically herbs, but still green)

The Goods

Save scraps from a variety of fruits and veggies when cooking or making salads and add 1/2 - 3/4 C to each batch

Some examples:

Pears (good for a hyperthyroid) (seeded)
Peaches (good for a hyperthyroid), apricots, plums or other stone fruit (pitted)
Grapes
Berries – raspberries, blueberries, strawberries (with greens) are great!
Celery
Parsnips
Cauliflower (good for a hyperthyroid)
Radishes
Kohlrabi (good for a hyperthyroid)

Make sure all the dirt is washed off so you don’t end up with a gritty drink. Combine all ingredients in your juicer and enjoy! Extra juice can be saved for about 8 hours. After that time it starts to lose nutrition and flavor. Use the pulp for your compost pile – it’s already ground up nicely!