Spaghetti Squash with Cranberries and Maple Syrup

There is a restaurant in the financial district called The Oceanaire Seafood Room that I pick every time I have a business lunch, precisely because they have Spaghetti Squash with Dried Cranberries and Maple Butter on the menu as an a la carte side dish. Now, because of the whole weight watchers thing I ask that they not put the maple butter on it, and it's still amazing. A few days before Thanksgiving, Boston.com ran an article about Boston Chef's Best Side Dishes, and the exact one from the Oceanaire was listed. This is the original recipe.

From Oceanaire Seafood Room in Boston, Courtesy of Dan Enos, chef

2 medium spaghetti squash (Cut in half and seeded)
3/4 cup dried cranberries

Maple Butter
1/4 pound unsalted butter (softened)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cold water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place spaghetti squash flat side down on cookie sheet; cook for 45 minutes. While squash is roasting, place butter in mixer and whip on medium speed; combine the salt and the water and slowly add to the butter; mix until well blended; add the maple syrup until well blended; reserve. When squash is done, place in refrigerator for 1 hour to cool; then, with a fork, pull the inside of the squash into a bowl (should look similar to spaghetti). Place a saute pan over medium heat; add the squash and cranberries, cook until warm; add the maple butter, heat until melted.

I recreated this by omitting the maple butter part and just adding a few tablespoons of light maple syrup to the spaghetti squash mixture after I added the cranberries. It was delicious and still low fat...if not fat free. Amazing and an awesome side dish all year round. I will definitely be making this for Thanksgiving next year, and the best part is its so super cheap to make, and it's so easy.

Also, thanks to everyone who posted and emailed rum cake recipes to me...look for the recipes to be highlighted in the upcoming days and weeks before Christmas.

Rating = So Damn Good