spaghetti squash

Leggo My Alfredo

One comfort food I crave from time-to-time is the chicken alfredo from the Olive Garden. Because that dish is almost 1,500 calories with basically no nutritional value, I wanted a healthier alternative. This version still satisfies my desire for a silky, creamy sauce, succulent chunks of chicken, and noodles I can twirl my fork in. Except, this recipe is grain-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free. Win. Win. Win.

Ingredients

  • 1 large spaghetti squash

  • 2 cups of cooked chicken, cut however you’d like (either shredded, cubed, or cut into strips)

  • For the sauce:

    • 1 cup of raw cashes, soaked for a few hours in warm water

    • 2 tablespoons of avocado oil or olive oil

    • Juice of 3-4 lemons

    • 1 garlic bulb

    • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cut the garlic bulb in half and rub with oil. Place in a small baking pan. (You don’t have to bake the garlic but since the oven is on to bake the squash, might as well sweeten the garlic too.)

Cut the spaghetti squash in half and place face down on a baking sheet (separate from the baking pan the garlic is in). Add enough water to the baking sheet so that the edges of the squash are covered. Place both the squash and the garlic in the oven to bake.

Once the outside of the garlic is translucent, take it out and blend it with the rest of the sauce ingredients. Blend until really smooth. That’s how easy the sauce is.

After about 30 minutes, check the squash. It’s done if you can easily spear it with a fork. When the squash is cool enough to handle (or use a dry towel to hold it), take a fork and scrape out the seeds to discard. Then, scrape out the strands, starting from the outside and working your way in.

Toss together the spaghetti squash, alfredo sauce, and chicken. Voila!

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Ricotta Go Vegan

I’ve learned the hard way that my stomach just doesn’t like dairy, sugar, gluten, or processed foods. My cravings and my tastebuds do, but my stomach ends up throwing a tantrum. Since moving to California, I’ve been eating a more vegetarian diet. Both because there are simply more vegetarian options around me and because I’ve been trying to avoid purchasing factory-farmed meat. The more I eat vegetarian or vegan, the less I like the taste of meat. I never thought I’d say that!

Funnily, my two favorite vegan and vegetarian restaurants are The Butcher’s Son in Berkeley and The Butcher’s Daughter in Venice Beach. Apparently the Butcher’s kids are trying to make up for his barbaric ways (bad joke, I know).

When I visited Venice Beach last week, I loved the vibe and decor of The Butcher’s Daughter. But I especially loved the two things I ordered: the Golden State latte and the Angel Hair Carbonara. The Golden State was essentially golden milk made of turmeric, maple syrup, black pepper, and warm foamy almond milk. The carbonara consisted of “thinly shredded spaghetti squash, topped with cracked black pepper, cashew ricotta, ‘bacon’, cherry tomatoes, and wilted arugula.” I’m still thinking about that delicious meal.

Back home, I tried to recreate the carbonara dish and I mainly needed to nail the cashew ricotta. Here’s how I made it:

Ingredients

  • 1.5 cups of raw cashews, soaked

  • Juice of 1 large lemon or 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar

  • 2-3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast

  • 4 garlic cloves (or more depending on taste)

  • Dash of onion powder

  • Salt and pepper (to taste)

Instructions

  1. I either soak my cashews overnight or in hot water for an hour.

  2. Throw everything into a Vitamix.

  3. Add a little bit of the leftover cashew water to the Vitamix if the mixture is too thick.

  4. Mix until the texture is a coarse paste.

  5. Store in an airtight container for up to a week, but it will likely be consumed well before that!