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!

Cauliflowah in Chowdah

It’s chilly out, and all I want is comfort food. Comfort food to me means carbs and cream. Pasta, pastries, chowder, chocolate. I could go on.

Last week, I inhaled two bowls of clam chowder at work and immediately felt sluggish the rest of the afternoon.

Sigh, my craving for comfort food completely contradicts my desire to eat healthy.

Until this week.

I found a delicious and nutritious substitute for cream in my soups, stews, and chowders: pureed cauliflower.

One serving of cauliflower has 100% of our daily recommended amount of vitamin C and is high in fiber (source). Not to mention, cauliflower is super versatile to cook with and can often be found in grocery stores plastic-free. So many wins.

Here’s how I used pureed cauliflower this week in my chicken pot pie chowder:

Ingredients

• 1 small head of cauliflower

• 1 small yellow onion

• 3 cups of chicken broth

• 2 cups of shredded chicken

• 2 cups of frozen corn

• 2 cups of frozen peas

• 2 cups of diced carrots

• 2 cups of diced potatoes

• 1 cup of almond milk

• 1 tablespoon of ghee

• 2 teaspoons of thyme

• 2 teaspoons of chili powder

• 1 teaspoon of turmeric

• Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Side note: I roasted a whole chicken the day before, made broth from the bones, and shredded the breasts for the chowder.

2. Cut the cauliflower into large pieces.

3. Bring the broth and cauliflower to a boil in a large pot; cook until the cauliflower is tender. Let cool.

4. Dice the onions, carrots, and potatoes.

5. Blend the broth and cauliflower until smooth. Keep it in the blender for a moment.

6. In the empty pot, heat up the ghee. Soften the onions, carrots, and potatoes until the onions are translucent.

7. Add the pureed cauliflower and almond milk to the pot.

8. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the seasonings, frozen corn, and frozen peas.

9. Chowder is done once the potatoes are tender.

10. Enjoy!

Grain-free Tahini Brownies

I have one week before I start Whole30 again, which means I have one week to satisfy my cravings for at least another month!

Even though I'm not doing Whole30 right now, I try to keep to a paleo diet. I came across these brownies from one of my favorite bloggers, Ambitious Kitchen, and decided to give them a go.

They turned out better than I thought they would!

Here's the recipe I followed:

INGREDIENTS

1 cup tahini

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon coconut flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a baking pan with coconut oil. Mix the wet ingredients, add the dry ingredients, and mix the batter well.

Spread the batter evenly in the baking pan. Bake for 22-30 minutes.

ALTERATIONS

After I added the wet and dry ingredients together, the batter was still a bit too thick. I added splashes of water until I got it to the right consistency.

I added a whole bag of chocolate chips instead of just 1/3 cup. Oops!