Paleo Basil Cashew Pesto Coated Spaghetti Squash with Chicken and Zucchini

When I posted a picture of this dish (on both The Paleo Network's and my own personal Facebook page), I didn't anticipate the response that I received. A number of people took interest in this dish - both Paleo and non-Paleo eaters alike. I knew I needed to get this recipe written before I forgot any of the details.

I separated the ingredients and directions into different sections based on the parts of the dish: Spaghetti Squash, Pesto, Chicken, Zucchini and putting it all together. It may sound like a lot of steps, but some of it can be done in advance or things can be done concurrently. For example, I roasted and prepared my spaghetti squash a couple days prior and had the squash strands in a large Ziploc bag in the refrigerator. I could have prepared the pesto in advance and had that in a Tupperware, which would definitely make for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. It truly is a simple meal packed with so much flavor. It's so good, I ate some of the leftovers for breakfast! I made this with chicken, but as I was eating it, I thought how delicious shrimp would be. If you don't have cashews on hand for the pesto, you could probably use pine nuts or macadamia nuts. 

I'll be adding this to my regular rotation. Grains and dairy were not missed in this meal. Everything seemed to work together so well. The pesto turned into a decadent sauce when tossed with the spaghetti squash. 

Basil-Cashew Pesto Spaghetti Squash with Zucchini and Chicken

Serves: 5-6

Ingredients:

• 1 large spaghetti squash or 2 small, roasted and pulled into strands

Pesto:

• 1 cup of packed basil leaves
• ¾ cup raw cashews
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• Juice from one lemon
• 1 t. pink sea salt
• ½ - ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil, depending on your preferred consistency

Chicken and Zucchini:

• 3 – 4 T. Fat of choice
• 1 ¼ - 1 ½ pounds chicken tenders, breast or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 medium zucchini, diced
• Sea salt and freshly-ground pepper, to taste

 

Directions:

To roast your spaghetti squash (can be done in advance):

1. Pre-heat oven to 375°F.
   
2. Cut in half length-wise.
3. Place cut-side down in a large baking dish with about an inch of water (I typically use two baking dishes if I am roasting two squashes).
4. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the shell is soft to the touch.
5. Flip the squash over (flesh side up) and allow them to cool until you can handle them.
6. Using a fork, pull out all the flesh into strands. If using immediately, just put into a large bowl and set aside. If saving for later use, put into a large Ziploc bag and store in the refrigerator.

 

To make the pesto:

1. Place all ingredients except olive oil into your food processor.
2. Process for about 30 seconds, or until everything is chopped and well-incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the food processor bowl.
3. With processor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until you’ve reached your desired consistency.

To cook the chicken and zucchini:

1. Heat 2 T. fat of choice in a large skillet or frying pan over medium to medium-high heat.
2. Add chicken in a single layer and let it cook for 8-10 minutes on one side to allow it to get golden brown and crispy.
3. Season with sea salt and pepper.
4. Flip, add minced garlic and cook 3-5 more minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink.
5. Remove from pan and reserve for later.
6. Add remaining fat of choice to same pan. Toss the zucchini in the fat and allow to sauté for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with sea salt and pepper, to taste.

Putting it all together:

1. If you roasted your spaghetti squash in advance (and it’s cold/cool), then heat spaghetti squash in a large skillet/pot/frying pan over medium to medium-high heat, tossing occasionally. If your spaghetti squash is still warm, just add your warm skillet/frying pan in which you cooked the chicken and zucchini.
2. Add pesto, a few spoonfuls at a time, tossing/stirring and adding more until the spaghetti squash is coated to your liking. You may have some pesto leftover (it tastes great on eggs!).
3. Add the chicken and zucchini to the skillet and mix it all together. Add a little more pesto at this point, if you’d like. Toss to coat the chicken and zucchini with the pesto.
4. Serve and enjoy!

Please share this recipe with your friends and family and on Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter. I appreciate your help in helping build The Paleo Network. 

Zucchini Noodles with Chicken, Bacon and "Bread" Crumbs

Bacon + "Bread" crumbs + Chicken + Zucchini + Olive Oil + Garlic = a flavorful and easy dish that will hopefully satisfy your pasta cravings. Zucchini is a low-carb, Paleo substitute for pasta. If you have a vegetable spiralizer, you could use it to make the zucchini noodles. I hadn't purchased mine yet, so I used my food processor when I last made this recipe.

This dish was inspired by a basic pasta dish consisting of spaghetti or fettuccine, olive oil, garlic and parmesan cheese. I have added some additional dimensions with the chicken and bacon, but it still has that delicate flavor. You could easily omit the chicken or use a different protein. Salmon would taste amazing as well. You could also omit the bacon, if you so choose.

Zucchini Noodles with Chicken, Bacon and “Bread” Crumbs

Serves: 4-5

Ingredients:

• 7 medium zucchini, shredded (I used my food processor shredder attachment, so they were a little bit shorter than “noodles”)
• 2 T. + ¼ cup Coconut oil, divided
• 1 ¼ pounds of chicken tenders or breast, diced or 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• Bragg’s Sea Kelp Delight Seasoning, to taste (or another 
• Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, to taste
• Sea salt and Fresh-ground Pepper, to taste
• ½ cup almond flour
• Olive oil, to drizzle at the end
• 8 slices of bacon, crumbled

Directions:

1. The first step is to prepare the zucchini noodles. Put them into a strainer (over a bowl or in the sink) and toss them with a little bit of salt. The salt will speed up the sweating process to rid the excess moisture. Let set for 20-30 minutes.
2. After the sweating time, squeeze them in a kitchen towel (or with paper towels).
3. While the zucchini is sweating, melt 2 T. coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken in a single layer. Allow to cook for a few minutes before stirring it around. Continue cooking until no longer pink, about 7-8 minutes. If you are using shredded rotisserie chicken, then you'll just need to heat it up for a couple minutes in the skillet. 
4. Stir in the garlic and seasonings.
5. Add the zucchini noodles to the skillet and toss around.
6. While the zucchini noodles are warming up, melt the remaining ¼ cup coconut oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add the almond flour and season with sea salt and pepper. Stir constantly for 2-3 minutes to allow the almond flour mixture to “toast.” If it's too thin, just add a little more almond flour. 
7. Plate the zucchini-chicken mixture, drizzle with olive oil and top with approximately 2 slices of crumbled bacon and a couple tablespoons of the “bread” crumbs.
8. Dig in! 

Paleo Naked Chicken Fajitas + guacamole

I love chicken fajitas. My mom started making fajitas for our family when I was an early teen. She served them in flour tortillas with sharp cheddar cheese. Definitely not Paleo. The fajita filling itself is Paleo. You really can't get much more Paleo than meat, veggies and spices. Add in some healthy fats in the form of guacamole and you're set. My mom shared the recipe she used, which she actually found in a magazine at a doctor's office nearly two decades ago. I've changed the recipe a bit, so I consider this more of my own at this point. I also put together my own guacamole to top the fajitas. It's super simple and only takes three ingredients (plus sea salt and pepper).

Paleo Naked Chicken Fajitas

Serves: 4-5

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1 ½ t. Sea Kelp Delight Seasoning
• 1 ½ t. dried oregano
• 1 ½ t. cumin
• 1 t. garlic powder
• ½ t. chili powder
• ½ t. paprika
• 2 jalapeños, minced and divided
• 1 ¼ to 1 ½ pounds chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 T. coconut oil
• 3 bell peppers (I used green, yellow and orange), sliced
• 2 onions, sliced

Guacamole:

• 3 avocados
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
• Juice of 1 lime
• Sea salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste

Garnish:

• Crushed plantain chips (I buy them from the bulk bin at Sprouts, but you could also purchase Inka Chips)

Directions:

1. Make your marinade first, so the chicken can soak up all the delicious flavors while preparing the rest of the dish. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, spices and 2/3 of the jalapeños.
2. Add the chicken to the marinade and stir with a spatula to coat every piece evenly. Set aside.
3. Melt the coconut oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Once the pan is hot, add the sliced onions, bell peppers and remaining jalapeños. Toss to coat with the coconut oil. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes. You still want the veggies to be slightly crisp.
5. While your veggies are cooking, prepare the guacamole in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
6. Mash the avocado with a fork or masher. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Taste for seasonings and adjust as needed.
7. When the veggies are done, pour them out into a bowl and tent with foil to keep warm.
8. Add the chicken and the marinade to the skillet. Allow chicken to cook on the first side before stirring/flipping. Continue cooking the chicken until no longer pink, around 4-5 minutes per side.
9. Add the veggies back to the pan, tossing everything together so the veggies get coated in the spices from the marinade.
10. Serve with a large spoonful of guacamole and top with a handful of crushed plantain chips. 

I will be adding this dish into our regular rotation of meals. It's such a simple, but flavorful dish. It's definitely not very photogenic, but tastes amazing.

Question: Do you have any recipes that were passed down to you from your parents that you've made your own? 

Paleo Stir Fry

I'm a big fan of one-pot meals. I also love throwing veggies, meat and a sauce together. As I've said before, casseroles are one of my favorite types of dish. It's that Midwestern girl in me.

The recipe was dictated by what I had in my fridge at the time. It has most of the colors of the rainbow, so it's full of nutrients. The sauce was inspired by a peanut sauce. Obviously, we don't eat peanuts, so I had to adapt it a little. I researched different sauces and came up with my own unique creation. If the sauce is too thin from cooking the vegetables, then follow the directions below to add arrowroot as a thickener.

This dish is very flexible. You can change the veggies, depending on what you have and/or prefer. I've made this without broccoli before and it's still fantastic. I definitely suggest adding the roasted cashews on top. It adds a bit of additional crunch and flavor. Someone else has already made this dish, but added canned coconut milk and basil.

Paleo Stir Fry

Serves: 5-6

Ingredients:

• 2-3 T. fat of choice (I use coconut oil)
• 4-5 carrots, sliced
• 4-5 celery stalks, sliced
• 1 small head of broccoli, cut into florets
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1 yellow squash, diced
• 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• 3 cups shredded cooked chicken or 1 ¼ pounds cooked ground turkey
• 1 12 oz. package kelp noodles*
• Chopped roasted cashews (optional, for garnish)

Sauce:

• ½ cup almond butter
• A few dashes of fish sauce
• ¼ cup coconut aminos
• 1 T. coconut vinegar
• 1/8-1/4 t. red pepper flakes (depending on taste)
• 1 T. arrowroot + 1 T. water (optional)

Directions:

1. Melt fat of choice in large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.
2. Add all veggies to pan and cook, stirring frequently, for 8-10 minutes, or until veggies are tender. You can cover the pan to steam the vegetables. If so, just stir occasionally instead.
3. Add in shredded chicken or ground turkey and distribute meat evenly thoroughly the stir fry.
4. Follow the instructions on the kelp noodles (rinse and cut). Add them to the meat and veggies. Toss to combine.
5. Add sauce ingredients into a small mixing bowl. Whisk everything together until smooth. Add to the stir fry. Mix until everything is coated. If the sauce is thin due to the water from the vegetables, mix 1 T. arrowroot with 1 T. cold water and then stir into the stir fry. It will thicken the sauce within a minute or two.
6. Garnish individual servings with 2 T. roasted cashews.

I absolutely love this dish, because it's easy and delicious. If you chop your vegetables in advance, then the cooking will be a breeze. So many textures, flavors and colors in this dish. It's a beautiful mess on a plate.

Let me know what you add to your stir fry. Feel free to post pictures on my Facebook page. Please share this recipe with your friends and family and on Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter. I appreciate your help in helping build The Paleo Network. 

Paleo Chicken a la King

If I had to describe Chicken a la King in one word, it would be 'yum.' I've always had a fondness for this dish. My mom used to make it quite a bit while I was growing up. I loved it. She made her version with mushrooms, green peppers, chicken and pimentos, but the sauce was made with Campbell's Cream of Chicken soup. I won't touch that stuff with a ten-foot pole. They don't even list the ingredients on their website. You know why? It's not real food! Who would buy it if they actually read and understood the label? Yuck!

I was talking to my mom on the phone last week and mentioned I was in the mood for Chicken a la King. I asked her how she made hers. I then started thinking about how I could convert the sauce to Paleo. Hmm... creamy chicken-y sauce. I know. I can use cashews + chicken broth so I get that creamy and chicken-y flavor. To thicken it, add a little arrowroot. It worked like charm! Arrowroot is magical! I am super excited that this recipe turned out so amazing on the first attempt. I love it.

This dish is quite heavy though. It's very rich, so a little goes a long way. As I was eating the leftovers for lunch today, I realized I shouldn't have packed as much as I did. Oops. I ate it anyway, because it was that delicious. Plus, I needed refueling for my bike ride home from work. I do recommend serving this over your favorite Paleo bread (this one from The Paleo Mom or this one from Against All Grain), favorite biscuits (these from Real Sustenance), cauliflower 'rice' or grain-free pasta (Cappello's fettuccine). I know, I know. Pasta, biscuits, bread. You shouldn't be Paleoizing SAD foods. I believe in treating yourself. I made The Paleo Mom's yeast bread last weekend and it was amazing. Do I want to eat it all the time? No way. It's a great treat though. Will I eat Cappello's pasta all the time? No. I can't afford to + I don't need nor want pasta regularly. Please note there's a small amount of potato starch in Cappello's pasta, so if you are strict Paleo, you may want to give Kelp noodles or zucchini 'noodles' a try for this dish.

Without further ado...

Paleo Chicken a la King

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

4 T. coconut oil, divided

1 ½ pounds chicken tenders, cut into bite-sized pieces

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced

2 small green bell peppers or 1 large green bell pepper, diced

2 – 4 oz. jars of pimentos, drained

1 ½ cups raw cashews, soaked in water for at least 6 hours

1 cup fresh water

1 ½ - 2 cups chicken broth (preferably homemade)

1 ½ T. arrowroot powder

Sea salt and freshly-ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Melt 2 T. coconut oil in a large skillet (with tall sides) over medium-high heat.
2. Add diced chicken. Season with sea salt and pepper. Cook for 5-6 minutes and flip. Continue cooking until no longer pink. Remove chicken and juices from pan and reserve for later.
3. While chicken is cooking, make the sauce. Drain and rinse the raw cashews. Add to blender or food processor (I use my Vitamix), along with fresh water and chicken broth. Blend until smooth. Add arrowroot, sea salt and pepper and blend again until everything is incorporated. Set aside.
4. Melt remaining 2 T. coconut oil in the skillet.
5. Add green peppers and mushrooms. Season with sea salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are browned and bell peppers are slightly soft. It’ll take 6-8 minutes. 
6. Add the cashew-chicken broth sauce to the skillet. Stir to combine. The sauce will thicken as it heats.
7. Add chicken back to the skillet and mix together.
8. Finally, add the pimentos and give everything a quick stir.
9. Serve over your favorite Paleo bread, cauliflower rice or Paleo pasta (as mentioned above). 

Chicken a la King smothering a slice of Paleo bread.

This really hit the spot. It reminded me of what my mom used to make. Childhood memories + yummy food = totally satisfied and missing my family. Luckily I get to see than in a little over a month! 

Question of the day: what dishes or foods remind you of your family?