Creamy Avocado and Spinach Chicken Pasta - PaleOMG

Creamy Avocado and Spinach Chicken Pasta

Prep time:  20 mins

Cook time:  25 mins

Total time:  45 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise, seeds removed
• 2 avocados, pits removed
• 6 cups of fresh spinach (or more, if you’d like)
• 1lb chicken, diced
• ½ yellow onion, diced
• ½ cup fresh basil, stems removed
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• juice of 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• 1 tablespoon thyme
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise, and remove the excess seeds and strings.
3. Place open side down on a baking sheet and cook for 20-25 minutes or until spaghetti squash is soft when you push the skin or the threads easily come out when you take a fork to it.
4. While your spaghetti squash cooks, place a tablespoon of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
5. Add two minced garlic cloves to your hot pan and then toss in your spinach. Let your spinach wilt down, then add it to your food processor.
6. In the same pan, add your diced chicken and onion to cook down.
7. Then add ½ tablespoon of parsley, thyme, garlic powder, and a bit of salt and pepper to the pan and mix well.
8. While your chicken cooks down, add 2 avocados to your food processor along with your lemon, fresh basil, ½ tablespoon of parsley, thyme, and garlic powder and a bit of salt and pepper, to taste. Puree until smooth, then add your 2 tablespoons of your leftover olive oil.
9. Once your spaghetti squash is done cooking and cooled, dethread your spaghetti squash and place threads in a large bowl.
10. Then add your chicken that has cooked completely through and top off with your spinach and avocado sauce.
11. Mix thoroughly and top with a bit of basil.
12. Eat it like you mean it!

MOW - 6.11.12

Meal of the Week - 6.11.12

Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore

Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore - Skinny Tastes

Ingredients:

• 8 chicken thighs, with the bone, skin removed
• 28 oz can crushed tomatoes (Tuttorosso my favorite!)
• 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
• 1/2 green bell pepper, sliced into strips
• 1/2 large onion, sliced
• 1 tsp dried oregano 
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and fresh pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh herbs such as basil or parsley for topping

Directions:

Quick method: Season chicken with salt and black pepper and place in the slow cooker. Pour tomatoes over the chicken, top with onions and peppers, add oregano, bay leaf, salt and pepper, give it a quick stir and cover. Set crock pot to LOW 8 hours or HIGH 4 hours. When the timer beeps, remove lid and keep the crock pot on HIGH one hour to help it thicken.

Better method but requires more prep:  Heat a large skillet over medium-high, melt coconut oil and brown chicken on both sides a few minutes, season with salt and pepper. Add to the slow cooker. To the skillet, Little more coconut oil and add onions and peppers. Sauté until juices release and the vegetables become golden, a few minutes.

Add to the slow cooker. Pour tomatoes over the chicken and vegetables, add oregano, bay leaf, salt and pepper, give it a quick stir and cover. Set crock pot to LOW 8 hours or HIGH 4 hours.

Serve with Spaghetti Squash 

MOW - 4.2.12

Meal of the Week - 4.2.12

Bacon Alfredo

Steam and green veggie or make a salad

Bacon Alfredo - PaleOMG

Bacon Delicata Cream Sauce Chicken Pasta aka Paleo Bacon Alfredo

5.0 from 3 reviews

Print

Ingredients

• 1 spaghetti squash
• 1 larger delicata squash
• 4 slices bacon, diced
• 1/2 cup canned coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 teaspoon parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat your 425 degrees.
2. Cut spaghetti squash delicata squash in half and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and excess threads. Don’t be dainty.
3. Place open side down on a baking sheet (use aluminum foil for easy clean up) and cook for 20-25 minutes. You will know when they are done cooking when you can poke the outside skin and it ‘gives’ a bit.
4. Now you can either cook your chicken at the same time or after the squash is done cooking. Whatever you’d like. Just place chicken on a foil lined baking sheet, sprinkle some olive oil over the chicken (or other kind of fat), salt and pepper it, and sprinkle just a bit of basil on top. Easy peasy. I cooked my tenders for around 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through. Keep that sh*t moist bro.
5. Once your squash is done cooking, pull it out of the oven, dethread the spaghetti squash into a large bowl with a fork. Go against the grain, if spaghetti squash had grain. Now throw your diced bacon into a skillet and cook until done. Use a slotted spoon to pull out your cooked bacon, but leave behind the grease. I used all of my grease, you Take your delicata squash and hollow it out. Unless you want to eat the skin, be my guest. If you’re smart tho, you’ll just use the insides and dump them into your warm skillet filled with bacon grease. Then add your coconut milk. You may need to add a little bit more coconut milk depending on how runny you like your sauce. Mix thoroughly with a ladle to break up the squash a bit. I used a pink ladle. It works the best.
6. Add seasonings to the mix and salt and pepper as needed. Mix thoroughly and cook on low for about 5 minutes to simmer.
7. Now dice up your cooked chicken.
8. Pour sauce over spaghetti squash and add your chicken to the mix.
9. Mix well.
10. Top with bacon. Duh.
11. Eat it like you mean it.

Tomato Cream Chicken Sausage “Pasta”

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 35 mins

Serves: 2-4

Ingredients

• 1 medium sized spaghetti squash
• 2 chicken sausages, diced
• 1/2 cup canned full fat coconut milk
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1 bundle of spinach, stems removed
• 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
2. Cut your spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scrap out the excess seeds and threads.
3. Place cut side down on a baking sheet and cook for 20-25 minutes or until spaghetti squash “gives” when you poke at it.
4. Once your spaghetti squash is done cooking, take out of the oven to cool.
5. Heat up a large skillet under medium heat, add the coconut milk and tomato sauce and mix together. Let simmer for about 3-4 minutes.
6. Now add your diced chicken sausages and spices.
7. Let the chicken sausages simmer for a couple minutes, then add your spinach to the sauce and simmer for another 3-4 minutes or until chicken sausage is cooked through.
8. Then use a fork to thread your spaghetti squash and add directly to your chicken sausage sauce mixture.
9. Mix together then plate!
10. Consume!

Pesto Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes

Ingredients:

• 1 spaghetti squash
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves whole, plus 1/4 cup chiffonade
• 1/4 c walnuts
• 1/3 good olive oil
• 2 whole garlic cloves + 1 clove minced
• 1 T clarified butter
• 2 C fresh tomatoes chopped
• 1/4 c toasted pine nuts optional

Instructions:

1.     Preheat oven to 375.

2. Cut squash, scoop out seeds, place face down in large dish and pour water in to halfway up pan.
3. Bake for 30-40 min (slighly undercook)  (you can also microwave it for 5-7 min)
4. Food processor:  whole basil, walnuts, oil, garlic cloves, salt and pepper to taste...process smooth
5. Heat skillet and melt butter, add minced garlic
6. Stir in cooked squash along with pesto.  fold in tomatoes, basil, and pine nuts
7. Cook until squash is "done"

Squash Spaghetti

Ingredients:

• 1lb ground beef
• 1 large spaghetti squash
• 1 yellow onion (chopped)
• 3 cups chopped spinach
• 2 TB olive oil
• 1 jar of organic pasta sauce
• 3 large cloves of garlic (crushed)
• 2 tsp pepper

Instructions:

1. Scrub the squash well. Though you'll only be eating the flesh, you don't want any grime making its way into your dish.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Split the squash and remove the seeds and 'guts' with a spoon. Place it in a baking dish and leave it in the oven for about 30-35 minutes. Check for tenderness.
3. While the squash is cooking, start frying up the ground beef on the stove top in a large skillet or frying pan. Cook until all pink is gone and then add onions, garlic, olive oil, and pepper. Continue cooking for about 10 minutes. Then add spinach and cook for another 5 minutes or so. Add pasta sauce and continue cooking for another 10 minutes or so. The longer it cooks, the better it will taste.
   
   
4. When the squash is done baking remove from the oven and scrape the flesh of the squash with a fork; you should get orange spaghetti-like strands. Then scrape strands with a spoon into a bowl. Serve the meat sauce over spaghetti squash and enjoy!