Chicken Alfredo

Proud Mommy Moment: My son is trying to eat healthier and lose weight. He isn't doing a stellar job of exercising regularly, but hey, who of us does? He lost about 2 pounds in a week, which he credits largely to making better food choices. So proud of him!

One of his favorite guilty pleasures has always been Alfredo Anything. Obviously, Alfredo sauce is far from healthy. All that heavy cream and butter - no bueno. A couple of years ago I came across a recipe for Alfredo that was made from almonds and tofu. It was super yum. But when we had to take nuts out of the recipe rotation, that meant no more Alfredo. Sad face.

Then it occurred to me that there are a number of Paleo recipes that call for cashews when making something "creamy." I based this version loosely on a recipe I found on a Cross Fit site in some other state. The original recipe had far too many cashews. The sauce was heavy, extremely calorie dense and, quite frankly, not much better for you than the "real thing" (when considering calories per serving). I had a basic idea of what to start with, so I just went with it and came up with something yummy.

A couple of nights ago my son called and said he had been asked to stay at work to close instead of getting off early enough to come home for dinner. Instead of eating fast food for dinner like he would have before, he asked if I'd bring him dinner. Another Proud Mommy Moment! I'd already been craving this Chicken Alfredo for a few days, so I decided to reward his responsible choice with one of his favorite recipes.

I forgot to take a picture again. Sorry! I'll get it next time.

Disclaimer: I often don't measure things, just eyeball them. In this recipe, though, there is a lot of "adjusting" on the seasonings. I just keep throwing in more of this or that until it tastes right. The sauce is fairly mild, so feel free to keep adding stuff until it tastes good to you. I actually measured stuff the last time, so this will get you in the ball park.

Ingredients:
1 large spaghetti squash, halved and seeded
4 large chicken breasts
1 large onion, sliced thin
Drizzle olive oil
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup cashews
1-2 cups (or more) milk of choice - I use unsweetened soy
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
2-3 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp rosemary
2-4 tbsp Braggs Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce, but you will need less)
2-4 tbsp nutritional yeast
Chopped green onions (for garnish)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange squash, cut side up, in a 13x9 inch baking dish. Pour about an inch of water in the bottom to prevent burning. Drizzle olive oil over the squash, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake for 50-60 minutes or until fork tender (but not mushy).

Cut chicken into bite-sized cubes and set aside. Drizzle a little olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, saute until starting to caramelize.

While onion is cooking, put cashews in a blender. Process on medium-low until a soft flour forms. Turn off the blender and scrape around the bottom and sides to break up any lumps that are forming.

When onion is caramelized, add to blender with cashews and the milk (start with one cup), nutmeg, ground pepper, salt, liquid smoke, rosemary and Bragg's. Puree on high speed until creamy. Check consistency. You want it fairly thin because it will thicken when you heat it. Add more milk as needed. Add nutritional yeast and pulse a few times to combine. Then, adjust seasonings if necessary.

Note: any added milk, particularly soy milk, will mute the flavors of your seasonings. This is why you want the consistency right before you start checking for taste. Proceed.

Drizzle a little more olive oil in the same pot and add the diced bell pepper. Saute until the skins start to brown. Remove from pot. Drizzle in a little more olive oil, add chicken, and saute until cooked through.

The chicken will yield some liquid, but don't dump it. Add the bell pepper and sauce to the chicken and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low. Stir continuously until heated through. Watch it close - it will burn easily. If it thickens up too much you can add a little more milk, just remember what I said about the seasonings.

When spaghetti squash is finished baking, shred with a fork. Serve sauce on top of squash and garnish with green onions.