With colder temperatures comes cravings for comfort food. There is a reason for this. According to Ayurveda, we consume foods during a particular season based on what we need to bring our bodies back into balance. After the airiness of summer, we need foods that will ground us. This explains why we turn to more root vegetables (i.e. sweet potatoes and carrots), which also just so happen to be in season.
If you find yourself desiring a delicious bowl of pasta in the coming weeks, know that with a few simple swaps, you can upgrade traditional dishes to be more blood sugar balancing. Use the sauce on veggie noodles, your favorite gluten-free noodle option, use as a dressing or eat with a spoon.
Dairy-Free Chicken Veggie “Alfredo”
Equipment
- baking sheet
- High-speed Blender
Ingredients
For the Bowl
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 4 cups "spiralized" vegetable noodles (I used pre-packaged sweet potato noodles)
- ⅓ cup chopped basil (optional)
For the Sauce
- 1 cup cashews
- 1½ cups boiling water
- 1½ cups cauliflower florets, steamed
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon ghee (tahini works too)
- 1½ cups chicken or vegetable broth
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Soak cashews in boiling water for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, season chicken breasts with sea salt and black pepper. Bake 25-30 minutes in the oven (or grill) until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
- Drain and rinse cashews. Transfer cashews to a high-speed blender. Add steamed cauliflower, nutritional yeast, garlic cloves, garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, black pepper, ghee, and broth. Process until creamy, using the tamper as you need.
- Add vegetable noodles to a large bowl. Slice chicken and add to bowl with vegetables noodles. Pour sauce on top and stir to combine. Eat as is, or heat everything up in a large pot or dutch oven until warmed through. Sprinkle with chopped basil.
