Winter is Coming Pumpkin Alfredo

With fall officially winding down, I decided to make one last delicious pumpkin dish.  The "alfredo" sauce is incredibly easy to throw together, and it was really tasty with a big pile of zucchini noodles.

What you need:

• 4 zucchinis
• 3/4 cup raw, unsalted cashews
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp minced garlic (or more, depending on how much you like garlic)
• 2 springs fresh rosemary, stems removed and discarded
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree (canned or make your own)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• salt & pepper, to taste 

Start by spiraling your zucchini into zoodles.  To keep the zoodles from getting too watery when you cook them, I recommend spreading them in a thin layer on a paper towel, sprinkling with salt, covering with another paper towel, and gently pressing the paper fowl down.  Let them sit this way while you get everything else ready, and that way a lot of the moisture will be pulled out of them.

The rest is pretty simple.   Blend the cashews and 1/2 cup of vegetable broth in a blender.   Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat, and then add in garlic and rosemary, cooking until fragrant.

I used more than 1 tbsp of garlic... it's just too tasty!

Turn the heat to low, add in your blended cashew mix - at this point, to get the last bit of cashew/broth paste out of the blender, I put the remaining 1/2 cup vegetable broth in the blender and blended with the remaining paste.  Pour that in your saucepan, too.  Add the nutmeg, cinnamon, pumpkin, and salt and pepper, as well.  Stir to make sure everything is blended and let it heat through.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet or wok over medium-high heat, and then toss in your zucchini noodles.  Cook until heated through.

Remove the zucchini noodles from heat and mix in your sauce.

Enjoy!

The Hound: Creamy Chicken "Fettucine"

 What's the matter Colonel Sandurz?  CHICKEN?

Dark Helmet, Spaceballs

I've been loving my spiralizer, and how easy it has made trying new veggies.  I had heard about Jicama for awhile, and saw a recipe which used the Jicama to make noodles.  The recipe's creator raved about how good the noodles were, so I decided I would get a jicama and make myself a noodle dish with it.  The sauce is pretty basic, with onion, tomato, and garlic as the main players, but the addition of the mascarpone cheese added a wonderful creaminess to everything, and who doesn't love putting parmesan on their pasta?  All in all, it was an incredibly easy recipe, and I've learned that I absolutely adore Jicama noodles!  They maintained their crunch despite being simmered in the sauce for awhile, and they have a great flavor that is mild enough not to overpower the dish. 


What you need:

• 8oz. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 red onion, diced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 plum tomatoes, diced (aim for 3/4lb of tomato)
• 1 Jicama, spiralized to create your noodles
• 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
• 2 tbsp mascarpone cheese
• 1 bunch basil
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 cup water
• Salt & Pepper to taste

To begin, heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken and let it cook for about 3 minutes.  

Next, add in the onion and garlic, cooking until onions have begun to soften.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Next, add in the tomato paste, cooking an additional minute or two. 

At this point, add in your tomatoes and 1 cup of water and bring everything to a gentle boil. 

Let simmer for a few minutes before adding in the Jimaca noodles and about half of the basil.  Once the noodles and basil have been added, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure the noodles are covered in sauce.

Stir in the mascarpone cheese and let everything simmer for about 5 more minutes.  Stir the parmesan cheese in right before serving, and garnish with the remaining basil leaves.