Dinner: Veggie Covered Spaghetti

Pasta, chicken thigh, zucchini, mushroom, tomato, avocado, onion, and tofu.

This is an admittedly glutaneous dish. By the time I ate dinner it had been hours and I had only eaten breakfast. So I tried to make up for lost time with this enormous bowl of food! Enjoy.

Your Bowl. Add a handful of spaghetti, 1 chicken thigh chopped into bite size pieces, 1 handful of zucchini, 1 handful of mushrooms, 1 small sliced tomato, 1/4 sliced avocado, 1 slice chopped onion, 1 slice of tofu chopped into cubes. Top the tofu with soy sauce. Coat the rest of the dish with red wine vinegar, fig balsamic vinegar, 2 tbsp of olive oil, 2 - 3 pinches of sea salt and fresh cracked pepper!

Burying the pasta forces you to eat the vegetables (fiber) and chicken (protein) first which helps to slow the digestion of the processed carbohydrates from the pasta.

Buon Appetito!

Cooking Instructions:

Spaghetti. Follow instructions on your package. We used Rao’s. A good choice because it only contains two ingredients: durum semolina flour and water. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add the pasta. Cook time is 11 minutes if choosing Rao’s pasta. Strain. Pour back into the pot and add 1 - 2 tbsp of olive oil (to prevent pasta from sticking), 1 - 2 pinches of salt and stir.

Chicken Thighs. Use organic free range chicken thighs (pasture raised is best if you can get it). Preheat the oven to 425. Put the chicken thighs into a Pyrex. Coat them lightly in enough olive oil so they don’t stick to the dish. Add a pinch of salt to each one (each side), black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and a touch of cayenne pepper. Add a little water to the dish. Leave them right side up. Cook at 425 for 20 minutes. 

Zucchini. Bring a pan to medium heat. Chop one slice of yellow onion and two cloves of garlic. Add to the pan with 1/2 tbsp of olive oil and two pinches of salt. Chop a zucchini in half down the middle. Then chop the halves in half length wise. Then cut into bite size (1 inch) pieces. Toss in a bowl with 1 tbsp olive oil and two pinches of salt. Once the garlic and onion are fragrant, add the zucchini to the pan. Add a splash of water and cover. Let cook for 3-5 minutes. Uncover and flip, then cover again and let cook for an additional 3-5 minutes (until done).

Mushrooms. We like organic baby bellas. Bring a pan to medium-high heat. Add a tbsp of olive oil. Slice the mushrooms into quarters, toss lightly with olive oil (1 - 2 tbsp) and salt (2 - 3 pinches, and add them to the preheated pan. Add a few splashes of water and cover. Leave undisturbed for 5 minutes, then toss and let sit for another 3 - 5 minutes.