Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai

Ingredients

PAD THAI
1 large spaghetti squash (approx. 5 cups after roasting)
1 T. and 2 teaspoons olive or avocado oil
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast
Sea salt and ground pepper
½ teaspoon chopped ginger
½ cup chopped yellow onion
1 sliced red bell pepper
1 cup matchstick carrots
green onions, fresh cilantro and lime wedges, for garnish
2 T. chopped salted almonds (optional)

SAUCE
½ cup natual almond butter (no sugar added)
2 T. fresh lime juice
1 T. coconut aminos
1 inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
¼ cup water

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400°F.

2. Cut spaghetti squash into 1 ½ inch thick rings.

3. Gently scrape out the seeds in the middle of each ring.

4. Drizzle with olive oil and add salt and pepper.

5. Place on baking pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, turning after about 15 minutes.

6. Allow squash rings to cool for about 15 minutes, then peel the skin away and use a fork to separate the strands.

7. While squash is roasting, make the chili almond sauce by adding all sauce ingredients into a blender or food processor. Process until smooth and set aside.

8. Chop raw chicken breasts into 1-inch chunks.

9. Heat a large skillet over medium heat with 1 T. oil.

10. Add chicken to the skillet and liberally season with sea salt and pepper.

11. Cook, stirring often until all sides are golden and chicken is cooked through and no longer pink.

12. When finished cooking, transfer to a plate and set aside.

13.  Add remaining 2 teaspoons of oil to the same skillet and sauté together ginger, onion, bell pepper and carrots.

14. Cook until veggies start to soften, about 5-6 minutes.

15. Add chicken back to the skillet with the veggies. Then add the chili almond sauce and mix everything together thoroughly.

16. Add spaghetti squash to the skillet and mix again.  If your skillet isn’t large enough, you can put everything in a large bowl to mix instead.

17. Serve the spaghetti squash pad Thai immediately with green onions, fresh cilantro and lime wedges for garnish. Top with chopped almonds.

Serves 4

Inspired by www.eatingbirdfood.com

Judy Gentner