Cashew Alfredo Sauce with Chicken and Spaghetti Squash
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 lb. chicken breast
- 4 tbsp avocado oil
- 6 cloves garlic minced and divided
- 1 medium white onion chopped
- 2 cups chicken broth divided
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast, non-synthetic type
- Salt and Pepper
- 1/3 cup fresh chopped basil optional
Sides
- 1 large spaghetti squash, halved
- 4 cups broccoli
Directions
1) Preheat oven to 400F.
2) Place cashews in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Place a plate over the bowl to cover and allow to rest for 30 minutes while you prepare the squash and chicken.
3) Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. On one sheet, place halved squash cut side down. Place chicken breasts on the other sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4) Place baking sheets in preheated oven. Remove chicken after 25-30 minutes or when cooked through and no longer pink inside. Remove chicken and cover with foil or a plate.
5) Allow squash to bake for an additional 20-25 minutes or until tender.
6) While the squash bakes it’s time to prepare the alfredo sauce. Add the remaining avocado oil to a pan. Add in chopped onion. Let sauté for 2-3 minutes to give the onion a bit more flavor. Now add the remaining minced garlic, then add in 1 cup chicken broth.
7) Let the broth and onion/garlic mixture simmer for 8-10 minutes or until onion is completely soft. You may need to add in a bit more broth to prevent any burning. But the broth should be almost completely evaporated once the onions are ready.
8) Place onion/garlic into your blender. Now add the remaining chicken broth (about 1 cup), lemon juice, tahini, nutritional yeast, and cashews. Mix in your blender on high speed until you have a smooth and creamy sauce. This may take a few minutes. You can prepare your noodles while the sauce is being made.
9) Once the sauce is smooth, adjust with salt and pepper to taste, or even add in a bit more lemon if the nut taste is strong or more nutritional yeast (for cheesy flavor).
10)Prepare the broccoli by steaming or roasting it.
11)Prepare noodles according to package.
12)Serve over vegetable noodles with fresh cracked pepper, salt, and fresh basil, split everything into 4 equal portions.