Paleo spicy spaghetti

Hi all. Happy Sunday. We had our first flurries today. They started when my son P and i were heading back from the park on our walk. So pretty:) I love snow and i love winter. I think i may end up starting to listen to Christmas music soon. I love The Carpenters "A Christmas Portrait". What is your favourite Christmas cd? When do you start listening to Christmas music?

I have been eating a lot of squash lately. All varieties spaghetti, butternut, buttercup, pumpkin you name it. My husband was away for the night so i decided to have some "spaghetti" with spaghetti squash last night. While he eats and is learning to love lot's of clean eating cooking and baking. He's not as sold on squash yet but he's coming around. He also doesn't like stewed tomatoes. And i do….so thus my Spicy spaghetti squash recipe was born.

Paleo Spicy spaghetti (serves 4)

1 medium-large Spaghetti squash
1 can salt free whole tomatoes (or 4 cups fresh tomatoes stewed)
1 can tomato paste (i didn't have any but i think i will add for next time to make the sauce thicker
2-3 gluten free degenhardts spicy italian sausage cooked
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup yellow onion chopped
4 garlic cloves sliced and pressed
1 tbsp Olive oil
8 slices of nitrate free naturally smoked bacon
2 tsp cayenne
2 tsp oregano


1. Pierce spaghetti squash several times with a knife and bake at 375 for 45 min to an hr (may need a little longer mine took about 1hr15min.
2. Saute onions, garlic and mushroom in olive oil in a pot.
3. Add tomatoes and break up with a wooden spoon as they cook.
4. Add cooked sausage, spices and tomato paste to thicken.
5. Let the sauce simmer for 15-20 min.
6. Cook bacon.
7. Cut squash in half length was and take out the seeds. Then run your fork along to create the strands of squash. Put on plates and top with sauce then crumb 2 pieces of bacon on top of each.

Let me know if you try this and what you think:) Hope the rest of your sunday is great!

Chicken Vindaloo (slow cooker or stove option)

As promised on instagram here is my version of a chicken vindaloo recipe from the Truffled Pig. My husband and i love indian food and score to the fact that most of it's gluten free:) I love using my slow cooker in the winter especially as it just makes life so much easier:) I plan to try to start using it even more and trying a new slow cooker recipe a week. Please share your favourites with me.

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tbsp of fresh ginger grated
• 3/4 tbsps curry powder (medium)
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tbsp ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1 tbsp ground mustard powder
• 3 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsps of ground cinnamon initially or 1 cinnamon stick added to the pot
• 2 cans of tomato paste with 2 equal cans filled of water
• 1 can stewed tomatoes no salt added and buzzed up with a hand blender or can of no salt added crushed tomatoes
• 1 small white or yellow onion chopped
• 1 lb of skinless organic chicken breasts or thighs quartered or cubed
• (Optional) 1/2 of a small cauliflower cut into bite size piece
• (Optional) 2 cups green beans and/or layer rice/quinoa with a large handful of spinach and then add the chicken vindaloo. The heat of the vindaloo will wilt and cook the spinach a little.

Directions:

1. Puree the first 10 ingredients in a food processor
2. Pour puree into the crock pot add the tomato paste, can of tomatoes, water, cinnamon, and stir
3. In non stick skillet use 1 tablespoon olive oil and saute onions until soft, then brown chicken on all sides
4. Add Chicken and Onions, (Cauliflower and/or green beans) to Crock Pot, stir and then cover
5. Cook on low in a Crock Pot for 5 hours or over the stove on medium low in a Dutch Oven or large pot
6. Serve with organic sprouted quinoa/wild rice blend from costco (and roti if you can eat gluten)

Let me know if you try the recipe and what you think!