BUFFALO CHICKEN SPAGHETTI SQUASH

buffalo chicken spaghetti squash whole 30

I survived Whole 30.  Now can I get a cookie??  For those who are unfamiliar, Whole 30 is a reset similar to paleo.  No dairy, grains, sugar, alcohol, legumes, any weird food additives/oils, etc.  It really wasn’t that bad, and served its purpose for me, which was to tame the sugar demon.  It’s kind of a problem to NEED dessert after every meal…  I had to get pretty creative toward the end since this plan requires a lot of cooking.  So, here is a winner, winner, chicken dinner that is Whole 30 compliant, tasty, and pretty easy: buffalo chicken spaghetti squash!

First, roast your spaghetti squash after slicing in half, face down on a pan.  I found that Trader Joe’s has the best organic spaghetti squash since they charge per unit, rather than by the pound.

While the squash roasts, chop the celery and cook up the chicken.  A skillet on the stovetop, in the oven, whatever floats your boat.  For all our meat needs, we just started doing Butcher Box.  If you’re going to eat meat, I think it’s really important to find quality products.  Grass fed and finished, free-range, all that good stuff.  Butcher Box sources meat that fit this criteria, and it comes straight to your door as a subscription based service.  So far, so good.  They have a promo now to get free bacon with your orders for the rest of the year!

Ok, back to the recipe.  After the chicken finishes cooking, shred it up.  The easiest way is to use an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, but a little elbow grease and two forks works, too.

shredded chicken whole 30

When the squash is done and cooled, scoop out the goop and compost it.  Save the good spaghetti and scoop into a bowl.  Mix it up with the chicken, ranch, sauce, and celery.  Tessemae’s makes a ranch dressing that has no added sugars, dairy, or additives.  We didn’t have any hot sauce on hand, so I used Mighty Taco mild sauce.  It’s a Buffalo, NY thing, but any wing/hot sauce that has no added sugar will work!

buffalo chicken spaghetti squash ingredients whole 30

Next, put the spaghetti mixture back in the spaghetti squash shell and pop the whole thing back in the oven for 30 minutes.

uncooked buffalo chicken spaghetti squash whole 30

Wow, that looks really unappetizing before baking.  I promise it tastes better than it looks.

Bacon on top is optional, but I think bacon makes everything better.  Just be sure to get no sugar-added bacon if you are trying to make this Whole 30 friendly (like Butcher Box).  Cook this up while the squash shell bakes.

Remove from the oven, let cool, and add bacon plus sliced up green onions.  Enjoy it fresh!  A whole squash should make about 4 servings.

BUFFALO CHICKEN SPAGHETTI SQUASH
 
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Spaghetti squash filled with buffalo chicken-- gluten free, dairy free, and whole 30 compliant
Author:
Recipe type: entree
Cuisine: whole30, dinner, gluten free, dairy free
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 spaghetti squash
  • 4 chicken breasts
  • ⅓ cup Tessamae's ranch dressing
  • ⅓ cup wing sauce, adjust to taste
  • 1 bunch celery, sliced
  • 1 bunch green onions, sliced
  • 4 slices bacon, optional
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Slice spaghetti squash in half and scoop out seeds and slimy slop.
  3. Place cut side down on a pan and roast spaghetti squash in the oven for about 30 minutes. You'll know it's done when you can pierce the shell easily with a fork.
  4. While squash roasts, cook the chicken. After it is cooked through, shred it up. The easiest way to do this is put in a mixer with the paddle attachment. If you don't have a mixer, use two forks and pull apart the chicken.
  5. Let squash cool for a least 15 minutes, then scoop out the spaghetti and place in bowl. Save the squash shell!
  6. Mix chicken, spaghetti squash, sauces, and celery and put back in the shell.
  7. Bake for 25 minutes, and let cool for 10 minutes. Top with green onions and crumbled bacon. Enjoy!
Notes
This tastes best fresh. If you only want to make half of the squash, cook the whole thing, but set aside the spaghetti squash shell and mix with the chicken the day you want to eat it. I think it's the moisture of the squash mixed with ranch that tastes a little off to me if it sits in the fridge too long.

 


LAZY PUMPKIN SAGE BISCUITS

As pumpkin season draws to a close, let’s celebrate with this delicious gluten-free pumpkin sage biscuit recipe!  I don’t know about you, but making REAL biscuits sounds so intimidating and time consuming.  Partially due to the lack of a pastry cutter, but mostly due to laziness, I modified a recipe from Minimalist Baker to make it super simple and gluten-free.

First off, make buttermilk using almond milk and lemon juice.

Next, toast up the sage if you desire.  It adds a little more flavor and texture.

Then, mix dry ingredients and slowly add in cold butter.  Make sure the butter doesn’t get too warm, or the recipe will flop.  I used a Kitchen Aid mixer here rather than a pastry cutter.  You could also hand mix it.  Just don’t go too crazy; it should still be crumbly.

Mix buttermilk and pumpkin puree, then slowly add to the Kitchen Aid bowl.  Add in sage and give it one more whirl.

Sprinkle a little flour on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and form balls with the dough.  Smush the balls down a bit, and spritz a little olive oil on top for good measure.

Bake for 13 minutes, but don’t overcook.  Check the tops of the biscuits for squishiness.  If the top springs back up after touching, they are good to go.  Measure the flour accurately or the biscuits will turn out a bit dry.  These biscuits are best fresh, but are still tasty if reheated.  They may need a dab of fat on top if leftover since they seem to lose moisture.


LAZY PUMPKIN SAGE BISCUITS
 
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This is a lazy person's method of making biscuits, with tastes of the fall season.
Author:
Recipe type: gluten-free
Cuisine: pumpkin
Serves: 9
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup unsweetened almond milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2¼ cups all purpose gluten-free flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ¾ tsp sea salt
  • a little shake of ground cinnamon and nutmeg
  • 4 tbsp COLD butter
  • ¼ cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 packet of fresh sage
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
  2. Pour almond milk in a large liquid measuring cup and add lemon juice, let sit for 5 minutes.
  3. While milk is sitting, you could toss the sage into a skillet and get it nice and crispy. Not necessary, but it adds a bit of pizzazz!
  4. Mix flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg in mixer bowl.
  5. Add cold butter to mixer bowl with dry ingredients. Don't over-mix, just combine until batter is lumpy. Doesn't that sound delicious?
  6. Add pumpkin puree to almond milk mixture, and slowly incorporate into dry ingredient/butter mixture. Again, don't over-mix.
  7. Add in sage.
  8. Sprinkle a little flour on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan, and gently form balls from the dough. I was able to get 9 biscuits out of this recipe.
  9. Gently smush down the balls. I used an olive oil spray to top the uncooked biscuits, which I think made it a little more moist.
  10. Bake for 13 minutes, or until they aren't squishy when touched on top. Very scientific!
  11. These are best fresh out of the oven, but still taste good if heated up as leftovers. They might not be as moist, so you might need to slather on some butter.
Notes
Make sure the butter is cold. If it's too warm, the biscuits won't turn out correctly.
I also tried this recipe with half chickpea flour, AP gluten free flour and it was just as good!
Use non dairy butter alternative to make this recipe vegan.

I hope you enjoy this savory pumpkin recipe as much as I do!

 

LAVENDER PROTEIN BARS

After trying a delicious lavender protein bar at The Green Cat, I knew I must find a way to recreate it!  Below is the closest I could come to matching the recipe.  It’s super simple.  Just mix wet and dry ingredients, drizzle with chocolate topping, and give it 30 minutes in the fridge.  This base recipe can easily be customized with different fruits, extracts, protein flavors, and nuts/seeds.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

NO-BAKE LAVENDER PROTEIN BARS
 
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no-bake coconut oat lavender bars topped with coconut oil cacao coating
Author:
Recipe type: snack
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • protein bar:
  • 1 cup gluten free oats
  • 1½ cups unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1 cup freeze dried raspberries
  • ½ cup protein powder
  • ½ cup hemp seeds
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • ⅔ cup hot water
  • ½ tbsp lavender extract
  • pinch of sea salt
  • chocolate topping:
  • ¼ cup coconut oil
  • ¼ cup raw cacao powder
Instructions
  1. Line square pan with parchment paper.
  2. Throw all dry ingredients into food processor, or mixing bowl if you don't mind a more chunky batter.
  3. Slowly pour in wet ingredients. I started with the maple syrup and used the hot water to get all the remnants of maple syrup out of the measuring cup.
  4. Mix until a dough forms and there are no dry oats left.
  5. Press into the baking dish.
  6. Heat coconut oil and blend with the raw cacao powder. Pour onto the flattened dough.
  7. Let the bars cool in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or until the chocolate topping has hardened.
  8. Once hardened, cut into square and enjoy!
  9. Store these in the fridge or freezer to prevent the chocolate topping from melting.
Notes
*add nuts or seeds and decrease the amount of coconut
*use goji berries instead of freeze dried raspberries
*use different flavors of protein to spice up the recipe
*use different extract flavors for endless combinations
*sub flaxseed for hemp seeds
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 12 Calories: 227 Fat: 15.2 Saturated fat: 10.5 Unsaturated fat: 3.3 Carbohydrates: 17.9 Sugar: 6.5 Sodium: 37.7 Fiber: 4.5 Protein: 7.5 Cholesterol: 0

In case you have trouble finding the more obscure ingredients, links below!