When I found out that Juli of PaleOMG was writing a cookbook, I knew I had to add it to my collection as soon as possible. In fact, I was so confident in Juli that I added it to my list of must have paleo cookbooks before it was even available. I knew that if Juli’s blog, PaleOMG is any indication, the recipes in OMG That’s Paleo? were sure to be delicious! And after a few weeks reading through the book and testing a handful of Juli’s recipes, I can say I was not disappointed.
OMG That’s Paleo? is not only filled with over 100 mouth watering recipes, but also a number of paleo resources and tips for each recipe. While, I was happy the cookbook was such a good resource in the kitchen, I have to say I was most excited to see that Juli’s spicy personality was just as strong in the cookbook as it is on her blog. I felt like when I was reading the cookbook, I was talking to my best friend and not just reading recipes, which is definitely hard to achieve in this medium.
When J and I read through the cookbook the first time we bookmarked probably half of the pages of recipes we wanted to try (and per usual I would say the majority of those recipes included dessert). While I tend to have a sweet tooth and always like to test out the dessert recipes in a cookbook first, I decided this time I would try to do things a little different and cooked a week’s worth of dinner from OMG That’s Paleo? instead.
Below is one of my favorite recipes from the cookbook and possibly one of my favorite paleo recipes of all time- a Pistachio Pesto Chicken Pasta that will make you feel like you are dining in Italy. The chicken was juicy and paired perfectly with the creamy pistachio and basil flavors in the pesto sauce. All served over an al dente style spaghetti squash. It was molto delizioso!
Be sure to check back later today for another tantalizing recipe from the cookbook and don’t forget to order a copy of OMG That’s Paleo? today!
Pistachio Pesto Chicken Pasta
Ingredients:
- 1 medium spaghetti squash, halved, seeds and excess threads removed
- ½-2/3lbs chicken, sliced or cubed
- 1 cup pistachios, unsalted and shelled
- 1-1½ cup basil leaves
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½-1 cup olive oil
- juice of 1 lemon
- salt and pepper to taste
- handful of sundried tomatoes, sliced, to garnish
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
- Cut your spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise, use a spoon to scoop out the excess seeds and place open side down on a baking sheet and cook for 20-25 minutes or until spaghetti squash is soft to the touch.
- While your spaghetti squash cooks, put your pistachios in a food processor and pulse.
- Then add your garlic cloves and basil and turn food processor on.
- While food processor is still on, add your olive oil slowly until your pesto becomes your preference of “thickness” and then add your lemon juice.
- Now heat up a large skillet under medium heat with a couple tablespoons of olive oil in it. Add your chicken to the skillet along with some salt and pepper and cook chicken on both sides until almost cooked through, then add your pesto to the pan.
- Coat chicken in pesto.
- When your spaghetti squash is done cooking and has cooled a bit, use a fork to pull the threads out of the spaghetti squash and place directly into your pesto and chicken pan.
- Combine all together.
- Add to a bowl, top with some leftover chopped pistachios and sundried tomatoes!
- Consume!