Embody Fitness & Nutrition
  • Blog
  • Recipe Index
  • Cooking Videos
  • About Me
    • Additional FAQ's
    • Published Work
  • Contact

Chicken & Vegetable Noodles with Gravy

11/30/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
My absolute favorite kitchen gadget, second only to my cappuccino maker, is The Inspiralizer. I think it is the best invention ever for anyone who likes to cook and wishes to eat healthier. (The link to the product website is available at the bottom of this post for anyone who would like an inspiralizer for themselves or a friend.) 

I jumped on this product when I heard that I could replace linguini noodles with zucchini, because as much as I love pasta, my body does not. Truthfully, most pastas are not particularly healthy for us in large quantities. This includes brown rice pasta, and even quinoa pasta which is usually combined with either starchy corn or rice flour. When the starch in the pasta breaks down, it turns to sugar. This sugar is metabolized through the liver where it turns into fatty acids that are released back into the blood stream, so that they can be transported to other areas of the body for storage. Yes, whole grain and alternative pastas are "healthier" than traditional wheat pasta in terms of nutritional content and stress on the digestive tract, but the starchy aspect is not-so-great for those looking to keep their weight down and blood sugar regulated. 

While I would never deter anyone from enjoying pasta (I love it too!), I do advocate giving the body a rest once in awhile by cleaning things up with greater vegetable consumption. Especially during the festive season when we allow ourselves more indulgences than we normally would.

This particular dish is very easy. Run your veggies through the inspiralizer and roast them for about 15-20 minutes until al dente. For the gravy, no need to make a roux - just simmer a few vegetables in broth, purée until smooth and add your spices and salt. Then toss the peas and chicken with the noodles and drizzle on the gravy.

The roasted noodles have a wonderful buttery flavor. The gravy is spicy with a bit of kick from the pepper. And the twirly noodles actually make eating vegetables fun!
Picture
Ingredients:

Gravy:

1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

​Noodles:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 parsnips, peeled and de-stemmed

2 thick organic carrots, washed and de-stemmed
1 medium onion, peeled and de-stemmed
salt & pepper
1 1/2 cups sliced cooked chicken, optional*
1 cup frozen peas, thawed

2 cups gravy
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:
In a saucepan, combine the carrot, celery, onion and broth. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the vegetables are fork tender. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Pour into a blender and purée until smooth. Press the purée through a mesh sieve back into the saucepan. Stir in the seasoning, thyme, salt and pepper. Heat the gravy until it begins to bubble, lower the heat and allow to simmer until ready to use.

Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 400ºF. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or foil, then drizzle with oil. Spiralize the parsnips, carrots and onion into linguini size noodles. Place the noodles on the baking sheet, drizzle with a touch more oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until al dente. Remove from oven and transfer the noodles onto the serving plates. Toss with the chicken and peas. Drizzle with gravy and sprinkle the parsley overtop. Serve immediately.

Yield: 2 servings


Yum
Click the banner below to access The Inspiralizer website:
Turn veggies into noodles with the Inspiralizer
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Fitness Training:
    Located in the Hudson Valley or Westchester NY? Contact me for a trial in-home fitness training session!

    Author

    Sarah Inglis is a increasingly vegetarian non-vegetarian, as well as a certified fitness trainer, personal chef, freelance writer and food photographer with degrees in media communications and dietetics. This blog is a collection of healthy recipes, along with a bit of fitness & nutritional information.

    Links

    Affiliate links to products I use and think are great are posted on this site. This means I receive a small commission if you purchase a product through these links, though at no extra cost to you. This is both to cover costs for the blog and to provide helpful tools to the reader. Thank you for supporting Embody Fitness & Nutrition!

    Categories

    All
    Appetizers
    Breakfast
    Burgers/Sandwiches/Tacos
    Desserts
    Entrees
    Fitness Info
    Juice Recipes
    Nutritional Info
    Salad
    Sides
    Snacks
    Soup
    Toppings
    Travel

    Archives

    January 2018
    December 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015

    RSS Feed

© 2015-2018 Embody Fitness & Nutrition. All rights reserved. No content or images may be reproduced in any part or form without written permission.
Proudly powered by Weebly