Paleo Veggie Fest

So I've been craving my veggies...

I launched a veggie fest (all Paleo, the best way to eat your veggies!) and realized afterwards..hot dang! These are some good veggies!

I hastily tried to photo my tasties to share with y'all.  Don't you HATE when you discover you are a temporary culinary genius, but you forgot to make your food look pretty for the Internet? First world problems..Ha! I think it's a sign that I'm too busy enjoying the present moment to worry about the world of Pinterest, twitter, etc.  Sorry y'all, but I love me some reality.  

As a result, these images aren't as high quality as normal, but I promise you the end result is super amazing...and super healthy to boot!

Eat your veggies! Love on your veggies.  And feel healthy afterwards! :)

 The full meal...DUN DUN DUN...

Spaghetti Squash with Avocado-Basil Sauce, Organic Chicken Cutlets (made on stove), Slow Roasted Plum Tomatoes, and Roasted Asparagus with Sliced Almonds.

Nom nom nom.

The Recipes!

Here's the first trick...I could whip this meal together in a jiffy by doing some of the leg-work in advance.  The slow roasted tomatoes (modified from a recipe by the amazing Mollie Katzen) can be made in advance and saved for up to five days. So I make them on the weekend while I'm doing yoga (for the first hour) and then cleaning/doing house errands (for the second hour to hour and a half.)

I also make up a large batch of spaghetti squash (ie one-two large spaghetti squashes) over the weekend and save them to use throughout the week for spaghetti squash "pasta," hash browns, and other tasty recipes.

Slow Roasted Plum Tomatoes

Serves as many as you'd like, just add more tomatoes!

Ingredients:

• A bunch of plum tomatoes (good, ripe ones!)
• Olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 275. (Yes, you read that correctly. 275.)
2. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. (I use foil.)
3. Drizzle sheet with olive oil (roughly 1 tbsp or so.)
4. Slice your plum tomatoes into quarters, removing the core.  Line tomatoes on baking sheet with skin sides down.
5. Bake for one hour at 275.  After an hour, take them out, stir the tomatoes around, and pop them back in.
6. For the next hour to an hour and half--regularly stir the tomatoes to keep them from sticking. (I usually set the timer for every 15-20 minutes.) After at least TWO HOURS, you can remove them from the oven!
7. These tomatoes are good served warm immediately or will keep for 5 days in your refrigerator. I save them and use them in salads, on chicken, as a side, you name it!

Roasted Asparagus with Sliced Almonds 
Serves 2-4 

Ingredients:

• One-two asparagus bunches, with tough ends removed
• Olive Oil Spray or Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• Sliced Almonds

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
3. Drizzle with olive oil or spray sheet with olive oil spray.
4. Line the asparagus on the sheet in a row.  Drizzle with olive oil (or olive oil spray).
5. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.
6. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes.
7. Remove from oven, sprinkle with sliced almonds. Bake for another 5 minutes or until almonds are slightly browned.
8. Serve immediately or refrigerate and save for later in the week! I would say it keeps for around 3 days.

Spaghetti Squash with Avocado-Basil Sauce and Chicken Cutlets

For the Spaghetti Squash:

Ingredients:

• Cooked spaghetti Squash (reheated if leftover)
• Ripe Hass Avocado
• Fresh Basil
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions:

1. Mash the ripe avocado. Tear fresh basil or cut into small strips. Add to mashed avocado. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
2. Mix with spaghetti squash! Enjoy. Top with vegetables, chicken, whatever you like!

For the chicken cutlets:

Ingredients:

• Chicken Cutlets
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive oil, coconut oil, or ghee (approximately a tablespoon)

Directions:

1. Place a large skillet over medium heat. Once pan is warm, add oil and swirl to coat pan.
2. Add chicken cutlets. Cook for approximately 3-5 minutes on each side, or until there is NO pink in the middle of the chicken when sliced open.
3. Eat alone, serve on salads, use to top spaghetti squash, use wherever you want chicken!

What is your favorite paleo vegetable recipe?