CBD & THC Recipes ►
Infused
Chicken Alfredo
Gluten-Free
by Chef Dana Howard
It ’ s a New Year , and the time when we ’ re thinking really healthy thoughts . I always need to kick up my exercise routine and cut the carbs after the holidays . Well if you are doing any kind of dieting right now , you are going to love this recipe because it feels like you ’ re being bad , but you ’ re actually eating a very healthy meal .
Like most people , I like to keep my diet foods as flavorful as possible , and gluten-free is my favorite way to be . When I cut out the gluten , I have found that I feel much healthier . Everyone is different , so if you want to use authentic pasta with this recipe , go for it ! I suggest that you try it my way — you are really going to love it . I feel good after eating this dish , and I don ’ t feel heavy or weighed down .
You could use several different things for the protein in this dish . Grilled chicken is usually my go-to protein for this dish , but grilled shrimp or lobster tail would dress it up nicely . I always like to grill my protein so that it has that nice , charred flavor . That added flavor does wonders for this dish . If you ’ re a vegetarian , grill up some Tofu and call it good ! I also like to add some veggies to this plate . My standard is sautéed broccoli , but if you ’ re feeling spicy , add whatever veggies sound good to you ! Just sauté them or grill them before you toss everything together . You ’ ve got this !
Now let ’ s talk spaghetti and pasta . In a gluten-free kitchen , you might find pasta noodles made from corn , sorghum , quinoa , and rice . I also just tried some zucchini and cauliflower penne . It was interesting , but a gluten-free noodle has a very different texture from a traditional pasta noodle . It can be a little hard to get used to , and there are definitely correct and wrong ways to cook them . When I am eating gluten-free , I try to and maximize my intake of vegetables while keeping the gluten and gluten substitutes out . Gluten substitutes can be full of sugar , so why not minimize the amount of processed foods I take in as well .
Many years ago , I found spaghetti squash when looking for a good spaghetti substitute . I love it because it comes from a plant , tastes great , and has a nice texture . It also holds up well with any sauce , and it doesn ’ t get mushy — unless it ’ s overcooked .
How do you prepare spaghetti squash so that it doesn ’ t get mushy ? I line a baking sheet with foil , cut the squash in half , with the halves face up . Then , I just drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil on them and rub it over the halves . Next , I sprinkle it with salt and pepper and throw it in the oven ! It will cook for about 25-30 minutes , turning it halfway through . When it is done , the squash will have a nice roasted color on the open side . It will also have a nice caramel color on some parts . Remove it from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes . It ’ s going to be HOT ! After it has cooled a bit , take a fork and scoop out the spaghetti ( strands ). The squash will actually fork out like spaghetti noodles . That ’ s how I do my roasted spaghetti squash . Yummy !
This is a great time to toss the spaghetti squash with some of the cannabutter that you have in the fridge ! If you want to use oil , go ahead ! Just be careful not to add too much !
Now for the sauce ! When I was a line cook at a restaurant in town , we would make our Alfredo from scratch for each individual order . This is where I learned how to make Alfredo , and let me tell you , this recipe is golden . Follow it to a “ T ,” and you will never buy a jar of Alfredo at the store again . You could also infuse this sauce if you have any infused cream , or you can use cannabutter instead of the regular butter . This recipe calls for white wine . I use a chardonnay , but if you don ’ t have that on hand , just use any white that you have . I don ’ t use cooking wine simply because I do not like the flavor , but since we are using the real stuff , we will make sure we reduce it so that all the alcohol is cooked out . Here is the recipe .