STUNNING GRAIN FREE PASTA WITH CHICKEN AND BACON
One of the foods kids miss the most when following a grain free diet is pasta. You can therefore imagine how I yelped with joy when I came across this organic grain free pasta by Tolerant Foods which is made with just 2 ingredients – Lentils and water.
I was skeptical for sure, and did not expect much – but goodness me was I put in my place! This pasta has stunning texture and has that al dente bite which is what makes pasta… well …pasta. You would be hard pushed to tell the difference between this and a normal wheat based penne.
You can also get pasta made with black beans which is equally fabulous – I prefer the lentil one mainly due to the colour – it just looks so much like the real deal!
I have experimented all week with the different types of pasta, including fusilli and spaghetti but they both lost their structure through cooking, even though they tasted great. The penne is the winner here. The recipe in the picture is made with chicken, broccoli, basil, bacon and a small amount of coconut cream to bring it all together. The base was started with a couple of onions and 3 garlic cloves, following the 10 minute garlic rule This is definitely going to be a regular in our household- AMAZING!
This pasta isavailable from Good Health Naturally
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 cloves garlic - grated
- 1 medium onion - chopped
- 4 rasher nitrate free bacon
- 2 medium chicken breast - bite size
- 2 handfulls broccoli - florets
- 1 packet lentil penne
- 1 handfull fresh basil - torn
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the instructions and drains and set aside
- Melt half the coconut oil in a pan and add the rashers of bacon and cook until they are lovely and crips. Remove from the pan and set aside. Once cooled down snap into small bite sized pieces
- Add the rest of the oil and once melted add the onions and garlic to the pan and cook for a few minutes until the onions are translucent.
- Add the chicken to the onions and garlic in the pan and cook for a few minutes until the chicken is thoroughly cooked through
- Add the broccoli florets and cook through for about 5 minutes
- Add the bacons pieces and the pasta and warm through
- Serve with a scatter of torn basil
THE SCIENCE BIT
Not only is this pasta epically delicious it is full of nutrients so even if your child has it plain with some basic sauce, you know that there is some serious goodness going in. It is high in protein and fibre and a host of vitamins and minerals. One cup of cooked pasta provides: – 200% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for molybdenum (key in supporting detoxification) – 90% of the RDA for folate (fundamental in methylation) – 50% of the daily requirement for manganese (protects the cells from oxidative damage) – 37% of the RDA for Iron (fundamental in oxygen distribution, supporting the immune system and detoxification and plays akey role in energy production). It is also loaded with tryptophan, an amino acid which is the key to serotonin (feel good neurotransmitter) and melatonin (sleep hormone).
