COURGETTE BLIMEY: This pretend pasta dish will float your boat, not your bloat!
Lots of people find it hard to give up pasta, even though most admit that after eating it they feel bloated, sluggish and uncomfortable, even end up with gut cramp. This is because, generally, most of us don’t tolerate wheat very well and that’s why we have those unpleasant symptoms. If you’re a follower of my blogs you know that while fancy bread is my achilles heel, I’ve never really been a big lover of pasta, mainly because as a former sufferer of IBS, I know that this stuff is like red rag to my bowel.
But there’s always an exception to the rule. I love to go on holiday to Italy and, while I’m there, I must admit I sometimes indulge in the odd plate of fresh Spaghetti Volgole and take the adverse consequences on the chin – or round the waist, love handles and belly, to be more precise.
If you’re a fan of eating pasta, but would prefer to do without all the horrible side-effects, this dish is a complete revelation. You will need to get yourself a julienne peeler which is a special little tool that cuts things into ribbons, like pasta. Just google it and you’ll see what I mean. Lakeland stores stock them if you have one in your town. They cost about £3 and will revolutionise the way you eat veg. And let’s be honest, the more interesting and tasty you can make your food with the minimum of effort, the more chance you have of sticking to a whole foods, healthy diet. I can promise you that this dish is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever cooked. In fact, my other half loved it so much, we had it three nights on the trot
Ingredients
- 3-4 Courgettes, sliced into ribbons with the julienne. (very therapeutic)
- two free range chicken breasts
- Good Oil hemp oil
- coconut oil
- 8-10 – or as many as you want – cherry tomatoes, sliced into halves
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- Aubergine, sliced into discs and seasoned with salt and pepper
Method
- Season the chicken breasts. place in a roasting tin, add a teaspoon of coconut oil and place in the oven to roast for around 25 to 30 mins, depending on size.
- When the chicken breasts have been roasting for about 15 minutes, heat a couple of tablespoons of hemp oil in a wok or deep frying pan. Add the garlic and fry until fragrant. Don’t have the heat too high or the garlic will burn. When you start to smell the garlic cooking, add the tomatoes and shake the pan to coat them in the oil and garlic. Don’t have the heat too high,
- Heat a griddle pan. Brush the aubergines with a little hemp oil and add to the pan. Griddle for a couple of minutes, then turn and continue to do that until they are nicely coloured but not too brown.
- Add the courgettes to the tomatoes and garlic in the pan which should be smelling amazing by now! Stir the oil, garlic and tomatoes into the courgettes until the veg is coated.
- Remove the chicken breasts from the oven, check they are cooked, and allow to rest. Just cover with foil to keep the heat in and keep them most
- Cook the courgettes for four to five minutes, stirring constantly. Keep tasting and checking the texture. They should have a little bit of bite to them. Make sure you’re keeping an eye on the aubergines too.
- When the aubergines are nice and golden, remove from pan and arrange on the plates. Spoon the courgettes over the top. Slice the chicken breasts and place them on top of the courgettes. Spoon over the lovely, garlicky, tomato juice in the bottom of the pan.
- Enjoy!
( • You can read about my IBS struggle here, if you’re interested: http://pammcvitie.co.uk//irritable-bowel-syndrome-the-bottom-line/
