Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

Clean the cauliflower head from green leaves, and chop it into reasonably large but manageable pieces. Place it in a big pot with water, bring to boil and boil for 30-40 minutes until cauliflower is really soft. Remove from heat and drain cauliflower from water. Do reserve some cooking water for use later.

If cooking a low carbohydrate version, use the spaghetti squash and preheat oven to 400. Cut the squash in half and place open side down on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake 40-50 minutes until fork tender. When done, let it cool slightly then scoop out the seeds. Using a fork, scrape out the spaghetti squash and set aside.

Heat a medium sauté pan over medium/high heat and add two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Season chicken cutlets with a little salt and pepper and sauté them until brown, approximately 5 – 6 minutes a side. Heat until they read 165 degrees and set aside.

Melt the butter in the same medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add minced shallot (or 2 tablespoons of minced regular onion), cook for 1-2 minutes, and then add minced garlic and saute until tender.

Add broth, milk and Parmesan cheese and bring to a boil. Cook just for a minute, stirring, until cheese melts. Remove from the heat.

In a food processor, combine cauliflower from step 1 and creamy sauce from step 2. Process really well, until a very creamy sauce forms. Feel free to add more heavy cream or cooking water (using 1/4 cup) from step 1 to thin the sauce if it is too thick. Transfer sauce into a large sauce pan and keep it warm on the stove top. Season with salt and pepper, and nutmeg, to taste.

Cook the peas in boiling water for about 5 minutes, or according to instructions if using frozen peas.

Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the fettuccine in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain.

Combine the cauliflower sauce (from step 3), cooked shelled peas (from step 4), and pasta cooked al dente (from step 5) (or the spaghetti squash or combine both together to make a medium carbohydrate version). Toss to combine thoroughly – over medium heat.

Serve 1 cup of finished fettuccini and top with a sliced, cooked chicken breast (4 oz.) Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and garnish with parsley, if desired