I found this recipe years ago in Paleo Magazine, a mag I love! I have adapted and reworked it over the years so here is the crossbred version of Coach G and Paleo Mags PALEO CHILI!

This a low carb way to feel like you are getting in a starchy, hearty meal! Paleo Chili may not be photogenic but I can gurantee it is ADDICTIVE!

INGREDIENTS

-2 spaghetti squashes.

- 15 oz can of crushed tomatoes.

-tomato paste.

-chili seasoning.

-cumin.

-sea salt.

-onion.

-chicken thighs or tenders or breast. (or tofu if you want to make this plant based vegan.)

DIRECTIONS

Coach G’s note: I typically do not make this all on one day as waiting for the spaghetti squash to cool would take this recipe out of the fast-easy-cheap zone that I live in. I will usually roast my spagehtti squash in advance when I am using my oven for something like my paleo muffins and then scrape it and toss the spahgetti into gallon size freezer bags and keep in my freezer until the craving for Paleo Chili hits!

-Roast 2 spaghetti squashs on any glass lasagna pan or metal cookie sheet at 375 until you can stick a butter knife through it. The pan/sheet is needed as sometimes a spaghetti squash can ooze liquid and that would be a first class pain in the a$$ to clean that off the floor of your oven. One of my coaching clients asked me what is the trick to get it to cook- I said stab it like a serial killer then put it on a pan and walk away!

-Set aside and let it cool, trust me you don’t wanna handle hot spaghetti squash.

-Once spaghetti squash is cooled, cut in half, then half your halves.

-First pull out the middle section with the seeds and discard. I usually do this with a fork.

-Grab and fork and scrape the entire interior to grab all your spaghetti. Toss into bags to freeze or big glass bowl to prep with the other ingredients.

-Boil any chicken of your choice. I usually use thighs. I don’t bother pan frying or roasting as the chicken, once combined with all the other ingreidents will take on incredible flavors. You know your chicken is done when your meat thermometer reads 165 F/74 C.

-You can opt to just skip the chicken or you can add crumbled firm tofu to your dish. No need to pre-cook the tofu as it will cook when you bake the chili. If you opt for tofu: drain the package and let the tofu sit on paper towel for an hour to get all excess liquid from it.

-While your chicken is boiling chop a sweet white onion and sautee in olive oil. When done add to your bowl of spaghetti squash.

-chop your cooked chicken on a designated plastic meat cutting board. Add to your spaghetti squash in a large glass bowl.

-Add in your 15 oz can of tomatos, I usually strain about 1/4-1/2 of the juice from it first to keep a firm chili.

-Add in 1/2 of a can or about 2 tablespoons of tomato paste.

-Now time to season. Add all to your spaghetti squash. I use about 2 teaspoons of chili powder, 1 teaspoon of cumin and 2 teaspoons of sea salt.

-Mix using a large wooden spoon your spaghetti squash, onions, chicken/tofu, tomatoes, tomato paste, seasoning.

-Transfer your mixure into a glass lasagna pan and bake at 375 for about 30 minutes. Serve hot just as is or add sliced avocado to each serving. ENJOY!