This may be one of my all-time greatest creations. Or, I was just really in the mood for a non-junky creamy alfredo sauce. Either way, this healthy take on a classic comfort food is delectable, hearty, calorie-dense one-pot meal that’s nourishing for the body. It’s rich in healthy fats and fairly low-carb—the kelp noodles only have a few grams of carbs (total!), while also adding a iodine to the equation. Take that, spaghetti! It’s also incredibly easy to make (with a little patience), and a great meal for batch cooking to have weekday leftovers—yes, I’m talking to all you meal-prep master chefs!

For the dairy-free option, omit the parmesan and use a few tablespoons nutritional yeast and an extra 1/4 cup cashews instead.

Directions:

First, rinse and then soak the kelp noodles in flittered water until you ready to use them. This helps soften them up.

Second, in a high-powered blender, mix the coconut milk, chicken broth and cashews. This is the base for the alfredo sauce. Set aside.

Wash and cut broccoli into small florets, and mince garlic.

Heat large pot (Le Cruset dutch oven) and add avocado oil. Add broccoli and garlic to pot, and stir fry for 5-10 minutes or until broccoli begins to soften. Meanwhile, rinse and cut raw chicken thighs into small bite-sized pieces. Be sure to wash your hands when dealing with raw meat!

Heat a large skillet, add avocado oil, and add chicken pieces. Cook on medium heat until done.

Add the kelp noodles and half the alfredo sauce to the large pot with broccoli. Stir so it incorporates with broccoli, and keep on low/medium heat so it doesn’t burn, brown or stick to the bottom. Cook for a few min. Then add the cooked chicken, the rest of the sauce, shredded parmesan, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Stir well and often.

Let this all simmer on low heat until the sauce thickens and absorbs into the meat and broccoli, stir frequently. The longer is simmers, the better it turns out.