Zucchini Chicken Pasta with Homemade Pesto

I never thought I'd say this but after making paleo "noodles" with both spaghetti squash and zucchini, I seriously don't even miss pasta. If you don't have a julienne peeler you need to go out and get one stat (or ask for one for Christmas). They are awesome, my only issue with it is that it's really hard (or impossible) to julienne every last bit of zucchini, I usually end up with a few thick slices in the pasta but better than wasting it!

I first made this recipe with regular pesto that I bought at Whole Foods but it gave me stomach issues so I decided to use my awesome Vitamix (seriously, is there anything that thing can't do) and make my own cheeseless pesto, but you can always use pesto from a jar. You can also try adding sundried tomatoes to the pasta.

Ingredients for one serving:

• 2 large zucchini squash (julienned into noodles) 
• 1 tsp sea salt 
• 1 tsp black pepper 
• 4 chopped artichoke hearts packed in water 
• 4 large raw walnuts 
• 4 oz chicken breast, seasoned and baked with garlic powder, salt and pepper, then cut into slices
• 2 T homemade cheese-less pesto (see below) 

Homemade Cheeseless Pesto:

• 1 bunch basil
• 1/2 cup (60 ml) olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 oz walnuts 
• 1/2 tsp salt 

Blend in Vitamix for 1 minute at Variable 7 (start at Variable 1). It will make about a cup and will keep in the fridge for about a week.

Pro Tip: Peel 6-8 zucchini all at once and store the "noodles" in a tupperware, and bake and slice several chicken breasts at the same time, then you have 4 meals for the week, and all you have to do is assemble and heat up. BOOM

Low carb pasta! Yay