Lemongrass Chicken Pad Thai with Spaghetti Squash

What do the three pictures above have in common?  They all create yummy goodness!  And combined they create a low carb pad thai option.  Pad thai is traditionally a stir-fried noodle dish traditionally served as a street-food dish in Thailand.  To be honest, it took me a while to acquire the taste for fish sauce but I really like the flavor now and love comparing pad thai dishes at restaurants.  The recipe below tweaks the traditional recipe a bit and is a healthy meal for your busy weeknights.  Eat it for dinner one night and have several lunches left over for the week.

What you'll need:

-1 spaghetti squash
-1 lb of boneless chicken breast  (I prefer white meat but you could substitute boneless thighs here as well)
-3 tbsp olive oil plus 3 tbsp olive oil for squash 
-2 tbsp sesame oil
-4 cloves of garlic (but remember, I love garlic)
-4 lemongrass stalks, minced
-1 large yellow onion, sliced thin
-1 jalapeno sliced thinly in coin size
-1 to 2 sliced and seeded red bell peppers
-3 tbsp soy sauce
-Several dashes of red pepper flakes
-3 tbsp fish sauce
-3 eggs, beaten
-Zest and juice of two lemons
-Salt & Pepper to taste
-1/4 cup of chopped cilantro
-1/2 cup crushed peanuts
-Chopped green onion to garnish

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and grease the bottom of a large baking dish.  
-Cut the spaghetti squash length wise and scoop out the seeds.  (I set these aside and toast them for a snack later)
-Drizzle olive oil over both insides of the squash and season with salt and pepper.  Place face down on the baking dish and place in oven for 40 minutes.
-After 40 minutes, remove the squash and let cool.  Once it has cooled use a fork to scrape the squash out into a large bowl.  This is the fun part, I love how spaghetti squash has this crazy noodle inside.
-Set aside.

-Begin preheating a wok or large pan with olive oil.  Season chicken with salt and pepper and place in pan, browning both sides.  About 3 minutes per side.  Once the chicken has cooked, remove from pan, slice thinly and set aside.
-Return wok to medium high heat, add an olive oil drizzle and begin browning your sliced onions, garlic, lemon grass and jalapenos. Stir fry until onion is clear and move to side of pan. 
-In same pan, scramble your three eggs for about 45 seconds.  As soon as eggs are cooked, mix veggies and egg together.
-Add back in your chicken and now your sliced red peppers.
-Add in fish sauce, soy sauce, lemon zest and juice, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.  Cook for an additional 2 minutes.
-Now toss in your squash, cilantro, and sesame oil and stir.  Heat for an additional minute and taste.  If you need more flavor, I would recommend adding a little more fish sauce and soy sauce.
-Once you are happy with the flavor, turn off heat, top with green onions and peanuts and serve in a bowl.

Enjoy!

For additional heat, drizzle with Sriracha!!