- Okay, this is my first solo cooking demo.
I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little nervous and excited,
but you know what, when everything is calm and normal,
it means you've done it.
A healthy amount of fear is good.
(audience cheering)
Thank you.
What I wanted to cook for you guys today
is a pasta that is really near and dear to me.
I could eat pasta every single day of my life.
I have the metabolism of a sloth who's asleep at the switch.
So unfortunately I cannot.
I love food, but what I've tried to do,
'cause I've been on a wrecking ball pendulum
swinging back and forth, heavy, thin, heavy, thin for me.
Everybody's body is different.
There is no diet, one size fits all.
And I also think that I've tried to educate myself
to make healthy alternatives of dishes I love.
Because when I was doing the chicken and broccoli
type of diet with working out all the time,
here's what happened.
I would go off the rails,
and then my pendulum would swing all the way that way.
I've tried to find foods that actually
are just like the foods I love,
but very healthy versions of them.
I'm gonna make a spaghetti today that's actually made
with, secret ingredient, chickpeas.
This pasta has changed my life,
and the truth is the way we digest food
is a lot of gluten-free and rice alternatives to pasta
are a little inflammatory.
With this sauce, this is just a simple sauce.
And I always wanted to be that kind of guy
who made simple sauces at home,
but I'm not like sexy in the kitchen.
I'm a little bird brained.
But this, if I can do it, trust me, anyone can do it.
I also love cooking solo.
I love when recipes give the right ratios for that.
If you go on our website,
you're going to be able to get this for four to six,
but also one to two.
Jose Andres is on the show.
And he said, throw your garlic in with the peel on.
And that way it won't burn.
Turns out, he's Jose Andres for a reason.
I've been doing it now, and it has changed my game.
All right, so we're going to get this going.
And when your oil is sort of sizzling,
you're going to take cherry tomatoes.
The longest thing honestly--
(tomatoes sizzling) (audience cheering)
Yeah!
Oh, I told Jose Andres, I'm also turning my heat down.
Okay. Calm down.
But longest thing that actually takes here
is cutting the cherry tomatoes.
This whole sauce should take 10 minutes.
I love layering.
This pasta can also be made as fresh as you want,
or it can be made as a complete pantry dish.
All you have to do is take your dried spices.
I've got cherry tomatoes, basil, salt.
Now, my secret tip is I love a little harissa paste.
It's a Tunisian spice.
And I do sort of like Lima bean-size things in there.
And it adds this nice smoky, spicy.
I don't have a thing.
All right, I'm going right in here.
And literally this is it.
If you have dried herbs, you can do oregano, parsley.
You could even do chopped tomatoes in a can.
This can really be a staple anytime that you want it.
I'm also going to do a little tomato paste.
This, again, little Lima bean-size dollops right in there.
And then you're just going to keep cooking it down.
And eventually the cherry tomatoes will just break open,
but they'll remain intact enough.
And you're going to have what looks like a restaurant dish.
And like I said, if I can do this, anybody can do this.
Another thing that's really great about this.
If you would like to add meatballs, go for it.
Because the way digestion works is that
it doesn't process meat, proteins, and grains very well.
But because this is a chickpea flour,
your stomach welcomes proteins with it.
I also love to rock a little digestive enzymes.
You can find these in any health foods store or grocery.
Yeah, it just aids with digestion.
And since I started eating this way,
I've actually maintained the same weight.
And that is my secret.
I have found a way to have pleasure in the kitchen,
and my body is happy
and it's responding with something
that feels really good and empowering.
And I'm not deprived.
I'm totally enjoying myself.
Shout out to The Pasta Queen, my friend,
who's a maven on Tik Tok.
She says to take your ladle
to get the ultimate in bird's nest.
And it really works.
Look at this.
If this was a bowl, it's perfect.
So shout out to her.
Ta-da! All right, I'm going to taste it.
I hope that you guys have enjoyed the show.
Oh, beauty shot.
Oh, god, I already messed up the beauty shot.
Well, (audience cheering)
I hope that you take all the goodness
that we're feeling here with you
throughout the rest of your day.
That's what we're really here for
is to just spread good energy and good cheer
and enjoy life and find what all the things that are worth
just being human for.
Thank you very much for joining us today.
(upbeat music)