INGREDIENTS
FOR THE PESTO:
½ cup fresh basil
1 tablespoon Cashew nuts
2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon
2 teaspoon nutritional yeast
1 clove garlic
Pinch of salt
10ml olive oil
FOR THE PASTA:
1 Teaspoon coconut oil
½ yellow onion sliced
1 small zucchini, halved and sliced
4-6 Patty Pans thinly sliced
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
½ teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
120g 100% Chickpea or Red Lentil Pasta(Happy Earth People)
¼ – ⅓ cup prepared basil pesto(as per recipe above)
DIRECTIONS:
For the Pesto: Place garlic a food processor or blender and pulse until roughly chopped. Then add the basil, cashew nuts, lemon juice, salt, and pulse into a rough paste. Turn on the food processor, and drizzle in the olive oil through the opening in the lid of the food processor. If your food processor doesn’t have an opening add the olive oil to the container with the rest of the ingredients and let the food processor run until you reach your desired consistency. Depending on the size of your food processor, you may have to scrape down the sides of the food processor.
For the Pasta: Start by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil. While the water heats up, start your veggies. Once the water boils, cook the pasta according to package instructions. In a medium pot, add water and set over high heat. When pasta is done, reserve ½ cup of pasta water. Drain pasta.
In a large skillet add coconut oil and set over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot add the onion, zucchini, patty pans, bell peppers, and tomatoes. Season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Sauté about 5-8 minutes just to soften the squash. Set aside till pasta is done cooking.
Place the pan of vegetables back on low heat, add the cooked pasta, pesto, and ¼ cup of reserved pasta water. Add more water to reach the desired consistency of the pesto. liquid. Toss to coat. Taste and adjust the seasoning, garnish with nutritional yeast and more basil leaves if desired. Serve warm.
2 Vegan protein portions and 2 Fat servings