Zucchini Pasta with Marinated Cherry Tomatoes and Pesto
Pasta
4 cups (1 L) cherry tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup (125 mL) fresh basil, finely chopped.
1/4 cup (60 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice
1/2 tsp (2 mL) Celtic sea salt
1/2 cup (125 mL) sweet onion, thinly sliced
2 cups (500 mL) shiitake mushrooms, sliced
3 Tbsp (45 mL) low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp (30 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
2 - 6 in (15 cm) zucchinis
Marinate first 6 ingredients in a glass jar; turn it over a few times. You can do this the night before. It’s fine to leave the jar on the counter.
Marinate sweet onion and mushrooms with soy sauce and oil for 10 minutes to take the raw taste off the onions and to soften and colour mushrooms.
Slice zucchinis lengthwise with a mandoline or potato peeler. This looks like real pasta! Include the skin only when organic produce is purchased.
Place zucchini in casserole dish. Top with marinated tomatoes and mushroom/onion mixture. (Discard marinade from onions.) Serve with pesto and garnish with pine nuts. Serves 4.
Each serving contains: 188 calories; 4 g protein; 14 g total fat (2 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 14 g carbohydrates; 3 g fibre; 710 mg sodium
Pesto
This pesto is made without cheese or oil.
1 bunch fresh spinach*
1 bunch fresh cilantro*
1 bunch fresh parsley*
1 bunch fresh basil
1 avocado, cut into pieces
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup (80 g) pine nuts
3 Tbsp (45 mL) nutritional yeast
Sea salt
*Note: substitute basil for these three ingredients if you have a plentiful supply of basil in your garden, or simply use spinach and cilantro.
Combine all ingredients in food processor. Pulse and chop with S-blade of food processor; blend until smooth. Add water if needed.
Freeze pesto in zip-lock bags flattened to 1/4 in (6 mm) thickness. Break off needed amounts at short notice and add them to warm pasta and tomato soup, or use pesto instead of butter in vine-ripened sweet tomato sandwiches.
Each 1/4 cup (60 mL) serving contains: 53 calories; 2 g protein; 4 g total fat (0 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 4 g carbohydrates; 2 g fibre; 105 mg sodium
source: "Simply Rawsome!", alive #333, July 2010
Zucchini Pasta with Marinated Cherry Tomatoes and Pesto
Directions
READ THIS NEXT
SEE MORE »
Farro, Lentil, and Vegetable Soup
Adding farro, with its nutty bite, is a delicious and convenient way to increase your soup’s fibre and nutritional value. This hearty soup is the perfect remedy to a cold January day. Lemon and chervil add a bright contrast to the fibre-packed earthy flavours. Farro timesaver With a long cooking time, it’s worth it to cook a larger amount of farro and freeze it in small-portioned batches which can be thawed quickly. Using a ratio of 1:4 farro to water, cook on medium-high heat until farro is al dente, in a similar manner to the way you would cook pasta. Drain, rinse, portion, and freeze for later use. To thaw, simply run frozen farro under water or add directly to soup.
Arugula Salad with Roasted Delicata Squash, Pomegranate Molasses, and Pine Nuts
Oven-roasted delicata squash makes a crispy treat atop this green salad. As its name suggests, this squash has a thin, delicate skin that’s tasty when cooked. Pomegranate molasses, an ingredient common in Lebanese and Middle-Eastern cuisine, brings a sweet and sour flavour to the dressing. No pine nuts? Use squash seeds! Simply collect about 1/4 cup (60 mL) seeds from cleaned squash, rinse, and mix with 1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) of the spice mix used to roast the squash and 1/2 tsp (2 mL) olive oil. Roast at 425 F (220 C) on parchment-lined baking sheet for 20 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
Cardamom and Ginger Scented Farro Breakfast Porridge
Look for whole grain farro, which leaves the germ and bran intact, for this satisfying porridge that’s sure to kickstart your day. While the cooking time is longer than for pearled or semi-pearled varieties, you’ll get more nutrition. Take the time to enjoy the delicate scent of cardamom and ginger wafting through your kitchen as you prepare this. Ancient grain Farro (also referred to as emmer or einkorn) is a variety of wheat known as an ancient grain, which means that it hasn’t changed over time through breeding as is the case with many varieties of modern wheat.
Sheet Pan Golden Tofu Medley
This easy, yet impressive, vegan dinner is packed with oven-roasted flavour and proves that creating satisfying weeknight plant-based meals is entirely possible. If working with a small oven with only room for one sheet at a time, you can prepare the tofu and vegetables in batches separately.