The spicy vege pasta that doesn't blow your detox & satisfies carb cravings!
With the holiday season fast approaching, detox season has arrived. And if you're anything like us, you've got carb temptations coming at you left, right and center,making it almost impossible not to break your detox. That's why we've searched high and low for the best recipes that satisfy the inevitable cravings without having to succumb to the guilt that can come with indulging in said food group.
Vegetarian, Gluten-free and dairy-free, this recipe can be easily tailored to your liking by swapping out the below-mentioned ingredients for any alternative you fancy.
Healthy Vegetarian Coconut Pasta
Makes two to three serves
Ingredients
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 brown onion, diced
1 tbsp dried herbs (fresh rosemary, oregano and thyme recommended)
2 cups chopped veggies of your choice (cauliflower, carrots, mushrooms, green beans and broccoli recommended)
1 garlic clove, smashed
1 lemon, both juice and zest
A handful of fresh parsley
Salt
Pepper
1 cup dried gluten free pasta
Spicy Pesto Sauce
2 fresh tomatoes
6 sundried tomatoes in oil, drained
5 chillies of your choice
2 medium cloves garlic
30g (1 oz) parmesan
30g (1oz) pine nuts
2 medium cloves garlic
A small handful of fresh basil leaves
125ml (1/2 cup) EV olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
pinch of white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
Quick tip: We recommend preparing all your ingredients beforehand, and lining each of them up on your chopping board ready to pile into your pan.
Method
Spicy Tomato Pesto Sauce
1. Place everything in a chopper and blitz to your heart’s content.
2. Scrape down the sides after a few seconds, and stop when you are happy with the consistency and the smoothness. I like to bite into bits of pine nuts, tomatoes and basil, so leave it semi coarse, but it’s up to you.
3. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Be generous with the freshly ground black pepper. Also, it may taste salty to you but it needs to be salty. In fact, the 1/2 tsp of salt is probably not enough if you are going to stir it through pasta. You will have to add more salt when actually using this red chilli pesto in another recipe.
4. Store in a sterilised container, covered in a layer of extra virgin olive oil for about 1 week. It will definitely last a week. Use as described above, as you would basil pesto.
Pasta
1. Start by cooking your hard vegetables in a pot of boiling water.
2. Once your vegetables prepped you can move onto the sauce by heating your saucepan to a medium heat and adding your extra virgin olive oil.
3. Add your onion to the pan and cook it for around eight minutes or until it becomes translucent. While your onion cooks, boil the water for your pasta and cook to its specific packaging instructions (we recommend adding a dash of salt to the pot for added flavour).
4. Add your dried herbs and vegetables to the pan. We recommends adding your carrots, cauliflower and mushrooms first so that they can cook through.
5. Get your lemon juice and zest, along with your crushed garlic and sauce, and add each to the pan, being sure to mix each ingredient well until they’re all combined, allowing them to cook for approximately two minutes.
6. Finally, strain your pasta and add it to your saucepan, topping it all off with parsley and any additional seasoning to your own taste
Voila! Your healthy vege pasta is ready to nurture your body and cravings.
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