Sometimes my kids want crazy shaped noodles… part of being a kid I guess. They picked this bowtie pasta out at the grocery store and I thought…what the heck am I going to make with this?! This adorable shape made me start dreaming of pesto but I didn’t like the ingredients in anything from the store… so I thought, I’ll just make it myself.
Let’s say this is a loose interpretation of pesto since it’s very basic and quite clean tasting …really I just wanted that sweet fresh basil flavour!
Green ‘Pesto’ Sauce: handful of fresh basil, handful x2 of spinach, 1 avocado, a splash of coconut vinegar, a splash of water and a squeeze of lime. A dash of pink Himalayan salt to bring out the flavours and into the blender it went. It was bright green perfection! I put the leftovers in the fridge and it was even better the next day after the flavours had time to marinate with each other. I did choose to skip the garlic in the sauce since I knew we wouldn’t use it all up at once and I find that fresh garlic the next day is super overpowering and I wanted to enjoy the clean flavours of the fresh greens and herbs.
The Veg: I fried up some mushrooms, onions, garlic and canned chickpeas (drained and rinsed) in a little avocado oil, S&P, and nutritional yeast. The nutritional yeast gives it the wow factor, a salty – cheesy flavour without the actual salt and cheese.
In the end, kids got their cute pasta and mom got her fresh ‘pesto’ sauce! WIN WIN 🙂
Some Nutritional Facts:
- chickpeas are a great source of vitamins, minerals, fibre and an excellent source of plant based protein.
- mushrooms are anti-inflammatory making them great for your heart and blood vessels. There is also new research showing their benefits in improving cognitive function.
- onions and garlic are a no brainer! Immune boosting, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory along with providing many vitamins and nutrients such as B1, B6 and vitamin C.
- spinach is a great source of vitamins namely vitamin K, important for bone health.
- basil is a good source of magnesium and vitamin A, promoting healthy blood flow.
Plant Based Jenny 