creamy MINT pasta <3
happy spring day, lovelies! Looking to jazz up your simple pasta dish, but not sure how? WELL, do I have the perfect pasta for you. It's cool with the zucchini, and fresh with the mint- but tangy with the bit of lemon. The brightest of flavors in one plate, AND it's all tossed in a homemade vegan cashew ricotta. UGH for someone that doesn't resort to pasta too often, I am hooked!
So, it's just under two weeks until we're off to England for Christopher & Kate's lovely wedding, and I have yet to find a dress. Or fascinator for that matter. AND I am still "partner-less" at work, so things have been quite hectic in my everyday life. However, I do feel quite fortunate to love cooking as much as I do, and have something to look forward to each night when I get home from a crazy day. Rather than it being a complete chore, it's actually a complete stress reliever for me. How lucky am I to have such a helpful hobby?!
But, sometimes I hit a block in the road, where I just run out of creative recipe ideas. Literally nothing I cook comes out good, and like everything I try just doesn't look appetizing. Does that ever happen to anyone else? When that happens, I like to get onto pinterest and search and search (and search some more), until I find something that jumps out at me. Thank goodness I stumbled upon this recipe a food blog I used to go to daily when learning to cook. Simple Veganista not only has extremely delicious recipes (a few of my favorites were adapted from her), but they are SO easy. If you aren't a vegan or if you're looking to switch over to the plant based lifestyle, check her out! She makes such simple dishes that only require a few ingredients (that you usually have on hand), as well as some raw ones. Ugh, love that blog! Anyhow, check out this recipe pulled from Simple Veganista & brought to life in my kitchen. If you're gluten free, no worries here. Just use a gluten free pasta :) Enjoy! xx Sam
| Vegan |
I N G R E D I E N T S:
- 2-3 zucchinis, cut down the center [long way] & sliced thin
- 6 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 cup fresh mint leaves, packed loosely & julienned
- 1 lemons
- 8 oz. of penne pasta (approx 2 cups) - you can sub for a gluten free pasta if necessary!
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Vegan parm, to serve!
CASHEW RICOTTA - 1/2 cup of raw cashews, soaked for 20 minutes in boiling water (or overnight)
- 3 Tbs of water
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar (or juice from 1/2 lemon)
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Small dash of onion powder - optional
CASHEW RICOTTA: Begin by preparing your cashews since they need to soak a bit. Also, get your pasta water going! Once your cashews are done soaking, add to a food processor with remaining ingredients. Process for a while until smooth. If it looks too thick, add a bit more water. Scrape down when needed, and set aside when it resembles a creamy ricotta!
PASTA: Cook your pasta until al dente, drain & drizzle some olive oil + half a lemon over your hot cooked pasta, so it won't stick together until ready to use. Set aside. Slice up your zucchinis, mint + mince the garlic.
In a large frying pan over medium heat, add a small splash of olive oil. Once hot, toss in the zucchini and garlic. Cook for just about 5 minutes, until it's softened a bit. Kill the heat. Now, in your bowl of cooked pasta, toss in the cashew ricotta and mix to coat. Pour in your zucchini garlic mixture + the mint, and toss to combine. Serve with additional lemon & of course a generous heaping of vegan almond Parmesan. OH! And fresh cracked pepper. Mmmm so crisp and bright with flavors!