Okay so pasta is pretty much the only reason most of us have not starved to death yet but it's mad fattening. Before I went raw I inhaled that shiz- I'd make an entire bag and keep it in the fridge for go-to meals when I don't have the energy to think about what to eat through out the week. Plus pasta is super awesome because every time you eat it- you add a different sauce and walla not the same meal you had yesterday.
But now how the hell is a raw vegan gonna chow down on some processed-white-flour-carby-pasta? Oh wait, an awesome alternative? No way, impossible! Oh yes my friend it is possible- there is a healthy alternative to pasta and it tastes the same, if not better! I feed this dish to really stubborn anti-vegans and they loved it! Not only does this alternative taste like pasta- it is quicker to make than pasta.
Are you ready to find out the worlds best kept secret (unless the picture on top already gave it away)? Drum roll please.... Zucchini!
Take a peeler and peel the zucchini into strips... and add your favorite sauce... and walla it tastes just like pasta minus the carbs! Plus zucchini is really healthy packed with vitamins. A lot of the vitamins are in the skin so eat the skin too (try to buy organic though). Really I am serious, what are you waiting for, go try it!
The recipe I am sharing with you today is sundried tomato and pesto pasta...
You will need:
1 Zucchini (This recipe makes extra pesto sauce that you can store in the fridge for two weeks but if you are making for more than one person you can add more zucchinis)
And for the Sauce:
1 cup of Basil
1/4 cup of Sun-dried tomatos (If you like sun-dried tomatoes you can skip it or put less)
1 Tablespoon of Pine nuts (which are expensive and you can skip this if you want)
2 Tablespoons of Olive oil
1 clove of Garlic (if you like less garlic use less)
Peel the Zucchini into spaghetti strips- stop peeling once you read the seeds.
Wash the basil and leave it to dry in the colander/ or just dry it by hand.
You can then blend all the ingredients or continue on reading for my ghetto style that can be used if you don't have equipment
Take the pine nuts put it in a plastic bag take a mug and crush it into little pieces. I did this on a towel so I wouldn't break the mug. The plastic bag will probably break- mine did- so like double wrap it or something- within the same bag to try not to waste plastic like try to fold the plastic over or something. I'm sure there is a better way to do all this I just didn't come up with it yet... if you think of anything post it in the comment section.
Chop the basil, garlic, and sun-dried tomato really small like the smallest you can cut it up. Then put all the ingredients together and mash it like there is not tomorrow- I used a fork and a knife.
Eventually it will look like pesto sauce!!!
Mix the sauce into the zucchini pasta add any spices you like and enjoy your meal!
Also if you are a cooked food eater and you are looking for a warm meal (weird but I guess everyone has their preferences.) You can throw this into a skillet and cook it on the stove- you will be losing a lot of nutrients but it is still a better alternative to pasta.
Let me know how your pasta comes out! And share any sauce ideas you have in the comments section!
xoxo
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