Zucchini Alfredo Pasta with green olives, tomatoes, and basil (raw)

Not only did I get a new blender for my birthday, but I also got 2 big bags of nutritional yeast. What more could a vegan chef ask for? This recipe includes nutritional yeast, but if you can't get your hands on it, it is still very tasty without it. It just adds a bit of cheesy flavor, not to mention tons of B Vitamins. This recipe is great if you're craving something creamy because it really "hits the spot," as my mom would say, without being too heavy.



ZUCCHINI ALFREDO PASTA:

Serves: 2
Equipment:

Blender
Cheese Grater or Pasta Spiroli slicer


Ingredients:

2 small zucchinis
handful of baby tomatoes, diced
5 or 6 green olives, diced
3 or 4 sun-dried tomatoes,diced
handful of basil, chopped

For the sauce:
1 cup raw pine nuts
1 tbspn orange juice (or lemon)
1 tbspn nutritional yeast
4-5 tablespoons water
sea salt to taste
black pepper to taste
italian spices to taste

Grate zucchini into long strips like noodles. Toss with salt, pepper, and any italian spices you like. Set Aside. In a blender combine pine nuts, orange or lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, spices and water until smooth. Add water slowly to get desired consistency (you may want to add more orange or lemon juice as well.) Toss zucchini noodles in the sauce. Add chopped green olives, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh basil. Experiment with other herbs too such as parsley or oregano.

Zucchini- Cashew Hummus (raw)

I got a magic bullet blender for my birthday. Or, I should say I got an "Amazing Bullet." It's the knockoff version, but my boyfriend and I have a theory that the same people who make the magic bullet make the amazing bullet and just the suckers buy the magic one for a higher price. ;) Nonetheless, it is amazing! And this is one of the things I have recently made with it. A delicious raw hummus. Perfect for spreading on sliced vegetables and wrapping them in big romaine lettuce leaves.


ZUCCHINI CASHEW HUMMUS

Equipment:

Blender

Ingredients:

1 cup of soaked raw cashews
1 cup of chopped and peeled zucchini (about 1 small zucchini)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 small garlic clove
1/8 cup tahini
sea salt
1/2 cup water

In a blender or food processor blend all ingredients until smooth, adding water very slowly to get desired consistency. You could always substitute more zucchini for cashews if you don't have them, or vice versa. Make sure to peel all of the green skin off of the zucchini otherwise you will get a funky colored hummus. I added garnished with olive oil, crushed red pepper, and chopped zucchini.