Healthy Recipe: Week 1

Super Quick Tomato Basil Cream Pasta

taken from Vegan Yum Yum, by Lauren Ulm

We tried this recipe last week for the first time, and it was so delicious! It is the perfect summery variation on simple spaghetti sauce, and the cashews make the sauce smooth and creamy. (Cashews in spaghetti sauce? Sounds strange, I know. But you’ll have to trust me, this stuff is good!) Give it a try and let us know what you think!

1 Large, ripe tomato (2 cups roughly chopped, 1 1/2 cups blended)

1/2 Cup Raw Cashews*

1 Tbs Tomato Paste
1/4 Cup Water

2 Tbs Olive Oil
2-4 Cloves Garlic, minced, optional

6 Ounces (ish) Whole Wheat Cavatappi Noodles*

1 tsp Salt (edit: upped from 3/4!)
2-3 Tbs Wine or Water, optional
1-2 tsp Freshly Cracked, Coarse Black Pepper
1 Large Handful Fresh Basil Leaves, chopped

*ingredient can be found at Apple Wellness

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil.

Core the tomato, then roughly chop it. Add it to your blender, seeds, skin and all. Add cashews, tomato paste, and water. Blend until very smooth.

Add olive oil to a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute until golden, being careful not to burn. Once water is boiling, add pasta. Pour sauce from the blender into the saute pan and bring to a simmer. Add salt and let cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

If desired add wine/water to thin out the sauce. Taste and season more if necessary. Let simmer until pasta is finished cooking. Once pasta is cooked, drain. Add pasta to the saute pan with black pepper and freshly chopped basil leaves. Toss to coat. Serve immediately, garnishing with more pepper and basil.

Check back next Tuesday for another Yummy Healthy Recipe. We'll be featuring delicious food that you can make using many of the products found in our store! Being a health food lover, I'm excited to give all our foods a try.