When I began in earnest to eat Vegan, I knew I needed some specialized cooking classes. I have taken personal classes from a Vegan Chef in Oregon and had taken classes from Bob’s Red Mill. Yes Bob’s Red Mill offers vegan cooking classes, you just have to be lucky enough to be there at the right time!
My sister had taken me to a fabulous restaurant in Oregon called the Blossoming Lotus. WOW is that an epicurean delight! I told my sister if I ever could learn to cook Vegan like that I’d be in Heaven! Well the chef teaches classes all over the US and abroad! So I took classes from the Chef in Hawaii…what a treat. I am sharing one of the recipes we learned with my changes. My husband and son think this is the best meal I have EVER made…EVER! So I hope you enjoy it. It has a fresh pesto sauce that is dairy free and what better time than summer to be able to get fresh basil.
And of course I couldn’t make this fabulous Pesto without a high powered blender, and my choice of blenders is Blendtec! Please check my Blendtec Review HERE for more on why I chose Blendtec! Cooking with a high powered blender has revolutionized the way I cook!
How to Make Pesto for Pasta Puttanesca
How to Make Pesto for Pasta Puttanesca
Ingredients
- Ingredients needed for Pesto Sauce:
- 2 1/2 cups basil
- 3/4 cups olive oil
- 1/2 cup pine nuts or macadamia nuts
- 3 Tb lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 Tb garlic minced
- 2 tsp gluten free soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- pinch of cayenne
- 1/3 cup Nutritional Yeast Flakes
- Ingredients for the Pasta Puttanesca
- Noodles: For the Raw Version use 4 Medium zucchini shredded finely OR
- I use bean threads softened in hot water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2/3 cup pitted olives diced
- 2 large tomatoes chopped (2 cups)
- 2 cucumbers chopped (2 cups)
- 1/2 cup italian parsley minced
- 1/2 cup chiffonade basil
- 2 tsp fresh thyme minced
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
- 2 tsp capers
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 3 tbsp pine nuts toasted
Instructions
- Putting it all Together for the Pesto Sauce:
- Put all ingredients into blender and blend until very smooth!
- Putting it all Together for the Pasta Puttanesca
- Mix all the ingredients for the Puttanesca EXCEPT for the pasta noodles and pinenuts.
- Divide the noodles amongst four plates and top noodles ( zuccini for raw or pasta noodles of choice) with PESTO then spoon on the Puttanesca. Garnish with pine nuts as desired on top.
Nutrition
This sounds absolutely wonderful… if it is even half as fresh tasting as I’d imagine it to be, it is a win win!! We are still hanging on to a bit of summer here in Texas, and my garden is still crazy with basil and zucc’s…so I think I’m going to check this out… thank you so much for the recipe, and the great photos ( those are always a help! I love recipes online, but i miss cookbooks, so the pics make it easier…lol)
i see recipes like this all over, I just can’t get myself to try it though… is it really that good? I guess i just need to suck it up and try it!
Sounds very yummy!