Zucchini Pasta with Avocado Walnut Pesto

 

Before going plant-based I made white flour pasta smothered in pesto a lot. I’d serve this with a salad and assumed this was a healthy meal. It wasn’t.

First of all, white pasta is not good for you! It’s made from refined white flour, a food that has been stripped of its healthful nutrients. More than this, it’s a high glycemic food which means it quickly turns into sugar in your bloodstream. This may trigger health problems like increased heart rate, high blood pressure, inflammation, allergies, fatigue and weight gain.

With oils, cheese, salt and milk, the Classico brand of pesto I used was not a health food either. To find out why these foods are not good for you, click on the food(s) you’re curious about.

When my husband and I went plant-based, I switched to whole wheat pasta and topped it with home-made tomato sauce. I also added veggies to the pasta. This was much healthier, but now I have to change again.

I suffer from severe allergies, and I’ve cut out gluten and night shade vegetables (potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers and eggplant) to see if this alleviates my symptoms. So, I can’t have wheat pasta with tomato sauce at the moment.

I don’t want to stop eating pasta, however; so I developed a healthy, gluten-free, nightshade free pasta dish. Even if you’re not worried about gluten or nightshade veggies, you’ll love this recipe inspired by Gluten Free Vegan Girl. It’s delicious and a cinch to whip up.

Zucchini Pasta with Avocado Walnut Pesto

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients

8 oz package gluten free pasta (I use DeBoles)

2 small zucchini, shredded

1/4 cup kalamata olives, chopped (optional)

1 ripe avocado

½ cup walnuts

1-2 garlic cloves

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp dried basil

½ tsp oregano

¼ tsp salt (optional)

1 cup fresh basil

Directions

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water until al dente. Drain.

Meanwhile, add the remaining ingredients, except zucchini and olives, to a high speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Add zucchini, olives and two to three tablespoons of pesto to pasta. Mix well and serve.

There will be extra pesto, which makes a fab pizza sauce.

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