Our Veggie Kitchen

I'm not sure if its some new trend or just a bit of tunnel vision on my part, but everywhere I look, it seems, I see creamy pesto. My psyche has been inundated with beautiful pictures of pasta laden with Alfredo sauces, cream sauces, and delicious pesto. I decided that I had to have some for myself. I did some playing (and a fair bit of chopping) and came up with this, rotini pasta with a creamy cashew pesto sauce.



Rotini with Creamy Pesto
1 lb pasta shapes, such as rotini or shells
Pesto:
1/4 cup almonds, ground
2 tbs olive oil
4 cups basil leaves (lightly packed), minced
1 cup parsley (lightly packed), minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Sauce:
1/2 cup cashews, ground
1/2 cup boiling water (reserved from pasta)
1 cup unsweetened soy milk
1 tbs miso
1/2 small lemon, juiced
1/2 tsp salt

For the pesto, chop the herbs very finely. combine with the ground almonds, olive oil and garlic. Stir thoroughly.

Cook the pasta according to package directions. While the pasta is cooking, combine the sauce ingredients in a blender and blend thoroughly. When the pasta is finished cooking, drain. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the boiling water. Add the water to the blender and blend. Pour into the pasta pan with the pasta and heat just until the sauce begins to thicken and remove from heat. Stir in the pesto and serve.


5 Servings: 545 cal (18g fat, 78g carbs, 19g protein)