Rainbow “Pasta” with an Almond Tumeric Sauce October 6, 2011

This dish was inspired by a dish I had at the Loving Hut in Palo Alto last weekend. They have this raw fettuccini dish that is killer! Here is the description from the website:

 

A raw celery root fettuccine with collard greens,
carrot, tomato, beet, cucumber, bell pepper, pistachio
and almond, in a rich n’ creamy almond sauce

 

So I really wanted to recreate it and let me tell you, this tastes NOTHING like it! It is still good though. Mostly, I just liked the idea of using a bunch of different veggies in a “pasta” shape with a creamy and nutty dressing. For mine I just used veggies I had on hand: Kale, butternut squash, red bell pepper, and zucchini. Celery Root, Kohlrabi, Collard Greens, beets, would all be great to use as “noodles.”

 

 

As for the sauce, I decided to make an almond turmeric sauce. Turmeric has a compound in it called curcumin which has many health properties including anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant. When combined with black pepper the bio-availability of curcumin increases dramatically making it much more potent as a healing agent.

 

I made a very simple sauce with almond butter, soy sauce, black pepper, raw honey, lime, and turmeric. It was yummy but I will be honest, I think I liked the sauce that Loving Hut used better. I added water to my sauce as well to thin it out and felt it was too watery so the recipe below does not include water. If you find the sauce too thick add water a tablespoon at a time to thin it out.

 

 

I added tempeh that I lightly seared in coconut oil to my salad. It was healthy, light yet filling, and tasty! Enjoy the recipe!

 

Raw Rainbow Pasta with Almond Turmeric Sauce

Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Soy Free, Raw

 

Makes 1 Serving

 

two handfuls of chopped kale

1 bell pepper, sliced into very thin strips

1 cup raw butternut squash, spiralized

1 cup raw zucchini, spiralized

 

2 tablespoons almond butter

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 tablespoon raw honey (or agave)

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 clove garlic

 

1. Layer the veggies in a large bowl.

2. Blend the almond butter, soy sauce, lime juice, honey (or agave), turmeric, pepper, and garlic in a blender until smooth.

3. Pour sauce over veggies. Mix. Enjoy!

Recipe: Holiday Salad! January 7, 2011

 

I know the holidays are over, but I did not get to post any holiday recipes this year. With my gestational diabetes and restricted diet, I just was not feeling the holiday spirit this year that I usually do. Do not get me wrong, I enjoyed the holidays very much and managed to still cook and eat some darn good food, but I kept it fairly simple this year and focused my time and energy enjoying the time with my family.

 

Out of everything I ate this holiday season, this salad was one of my favorites! I made it for Thanksgiving and it was a huge hit. Since Thanksgiving, I have made it at least three more times, it is THAT good. And this is coming from the girl who cannot stand salads right now! I am calling it a Holiday Salad because with loads of golden roasted butternut squash, luscious ruby red cranberries, and tasty candied walnuts it has many of the foods you would normally see at your holiday spread and the colors are so vibrant and festive, it is perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.

 

The part of this salad that really stands out and makes it really unique is the dressing. It is a creamy balsamic dressing made with slow roasted garlic and shallots and accented with fresh rosemary…YUM!

 

Here are some tips:

 

1. I have made this salad with candied pecans and fresh pomegranate seeds instead of the walnuts and cranberries as well with equally drool worthy results so feel free to sub in whatever you want!

2. Make sure you use very good quality balsamic vinegar and olive oil, it will really affect the taste of the dressing. If the dressing tastes to acidic, add a tsp of sugar to sweeten it up a bit.

3. Use a fresh, whole butternut squash, not the precut ones, it makes a different! And when roasting, make sure you use high temperatures and burn the edges a bit. Caramelizing the butternut squash really adds to the flavor of the salad.

4. Use fresh rosemary in the dressing, DO NOT use dried rosemary!

 

Katie’s Holiday Salad

Serves 4-6

Printable Recipe

 

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed

grape seed oil

Salt and Pepper

1 cup candied walnuts

1 cup dried cranberries

I bag baby spinach

Creamy Rosemary Balsamic Dressing, recipe follows

 

1. Preheat oven to 450degF and place the butternut squash on a roasting pan. Drizzle with grape seed oil and sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

2. Roast squash in oven until soft and beginning to brown and caramelize on the outside. Remove from oven and let cool.

3. To made the salad, toss together the roasted butternut squash, candied walnuts, dried cranberries, baby spinach, and warmed balsamic dressing in a large salad bowl. Serve and Enjoy!

 

Creamy Rosemary Balsamic Dressing

Makes about 1 1/2 cups of dressing

 

1 head garlic with most of the outer layers peeled away and top chopped off

1 large or two small shallots, cut in half and peeled

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

fresh rosemary from three stalks (or more to taste)

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

 

1. Preheat oven to 350degF. Drizzle the garlic and shallots with oil and completely wrap in foil. Roast in oven until tender, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven, open foil, and allow to cool.

2. Add roasted garlic, roasted shallot, balsamic vinegar, rosemary, salt, and pepper to a blender and blend until creamy.

3. With the motor running at slow speed, slowly drizzle in the olive oil to emulsify. The dressing should be thick and remain creamy.

4. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.

5. Best served slightly warmed over salad.