Pasta with zucchini and Alfredo sauce

Valentine's Day is upon us once again! In this month of February, I suggest that you simply love! Love yourself, your body and your spirit. Love your parents, your children, your friends, including your neighbors! Love has a direct effect on stress reduction. It releases a cascade of hormones with great benefits for the brain and heart health. 

Speaking of love, let's travel to Italy! Here's an Italian-inspired recipe I love: pasta with zucchini Alfredo sauce! This version requires only a few healthy ingredients, such as cashews, lemon, nutritional yeast, onions and garlic. What's more, by complementing gluten-free pasta with zucchini spirals, we can greatly reduce the total amount of carbohydrates and heaviness in this normally hearty dish! 

February is also alcohol-free month for many Quebecers. The Fondation Jean Lapointe is proposing that we all take a break to reflect and become aware of the place alcohol occupies in our lives. The ultimate goal is to raise funds to support prevention programs for young people in the province.

Having taken part in this social movement myself, I suggest you accompany this divine meal with a glass of Blancat Natur wine. This non-alcoholic vegan wine is available in our stores! 

Serving size: 2 servings

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: about 30 minutes (depending on the pasta used)

Meals : Lunch, dinner

Cuisine : Vegan, gluten-free

Culinary tools: Large skillet, large pot, electric mixer, tongs 

Refrigeration: Separate pasta and sauce, keeps up to 1 week

Freezing: Pasta sauce only 

Ingredients 

Sauce

• 2 medium onions, diced
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 3 tbsp. nutritional yeast flakes
• juice of half an organic lemon
• 1/2 cup of unroasted organic cashews
• 3/4 cube organic vegetable bouillon cube diluted in 2 cups of water

Pasta

• 1/2 packet of organic brown rice pasta
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• Approx. 3-4 small yellow zucchini, cut into spirals 
• Avocado oil

Topping

• Approx. 2 tbsp. goat cheese-style fauxmage vegan cashew-based
• Parsley fresh to taste
• Black pepper ground to taste
• A few sprigs of chives finely chopped
• 1 tsp. organic ground chili
• The zest of half a lemon 

Preparation

• First, heat filtered water in a kettle. Place cashew nuts in a heatproof bowl.
• When water has reached boiling point, pour over cashews. Cover completely. Soak for about 20 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of hot water to the boil. Add 1/2 tsp. sea salt.
• Preheat a large skillet over medium heat.
• Add the diced onions and just 1 cup of the vegetable stock to the hot pan. Cook for about 10 minutes. 
• Add sliced garlic to pan-fried onions. Cook over medium heat until broth has completely evaporated. Pour into container of electric blender. Set skillet aside.
• Add 1/2 tsp. saltthe pepperand cashew nuts (drained before adding), 1/2 cup of brothlemon juice and nutritional yeast. 
• Blend at high speed until smooth and creamy! Add broth if sauce is too thick. Set aside to cool.
• In pot of hot water, cook pasta according to package instructions.  
• On a cutting board, thinly slice the chive sprigs, separate the parsley leaves from the stems, and crumble the parsley. fauxmage. Finally, zest half an organic lemon.
• Return the large skillet to the heat over medium-low. Add a drizzle ofavocado oil and zucchini spirals. Cook for approx. 1-2 minutes before adding the brown rice pasta and as much sauce as you like. Turn off the heat and stir well.
• Divide sauce-coated pasta between plates using tongs. Garnish with chives, cashew nut fauxmage, fresh parsley, lemon zest and crushed chili. Add salt and pepper to taste!

Tips and tricks 

• For another loving recipe, see our healthy 3-course Valentine's Day dinner

Substitutions

• Any kind of pasta will work perfectly in this recipe, so don't limit yourself to spaghetti! 
• You can replace the avocado oil with olive oil. 

Bon appétit to all lovers, young and old! 

Author

Valérie Gendron-Legault