Pasta with ZERO guilt

There is a laundry list of reasons why pasta is not on my dinner plate these days (low nutrient value, contains gluten, inflammatory, high glycemic load, etc). I follow an anti inflammatory diet plan so for me pasta just doesn’t work well for my body. If I eat gluten I immediately feel my joints swell and ache so its just not worth it. I had written off pasta a long time ago until this happened…

I made a vegan creamy sauce from avocados, basil, garlic, olive oil, and lemon and tossed it with zucchini noodles aka zuccasta! Crazy right??? This sauce is so creamy and satisfying you wont even notice that its made from veggies and totally vegan! I pair this with a nice side salad with some of the extra sauce mixed with coconut aminos as a dressing, top it with pumpkin seeds and sliced strawberry and BLAMO, low inflammatory, vegan, deliciousness in under 30 minutes.

How do you make zuccasta you ask? Well, you will need some special equipment to make this but trust me this will be the best $35 you have ever spent (well at least for a kitchen utensil). I use the paderno slicer because its way better than any of the other brands out there, trust me on this one.

Lemon Basil Avocado Zuccasta

Ingredients

• 1 avocado, pit removed cut into small pieces
• 15 basil leaves chopped into ribbons
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 garlic clove finely minced
• 2 Tbl Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 5-10 turns of black pepper or to taste
• 2-4 Zucchinis (see notes)

Optional

1. 1/2 cup grape tomatoes halved for garnic
2. lemon zest for garnish

Equipment

1. Veggie Spiralizer

Instructions

1. In a blender add the avocado, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, basil, and blend until smooth adding more olive oil to thin if needed.
2. The sauce should be very thick like a pudding and not move if you hold the blender upside down.
3. Spiralize the zucchini into pasta noodles (I like the paderno brand slicer) set aside.
4. In a medium saute pan add a tablespoon of olive oil and heat over medium heat until it just starts to shimmer.
5. Add the zucchini in one layer into the pan and allow it to brown. Do don't move the "zuccasta"
6. Once the zucchini has gained color turn it over and allow to cook for a few more minutes.
7. Add a few heaping spoonfuls of the avocado sauce over the pasta and toss to coat. You can add more sauce to the amount of your liking.
8. Allow the sauce and pasta to cook together until the sauce starts to lose a little bit of its green color and has heated throughout.
9. Transfer to plates and garnish with tomatoes and lemon zest.

Notes

1. You may have leftover sauce. I like to keep mine covered in the refrigerator for the next time I make this dish. I like to make it fresh every time rather than have it as leftovers but thats a personal preference.
2. Use 1-2 zucchini per person for a full dinner portion.