Have you already tried avocado pesto? Lately, it is all the rage among the healthy food diet eaters and I totally understand the reason why. Fragrant and creamy it offers such a lovely smoothness to variety of recipes. Today, I am serving the pesto in a low-calorie vegan pasta bawl with courgette spirelli, crispy turmeric cauliflower and honey glazed cashew nuts. What a sensation!
The cauliflower is the shining star of this recipe. It’s oven-roasted with lots of turmeric, ginger, and black pepper. Throw it in the oven, then about halfway through cooking, add some cashews to the mix. Then toss on a little honey and soy sauce. The honey helps the cauliflower caramelize and become sweet and spicy. By the time it comes out of the oven, it’s extra crispy with just the right amount of char and so much flavor. It is delicious!
Sprinkled with fresh baby spinach leaves for extra texture, my plate of food if fragrant, tasty and surprisingly filling.
Ingredients
- 2 courgettes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Baby spinach leaves
For the Pesto
- 1 avocado
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 40 gr pine nut
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- a pinch of sea salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- a pinch of black pepper
For the Cauliflower
- 1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil or extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1-2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
Method
1. Cut your courgettes into spirals using a spiral cutter or vegetable peeler. Sprinkle salt on the spaghetti and set aside on some kitchen paper so that the excess moisture can escape.
2. Put the avocados, basil, garlic, pine nuts, lemon juice and sea salt in the blender and blend everything fine, then while you continue to blend in the olive oil gently until you have a creamy emulsion.
3. Put a tablespoon of olive oil in a hot pan and add the zucchini spaghetti and fry it for 2 minutes. Put the spaghetti in a bowl and mix in the avocado pesto.
4. Preheat oven to 220° C. On a baking sheet, combine the cauliflower, the olive oil, turmeric, ginger, black pepper, paprika, and salt. Toss well to evenly coat. Transfer to the oven and roast for 20 minutes, or until tender.
5. Remove the cauliflower from oven, and add the cashews. Drizzle over the soy sauce and honey, toss to combine and evenly coat everything. Roast another 10 minutes, until charred.
6. Serve by plating the avocado pesto courgettes, topped with roasted cauliflower, cashew nuts and baby spinach leaves.
