Today it's a celebration of zucchini & mint...and lots of it!
A fresh combination paired with lemon, pasta, cashew ricotta cheese, garlic and a dusting of almond parmesan to top it off. A simple, wholesome and flavorful meal that can be enjoyed warm or chilled.
The cashew ricotta is so easy to make. Soak your cashews for 3+ hours in purified water. The soaking will increase enzyme activity, offer greater absorption of the food's nutrients by the body and help to increase digestibility. Once done, place all ingredients in blender/food processor and process for 3-5 minutes. So simple and good! Once you make it a few times you'll adjust the flavoring to your liking. Some like it very salty while others may not. You may like to use apple cider vinegar in place of the lemon. You may even prefer to add a tablespoon of nutritional yeast or a 1/2 teaspoon of mellow miso for an extra layer of flavor. Whatever you have on hand is good...from the simplest of ingredients listed to the addition of the extras mentioned will give you great results.
I used a gluten free penne pasta here but feel free to use whatever pasta you like. I've also made this with a quinoa linguini pasta that was fabulous as well. For the zucchini I used my wok. I love using my carbon steel wok for tender vegetables like zucchini that can overcook quickly. The carbon steel wok is perfect in that it heats up quickly and cools down quickly once removed from the heat so your tender vegetables will not overcook.
Mix everything together making sure to season to taste with mineral salt & cracked pepper, and serve with a good dusting of almond parmesan, it makes all the difference in the world...trust me!
Zucchini + Mint + Cashew Ricotta + Pasta
Ingredients
- 4 zucchini, thinly sliced and cut in half
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 cup mint (loosely packed), julienned
- 1 - 2 lemons
- 8 oz. penne pasta (about 2 cups)
- olive oil
- mineral salt & cracked pepper to taste
- lemon wedges, to serve
- almond parmesan, to serve
Cashew Ricotta
- 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked for 3+ hours
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 small garlic clove
- juice of 1/2 lemon or 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- mineral salt & cracked pepper to taste
- dash or two of onion powder, optional
Start by preparing your cashew ricotta. Soak your cashews for 3+ hours in a jar with at least 1 cup water. Once ready, drain and rinse your cashews. Place the cashews and remaining ingredients into your food processor/blender and process until smooth, about 4 minutes or so, scrapping down the sides as needed to make sure everything comes together nicely. Add an extra tablespoon of water if needed, you may need to if you didn't soak the cashews longer than 3 hours. Set aside. This can be made in advance, a day or two, and kept in the fridge until ready to use. When ready, let set at room temp for an hour or so.
In a large pot, cook your pasta according to package directions. Drain, rinse and place back in the pot you cooked your pasta in. Using the strainer you strained the pasta in (if the holes aren't too big to catch the lemon seeds), place strainer over pasta and add the juice of one lemon along with a small glug of olive oil. Mix well, let set until ready to add the zucchini and ricotta.
In large wok/skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat and cook your zucchini and garlic to your liking. I like mine al dente and only cook for about four minutes at most, depending on how thick the slices are.
Add your cashew ricotta to the pasta and mix well. Add in the zucchini, garlic and mint, gently toss to coat. Taste for flavor and serve. Serve with lemon wedges and a good dusting of almond parmesan...it's simply delicious!
Serves four generously.
Enjoy!