Back when I was in college and still getting used to making my own meals Mom around, I would default to pesto pasta with vegetables almost every night. Although this delicious comfort food got me through nights of studying on a shoe-string budget, all-grown-up-Nimai wanted to make a healthier, gluten-free and vegan version of the classic that is Whole30 compliant. Spiralized zucchini acts as the gluten-free spaghetti, almond meal, lemon, basil and other herbs make the vegan pesto, and the purple cauliflower adds a nice crunch and POP of color! All together, this twist on a traditional makes it my new favorite :)
Ingredients
- One serving of spiralized Zucchini (I purchased mine fresh at Whole Foods)
- 1 Cup Purple Cauliflowerettes
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1/2 Lemon
- 2 Tablespoons Almond Meal
- 4-5 Basil leaves
- chopped Dill, Parsley, Chives
- Coriander, Salt, Pepper
- Olive Oil
Instructions
Prepare two separate skillets-- one small for the cauliflower, one medium for the zucchini noodles.
In the small skillet, cover the bottom with olive oil, a couple dashes of ground coriander, salt and pepper. Add the cauliflower pieces and sauté on high-ish heat adding little amounts of water when dry and flipping regularly to ensure the cauliflowerettes are cooked evenly.
In the medium skillet, add olive oil to cover the bottom, the minced garlic, and the zucchini noodles. Sauté on medium heat (this will go quicker than the cauliflower!)
Meanwhile, finely chop the basil, dill, parsley, and chives. Adjust the amount to your liking. I did 5 basil leaves, 5 parsley leaves, 3 chives, and a pinch of dill.
Back to the Zughetti-- add the almond meal, above herbs, and the juice from half a lemon and gently mix to evenly combine. Leave on the heat for another minute or so.
Transfer the Zughetti in its almond pesto into a bowl and top with the purple cauliflower.