Zucchini Linguine with Basil Pesto

Courtesy of Kitchen Dispensary http://thekitchendispensary.wordpress.com/

I made this dish for a raw potluck this weekend. There are plenty of cheap organic zucchini and tomatoes at the Victoria Street farmers market in Wellington now that it’s near the end of summer. I also picked up the basil there for the pesto. All the classic italian flavours are there which makes this a favourite for friends and family who are not raw. You can make a big batch of pesto up to keep for the week and just do the zucchini on the night.

Basil Pesto

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Tightly Packed Basil
• 1/2 Cup Pine Nuts
• 1/4 Cup Pumpkin Seeds
• 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1 Clove Garlic
• 1/2 Tsp Himalayan or Celtic Sea Salt
• 1/4 Cup Cold Pressed Olive Oil
• Spring or Filtered Water

Method

1. Soak the pinenuts and pumpkin seeds for at least 4 hours. Drain and rinse.
2. Place all ingredients apart from the water into a food processor and process until almost smooth. You still want a little texture to it. Add a little water at a time if it seems too dry.
3. Store in a glass jar in the fridge for up to a week.

Zucchini Linguini

Ingredients

• 3 Large Zucchini
• 2 Medium Tomatoes
• 8-10 Dried Olives
• 1/2 Red Capsicum
• 2 Tbsp Pine Nuts
• 1/2 Cup Basil Pesto

Method

1. Use a julienne peeler to slice the zucchini lengthways into long noodles and place in a large bowl. You could also use a spiralizer.
2. Chop the tomatoes and capsicum, destone and chop the olives and add these with the pine nuts to the zucchini.
3. Add the pesto and mix thoroughly to combine.
4. Leave to sit for 1hour before serving if you would like the noodles to soften a bit.

Zucchini Cheesy Pasta

Courtesy of Gone Raw http://goneraw.com/recipe/zucchini-cheesy-pasta

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

• 4 small zucchini
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1/2 small yellow onion
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2-3 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds (grind in coffee grinder)
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp celtic salt

Preparation:

Grate zucchini, then slice red bell pepper and onion with a mandoline. Add remaining ingredients and toss until mixed well. Spread on dehydrator tray with parchment paper and dehydrate for about 4-5 hours until tender. Do not over dehydrate!!

Marinara sauce

Courtesy of Gone Raw http://goneraw.com/recipe/marinara-sauce-0

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe tomato
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked or oil-packed
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil, or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic (1 clove)
• 1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• Dash black pepper (optional)
• Dash cayenne

Preparation:

Place all ingredients in a food processor fitted with the S blade and process until smooth. Stop occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Keeps for three days in the fridge.

Variations:
- For puttanesca sauce, increase the cayenne to 1/8 teaspoon. Stir 2 tablespoons thinly sliced black olives into the finished sauce

- For Middle Eastern Marinara Sauce, Adda dash of black pepper, ground cardamom, ground cinnamon, and ground cumin

Note: Its not necessary to soak the dried tomatoes. In the picture they are not soaked, and the sauce still comes out great. However, if you soak them it might be more fluid if you like it that way.