Pasta Primavera, For Every Diet!

Happy spring everyone!  Today I want to celebrate with grilled asparagus and sweet pea pasta primavera.  I can't think of two better springtime vegetables than asparagus and sweet peas, so I centered this light pasta dish around them.  I topped it off with some grilled organic, free-range chicken, and a creamy basil and coconut avocado sauce to make it the ultimate spring meal!  I made this last night for dinner and it was so delicious.  Although it was a rainy, cold, night, this pasta was bright and fresh.  Bring it on vegetable season!

I used spaghetti squash as my pasta base, but my dad and brother don't like squash so I made theirs with regular spaghetti.  They also don't like avocado so I made a simple aglio olio (garlic and oil) sauce for theirs.  My best friend, who is a vegetarian, said she might come over for dinner so I also made some without the chicken. The point I am getting at here (besides the many serving bowls of pasta on the dinner table) is people have different dietary needs.

I bet there are a lot of households out there that have to make multiple versions of meals for different people due to different diets.  Whenever I cook, I make sure I know who I am cooking for so I know how to tailor the dish to meet everyone's needs.  It's not hard, I simply take a general meal plan and sub items to make everyone happy.  I think it is time to break down diet stereotypes, and start allowing people to be unique, healthy, and happy, no matter what or how they choose to eat.  You eat how you want to, and be understanding of other people's dietary preferences.

And....time to talk pasta!  I want to start with the creamy avocado sauce, although there is nothing bad about the simple aglio olio sauce I also included if you are not an avocado lover like myself.  To make the avocado sauce I blended avocado flesh with coconut milk, basil, garlic, and lemon juice.  Need I say more?!  It's creamy perfection with every bite. It works wonderfully with the pan-grilled spring asparagus and sweet peas as well.  Because I had the grill pan out, I seasoned some organic, free-range chicken breasts and threw them on.  If you have never pan-grilled chicken (or anything really), do yourself a favor and give it a try.  It automatically makes whatever you are making taste better!

Pasta Primavera
vegan option, gluten-free option

yield: 6-8 servings

1lb pasta of choice*

1 bunch fresh asparagus
1 cup fresh spring peas
2 organic, free range chicken breasts (at room temperature), optional
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

1 recipe for creamy avocado sauce or Aglio Olio Sauce (recipe for both sauces follows)

*get creative with your pasta choice!  Spaghetti squash, black bean pasta, quinoa pasta and brown rice pasta are all gluten-free options.  You can also use regular wheat pasta, whole wheat pasta, kamut pasta, or spelt pasta.

Directions:
1.  Wash the asparagus and cut off 1-2 inches of the ends.  Liberally coat in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2.  Add stalks to the grill pan laying flat in the same direction.  Cook 1-2 minutes, then start to roll them around, allowing all sides of the stalks to cook.  They will become a bright green and have char marks on them when they are done  Remove from heat and set aside.

3.  If adding grilled chicken, preheat the oven to 350 F and place the chicken on the preheated grill pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes then flip and cook for 2-3 minutes on the other side.  Place the whole pan in the oven to finish cooking the chicken.  The time depends on how thick your chicken breasts are, usually I leave it in for 10-15 minutes.

4.  While the chicken is in the oven, or after cooking the asparagus, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to the box instructions*.  Add the fresh peas for the last minute or two just to heat them up.  While the pasta is cooking, dice the asparagus into 2" pieces, and slice the chicken into thin strips.  Drain pasta and peas and add put them back in the pot. Add the cut asparagus, chicken, and sauce of choice to the pot and mix well.  Serve warm.

*If you are using spaghetti squash, here is a link on how to cook it.

Creamy Avocado Sauce
vegan, gluten-free

yield: enough sauce for 1 lb pasta

2 avocados
1/3 cup full-fat coconut milk
1/3 cup fresh basil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
fresh ground black pepper
pinch cayenne pepper, optional

Directions:
Cut the avocados open and scoop out the flesh into the base of a food processor along with the garlic and lemon juice.  Process 5-10 seconds.  Scrape down the sides of the processor and add the coconut milk, salt, and pepper.  Process until smooth.


Aglio Olio Sauce
vegan, gluten-free

4 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
Make this sauce right before you are ready to serve the pasta.  Saute the garlic in the olive oil in a large pan on medium heat until the garlic starts to brown and becomes fragrant.  Turn the heat off, add cooked pasta to the pan and toss well.  Add extra virgin olive oil as needed to coat the pasta.  Serve warm.