Zucchini Pasta with Marinated Cherry Tomatoes and Pesto

Pasta

4 cups (1 L) cherry tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup (125 mL) fresh basil, finely chopped.
1/4 cup (60 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice
1/2 tsp (2 mL) Celtic sea salt
1/2 cup (125 mL) sweet onion, thinly sliced
2 cups (500 mL) shiitake mushrooms, sliced
3 Tbsp (45 mL) low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp (30 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
2 - 6 in (15 cm) zucchinis

Marinate first 6 ingredients in a glass jar; turn it over a few times. You can do this the night before. It’s fine to leave the jar on the counter.

Marinate sweet onion and mushrooms with soy sauce and oil for 10 minutes to take the raw taste off the onions and to soften and colour mushrooms.

Slice zucchinis lengthwise with a mandoline or potato peeler. This looks like real pasta! Include the skin only when organic produce is purchased.

Place zucchini in casserole dish. Top with marinated tomatoes and mushroom/onion mixture. (Discard marinade from onions.) Serve with pesto and garnish with pine nuts. Serves 4.

Each serving contains: 188 calories; 4 g protein; 14 g total fat (2 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 14 g carbohydrates; 3 g fibre; 710 mg sodium

Pesto

This pesto is made without cheese or oil.

1 bunch fresh spinach*
1 bunch fresh cilantro*
1 bunch fresh parsley*
1 bunch fresh basil
1 avocado, cut into pieces
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup (80 g) pine nuts
3 Tbsp (45 mL) nutritional yeast
Sea salt

*Note: substitute basil for these three ingredients if you have a plentiful supply of basil in your garden, or simply use spinach and cilantro.

Combine all ingredients in food processor. Pulse and chop with S-blade of food processor; blend until smooth. Add water if needed.

Freeze pesto in zip-lock bags flattened to 1/4 in (6 mm) thickness. Break off needed amounts at short notice and add them to warm pasta and tomato soup, or use pesto instead of butter in vine-ripened sweet tomato sandwiches.

Each 1/4 cup (60 mL) serving contains: 53 calories; 2 g protein; 4 g total fat (0 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 4 g carbohydrates; 2 g fibre; 105 mg sodium

source: "Simply Rawsome!", alive #333, July 2010