I heard about this recipe on a local vegan Facebook group of which I'm a member. Someone was looking for a vegan version of "green spaghetti". I had never heard of such a thing. I did a quick search of green spaghetti and found tons of recipes featuring dairy and gluten. Challenge accepted!
The green in Green Spaghetti comes from poblano peppers and cilantro. Poblano peppers are a type of chili pepper native to Mexico. The are high in fiber, and vitamins A & C, which act as antioxidants to help your body fight damage from free radicals. Capsaicin, a compound found in peppers that provides the spicy feeling, may provide anti-cancer benefits. Capsaicin is also known to fight inflammation, works as a natural pain reliever, and boosts immunity.
This sauce is so yummy that you might find yourself eating it on everything. The recipe makes a bit more than what you need for one pound of pasta. I like to eat the extra on baked potatoes, use it as pizza sauce on homemade pizzas, tacos, nachos, etc.
Ingredients:
1 cup of raw cashews, soaked in hot water for at least 1 hour
1 small yellow onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 cup of unsweetened, unflavored almond milk
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp of apple cider vinegar
1 tsp of fine sea salt
1 tbsp of nutritional yeast
1 tbsp of white miso paste (optional)
1 large handful of cilantro
4 poblano peppers, roasted, peeled and de-seeded
2 big handfuls of baby spinach
1 lb. of gluten free pasta
Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
While the pasta cooks, combine soaked cashews, onion, garlic, almond milk, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, salt, nutritional yeast, miso paste, cilantro, and poblano peppers into a high speed blender and blend until smooth.
When the pasta is done, drain and add back to the pot. Pour the desired amount of sauce over pasta (remember, you will have more sauce than pasta) and add fresh spinach. Stir to combine, and cover for 5 minutes or so to allow the spinach to wilt slightly. Serve immediately and enjoy!