Contrary to what many people believe, eating an entirely plant based diet is not difficult at all! There are all sorts of great recipes out there for you to try if your experimenting with a vegan lifestyle change, or jumping in head first. We love sharing plant-based recipes from awesome foodies like Adam Kenworthy, and today we are sharing his recipe for Cucumber Pasta with a homemade pesto sauce.
Robust flavor, unbelievably hydrating. Will leave you refreshed and vibrant.
Ingredients:
- Parsley
- Cilantro
- Basil
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Pine Nuts
- Hemp Seeds
- Coriander Seeds
- Pink Himalayan Salt
- 1 Jalapeno (no seeds)
- Black pepper
- Lemon
- 3 Cucumbers
- Garlic
- V.O.O
Noodle Preparation:
Begin with grating the cucumbers. If the cucumber is organic I grate with the skin. If it is not organic cut the skin off and toss it. Many of the chemical residues are found in the skin. Just another reason to buy organic, because the skin of the cucumber contains many vitamins and minerals. I find the best way is to grate into a strainer. Use a pot underneath the strainer to catch the cucumber juice coming from the grated cucumber noodles. Once all three are grated gently press to remove the rest of the juice. pour the juice into a glass.
Pesto Preparation:
Toss the parsley, cilantro and basil into a food processor or blender. Add in the hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds and pine nuts. Next throw in the pink himalayan salt, black pepper, jalapeno sliced with no seeds and one clove of garlic. Finish off by adding juice squeezed from half of a lemon and extra virgin olive oil (a friendly dash). Add a touch of the cucumber juice set aside. If it is too thick, the cucumber juice does a great job of making it a lighter more whipped pesto which I find it great not only with pasta but also as a spread or a dip.
Plating
Add the noodles which have much of the juice squeezed out through a strainer into a separate bowl. Add a generous amount of pesto and mix together. Put the noodles and pesto mixture onto a plate. Optional garnish on top is halved grape or cherry tomatoes. Place a peice of parsley on top to finish off the plate. Lightly sprinkle a little salt and pepper on top for the finishing touch.
By Adam Kenworthy
Adam is a private chef & healthy living coach who divides his time between working in New York City and Nicaragua, where he has founded a non-profit organic fruit farm (Finca Santa Marta.) In his spare time, he can be found trail running in Central park and finding serenity in the waves of Long Island.
