Butternut Squash Pasta + Caesar Salad

An unusual duo, to say the least – But, that’s how I roll when I have produce that’s about to go bad.

Thanks to KC Organic Co-Op, I had one head of romaine lettuce (from last weeks loot) and a few butternut squash I needed to use up. For some damn reason, the butternut squash keep molding – which has forced me to foodsave quite a few. Sad face – Because after getting back from Dallas, the last thing I wanted to do was prepare, cut and foodsave 4 butternut squash, ha. Any who, I’m foreseeing a lot of this veggie in the coming month, so don’t say I didn’t warn you.

I’ve also decided to give the nuts a rest – so unless it’s a holiday, special dessert, or potluck, it ain’t happening. Why you ask? Because 9 out of 10 times they hurt my tummy. So, for the next couple of months, I’m going to try subbing sunflower seeds + a bit of maple syrup in their place. I figure some recipes will work and some won’t – but, it will be a good experiment!

(Raw Vegan) Casear Salad

Dressing

1/2 C soaked sunflower seeds
2 T raw tahini
3 T lemon juice
1 T olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 tsp miso
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp kelp powder
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp maple syrup
1/2 C filtered water

In a high-speed blender, blend all ingredients until smooth. Note: I effing LOVE this dressing – It also makes a wonderful dip as well!

Parmesan

1/4 C pumpkin seeds
1/4 C nutritional yeast
dash or two of sea salt

Process all ingredients in a food processor, or, I use my magic bullet.

Assembly

1 head of romaine lettuce, washed and chopped.

In a large mixing bowl, dress lettuce with a few spoonfuls of dressing and toss well. Sprinkle Parmesan on top (store leftover parm in a glass container).

Butternut Squash Pasta

1 peeled butternut squash
truffle oil
olive oil1 tsp + sea salt
dried Italian mixed herbs
basil for garnish
black pepper

Using mandoline, thinly shave squash. Stack shaved slices and cut linguine sized strips. In a large bowl combine noodles and sea salt. Be generous with sea salt, as you will be rinsing most off. Vigorously massage noodles and salt, let sit for about 30 minutes. Once noodles have softened, rinse noodles in a colander (squeeze out excess liquid). In a large bowl toss softened noodles, equal parts truffle oil and olive oil, Italian herbs, and a dash of sea salt. Garnish with basil and fresh ground pepper.

One thing with me, is that I could eat the same thing for breakfast, lunch and dinner for days on end. Literally, once I find something I like, I’ll eat it till I hate it. And, this Caesar salad, could be one of those things. Hmmm, wonder what I shall pair with it tonight

On an unrelated note, after five years I’m about to take my OXO mandoline and throw it directly out my front window – I’ve been scouring amazon reviews on other mandolines and it seems like most are hit and miss. I’m thinking though, of going with the MIU Pro Mandoline – I like that it’s all stainless and the retail price of $150 is about the maximum that I want to spend. However, I’m open for suggestions – Pleeeease and thank you!

Tagged as: dressing, easy, entree, favorite, Italian, pasta, quick, Raw, salad, vegan