I have come to terms with the fact that an indulgence here or there isn’t going to tip the scale. There are crimes far worse than ordering a Caesar salad or even (GASP) a pasta with cream sauce. Life’s too short to fret about the occasional calorie splurge. And creamy sauces are just too good to pass up.
But for the sake of non-splurge days, here is one of my favorite pasta recipes. It is bursting with flavor and depth and is guaranteed to satisfy any cream sauce cravings.
Oh, and did I mention that it is pure and healthy as can be?
Ingredients:
1 cup broccoli
1 garlic clove
1 ripe avocado
1/2 a lemon
Basil (fresh is best but this time around I used 2 frozen cubes)
1 jalapeno, seeded
Salt, pepper, olive oil
Pasta (I chose whole wheat spaghetti)
Directions:
Follow directions to cook pasta. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water separately before draining. Slice avocado open and remove pit. Scoop out all flesh and place into a food processor or blender. Juice the lemon and add the liquid to the avocado. Add in the reserved pasta water and garlic. Place the jalapeno into the blender, cover, and blend.
When the ingredients have mixed, add in the broccoli and about a tablespoon of olive oil. Blend and add salt and pepper to taste.
I like to heat the noodles and toss the sauce with the pasta in the sauce pan and mix in raw kale until it wilts. Sprinkle with Parmesan and enjoy!
