Recipe of the Week: Basil & Black Olive Pasta

It's been a pretty intense week! We had a couple of friends from Calgary here for a short visit. Then Pontifex came to hang out with us during his days off. Even though I hadn't been feeling motivated to play much in the kitchen lately, I couldn't feed all this company just crackers and spreads, now could I?

Some of the yummies I've prepared include dolmas, Fajitas, Jalapeno Burgers, pasta with pesto sauce and Rosemary-Garlic Mashed Potatoes served with mushroom gravy. On the dessert front, I still had some Mulberry & Cream Tarts and Black Forest Cherry Cake in the freezer which came in handy. As our friends brought some Thai young coconuts from the city (yay!), I jumped on the opportunity to treat them with Cafe Gratitude's amazing Coconut Cream Pie. They had never tasted young coconuts before, and of course were immediately hooked. (By the way, did you know that CG is releasing a new raw dessert book soon? Woo Hoo!)

We served the pie with a lovely peach sauce Don whipped up.

I also made a strawberry pie on a chocolate crust which I served with Heathy's Chocolate Sauce.

But as you can see, it had a wee bit of trouble holding its shape.
Ah well... It happens!

Since I can't share this recipe just yet as it needs more tweaking, I decided to go with a pasta dish I've been enjoying since my getting sick earlier this month. I couldn't stomach anything tasting too intense for a little while, so I came up with this delicate and lightly flavored combination. I love how simple it is to prepare, not to mention that it's perfect for the abundance of zucchinis at this time of year.


Basil & Black Olive Pasta

Serves 3

2 medium size zucchinis, spiralized into noodles (I used a mixture of angel and spaghetti)
3 or 4 large basil leaves, finely slivered
6 kalamata olives, finely slivered
1/4 cup cubed red bell pepper
1/2 small patty pan or yellow squash, cubed (optional)
1 or 2 tablespoons olive oil
Tamari or salt, to taste
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 fresh garlic clove, crushed or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
Pinch cayenne

Toss noodles with other ingredients and serve immediately.

Optional: Serve topped with mushroom slices marinated in a little olive oil, tamari, garlic and tarragon.

Carmella's Notes:
~ I've also made this with chopped tomato. Delish!

~ I'd recommend not adding the salt/tamari until the last minute as it will cause the zucchini to 'weep'.

Enjoy!