Smokey Romesco & Betroot Pasta

By Frances Beresford

This three-day recipe series comes to a close with a Smokey Romesco and Beetroot Pasta. A romesco sauce is made from any mixture of roasted or raw, nuts, garlic, olive or sunflower oil and red bell pepper, which is ground or blended into a thick and saucy spread/dip. It boasts strong, earthy flavours, a deep smokiness and a roasted sweetness which come from the charred peppers. The romesco sauce with Happy Earth People chickpea pasta is the perfect combination with fresh peppery radishes and charred beetroot.

The sweet pomegranate seeds that are added into this mix, really make all of the flavours pop!

DID YOU KNOW:

Red bell peppers (scientific name: Capsicum annum) are simply green peppers that have been left to ripen and therefore have a sweeter taste and double the dose of vitamin C! The vitamin C acts as a powerful antioxidant and assists with the absorption of iron!

Vitamin C also appears to have a positive effect on estrogen levels in your body. Consuming adequate vitamin C promotes proper estrogen production. Estrogen, is the hormone that helps to prepare a woman’s body for pregnancy; and also sends signals to a number of other tissues, including your bones and brain.

Smokey Romesco and Beetroot Pasta

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 250g Happy Earth People chickpea pasta
• 6 -10 radishes, sliced
• 4 beetroots, cooked and peeled
• Pomegranate seeds

Romesco sauce:

• 2 large red peppers, seeds removed and cut into ¼
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½ cup sunflower seeds
• ½ cup silvered almonds
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 cup olive oil
• Parsley
• Tarragon

Method:

1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water. While the pasta cooks, cut the beetroot into ¼ and fry with a splash of coconut oil in a non-stick pan until the beetroot begins to char slightly (you can also use roasted beetroot instead). Remove from the heat and set aside.
2. Once the pasta it cooked, drain and add the charred beetroot, radish and romesco sauce. Toss lightly and topped with pomegranate seeds.

For the romesco sauce:

1. Dry fry or grill the red peppers for 5 minutes until they start to char slightly.
2. While the peppers cook, toast the sunflower seeds and almonds in a pan or on a baking tray. Once the peppers are slightly charred and while still warm place them into a blender or Nutribullet with the remaining ingredients and blend for 2 minutes or until the sauce is smooth and creamy (however it will be as tasty if it remains a little chunky).
3. Place into a sterilized glass jar or airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

About the author:

Frances is a professionally trained chef, recipe developer and blogger, who believes that life and food should be healthy as well as delicious. Her lifelong passion for sustainable alternative eating, took her to culinary school to hone her craft. She curates plant based recipes that are designed to be enjoyed by all and that are gluten-free; dairy-free and refined sugar-free.

Frances believes that living well begins with eating well! There are no set rules as everyone is different. So, it is a matter of becoming mindful and listening to your body which will allow you to incorporate her recipes and become the best you.

She also feels that keeping it simple means that fuelling and nourishing the body can be enjoyed by anyone – and hey, it is by no means boring or scary! Join Frances on a journey to discover how mouth-watering and rewarding a plant based lifestyle can be. Even conscious carnivores will be surprised by how easy and tasty the recipes are – let alone how great they will make you feel.

You can follow her on Instagram and check out her Website to find more deliciously conscious recipes like these!

 

 

Featured image by: Simple Veganista