Pasta with Asparagus, Bell Pepper, Tomatoes & Olives

This was a pretty quick dish to put together. While the pasta is cooking, prep all the other ingredients. We actually like this served cold better than warm. But you make it and be the judge.
You probably have all the ingredients in your kitchen (maybe not the asparagus) you could also substitute some other green, like green beans.

• 12 ounces pasta (I used a veggie pasta)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper (cut into thin strips, each strip cut in half)
• 1 pound asparagus (trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces)
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, halved
• 1/3 cup coconut bacon (garnish)
• sunflower seeds (garnish)
• walnut Parmesan (garnish)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes (cut in half)
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and rinse. Set aside.

Heat pan with 1 tablespoon water and saute bell pepper and garlic. Cook about 3 minutes, remove to a bowl and set aside. (Add more water as needed.)

Add cherry tomatoes and more water if needed. Cook a couple of minutes. Remove to same bowl as bell pepper mixture.

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Add more water if needed and add asparagus to pan. Cover pan and allow to cook about 5 minutes, or until asparagus is tender.

Add pasta, all cooked vegetables, olives, yeast flakes, sunflower seeds and cayenne.

Taste and add salt and pepper as desired. I poured it into a pretty clear bowl. To serve top each serving with coconut bacon and some walnut Parmesan.

Enjoy!! Serve as main dish or a side-dish.

Garlicky Spinach

This is the most simple, delicious and healthy side dish you could make. Simple ingredients and delicious!! I used to make this years ago before we went vegan, with egg and Parmesan. Try this healthy version and you won't be sorry.

• fresh spinach
• garlic
• nutritional yeast
• vegetable broth, low-sodium or water

I didn't' note quantities since it will depend on how many you are cooking for. You will need the skillet full of spinach for each person. It cooks down that much! So I sauteed a skillet full of spinach in 2 tablespoons of broth, add more if it seems to be drying out or sticking. For 2 people once the spinach is pretty much wilted down, fill it up again (leave the 1st batch in the skillet). Add garlic during the second batch of cooking. You will need to continue to add a little broth or water as it cooks. But, don't have too much liquid in your pan.

Once everything is wilted down and the garlic is sauteed, turn off the heat. Add the nutritional yeast, I probably used 2-3 tablespoons for the 2 of us. Then give a good stir and serve.

Enjoy!

Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

So I was batching a lot of recipes today and wanted to post this recipe. Part of the cauliflower was used for Kofta Balls. The rest turned into this. I plan on reheating this dish later in the week and serving it over brown rice pasta with either sauteed mushrooms or broccoli. I'll post that recipe pic when I make the dish. For now I leave you with the sauce.

• 4 heaping cups cauliflower florets 
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 cup unsweetened and plain almond milk
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Steam cauliflower about 5-6 minutes. Set aside to drain. Meanwhile add 2 tablespoons water to a small skillet and steam the garlic 4-5 minutes.

In a high power blender, add the cooked, drained cauliflower, sauteed garlic, milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Blend until super smooth. You may need to add a little additional milk to keep it all moving.

Refrigerate until ready to use.