Monday 21 August 2017

Bad Friends Make Good Pasta

I am such a bad friend. I shared a picture on my IG of a superfast pasta dish and didn't share how I made it. It was late, I was starving, I didn't even take very good pictures. But I guess it sounded good. Certainly tasted good! So I'll let you in on this secret: it's super easy. I promised to post it (albeit a day late) so that you can enjoy it this week too!

Too hungry to take good pictures. Easy homemade roasted red pepper and garlic sauce on Pedon red lentil penne. 
#allergyfriendly #vegantoo #easydinnerideas #lentils #roastedpeppers #roastedgarlic


Roasted Pepper and Garlic Pasta Sauce 

4-6 red, orange and/or yellow bell peppers
Half a head of garlic, unpeeled
1 tbsp of dried herbs (my fave is Simply Organic Oregano)
1 tsp+ kosher salt
2 tbsp+ grapeseed or olive oil
Cracked bell pepper to taste

To roast your peppers and garlic:

Either preheat your oven to 400 degrees or fire up your BBQ (like I did in this week's heat). Lay your bell peppers on their side on a cookie sheet. In a small square of aluminum foil, place your half a head of garlic on it and drizzle a bit of oil on it. Maybe sprinkle a bit of salt. If you have it, some fresh rosemary or thyme wedged between the cloves will add to the flavour. Fold or crumple the foil over it so that it's pretty good at keeping in the air and steam. Place them both on the same baking tray and place in oven or on BBQ. Turn peppers every 15-20 minutes. After about three turns, both your peppers and garlic will be done. The peppers will be mostly blackened and the flesh will be soft and better yet, the pepper will deflate when you take it out of the oven or off the BBQ. Allow to cool. If you want to speed up the process, carefully pick the stems out and open the foil to the garlic but *CAUTION* hot steam will escape. Wear an oven mitt and keep your face and other body parts away from that torture! This is dinner, not war.

Once cooled, peel the skin off the peppers and put the flesh (not the seeds inside of the pepper) in a cup or bowl. Squeeze the garlic from the peel. It should be soft and sort of ooze out of its papery shell. Then add your garlic, herbs, salt, oil and pepper to the peppers and blend with a hand blender (or use a regular blender) until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning. Pour over cooked pasta. I love Pedon's More Than Pasta Red Lentil Penne or Chickapea Organic Chickpea and Red Lentil Pasta. It adds protein and fiber without me needing to add anything else to the meal.

Hope this helps, next time I promise to be a better friend. :) Until then, enjoy pasta!

Bad Friends Make Good Pasta

I am such a bad friend. I shared a picture on my IG  of a superfast pasta dish and didn't share how I made it. It was late, I was starvi...