Monday, August 18, 2014

Fig Zucchini Pasta and Hemp Seed Crumble


Being summer time, I love eating fresh fruit and vegetables. My mom and I grow a vegetable garden every year, and one of our (and many people's) biggest yielding crops is our zucchini. I am always looking for new recipes to use our abundance of zucchini in. This recipe caught my eye because it looked so fresh and easy to make. Plus, it had figs! Figs are one of my favorite foods, both dried and fresh. Once again, being summer, there are plenty of fresh figs in the store!

Lauren and I made this dish the other week (when we also made No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Bars and Raw Peach Cheesecake). Let me tell you, this dish is actually amazing. I can't even express how amazing it is. It took about 15 minutes total to make and was gone it about 5. We both went back for seconds and only had a tiny bit left over. The figs add a sweet taste, while the garlic in the hemp crumble gives it a savory taste. The zucchini pasta is light and fresh, yet the crumble adds some protein and substance to the dish.

The Hemp Seed Crumble, as you may notice, makes a little extra than you need for the pasta. The crumble tastes cheesy and can be used a vegan parmesan cheese. It works great on any type of pasta, salads, or even on pizza!


Adapted from Nutrition Stripped
Serves 2

Ingredients:

Pasta:

2 zucchini, spiralized
2 cups fresh mission figs, sliced
1/2 avocado, diced
juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp olive oil
pinch of sea salt
dash of black pepper

Crumble:

Makes 4 Servings
3 Tbsp walnuts, chopped
2 Tbsp hemp seeds
2 Tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted and chopped
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
pinch of sea salt
1/2 clove of garlic

Directions:

Pasta:

1. Spiralize the zucchini. This will vary depending on your spiralizer. Cut the end off each zucchini before spiralizing, then peel the long way. If you don't have a spiralizer, you can use a vegetable peeler instead. Place zucchini in large bowl.
2. Add sliced figs and diced avocado and stir.
3. Add the lemond juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Top with Hemp Seed Crumble. (I use about half of the crumble and save the rest)
5. Enjoy immediately! Extras should be kept in the fridge.

Crumble:

1. Toast pine nuts until fragrant and golden in color.
2. Using a knife or food processor, chop the walnuts and pine nuts until they are coarsely crumbled.
3. Add nuts hemp seeds, nutritional yeast, and garlic to small bowl and stir until combined.
4. Add sea salt to taste.
5. Crumble will keep in the refrigerator for 3 weeks.