Arugula can help cool your body down while giving you a good dose of calcium!
Is there anything more comforting than a big bowl of pasta? Nope. There’s not. At least not in my book. And this chickpea penne with arugula pesto doesn’t disappoint.
This recipe is great on 2 different fronts. First, there’s the pesto. OMG — this is sooooooooo good! And, it takes only 5 minutes to make. Next, there’s the beauty and deliciousness of the grain-free pasta made from chickpeas. Well, this is nothing short of genius!
I would serve this to a crowd of eve the pickiest eaters. But, truth be told, the last time I made this, it was all for me. Yes, it’s a really big bowl, I know, but I was home all by myself and I felt like I deserved the queen’s treatment. And this did the trick. And no, I didn’t eat the whole bowl. Well, at least not in one sitting… This was a totally decadent treat for me. A night home alone. A hot bath. A big bowl of this chickpea penne with arugula pesto. A nice glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Yup, certainly queen-like!
Basil pesto has always been a go-to for me. But recently, I started experimenting with pestos made from different herbs and greens and other interesting veggies. I can honestly say that this arugula pesto is amazing. I have started to like it even better than my traditional beloved basil pesto.
As soon as I admitted my love for all things pesto, I started seeing recipes all over the place. I just want to give a shout-out to Emily at A Nutritionist Eats for opening my eyes to arugula pesto.
Here are some of the great healing ingredients in this chickpea penne with arugula pesto:
Arugula has a good amount of calcium and it also contains vitamins A, C and K. It is rich in potassium and it’s extra beneficial in the summer because it actually cools the body down. This delicious peppery green is also believed to be a libido booster. One of the first things I learned when I started really taking care of my health through proper nutrition, was to substitute dark greens for lighter greens whenever possible. One of the easiest, tastiest, and healthiest switches you can make is to swap out some of your lighter salad greens for peppery, dark arugula.
Chickpeas actually help calm the spirit. They relieve anxiety and soothe irritability… it kind of makes you realize why hummus is so popular…
Lemon peels contain calcium, potassium and vitamin C. Lemons are good for your stomach, they help detoxify your body, they balance your pH and they act as an antibacterial. If you have a sore throat or a cough, go for lemons to make things better. Lemons are great for quenching your thirst, and, in China, many years ago, hypertension was treated by drinking tea made from lemon peels. This recipe uses zested lemon peel and lemon juice.
Garlic is amazing in its antiviral and antibacterial capabilities. Garlic is actually a Chinese herb (Da Suan). It’s used to kill toxins and parasites and also to reduce swelling in the body. It’s what I call a great “A” herb: anesthetic, antibacterial, anti fungal, antioxidant, antiviral, etc….
Cashews are really a multi-tasking nut. I use them all the time so I say it all the time: Cashews have a lower fat content than most other nuts. Most of the fat in cashews is unsaturated and is made up of oleic acid; this is the same acid that is found in olive oil, making these nuts a heart-healty choice.
Arugula pesto is even better than basil pesto! This is awesome. And it takes only 5 minutes to make it. Use grain-free pasta like I did, or substitute your own favorite pasta!
Ingredients
½ lb grain-free chickpea pasta (or use your favorite pasta), cooked al dente, and drained (SAVE ABOUT ⅓ CUP OF THE PASTA COOKING WATER FOR THE PESTO!!!)
2 cups arugula
3 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
Juice and zest from one lemon
½ cup raw cashews
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 Tbs vegan Parmesan (or whatever Parmesan makes you smile)
Sea salt to taste
pinch of dried red pepper flakes, or to taste
Instructions
Put the cooked pasta in a large bowl. (Be sure to reserve about ⅓ cup of the pasta cooking water, and set that on the side in case you need it for the pesto.)
Put all remaining ingredients in a food processor and process until finely minced. Add as much of the reserved pasta cooking water as you need to make it a creamy pesto-y consistency.
One way to balance the bitterness is to add some fresh basil leaves to the pesto (for example, three ounces of arugula and one ounce of basil). Alternatively, you can add a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice or a simple splash of water to the food processor to counteract the bitterness.
Is chickpea pasta good for diabetics? Yes, compared to traditional pasta, it's a lower-glycemic choice for anyone looking to get better at managing blood sugar.
This fresh and fragrant pasta sauce is served uncooked, so choose a pasta shape that won't overwhelm it. Similar to oil-based sauces, pesto is served best with longer cuts of pasta, like the corkscrew shape of Fusilli. Pesto works best with Bucatini, Capellini, thinner Spaghettini, and Fettuccine.
Plus, pasta shelves these days look different than they did 20 years ago. You can find legume-based options made with black beans, chickpeas and lentils that offer protein and fiber that might help reduce inflammatory woes.
Any kind of pasta can fit into a healthy diet, says registered dietitian Jamie Nadeau, and it depends on your preference for shape and kind. But she says the healthiest pasta when it comes to nutrition is chickpea pasta – a protein-packed, fiber-rich legume alternative popularized in the last decade.
Both arugula and spinach are leafy green vegetables with tender leaves and crisp stems. Spinach has a deeper green color than arugula and a milder, more vegetal taste with slight bitterness, while arugula has a more intense, peppery, spicy flavor.
If your olive oil has been open for more than 12 months, then you may start to detect hints of must, vinegar, bitterness, or a metallic aftertaste. Once oil has turned rancid, there's nothing you can do to fix it, and you'll simply have to throw the whole lot away.
If that arugula, spinach or kale needs to be used up quickly, toss it into the food processor with some good olive oil, oily nuts (like pine nuts or walnuts) and some grated hard cheese. Blend Parmesan, pecorino or even aged Gouda for a pesto that will taste lively over pasta or slicked onto bread as a sandwich spread.
Chickpea pasta, Morrison acknowledges, is "high in fiber," which is great for many who need more of the nutrient in their diet, but could "cause bloating for some, especially people with IBS." Chickpea pasta, Hanes agrees, can "potentially cause bloating and indigestion for some people for a couple of reasons." She ...
Thankfully, hummus is one of the best diabetic snacks around. In addition to being packed full of diabetes-friendly complex carbs, protein, heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, and vitamins and minerals, hummus has a super low glycemic index!
Pesto is the perfect sauce to enjoy with a dish of trofie (the traditional Ligurian short pasta), lasagna, potato gnocchi or as a topping for a bowl of minestrone. It can be mixed into tomato sauce to enhance the flavor of pasta dishes or used with fish fillets to make them more appetizing.
PESTO SHOULD NEVER BE “COOKED”. If you cook Pesto Sauce, you change the make up of the fresh basil and cause it to turn darker in color. It is best to warm it up and use it at room temperature. If it needs to be thinned out, you can do so by adding a little water, chicken stock, cream or white wine.
Pesto, on the other hand, flourishes best when paired with thinner noodles, such as spaghetti and linguine, and with shapes that have plenty of twists, grooves, curls, and troughs. Fusilli is not only one of the most well-known pasta shapes; it's also the UK's most popular and our ultimate shape to use with pesto.
One popular type of bean pasta, Banza, uses chickpeas in place of wheat. It has twice the protein and four times the fiber of regular pasta, with fewer carbs.
Chickpea pasta is considered a minimally processed food. Yes, it's processed because chickpeas don't naturally come in pasta form. But it contains very few ingredients, sometimes just chickpeas.
These certainly aren't empty carbs. The starch in chickpeas is a complex carbohydrate—the good kind that fuels you up and keep you fuller longer. You'll also get eight grams of fiber in each serving. The remainder of the carbs in chickpea pasta comes from a small amount of naturally occurring sugar.
Chickpea pasta, Morrison acknowledges, is "high in fiber," which is great for many who need more of the nutrient in their diet, but could "cause bloating for some, especially people with IBS." Chickpea pasta, Hanes agrees, can "potentially cause bloating and indigestion for some people for a couple of reasons." She ...
Introduction: My name is Francesca Jacobs Ret, I am a innocent, super, beautiful, charming, lucky, gentle, clever person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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