When making this dish for children, I will often omit the onion and garlic. However, there’s nothing like sautéed onion and garlic to add rich flavor to almost any sauce.
Our first choice for pasta is “Zoodles,” which are zucchini and squash noodles. They are colorful, nutritious, and simple to make. For thin Zoodles, you can purchase a simple tool for making zucchini pasta. I prefer wide Zoodles, which are easy enough to create with a vegetable peeler.
Other pasta options include soy-free shirataki noodles or quinoa pasta. Quinoa pasta tastes very similar to regular pasta so many children won’t notice the difference. While quinoa pasta is gluten free, it will increase your carb intake significantly.
SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS:
SAUCE:
1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
2 tablespoons low-sodium vegetable broth or 1 tablespoon ghee for sautéing
¼ sweet onion, diced
2 garlic cloves
¾ cup unsweetened coconut milk or almond milk
1 cup cashews, presoaked for 30 to 60 minutes
¼ cup nutritional yeast
1 to 2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ teaspoon white pepper
salt to taste
ZOODLES:
3 zucchini and 3 yellow squash or 4 packages shirataki noodles
PREPARATION:
SAUCE:
1. Steam cauliflower florets in steamer basket until soft, 5 to 7 minutes.
2. While cauliflower is steaming, heat vegetable broth or ghee in small sauté pan. Sauté onion and garlic for 2 to 3 minutes or until soft. Remove from heat.
3. Remove cauliflower from heat and drain thoroughly.
4. In a large food processor or high-powered blender, add cauliflower and milk. Pulse or blend until cauliflower is smooth.
5. Add remaining ingredients to processor or blender. Blend until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed and sauce resembles a creamy Alfredo sauce. Serve sauce over your choice of noodles.
VEGETABLE ZOODLES:
1. Shred 3 zucchini and 3 yellow squash lengthwise with a vegetable peeler. Try to get a thicker noodle, rather than very thin, as they will fall apart easier. Just apply a bit more pressure while shredding for thicker noodles.
2. Boil a couple of inches of water in the bottom of a medium pot. Add Zoodles to a steamer basket and steam for 1 to 2 minutes. If you over-steam, the noodles will fall apart.
3. Gently remove noodles from steamer basket and drain completely.
4. Place Zoodles in colorful circles on each plate and spoon sauce over the top.
SHIRATAKI NOODLES:
1. Place noodles in a strainer and rinse thoroughly to remove all liquid they came packed in.
2. Boil in water for 3 minutes.
3. Drain well (they hold a lot of water), and divide among four plates.
4. Spoon sauce over the top.
FOR QUINOA PASTA:
1. Prepare pasta according to directions on package.
2. Put about ½ cup pasta on each plate, and spoon sauce over the top.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION PER SERVING: 258.0 calories, 11.4g protein, 20.1g carbohydrates, 5.4g fiber, 3.3g sugar, 17.1g fat, 3.3g saturated fat, 0.0mg cholesterol, 77.0mg sodium