GF Vegan Broccoli & Artichoke Buckwheat Pasta!

So the Kentucky Derby was today…”I’ll Have Another” took home the crown. What a name! “I’ll Have Another”…what…? haha…juuust kidding :)

creamy and decadent pasta sauce!

I’ll Have Another Margarita cuz it’s Cinco de Mayo — how about that?! No…I wish…I haven’t been able to have any alcohol since October, when my Ulcerative Colitis flare started. Alcohol exacerbates the symptoms, and is Strictly Prohibited on the Body Ecology Diet.

So tonight, you should “Have Another” margarita for me:) I like frozen lime with salt. K thanks.

such a colorful plate!

So for dinner tonight, I made Buckwheat Pasta with Broccoli and Artichoke Sauce, and broiled flounder. It was delicious!

want a bite?

Although…I committed pasta’s Mortal Sin — I forgot to reserve pasta water!!!! Pasta water is the secret ingredient that makes the sauce velvety and creamy — and I forgottttt! So it was a bit thicker than optimal, but still delectable!

gorgeous color on the flounder!

Here’s what you need:

2 big stalks of broccoli, chopped into florets and steamed
1 cup frozen artichoke hearts
1 yellow onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, chopped
dried oregano and basil
1 1/2 cup veg stock
1/4 cup macadamia nuts, toasted
2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds, toasted
2 Tbsp fresh parsley
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper
reserved pasta water

Start out by toasting your macadamia nuts and pumpkin seeds, and steaming your broccoli for about 3 or 4 minutes, until bright green. In a large sauce pan, saute your onion until tender in 1 tsp EVOO, salt, pepper, oregano and basil. When tender, add in your artichoke hearts, and let them warm through. Finally, stir in garlic for a minute. Then, deglaze with your veg stock. Add your steamed broccoli to warm through again. If the pan seems dry, add more stock. Take it off the heat and let it cool for a few minutes — add “1 turn of the pan” of veg stock. Then, carefully transfer the veggies into a food processor, along with the parsley, lemon, and nuts with about 1/4-1/2 cup reserved pasta water. Blend until smooth. Re-season with salt and pepper. Toss with cooked pasta and ENJOY!!

gorgeous green color from the broccoli and artichokes!

Finally, I served this with broiled flounder. Lobsta Bakes’ wild, ocean-caught flounder is SO moist and sweet. I seriously love this fish. It is so tender and juicy! I broiled it for about 8 minutes with 1 tsp EVOO, salt, pepper, paprika, and chili powder. The spice crust is so wonderful — a sweet-spicy coating that has formed a crispy crust, leading to this moist and succulent flounder meat. YUM!

This meal was delicious. Even though I forgot the pasta water and the sauce was a bit thicker than I would have liked, it was still fantastic! I loved the flavor of the broccoli with the garlic backdrop. There was subtle hint of lemon, which paired beautifully with the nutty buckwheat.

fantastic dinner!

The sauce is so healthy too! Not only is it gluten-free and vegan, but it is PACKED with nutrition. It is literally pureed broccoli and artichokes! Artichokes are full of potassium, folate, Vitamin C, and magnesium, while broccoli is full of Vitamin E, Calcium and Iron.

“I’ll Have Another” great day tomorrow, please!

So my food processor was the star of the show tonight, making this sauce possible! Here's the one I use and highly recommend: