Kale & Hempseed Pesto Pasta with Baked Salmon

Yum. yum yum yum. That's pretty much all I can that say that describes this recipe. And as usual, it's HEALTHY. No but seriously, this is gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan (without the salmon), and a super satisfying and filling meal. The pesto is made of hemp seeds, which are a great source of essential fatty acids (omega 3 and such), plus they're full of protein (you can find hemp protein powder everywhere!). It also includes kale, cashews (or any time of nut you want), lemon, basil, and a few other things I decided to throw in to make it taste a little cheesier and richer. 

Hemp Seed Pesto Pasta // The Casual Classic

I've made this twice already in the past couple weeks. The full recipe lasts me a couple days worth of lunches (or dinners). The only unique tool you need is a food processor... If you don't have one, I'd seriously consider investing in one, because so many recipes these days require one. Or at least recipes that involve nuts seem to require one. I have a teeny tiny one because when I originally wanted to buy it, I didn't want to spend a lot of money. Now, I'm considering investing in a larger one since I use it so darn often! 

Read on for instructions and ingredients!

Hemp Seed Pesto Pasta // The Casual Classic

Ingredients:

  • Gluten free pasta or soba noodles (I used an entire package of gluten free rice pasta)
  • 1 filet of salmon
  • 1 bunch of lacinto kale - stalks removed (about 2 large handfuls)
  • handful of parsley
  • 1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup hemp seeds
  • 1/2 cup cashews (or pine nuts)
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1/2 tbsp of nutritional yeast (optional)
  • Pinch of sea salt

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees (for the salmon - you can omit this if you aren't cooking salmon).
  2. Rub the salmon with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place it on an baking tray covered with aluminum foil skin down. Bake for 4-5 minutes per half inch of thickness. 
  3. Cook the pasta per the instructions on the package.
  4. Throw the rest of the ingredients for the pesto into a large food processor and process until you reach a smooth consistency. 
  5. You can omit the garlic & nutritional yeast if you prefer - the original recipe didn't call for it, but when I made it the first time, it was just missing something. The nutritional yeast gives it a little bit of a cheesy flavor that normal pesto has, and the garlic was just a great addition also.
  6. Mix the pesto with the pasta, top with the salmon, and enjoy!

*Recipe adapted from The Chalkboard Mag

Vegan/Gluten-Free Spiralized Lasagna (Part 1)

This is a fun one. A couple weeks ago, I was in the mood for some lasagna. I discovered this recipe for spiralized lasagna, and decided it was the perfect choice. Well, I was also feeling extremely adventurous and decided to make it a vegan lasagna. I've been wanting to try cashew cheese for a while, so why not? Surprisingly, it turned out so well. I was extremely happy with the final piece and will definitely make it again!

The Casual Classic / Cashew Cheese

Today is part one of this recipe. I'm going to tell you how to make cashew cheese - trust me, it is so simple, and surprisingly, it tastes like cheese! It works great as a dip for carrots or pretzels, and also as the ricotta layer on vegan lasagna! Read on for recipe details. 

The Casual Classic / Cashew Cheese
The Casual Classic / Cashew Cheese

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 cups raw cashews (soaked for a couple hours - I soaked mine overnight beforehand)
  • .5 cup water
  • Juice of 1 lemon OR 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (I used ACV)
  • 1-2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (I use Braggs)
  • 1 garlic clove
  • pinch of onion powder
  • pinch of Himalayan salt

Directions:

  • Soak the cashews for at least 3 hours in a bowl of water. The water should be about an inch or so above the cashews because they'll swell when they soak up the water.
  • Drain cashews and place all ingredients into a blender or food processor. Blend until creamy. You will need to stop a couple times and scrape the sides - this is normal.
  • Store in the refrigerator for about an hour or two - the cheese is much better chilled!
  • This makes about two cups, and will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.
  • Use as a dip or in other recipes... My recipe for vegan lasagna using this cheese will be on the blog tomorrow so stay tuned!

*Recipe adapted from The Simple Veganista