Healthy Chicks

Good afternoon ladies! Hope you all had an amazing weekend, and a happy & green St. Patty’s Day. I spent the weekend catching up with old friends, eating good food, wining, and roaming the packed streets in South Boston. (I even got to catch some of the parade this year!)

[Ladies’ night apps: green grapes, herbed goat cheese, When Pigs Fly sourdough]

[The Boy & I]                                                             [best friends]

While I didn’t get around to Green Eggs ‘n’ Ham or dying our milk green (boo to artificial coloring), I did make a delicious green pesto pasta the other night that I’ve been dying to share with you ladies. Even better, it’s both gluten and dairy-free!

Buckwheat Veggie Pasta with Pesto & Chicken Sausage (Dairy & Gluten-free)

Makes 4 large servings

• 8 oz. bag of buckwheat pasta
• 2 links all-natural chicken sausage, sliced into thin circles (We used garlic-flavored)
• 1 c. frozen green peas
• Half a bag frozen spinach
• 2 c. frozen broccoli
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 TB cold-pressed coconut oil (for cooking)
• salt, pepper & seaweed gomasio to taste

For pesto:

• About 2 c. fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 c. chopped walnuts
• 3/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
• few shakes of nutritional yeast (to give it that “cheesy” flavoring)
• sea salt & pepper to taste

Note: Aim to use organic ingredients when you can!

1. Cook pasta according to directions, until cooked through but still slightly firm. In the meantime, heat large skillet with coconut oil and sauté garlic and onion on medium heat for about 2 minutes.

2. Add frozen vegetables, and continue to cook. In the meantime, prepare the pesto by adding all the ingredients to a food processor and pulsing until mixture is smooth. Add salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and nutritional yeast to your liking and give it a good stir.

3. Once vegetables are no longer frozen, add in the sliced chicken sausage and stir. Drain the pasta, and slowly stir into veggie mixture. Then add in pesto, mixing until the veggies and pasta are evenly coated. Add salt, pepper and seaweed gomasio to taste and dig in!

What did you do this weekend to celebrate St. Patty’s Day? What’s your favorite go-to healthy pasta dish?