The heat has hit the farm! Summer solstice brought much anticipated warm weather that has made for some fabulous beach days, yummy popsicles (stay tuned for a fun recipe!), and well oven-free dinners. Living in our small home our 1 room kitchen, living room, bedroom, toddler room, play room, (you get the picture!) gets hot when even boiling water during the summer. So some nights call for a oven-free dinner! When your fiancé and toddler wont settle for just a salad for a main course, one must think outside the box…I bring you chilled avocado pesto pasta. But it gets better, this avocado pesto also makes for an amazing dip or sauce for just about anything – my dad actually ate it with french fries lol. Also, if you are totally into the “zoodle” thing like I am (also called zucchini noodles), then this avocado pesto pasta recipe can also be vegan, gluten, and dairy free! Of course if dairy free isn’t your thing (aka my fiancé) then feel free to add some parmesan cheese, or if spiralizing isn’t your thing (or if your house can accommodate the boiling of hot water) than make some regular or rice pasta. Heck, the ideas are endless. However in my case, this avocado pesto with zucchini noodles is a hit in our household – and thankfully keeps the house cool!! Here it goes…
ingredients:
2 ripe avocados
1 garlic clove
1 cup fresh spinach
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons olive oil
juice of a lemon
1/4 cup of water (you can add more to get a smoother consistency)
salt & pepper to tastedirections:
Combine all above ingredients into a blender or food processor (we use a Vitamix)
Blend until smooth, adding water to reach desired consistency
‘Spiralize’ 3-4 good size zucchinis
You can add your avocado pesto to these zoodles right away, or toss the zoodles in a large pan for a few minutes to heat. If you decide to heat your zoodles, make sure to drain the water from the pan before adding the pesto so it doesn’t get to watery.
You can also add this pesto to any other kind of noodle or serve as a dip with veggies!
