Rocket Pesto Pasta Salad with Roasted Pumpkin, Leek and Mushroom

It has been rather hot here in Cooranbong NSW lately, and the last thing you feel like doing is eating and preparing a hot meal. My pregnancy cravings came up with this rather scrumptious lunch meal.

Ingredients:

5 cups diced pumpkin (large 2 cm cubes)

1 leek, sliced thinly

500g mushrooms, quartered

2 Tbs tamari (soy sauce)

2 Tbs olive oil

1 packet of Penne pasta

•   Mix the cubed pumpkin together with a little olive oil and place on a lined baking tray. Roast in the oven for approx 30-40 minutes (this could vary a lot - my oven is VERY old) until soft and browned. Set aside to cool.
• Fry together the leek and mushrooms in the tamari and olive oil. Set aside.
• Cook the pasta until just cooked. Immediately drain and rinse and let sit in cold water.

Pesto:

3/4 cup Tamari Almonds (if you cannot find tamari almond you may use regular almonds, adding a little tamari to the pesto)

4 cloves garlic

1/8 cup olive oil

1 tsp celtic salt

3 cups Basil leaves

1/4 cup sundried tomato, sliced

•  Place all pesto ingredients into a food processor and process until well combined. You may add a little lemon juice or water if it needs to be thinner. We enjoy a little lemon juice for an extra bite.

TO SERVE: Drain the pasta and then mix through the pesto. Add the roasted pumpkin and mushrooms, and 2 large handfuls of rocket leaves. Mix well and serve! 

Proverbs 3:27  "Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it."
 

Posted by Melissa Awde