This recipe is the perfect vegan dish to whip up if you want to make an impression! It looks so beautiful on the plate, with the bright colours from the asparagus, beetroot and avocado. It’s honestly so simple, but looks so fancy.
It’s a gluten-free, veggie-packed meal that would be perfect for a last minute dinner party. Check out the video below on the art of assembling the dish 🙂
For the Asparagus
Ingredients
- 2 bunch of Asparagus
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup tamari
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
Method
- Peel the skin of the asparagus stem, and place in a large bowl or flat deep glass tray.
- Add the remaining ingredients and leave to marinate for 2 hours or more. You can also place the bowl, covered, in a dehydrator on 50C to speed up the wilting process.
For the “Pasta”
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw beetroot
- 6 courgettes (zucchini)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
Method
- Juice the beetroot and transfer to a large bowl. You can also grate the beetroot instead of using a juicer, just using the liquid content
- Cut the tips off each end of the courgettes (zucchini), but leave the skin on.
- Slice the courgettes with a mandolin (fettuccini type strips) or spiraliser.
- Transfer the strips to the bowl with the beetroot juice and add the rest of the ingredients. Set aside whilst making the rest of the recipe. The longer you leave the courgette to marinade, the redder it will be. .
Kale + Basil pesto
Ingredients
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup cold pressed olive oil
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (optional)
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- 1 small bunch kale, de-stemmed and torn into small pieces (about 1 BIG handful)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Pinch Himalayan salt and fresh cracked pepper
Method
- Start food processor running. Drop cloves of garlic in, one at a time.
- Add olive oil, nutritional yeast, pine nuts and lemon juice. Pulse until blended.
- Add kale and plus until kale is well chopped and incorporated.
To assemble
- Remove the courgette fettuccini strips from the beetroot juice mixture and place in a strainer to allow the excess liquid to run off.
- Remove the broccoli, which should have softened but still be nice and crunchy, from the marinade and allow excess liquid to run off.
- Arrange the asparagus on a plate however it works best for you.
- Arrange the purple pasta and pesto on top of the broccoli.
