My sister Julia is Vegan (she does not eat or use animal products – see more of her recipes here). Being Vegan is not easy, and you really have to teach yourself about nutrition to ensure you are giving your body all of the essential nutrients. Needless to say she has become much more experimental in the kitchen, to keep things interesting, and to keep herself healthy. On Christmas Day this year she made a few salads and nut loaves, and plonked them on the table next to everything else. At the end of the day there was nothing of hers left, each and every bowl was licked clean and raved about.

I love vegan food and the all of the cruelty free ideas behind it. But most of all it is just really raw and tasty, and it makes you feel good. This pasta is one of Harry’s favourites, you can enjoy it as is, or simply use the pesto as a spread, or pizza sauce.

Nutrition Note: Using a variety of nuts will provide you with a variety of nutrients – almonds are rich in vitamin E, pine nuts provide iron and niacin and cashews are a source of magnesium.

Ingredients

• 300g dried spiral pasta
• 1 bunch of fresh basil
• 1 cup cashews, pine nuts, almonds
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup semi sun-dried tomatos

Method

Step 1

Cook your pasta as per pack directions, drain, and set aside to cool. -

Step 2

Place all ingredients in a food processor and mix until combined. -

Step 3

Stir pesto through the pasta. Enjoy as a cool summer salad. -