Turkey Kale Pasta with Cashew Tomato Sauce

I call this dish a nutrition WIN!! You wanna know why? Okay, I'll tell you! Because it is a comfort dish that has nutritional benefits without all the extra calories and fat. AND it has the flavor!!! Boom cha boom cha boom. Nutrition WIN! I am sure you can tell I'm on a cashew kick lately {like with my cashew pesto and cashew "sour cream"}, so when I saw that Dishing Out Health made a cashew tomato sauce, I got inspired! I am all about using ingredients you have so they don't got to waste, and this dish was a result of that and it turned out great!!! 

I used gluten-free chickpea pasta noodles which gave this pasta dish a lighter feel. I also used lean ground turkey for the protein and nutritional yeast to add a little plant-based creamy, cheesy flavor. Have you heard of it? I have been using nutritional yeast a lot lately because it is a great alternative when you don't want to load up on cheese. It is vegan-friendly and actually makes your dish delicious!! I love cheese, but sometimes I want to skip out on all the sodium and fat that typically comes along with it. Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast that is dried to make it a great and easy ingredient to use in the kitchen. Not to mention, it has a lot of B vitamins, folic acid and a little protein and fiber! And I promise, it actually provides a GREAT flavor! You should give it a try! Take a look... 

Ingredients {serves 2-3}

• 1/3 cup cashews
• 3/4 cup warm water
• i cup cherry tomatoes whole +  3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
• 3 tbsp + 1 tsbp nutritional yeast {or parmesan cheese if you prefer}
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp of lemon juice
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil 
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 3/4 lbs lean ground turkey
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp dried basil
• 4 oz pasta {i used gluten-free chickpea pasta}, cooked according to package
• 4-5 oz kale, removed from stem and roughly chopped {I used half of a 10oz bag from trader joe's}

Directions

1. Soak cashews in 3/4 cup warm water for about 20 minutes. 
2. Transfer cashews and the water to a blender or food processor. Add cherry tomatoes, 3 tbsp nutritional yeast {or cheese}, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, salt & pepper. Blend for a few minutes, or until smooth. 
3. Cook pasta per package instructions. Drain pasta and reserve about 1/2 cup of the water. 
4. In a large skillet, brown turkey over medium-high heat. Season with salt, pepper, garlic and dried basil and stir, breaking apart into small pieces as it cooks.  
5. Once turkey is browned, add cooked pasta, kale and 1/4 of the reserved pasta water. Stir to combine for about 1 minutes until kale begins to wilt, reduce heat to low. 
6. Next, add 3/4 of the prepared cashew tomato sauce and the sliced tomatoes {feel free to add more sliced tomatoes if you want!}. Tossing continuously for about 1 minute to thoroughly coat. 
7. Add 1 tbsp of nutritional yeast to the pasta mixture and stir until combined. {feel free to add more cashew sauce if pasta seems dry}
8. Top with fresh herbs, if desired {like basil or parsley}. Divide pasta between bowl and serve warm

Enjoy <3 Norma

Creamy Cashew Pesto

Okay, so I have been making this cashew pesto for months now and I finally perfected it!! Like oh meee geee it is so creamy and delicious! I could eat by the spoon full {I may or may not have already done that}. I have used it in several recipes, likes the stuffed tomatoes and pesto chicken pizza. But I thought it would be good for the pesto to have it's own post so it's easy to find! Take a look...

Pesto Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh basil {packed}, picked off stems
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup cashews, raw (or pine nuts)
• 1 garlic clove
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast to keep it vegan {or you can use Parmesan cheese}
• 4 tbsp water 

Instructions

1. Add all of the pesto ingredients to a food processor or high powered blender and blend until smooth and creamy, about 2-3 minutes. I typical stop it a few times and use a small spatula to scrape down the sides to make sure all ingredients get blended well.  You may need to add more water to achieve desired consistency.

Enjoy <3 Norma  

Tomato Feta Galette

I had the most wonderful morning on Saturday!! You probably saw a glimpse on my Instastory. I walked the dogs, took a boxing class, had breakfast outside and strolled Central Park and went to grocery store... all before noon. That is my kind of morning! Anyone else a morning person? Well after an adventurous morning, I didn't want to throw away my "feel good" feeling with a heavy lunch. I wanted something savory. I have reallybeen trying to focus on listening to my body and not just what my MIND wants. It's actually really hard to figure out which one is which sometimes. But I do know that when my mind is craving something, I typically end up feeling awful after I eat whatever it is. So with that in mind and the fact I didn't want to feel blaahhh, I thought to make a savory galette!! I have made a sweet blueberry-pecan galette before and it is mouth watering! But this time I wanted herbs and veggies.

I search several recipes for the crust because I knew I wanted to make it with minimal ingredients. Well, I couldn't find one I liked so I made one up and it turned out! WHOOHOO! I took a gamble and used kefir in the dough to add some extra nutritional benefits {like providing protein, good bacteria & yeast, vitamins and minerals!} This can make a savory breakfast, a light lunch or even would be great as an appetizer! Towards the end of baking it, I turned the oven on broil to give it a nice golden color, but left it in a bit too long and it got a little darker than I was thinking... whoops! But this flavor profile on this is just a 10!!  Take a look... 

Dough Ingredients {makes 2}

• 2 3/4 cups whole wheat flour {if you can get whole wheat pastry flour that would be ideal, but regular whole wheat flour works too!}
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 
• 1 cup kefir {low fat or full fat or you can use milk}

Filling Ingredients {makes 1}

• 6 oz crumbled feta cheese
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 4 thyme springs 
• 1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes, sliced 
• salt & pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to bake 400 degrees. Combine flour and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine kefir and oil {do not stir}.
2. Add the bowl of oil/kefir to the bowl of flour & salt all at once. Stir until mixed and well combined. 
3. Split dough into 2 ball. Wrap each ball in plastic wrap and place is refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes.
4. Once chilled, remove dough from refrigerator. On a clean, dry work space, sprinkle a little flour. Using a rolling pin {or wine bottle} roll out the dough into a round pizza crust. About 1/4 inch thick.  
5. Carefully transfer rolled-out dough to a baking sheet {either spray pan with cooking spray or use wax paper}. The dough may split a little during transfer, but that's okay! you can use your hand to mend it back together once it is on the pan. 
6. Sprinkle the cheese evenly on the dough, being sure to leave about 1.5-2 inch border. Then add the shallots, thyme leaves, basal and season with salt & pepper. Next add the slice tomatoes by layering them over each other. Sprinkle with s&p.
7. Gently fold up the border of the dough up over the filling all the way around. I brushed the crust with some evoo, sprinkled with salt & pepper and topped with fresh thyme springs. 
8. Place pan in oven and bake for about 40 minutes. Remove from oven and. let cool for 10 minutes. Remove the thyme springs and top with a little fresh basil & feta (if you have any left over).
9. Cut into slices and serve warm {or at room temperature if you prefer}

Enjoy <3 Norma