Bow Tie Pasta with Basil-Kale Pesto
Welcome to my Ayurveda & Yoga blog! I’m Evangeline and I’m an RMT and holistic health coach. I started my blog during covid to stay connected to my clients and share my love of cooking healthy, AYURVEDIC INSPIRED meals.
Ayurvedic cooking is a conscious approach to preparing and cooking tasty, nutritious, balanced meals using spices and herbs, and taking into consideration the external conditions such as the season and time of day, in addition to how you are feeling.
My little guy loves pasta! I include a pasta dish like this one in his lunch box at least once a week, and today was the day. This pasta dish is rich in antioxidants from the spinach, kale (hidden in the pesto) and zucchini. He usually likes mozzarella cheese on it, but today it was skipped as he has a left over cough from a cold, and in fact he didn’t feel like having cheese on it today.
Cold dairy, like hard cheeses and cold milk is a food to minimize or avoid all together when you have a cough and cold, or when feeling congested. In fact, the word cough comes from the Sanskrit word kapha, written extensively about in Ayurveda. Ayurveda, one of the oldest health systems, which means the science of life, helps us keep balanced on a day to day basis through diet, work and rest. In doing so we are fundamentally dealing with the three doshas- vata, pitta, kapha and how they are playing out in us. We can look at the doshas as key players in keeping our body and mind balanced. When it comes to cooking, the same Ayurvedic principle applies- “like increases like”. As it is winter here right now with many experiencing colds, flus and covid, food that is heavy and cold is something to avoid until the cough or cold has subsided. It makes sense, doesn’t it? You wouldn’t want to aggravate cold and congestion with a food, similar in character with what you are experiencing, and especially so when the season is identical to your symptoms. Because Ayurveda aligns with the laws of nature, we end up feeling better when we follow its guidelines.
Bow Tie Pasta with Basil-Kale Pesto
Yield: 1 serving
Prep time: 5 minutes with pesto prepared beforehand
Cook time: 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS
¾ cup bow tie pasta
1 tsp ghee or olive
1 small zucchini - about ½ cup zucchini cut in thick strips
2 handfuls of spinach - about 1 cup packed spinach
2-3 Tablespoons pesto
Salt to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
In a medium-size pot bring water to a boil, the add pasta and cook for about 10-12 minutes.
While pasta is cooking, put a bit of ghee or olive oil in a pan set at medium-high heat, then add zucchini.
Cover pan with a lid, turn heat down to medium-low and cook for 2 minutes.
After a couple of minutes, add spinach and pesto and combine all together, and put the lid back on and turn stove off.
Drain pasta and add to the pan and toss it all up. Drizzle with a bit more olive oil and salt to taste before serving or packing into a thermos.
Enjoy!
Reference
Vaidya R. K. Mishra- Notes from Shaka Vansiya Ayurveda Courses, Practicum, Conferences and Lectures 2003-2015