Raw Zucchini Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce

You can tell a lot about what's going on in my life by what's on my library queue.  I have this weird habit of getting fascinated by one particular subject and then reading everything I can about it until I get bored and find my next interest.  This year alone I've been through a gardening phase, a running phase, a preserving food phase, a cycling phase, a twitter phase (yes, there are books on it!), a vegan nutrition phase, and a writing phase. My newest phase?  Raw food.

With the weather warming up and longer days approaching, my body has been craving more cooling and fresh foods like salads, raw veggies, and raw soups.  The only problem with a lot of raw food recipes that I've seen is that they tend to be a tad labor-intensive and nut-based.  I really enjoy using nuts in recipes, but I wanted a recipe that was a bit on the lighter-side.

This week I set out to create an easy raw entree that is fresh, delicious, and can be prepared quickly.  I ended up with a hearty zucchini pasta dish covered with a light, creamy tomato sauce.  The best part?  This meal can be prepared in under 5 minutes!

We'll start by spiralizing some zucchini to make our zucchini noodles.  To do this, you will need a vegetable slicer that can cut food into spirals. (I use this one by World Cuisine.)  If you don't have a vegetable slicer then you can use a food processor to cut your zucchini into matchsticks for a "penne" pasta.

Then we blend our sauce.  Throw your tomatoes, tahini sauce, garlic, herbs, and salt into a blender.  In under 30 seconds your creamy, flavorful sauce is ready!

I love topping this pasta with fresh cherry tomatoes and extra fresh pepper.  This recipe serves 1, but it can easily be doubled or tripled as needed to serve more.  This pasta is perfect for lunch, a light dinner, or any time that you crave a fresh, delicious meal without having to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

Raw Zucchini Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce

Serves 1

2 medium zucchini

2 medium roma tomatoes

1 medium garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon tahini

1.5 teaspoon dried basil

.5 teaspoon oregano

Freshly ground sea salt and pepper to taste

Process zucchini into spirals or matchsticks.  Set aside. 

Add tomatoes, garlic, tahini, basil, oregano, and salt to blender. Blend until smooth.

Top zucchini with sauce and serve.