Creamy Pasta Salad

My kids called this creation addictive (well my two older ones). Rose inhaled it. But I served up Olive a separate bowl before combining all of the ingredients because she started crying when I poured the roasted vegetables on top of the pasta. Some battles just aren't worth fighting..

Ingredients:

1lb whole wheat Farfalle pasta

½ C raw walnuts

1 block firm tofu (16 oz)

2 garlic cloves, whole

1 lemon, juiced

3 handfuls basil leaves

1 handful parsley

5 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise, then cut into ½ inch pieces (I use a combination of zucchini and yellow squash)

1 medium sweet onion, chopped (roughly the same size as the zucchini)

1 ¾ C garbanzo beans (one can), drained

1 handful sunflower seeds (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 500* F.

2. Chop the zucchini and onion and evenly spread them onto a lined baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes until all of the vegetables are cooked and the onions are slightly charred.

3. Boil the pasta until cooked all the way through and soft. Drain and set aside.

4. Finely chop the walnuts, garlic, basil, and parsley in a food processor. Add the tofu and half of the lemon juice and combine until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste.

5. In a large bowl combine the pasta, roasted vegetables, garbanzo beans, and tofu mixture. Add the remaining lemon juice if desired (I do!) and salt and pepper to taste (I use a generous amount of freshly ground pepper). Garnish with sunflower seeds and serve warm or cold (I prefer cold).

Notes: This is similar to my recipe for oil free pesto ricotta from my cookbook. I just didn't have any spinach so I added parsley instead.

This dish would also be delicious with the addition of grape or cherry tomatoes...too bad I was all out!

We ate this with a simple side salad of lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, and my balsamic vinaigrette from my cookbook.