Eric, Steve, Dan, Shayne, and Steve worked on the deck this weekend and they got so much accomplished!
It almost looks like a deck now. :)
The weather was what the boys called, ‘Deck Building Weather’. Sunny and just warm enough to be comfortable.
The workstation Eric set up…heh
View from other end:
This is the view from our back door:
Our old deck didn’t extend this far, but we thought it would be really nice to walk straight out onto the deck so we extended the deck about 7 feet or so. I’m very happy about this extension because it will be much easier for me to carry my camera and food to the deck!
If you recall, it used to look like this…
On Sunday night, I treated Eric to a fancy smancy dinner as a thank you for all his hard work- Vegan Yum Yum’s Tomato Basil Cream Pasta dish that I have been meaning to try for a while now. This dish tastes so much like a traditional cream pasta, you could fool even the toughest critic!
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
Easy Tomato Basil Cream Pasta
Yield
2-3 servings
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This is one of the best creamy pasta sauces I have ever tasted, vegan or otherwise. It is right up there with 15 minute Creamy Avocado Pasta! This was also one of those moments when Eric and I looked at each other and said, ‘Can you believe this is vegan?’ I find that cashew cream sauces can be a bit bland, but this one was fantastic (probably due to the basil, tomato, and garlic trio adding so much flavour). Lightly adapted from Vegan Yum Yum.
Ingredients
- 2 servings uncooked spaghetti (I used Kamut)
- 1 large ripe tomato or two smaller tomatoes
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2-4 garlic cloves, minced (I used 3)
- 1 tsp salt, or to taste
- 3-4 tbsp water or wine, (optional)
- 1-2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup packed fresh basil, finely chopped
Directions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Chop tomato and add it to the blender (including skin and seeds). Now add the cashews, water, and tomato paste. Blend until smooth.
- Add your pasta to boiling water and cook pasta according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, add olive oil to a large skillet and heat to low. Add the minced garlic and sauté for a few minutes being careful not to burn it.
- Pour the sauce from the blender into the skillet, stir, and bring to a simmer. Add the salt and let it cook for 4-5 minutes, watching closely. You may add water or wine to thin out the sauce to you desired consistency, but this is not necessary.
- Remove sauce from heat and stir in the chopped basil and pepper. Once the pasta is done cooking, rinse and drain it. Add the drained pasta back in the pot and now gradually add pasta sauce until your desired amount is achieved. Stir and serve immediately. Makes 2 servings, likely with sauce leftover.
I love making pasta sauces because with just a few ingredients you can create something that tastes so gourmet and special.
And this was one of the best creamy pasta sauces I have ever tasted, vegan or otherwise. It is right up there with 15 minute Creamy Avocado Pasta!
This was also one of those moments when Eric and I looked at each other and said, ‘Can you believe this is vegan?’ I find that cashew cream sauces can be a bit bland, but this one was fantastic (probably due to the basil, tomato, and garlic trio adding so much flavaaaa).
Time to get to work and then I’m off to another Moksha hot yoga class at lunchtime. Ange took me to my first hot yoga class on the weekend and I loved it. Many of you have been telling me for a long time now that a class is so different from a DVD and I must say you are 100% right! I will give a recap of my experience on the blog shortly.
Have a great day 
The deck is coming along so nicely! It will be so worth all the wait and hard work!! Your pasta looks so great! I’ll have to try this cream sauce. Normally when I cook vegan I make a sauce from veganaise, water and nutritional yeast and I love it! I haven’t tried any of your creamy sauces, because I never have cashews.
Hi Angela,
I saw you had trouble finding organic soil and wanted to follow up because I told you that you could find it at the store… :-( the kind we get is called Coast of Maine. It’s not sold in Canada but their website has a special order program for Canada. http://www.coastofmaine.com/dealers.shtml
Hope this is helpful! I think you are already all set but maybe it will help for next year.
Can’t wait to see your home grown veggies :) And the deck looks great!
Ellen
thanks so much!
Everything looks perfectly done…nothing like a fabulous bowl of pasta!
I can’t wait for us to get going on our yard in June, yours is an inspiration to us all! Great pasta dish too :)
Glad the deck is progressing well. Great looking recipe, thanks for sharing.
I will so be making this! I am a huge fan of your 15 min creamy avocado pasta! It’s a staple in our house! The deck is moving along nicely!!!
I have A LOT of basil on hand currently, so this pasta dish couldn’t have been more timely! I think I could get away with adding some nooch, too :)
Loving this. Just the thing to get the indulgent creamy pasta kick, without having to try and squeeze into my jeans. Brilliant- thank you!
I always make pasta sauces for Sophie’s meals and this sounds like a must try! As soon as I rule out any potential allergies :)
I have the Vegan Yum Yum cookbook too, and I have always been meaning to make this dish. But I still havent:( Your photos looks great, maybe I finally will make it:)
Pasta perfection!
This recipes sounds sooooo good Ange. I’m def making it next time B and I have a craving for creamy pasta. He’s got high cholesterol, so we def don’t get to have cream sauces very often, but this one will be PERFECT! I think I’ll tell him its vegan after just for fun ;) Thank for this recipe. :)
This looks awesome! I love creamy pastas :)
xo
I just made your creamy barley risotto last night for me and the bf, and we both loved it! I’m thinking about adding a little bit of cooked spinach and fresh basil for my leftovers, but it was delicious as is.
Im glad you enjoyed it….mmm we have it once every two weeks we love it so much!
I will have to check this out soon, I was in love with the avocado cream pasta and that was my first thought when I saw this post.
That looks super delicious! The deck is looking good too!
I have to try this!! I love your creamy avocado pasta and I make it about once a week so I’m sure this will get added to the regular rotation. O and sometimes I use cilantro instead of the basil in the creamy avocado pasta and it is delicious!
Oh my, your deck is looking wonderful! Great job guys!
You are my sauce hero! I love the creamy concoctions you come up with! I can’t wait to try this! :-)
So yum! I can’t wait to make this dish!