Pasta

When I first went on to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet I immediately began to mourn the loss of eating pasta. It is the perfect meal and there are probably fifteen hundred different versions of pasta sauces.

I loved the way spaghetti would flick sauce all over my face when I sucked it in through my mouth. And, despite the fact that one should never eat pasta on a first date, I rebelliously would anyway. If the guy couldn't cope with pasta all over my face, how was he going to cope with the parsley between my teeth from my carbonara.

So here are three of my very favourites, made with zucchini spaghetti.

Carbonara

2 Tbs virgin olive oil

100 g bacon – chopped into smallish pieces

4 garlic cloves - minced

1 cup mushrooms - chopped

1 cup coconut cream

¼ cup cashew butter

freshly cracked black pepper and salt to taste

parsley - chopped

Heat the olive oil in a deep pan and add the bacon and garlic. Sauté until the bacon has changed colour, then add the mushroom and continue to cook until the mushrooms have softened.

Add the coconut cream and cashew butter, cracked pepper and salt and stir for a few seconds.

Serve immediately over the cooked zucchini pasta and sprinkle with parsley.

Nicoise

250 g fresh tuna

6 boiled eggs

1 cup grape tomatoes - halved

1 red onion – sliced into thin half rings

1 cup cooked green beans

½ cup olives - pitted

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

freshly cracked black pepper and salt to taste

Cook the tuna in a frying pan with a little oil and let cool to room temperature.

Combine all the other vegetables.

Mix together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and pour over the vegetables tossing them until well combined.

Serve over cooked zucchini pasta at room temperature.

Primavera

2 Tbs virgin olive oil

1 cup chopped carrots

1 garlic clove - minced

2 cups cherry tomatoes – quartered

1 cup chicken stock (or vegetable stock)

250 g asparagus – cut into smallish pieces

250 g frozen peas

¼ cup fresh basil

freshly cracked black pepper and salt to taste

Pour the olive oil into a deep frying pan and add the chopped carrots and garlic, and sauté on medium for about 5 minutes. Then add the tomatoes and sauté for another 30 seconds.

Pour in the stock and bring to boil.

Then add the asparagus and peas and cook until the vegetables are tender.

Spoon the vegetables over the cooked zucchini spaghetti and sprinkle with the chopped basil.

Primavera

2 Tbs virgin olive oil

1 cup chopped carrots

1 garlic clove - minced

2 cups cherry tomatoes – quartered

1 cup chicken stock (or vegetable stock)

250 g asparagus – cut into smallish pieces

250 g frozen peas

¼ cup fresh basil

freshly cracked black pepper and salt to taste

Pour the olive oil into a deep frying pan and add the chopped carrots and garlic, and sauté on medium for about 5 minutes. Then add the tomatoes and sauté for another 30 seconds.

Pour in the stock and bring to boil.

Then add the asparagus and peas and cook until the vegetables are tender.

Spoon the vegetables over the cooked zucchini spaghetti and sprinkle with the chopped basil.